The end of summer and my silence

In order to avoid blaming this blog for missed sunsets or evenings grilling in the backyard, I stayed away from "Living to Learn," this summer. Since one of the chief topics of this blog is public education and schools were out for the summer, I thought I would spend the summer listening, reading and thinking, not with my usual purpose to regurgitate it later into something thoughtful- or not so thoughtful - but simply as part of living life.

It was nice.

But now I'm back and today was the first day of school in my district and many around the nation. I was pleasantly surprised to see my son's teacher is a man and a young one at that. My son, like most kids of elementary-school age, is cognizant of the world's preset gender roles. Contrary to my protests, he is certain only girls look good in pink, ballet is for girls and males once they're adults and in need of a fun job. Despite how many times it has happened, he remains pleasantly surprised, and impressed, when a girl disdains baking and expresses an interest in Legos and Bionicles. (Yes, this is a phase that shall pass.)

Meanwhile, I worry that outside of my husband, my son sees too few male role models in arenas he may believe to be the domain of women. That's why I sought out a male pediatrician and point out male classical dancers every time we pass the ballet studio near our house.

School is another area where the only male he sees is the gym teacher and the janitor. Teaching is a female-dominated profession with women accounting for 70 percent of the teachers in Washington state, according to this story. Improved recruiting, coupled with a recession is slowly changing the ratio, primarily in urban centers. Superintendents, the job where the real authority lies, remains largely male. I'm certain gender plays a role in how we view issues in education, from teacher accountability to pay. This piece explores the gender bias and obstacles men going into teaching face.

Its too early for me to think very deeply about what a male teacher will add to my fourth grader's educational experience this year. Certainly it will be different, but how to place a value on that would seem premature. I just know that I'm excited for my son to see this guy, in many ways a 20-year-older version of himself, and understand the many possibilities of his future. Fourth grade is one of the toughest years in school. It is a pivotal point in emotional maturation but also in the coalescing of basic skills now to be refined.

I'm looking forward to the energy, creativity and sense of fearlessness emanating from his classroom. I'm referring to the teacher but I wouldn't mind if my son takes on a swashbuckling attitude as well.

Black hair; blank checks

Its raining cats and dogs outside, got fireplace going and a bottle of red breathing inside. Yet I'm still fuming over this piece I wrote earlier today for the Seattle Times Opinion Page blog Ed Cetera.

I took a pretty even tone, the right course of action until we learn more about why a teacher at Thurgood Marshall Elementary School in Seattle removed an 8-year-old girl from class because the girl was wearing olive oil-based hair products. I still don't think the parents' first step should've been to call a lawyer - that never endears you to school officials so better left as a trump card. But maybe relations with the school weren't all that cordial to begin with. I hope the teacher really examines her conscience and ponders whether in hindsight, she acted responsibly, ethically and with compassion towards a young girl vulnerable to feeling different and excluded. In addition, if this teacher is allergic to one black hair care product, chances are there may be many she's allergic to. Is an urban, diverse school the right setting for her? Accommodations are appropriate, but they must be realistic.

Earlier this week in my Seattle Times column, I took a hard line on an education jobs bill in Congress. I have nothing against more money going into education, Lord knows it is one of the most underfunded mandates out there, but this is the time to press for the change President Obama promised not just write a blank check.

Social networking's anti-social side

I love when my son has a playdate or a sleepover. I'm even the queen of hosting them, giving other parents a night or a few hours off. When my son was pre-school and kindergarten-age it was wonderful to watch him and his friends play with their Thomas the Tank engine trains in that side-by-side fashion of very young kids and later in that hierarchal style of kids just beginning to chart a separate identity.

But now he's 9 and he and his friends consider it a rocking, roaring time to be in the same stuffy room, surrounded by toys, books and the like playing their Nintendo DS. The closest they get to playing together is if one kid forgot his or doesn't own one and must sit very close to a kid with one, pointed end of their chin resting on the other person's shoulders, eyes taking in every movement of the video game.

When parents climb into bed each with their own laptop or Kindle in hand, am I surprised that kids now consider socializing to be in the same space staring at separate screens? This New York Times piece caught my eye because obviously I'm not the only one wondering this.

This graph caught my eye: Much of the concern over all this use of technology has been focused on the implications for kids’ intellectual development. Worry about the social repercussions has centered on the darker side of online interactions, like cyber-bullying or texting sexually explicit messages. But psychologists and other experts are starting to take a look at a less-sensational but potentially more profound phenomenon: whether technology may be changing the very nature of kids’ friendships.

Some change is part of the evolution of human behavior and interaction. Some may be potentially worrisome, like when families shifted from taking the majority of their meals at home around the kitchen table to eating in the car. What's your take?

Education: the best anti-poverty program there is

Among the many fascinating people I encounter as a journalist, meeting Mary Njoroge, Kenya's former Director of Basic Education and leader of the Abolition of School Fees Initiative, represents a highlight.

First, to be a woman going against the grain in a patriarchal society cast Ms. Njoroge as a revolutionary in a culture often apathetic to the plight of women. She's not alone. It is mostly women's groups and NGOs (non-governmental organizations) building the foundation of educational excellence in Kenya.

To view how far the country has gone, in 2003, Kenya had one million children attending schools, now it has 86 million! Yes, 93 percent of all school-age children are in school.

As Njoroge spoke, it was clear that abolishing fees and opening education to everyone was just the beginning of a steep challenge. In northern Kenya, nomadic communities require the Kenyan government to think out the box, hiring teachers who can follow the tribes as they move in search of grass and water for their animals. Boarding schools are another solution although it separates the family and convincing Kenyan parents to leave their girls behind is a tough challenge. Far too often, girls are seen as the workhorses of the family or a prize to be married off to the highest bidder. The scourge of HIV/AIDS has orphaned families and often a girl must choose between an education and bringing up her brothers and sisters. Working with imans is another challenge.

"They still don't get it," Njoroge said of the struggle to convince religious leaders that even the pious will do better learning to read and write.

Six decades ago, the Universal Declaration on Human Rights declared that everyone has the right to an education. Today, there are over 70 million children in the world still without this basic human right. That's horrible. And its why we all ought to be banking on the success of a global fund set up to pay for educational access for all in poor countries.

Learning Mandarin

When Seattle Public School Superintendent Maria Goodloe-Johnson met with the Seattle Times Editorial Board today, I asked her about a new foreign language program and any potential conflicts posed by China's language-teaching agency, Hanban and American public schools. There are 60 Confucius Classrooms and university-level Confucius Institute programs in the U.S.

Goodloe-Johnson responded that she was more swayed by the prospect of more increased foreign language opportunities and the sight of African American children at Denny Middle School standing on the stage speaking Chinese. She's got a point. Foreign language profiency ought to be de rigeur in American education. Mandarin is the most spoken language in the world with more than a billion speakers. Emerging markets in Asia heighten the need to know at least one Asian language. Students wanting to pick up a second or third language would do well to choose Mandarin.

There are cognitive advantages to speaking a foreign language, some outlined in this interview. The earlier children pick it up the better. More children are studying a second language, according to this article, although it doesn't quantify the growth.

I've heard a smattering of concern that China may use this program to somehow influence American education and policy. I think the more likely event is that our children will learn more about the language and cultures of the world around them.

How important is speaking multiple languages to you? Are foreign languages part of your educational aspirations for your children?

Did you take a kid (yours or one borrowed) to work today?

In this anxiety-ridden times it seems like anything, no matter how well intended, can spur hand-wringing. January 22, 2010 is national Take Our Sons and Daughters to Work Day but fears ranging from kids catching or spreading the swine flu or misssing a class lesson key to passing a high-stakes test, convinced some parents to do otherwise. Some school administrators urged parents to keep their kids in school.

I don't think the day setaside to introduce kids to the workplace is as big a deal as it used to be. I don't think I saw a single kid at my company.

The Foundation behind this annual day has a great website chock full of ideas on how to make a day at work meaningful and enjoyable for a 10 year old. Maybe next year I'll do this. This year, flying back from Kentucky last night, I was hard-pressed to get myself to work this a.m., let alone my kid.

Inspire me for next year. If you took your son or daughter to work, tell me how it worked out. Or if you spotted kids at your workplace, what was your impression?

Must see movie: Why Did I Get Married

I didn't expect anything less from Tyler Perry and his new movie, "Why Did I get Married Too," than a hilariously-crazy, hot mess ably portrayed by good-looking and well-dressed actors.

My spirits were dampened somewhat by this New York Times review, but in my estimation the reviewer got it wrong. The sequel to "Why Did I get Married?" hit all the levels of pathos in American life and marriage. That Tyler is really focusing on black American life and marriage may be why the reviewer didn't get it.

I got it all. The struggle of black couples, many the first in their generation to attend college, earn professional credentials and acquire financial power and all the trappings of success - while not losing your soul, the very essence of who you are - is a very real struggle many of us go through on the regular.

I identified with some, ok many, of the characters' longings for love and familial stability. They each expressed their needs differently, but the same search for something - God knows what - that drives many of us, were in full view here.
Janet Jackson's character fought for control and while she never lost, irreparable damage was the price she paid. The challenges faced by the four couples are familiar. Love tested by economic hardship and male pride; been there done that. Commitment tested by the desire to have it all, right now, check that off my list.

I love that Tyler portrays black men as smart, sexy and emotionally available enough to be befuddled, and yes hurt, by the women they love. The men use humor, not all of it actually funny, to get through the tough times but that too rang true to me. Women pour a glass of wine and discuss their issues directly, including naming names. Men don't do that. The closest a man will get to saying his wife is getting on his last nerve is to joke about it with the fellas. The joking may seem stilted or forced, but it is what lies beneath the jokes that is at the heart of those scenes.

Check out the movie, its a fun way to spend a couple of hours. We'll all have our favorite scenes and lines. The airport scene is a hot mess and hilarious. But the best part of the movie for me was gazing upon Cicely Tyson's gorgeous face shaped by a halo of white, luscious hair and knowing that advanced age is going to look good on me.

One last thing, maybe the vodka martini I had with lunch was affecting my cognition but I didn't see the syrupy ending that the New York Times reviewer criticized. The ending felt more like a version of finding the will to go on. The road wouldn't be easy but it would be the one to travel. Can't wait to hear what you thought of the movie.