Language, Poverty, and Parenting

The Igbo and Yoruba tribes of Nigeria are credited with the proverb “It takes a whole village to raise a child.” I don’t think that it is fair to blame parents for the language failings of their children. This concept of success via communal effort is a key factor to support greater accountability placed on the public education system. Hart & Risley (1995) reported a widening gap in the vocabulary growth of children from professional, working class, and welfare families throughout the first three years of life. Based on the figures provided by the authors, the direct correlation tween vocabulary size and socioeconomic status begins around two years old and follows a trend from that point forward (p.234).

According to the American Psychology Association (n.d.) school conditions contribute more to SES differences in learning rates than family characteristics. Although parents should bear responsibility for their children’s education this charge is eventually inherited by the education system thanks to compulsory schooling requirements. From early as the 1830s the purpose of a common curriculum, as seen by those supportive advocates, has included transforming children into moral, literate, and productive citizens (Kober, 2007). Kober also states in the report that public investment would make schools accountable to the American People. As long as the trend carries into the public school system as reported by Hart & Risley the American people, not just parents, should be held accountable for student language acquisition and literacy.

Although parents are a stakeholder at the table when it comes to public education it should be the responsibility of the school system to ensure equal access to academic programs. The Equal Educational Opportunities Act of 1974 as defined by the Office for Civil rights glossary (US Department of Education, 2015) requires school districts to take action to overcome barriers to students’ equal participation. If the trending gap in the vocabulary growth of children from professional, working class, and welfare families continues to carry over into the Pre K-12 public school system, parents should not be held primarily responsible as long as student learning is funded by the American tax dollars. The U.S. Department of Education reports the President’s budget request for fiscal year 2017 to include $69.6. billion in discretionary funding (2016).

 

References

American Psychology Association. (n.d.). Education and socioeconomic status. Retrieved from http://www.apa.org/pi/ses/resources/publications/factsheet-education.aspx

Hart, B., & Risley, T. (1995). Meaningful Differences in the Everyday Experience of Young American Children. Baltimore, MD: P. H. Brookes.

Kober, N. (2007). Why  we still need public schools: Public education for the common good. Retrieved from http://www.cep–dc.org/

US Department of Education. (2015, October 15). Developing programs for english language learners: Glossary. Retrieved from https://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ocr/ell/glossary.html

Us. Department of Education (2015, October 15). Developing programs for english language learners: Glossary. Retrieved from https://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ocr/ell/glossary.html

US Department of Education. (2016, February 9) About ED: Budget office. Retrieved from http://www2.ed.gov/about/overview/budget/index.html

#PointZero

What if I told you that this temple is point zero?Will you believe me when I break it down how in my mind we’re each’s own true heroes?

It’s seems so many of my people seek a life never meant for them. 

because a life well lived is a night well spent.

And that’s the funny thing about reality

The only thing that makes it real is the intentions coming out, you see

Therefore You is. Yes You is. 

Because your perception is literally the only thing you did and by now, one can only hope it’s soaking in. 

Ironically in existence we are the result of absorbed omnipotence

and half of you can’t live without permission and even then 

you gotta sip again, or dip again…shit we are supposed to die daily 

but some of yall wont die so you can live again. 

Meanwhile I’m striving to break all 7 of my seals.

 6 of my senses steer the five on both sides of the temple to lay the foundation in these 4 earthly elements to bring the great spirit upon man until the 3 wise men show me where I’m really destined. 

Blessed be and lucky me for I’m able to speak on my divine twin soul hanging out in Gemini. And please don’t misinterpret I’m not missing any vital pieces or broken I’m just seeking the moon to my sun. 

I just know the story I don’t got the answers so it’s okay in my head to talk to strangers while I’m on the run because really are they really? 

Can’t pray for heaven on earth and be expected not to walk and talk freely. The sooner you realize that the universe extend outward we can keep it trill, B. 

Pleasant when Contained

Love is one of those things that can never be fully understood. Many people take the positive side alone and call it love exclusively, but a much deeper understanding can be attained when you contemplate the roots and causes from the darker side of love. After-all, love itself is a selfish, jealous beast; one that is only pleasant when contained. That beast however bears an off color type of beauty merely by the fact that it can be a storm and a bed of roses, all depending on which angle by which it is approached, and by whom.

-MJL

On making good life choices

The crazy thing about people is how we disregard and misuse the image in which we were created. Free Will is what separates us from every other creature. Trees are not able to decide when to make oxygen, nor is the water able to exit it’s infinite cycle from the sky through the earth and back. The divine law is that of nature: balance and harmony. Do you ever sit and ponder how awesome it is to be able to CHOOSE to follow or rebel against the divine laws of nature? Do we even care? There is a consequence to every action and that is one law to which we as man are not exempt. There are no accidents, there are no mistakes. There are only choices and the opportunity to make more choices. It’s up to us how easily the laws function in relation to ourselves.

-Mateo

The Blue Dream Project: Something To Believe In

“How you came through just at the right time. I can’t explain escaping the hard way.”

 

Writing the #BlueDream project has been one of the greatest periods of revelation that I’ve experienced. The way I see and exist in the world is different to the point that I feel sometimes as if I’ve transcended the shackles society has placed on my mind, body, and soul. I pray unceasingly that my music speaks to the soul and carries the healing message through the universe.

The ability to bid farewell is a superpower in your spirit by which giants are tumbled and mountains are moved. While we may need something to hold on to, in order to not  wash away and become one with the residuals of life, we also need to understand how empowering we are to ourselves by being able to see things come and go. When one is able to let go of something near and dear to the heart it projects the makings of a strong positive spirit. This simple, powerful intrinsic quality as a human is one of which we are slowly being stripped in efforts to be misled to a codependent mindset.

Sometimes in this human experience we get attached to facets of this world. There is something divine in everything we see and that is what attracts us, be it an object of passion or affection or even merely peace. Whatever it may be, we all need something to believe in. Granted nothing stays the same, we still need an anchor in times where nothing seems to wield the stability we need. We all have been taught to fight for what we believe in, and to never give up, but my walk of faith has taught me to keep loose ties to just about everything because the Creator may have plans beyond our understanding that will grow us in ways we on our own would be incapable.

When you love something you should let it go. If it comes back, you have confirmation that it’s truly yours to have and to hold. The spirit of fear will try to keep you from sending something down the river. Fear will have one believe that captivity is a display of love and affection, when it actually mutilates the sincerity of our actions and the perception of intention. As the song says, “Remember what we told ourselves. Goodbye is only in the name of LOVE.”

I know why the caged bird tweets: Balancing the Scales

Balance isn’t a state. It’s a skill…in some cases the extent of that skill may be considered by some to be a gift of sorts. Living the life we do requires a strong sense of balance. Consider the physical interpretation of balance walking a line. In a sobriety test you have to prove competence by walking a path, unwavering and confidently. Any leaning, stumbling, or hesitance would be telltales of DWI. The same applies to a stable life. Balance in life is the collaboration on feeling, thinking, and doing. Those three factors are the basis on which we all exist. When in harmony with one another these facets of identity provide me with the solid foundation of self, to face off anything that may rise up against me.

Obtaining balance in my life was done the same as waiting for the stars in the sky to align…I had to be STILL. I have always been able to do anything I wanted to. That was one of my blessings. Over time I found that constant motion and action in my life was sending me in circles. I was missing the two power factors that would send me in to the right gear to excel beyond my environment. I completely underestimated the power imbued within stillness. Early one crisp December morning I found myself lying awake in Maggie’s soon to be empty apartment. I was running down the list of things I had to do when a glare from her balcony door caught my attention. The sun was creeping its way into the morning sky and I caught it red handed. In that moment the sky was perfect. I looked up and then looked to my left and saw Jak and Demond, differing just as much as they are alike. They were sleeping foot to face with one another and in some obscure way they managed to cuddle like two puppies with full bellies. I looked to my right and found Maggie asleep on her slouch couch looking like she was in a dream, wishing a nigga would, as she states.

At that moment I was feeling. Those feelings let to thoughts, and those thoughts manifested a new direction of action in my life. We all have had our share of pleasure and tasted pain. We lose more friendships than we maintain. But over this winter we locked in on what was important. While sifting through our most recent circle of friends we realized that we were changing. We are all diverse and dynamic individuals and firmly believe that one’s choice in friends reflects aspects of the individual. We saw a toxic trait in our friends that to us, served as a mirror parallel to our own selves.  As we found ourselves in yet another episode in the never ending saga that was the life of the Alpacas we realized that we had higher callings than the petty matters that come with the job of an attention seeker. I like to think that’s when the full potential of our powers manifested with us. Most people think that superheroes are all good and must conduct themselves in such a manner.

We found peace with ourselves and the routine chaos around us once we began to embrace the negativity as part of our lives and allowed it to be motivation. For every action there is an appropriate reaction.  The light at the end of the tunnel is unattainable without the darkness behind us propelling us through. The ancient Egyptians viewed knowledge as the power of the universe. If a man was able to identify his enemies as such, he held dominion over them and was able to conquer them. This is seen in the hieroglyphs in the Book of Caverns. It illustrates the first concept of Hell and how a lost soul journeys through potential torment and struggle to end up in a place of peace and contentment. Once we were able to identify the enemy amongst us it placed a crosshair upon the enemy within. All of us are people of faith and I can see how it has rooted in each of us a gift that meshes with one another and allows us to fearlessly collide with and conquer any challenge. We embrace the shadows and use them to help us focus on the light of every situation. We tip the scale to balance it out for one another .We are the Monroes.

I Know Why The Caged Bird Tweets…an introduction

The irony of my character is the fact that I have always described myself as a nonconventional superhero. With the companionship of #TheMonroes I have surpassed the limits set for a Louisiana 20-something, a minority in nearly every applicable sense …We have hoisted ourselves up by our self confirmation and aspirations to exist with the manner of someone  greater than what society has deemed appropriate for me to be. In so many ways we more than push the envelope. We ride it like a mechanical bull with gorilla glue on its saddle. The reflections of the lessons I learn and confirm daily are gifts I have been blessed with and have intentions of sharing with anyone wise enough to embrace them. These lessons are universal in theme and are to which I owe the validity of my own sanity.

I am first generation American with origins in the dead center of Mexico, through my father’s family. My mother’s family has mysterious origins that are scattered throughout the South. With the help of census data and social security indexes, I have traced my roots back to the pioneers of generations: Free colored veterans of the American Civil War and a Mysterious woman with no last name and several alleged birthplaces. I am a modern day comic book character and in recent years I have embraced the random encounters of my life as such and appreciate them for the vibrancy they allow me to exude in ways, many people say, only I can. The human mind is a superpower in itself. It has the ability, in the proper hands, to shape the world in which it exists. Some call it crazy, but I call it survival. It is in the mind where creativity begins. Development of oneself is based on the enforcement of the mind’s power over its environment. From my head came the ability that manifested a college degree, a planted foot in the performing arts as a respected interpreter of the craft, and to some social extent being the designated ‘guy to hate.’

In my brief years on this earth I have lived just the same as I love; fast and hard. In this state of mind I am racking up experiences many never live loud enough to see. I have been positioned to be the wise man within my family and the mascot of playful controversy within my social circles. While traveling the winding trail that lead me to my niche I have seen the tips of the mountain of success and tasted the stale waters of defeat that lie at its feet….I know why the caged bird tweets.

I Wish

I hate to let you know
I’m finally letting go
Despite our history
We’ll never be what’s in my dreams
Holding yesterdays
Makes it bittersweet
So I’ll forget those days we spent
The sentiment makes it so bad for business

Deleting your number from my phone
Like that’ll help me get accustomed to you being gone
Like that’s the only way that I’ll be able to move on
The bullshit that I feed myself is fueling all my songs

The notion that I put hope on
Is what keeps my heart broken
Not to mention interventions
from my guilty conscience

I wish I didn’t love you
That would make it easier for me to walk away
I wish I could see through you
So I could forget your face
And muster up the strength it takes to walk away

For what it takes to love again
I’m lacking the requirements
Too stingy with my emotions
Scared of being hurt again
Tired of the same excuse
You never really faced the truth
I was just as scared as you
its time that I embrace the truth

So sad to say we wasted time
Pretending love was on our mind
We were too selfish playing helpless
With intentions lying elsewhere
So dam desperate to protect
the giant egos we constructed.

Follow me on twitter @mateojose

Killa Kel- #tisTheSeason

Once again Louisiana rapper Killa Kel has graced our ears with some new music. This time the Alexandria native is serving up his spin on holiday spirit.  “Tis the Season” is a well constructed Christmas themed piece. It features an infectious bass line, jingle bells and Kel’s signature flow, remnant of the roots that hip hop has almost forgotten about.  The one thing about Kel that no one can deny him is the consistency that puts his work in a league of its own.

Kel is a fan of real life, and this song never strays away from that, not for a single bar. The rapper spits the real on holidays from his past and present points of view. Seldom do you hear an artist give perspective about what they HAD growing up. Kel does his fans justice by avoiding the popular hip hop motif that is the violin story about what was missing.

“Walkin round school wit my head down low. Silly me..I was blessed and I didn’t even know”

Needless to say, fans as well as fellow lyricists are looking forward for Kel to drop more ear candy for them to enjoy. Follow Killa Kel on twitter by clicking here→ @KillaKel12. If you’re a fan of good music and perspective this is an up and coming artist to follow. This FlyyGuy keeps it 110% both in and out the studio and that authenticity shows through in his work.

Side Thoughts…a freeverse from a free thinker

Faith sheds light on even the most impossible riddles of life…
Can you imagine what could happen
if you gain the advantage
from mistakes that have passed?
You’d control where you land after being tossed the dead man’s hand
dealt from the deck of cards branded with heavy clubs and broken hearts.

You’d transcend all the naysayers as your dreams become truth,
Laying to rest all the inconsistencies that prey upon your destiny
In your life you would be in charge, dominating territories previously unconquered.
You would set the cap on your possibilities and give reign to your iniquities
…as the world turns by your hand.

But on second glance, I realize you would see that as too much like right
to wage a fight against groundless stereotypes
branded on the souls of the disenfranchised
They analyze our demeanor to guillotine us from the mainstream
when we are the head of a cultural movement.
Higher than the head of the bodies
we embody the pedagogy
from which the school of hard knocks is descended

Not to mention we ace thru the course work
like we wrote the book and dictate the study guide on a daily basis
thru body language because we know actions speak louder than words.
You can show me better than you can tell me
how the family unit is ailing from swelling over
into other realms where they don’t belong.
Where love should stand alone
we’ve required that she have at least three other bad bitches on her side
at all times because you are the company you keep,
but what they don’t tell you
is that you’re judged by what you speak because, even if it barks
a duck is still a duck.

So if it walks like a duck and talks like a duck
maybe u should stop listening to how he talks and value what he says.
Even is he comes of as a complete asshole
its balanced by a heart of gilded gold…And that would never be compromised
for the so called advantage that comes with acceptance
because he knows the side effect is neglect
at the guilty hands of a judgmental people.

I believe that we are the masters of our fate,
but only when you exist from the inside out
Otherwise, without a shadow of a doubt
our lives cease to be our own
once persuaded and dictated by the will of another.
I believe we should want to go so much further.