Our quest at Take Back Ministries to find a young man or woman living out the virtues outlined in the Excellence In Character Scholarship program in Tarrant County is over. Hurray! What a thrill it was to meet our winner and her precious family!  Our circle of family has expanded here at Take Back Ministries. To all our dear family and friends that came out to celebrate our first recipient of the Excellence In Character Scholarship award; "a big thank you." Your presence made an impact on the winner and her family.
 
We received many applications from outstanding applicants from both private and public schools in Tarrant County. Since we only had one scholarship award, the decision was exacting on the committee as we had multiple rounds of reviews. The young woman selected as the winner is Elle Munoz-Diaz.  We appreciate all our applicants, how we wished we could have awarded all of you.  If you have friends or siblings who will be seniors next year, please share the scholarship information with them. Our visionary leader (my husband dearest) has casted the expansion of the program to help more young people.
 
Elle Munoz-Diaz is a sweet young woman. She exudes such tenderness and strength combined.  However, like everyone, she has a unique story that has shaped her into the amazing person she is today. Her story is one of dedication, loyalty, loss and grief. Her experience in the passing of her father in hospice care brought her to a place of character development. She learned and acquired vital traits such as kindness, compassion, service and perseverance. A graduate of Fort Worth ISD, Young Women Leadership Academy, Elle has been admitted to Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, New York. We are so proud of her, that she not only overcame a major life obstacle but became better through it. Her response during a difficult time in her life is setting her on a successful path.
 
Prior to Elle’s father been in hospice, she was not aware what a hospice care was all about. The care her family received while her father was there motivated her to want to volunteer with a local hospice. Through her volunteer service at Universal Health Service Hospice, Elle found new strength and determined to give back. Helping others and giving back was instrumental in Elle overcoming the deep grief associated with her father’s death. Quoting Elle in her application essay, " Before I started at the hospice I tried to be selfless, but I did so because I was always told it was the right thing to do, not necessarily because I felt the urge or passion to do so. Being on both ends of bereavement, I have a better understanding what it feels like to know that there is someone out there doing something for you simply because they feel it's the right thing to do and they feel compassionate towards you, even though they don't know you." 
 
Great things are in store for Elle! Her village of support is strong. Take Back Ministries family will stay in touch with this amazing woman. With the character traits she has already acquired, we know she is poised for life-long success. To view more pictures from the award event, click on the gallery tab at the top of this website. Love & Blessings!!
 
              “And endurance produces character, and character produces hope.” – Romans 5:4 RSV
 
 

Four days after the tragic events in Louisiana, Minneapolis and here in Dallas, I had the honor to serve alongside some amazing trailblazing panelists at the State of Black Women in Education forum. Sharing from personal experiences, the forum sought to address key issues in education to help shed light on the unique lives of Black women in education and how positive impact on students lives had been accomplished by panelists. It was a much-needed event to bring educators together in light of what had happened across the nation and here in our community four days prior. The event was organized by Golden Circle- a leadership network organization for African-American women.
 
One of the questions addressed at the forum became a focal point this week at a training session I was facilitating for educators. A participant at the training was concerned about the large number of minority students at his district that have been referred to alternative schools. He asked for suggestions to share with his district personnel. At the forum, one of the panelist provided guidance on what she had initiated at her district to help lower the number of minority children referred to alternative schools.  Her solution involved a hands-on approach that honored each student as an individual and not a number to be checked off a list.
 
In time for reflection on this, the analysis report on the increase in educational and correctional spending across the nation was released this week. Published by the U.S. Department of education, the report explains the growth in funding U.S. prisons exceeding that of schools. The report shows that between 1979 and 2012, state and local government expenditures on schools grew by 107 percent, while spending on prisons grew by 324 percent! That is an astounding growth! Furthermore, the report shows that seven states increased their prison spending five times as fast as they did their education spending.  Only two states-New Hampshire and Massachusetts- did not experience this exceeding growth trend in correctional versus school spending.  One of the implications of these findings of this report is the School to Prison Pipeline and its impact on students in our schools. Fellow illuminating educators, this is something that needs improvement to ensure all students have the opportunity to receive quality education to achieve their dreams. From administrators to classroom teachers, this requires a hands-on approach and building a strong school-home link to solve the School to Prison Pipeline trend.
 
To read the complete analysis report, click “Brief from the U.S. Department of Education Policy and Program Studies Service.” Love & Blessings!
 
                         "Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path." - Psalm 119:105

A big shout out to Annalisa and all you precious friends that provide feedback on my posts! Thank you for stopping by and sharing this forum. Had the chance to meet and catch up with Annalisa who directs the volunteer development program at Cornerstone Assistance Network (CAN) a week ago. CAN is a faith-based 501(c)(3) human services  organization serving Tarrant County, Texas. CAN is also one of our partnering organizations and they have been a huge support to the mission of Take Back Ministries. We appreciate all you do!

My reflection on purpose began three weeks ago when I had the privilege to serve and work with some dedicated educators in another state nearby. Their district has embarked on a momentous task of over-hauling their outdated curriculum and design a new one that is user friendly to all their students.  As we reviewed their current curriculum, it was apparent that some vital components of curriculum development were missing. I was very blessed by their openness for change. They wanted to design some guiding questions to help all their teachers create new teaching philosophies irrespective of their backgrounds. 

In education, we call purpose statements teaching philosophies. A purpose statement is a declarative sentence that summarizes topics and goals of a document.  Basically, a purpose statement gives a preview of what the document will cover and its intent in the long run. Similarly, a teaching philosophy is a self-reflective statement of one's beliefs about teaching and learning. It captures one's goals and reason for teaching.

Purpose statements are not just for education, but for every facet of life. My husband and I developed purpose statements when we were married on all areas of our lives; from spiritual, marriage, family, parenting, ministry, financial, to relationships etc. For us, it was very important that the statements were based on Biblical principles. Through the years, we have been able to re-visit each purpose statement and evaluate what God has done and is doing in our lives.  

Summer time is a good time to re-visit purpose statements or even write one if this is something you are yet to implement in your life either as an educator or parent. Begin by asking yourself some key questions on those areas in your life you want to develop one in.  For my fellow educators, here are seven guiding questions to help you write or re-write your teaching philosophy:

• In your opinion how do students learn?
• Why do you teach/what brought you into teaching?
• In your opinion what constitutes good teaching?
• What goals do you have for your students?
• Why do you teach the way you do?
• How do you assess if your style of teaching works for your students?
• What are your future goals for professional growth as an educator?

Having a purpose statement ensures you are living this gift of life on purpose! It also provides a solid foundation as you live out your life. Happy Summer! Love & Blessings!

                                       “Where there is no vision, the people perish.” – Proverbs 29:18