All posts by Laura

What is in a name…

We have given great thought to the naming of each little miracle that has come to grace our lives.  So, when the fifth grade social studies  teacher  wanted  students to write an essay about their each person’s given name I relished with anticipation some quality time with my daughter.  I told my daughter I had created a document that explained her name to our friends and family on occasion of her baptism 10 years ago.  Back then, we had faced quite a bit of pressure to change the name. “Why Olaia? ” “They are going to tease her?” ” It’s uncommon, they wont know how to spell it or how to say it.” ” It sounds like ola or hola.” And some of these warnings did come true. But Olaia is Olaia and today it clear she could be no other. Her name suits her just fine. I have created an  entry an entry with my original Spanish document with musings about the name.  Below you can read Olaia’s put the 10 year old dilemma to rest in her own words:

Hello my name is Olaia…..

My name comes from the Basque country. My mom and dad chose it when they lived in the Basque county and found out they were pregnant. They looked at many names on a list but in the end they thought Olaia was the prettiest. When you ask the people in the Basque country what my name means, many are not shure. But some people might say it means place of manufacturing. They will give you examples of last names for example: Olasagasti means a place where they take the apples and turn it into cider and Olaberría means a new workshop. The people from Cataluña believe Olaia comes from the name Eulalia.

Before there were newspapers stories were told out this little 12 year old girl called Eulalia. She lived in Cataluña 300 A.B. Back then the rulers were Romans and the Romans believed in many gods. It was against the law to be Christian. Eulalia believed in one God,our Father, and Jesus Christ. A judge called her to the court because Eulalia was converting many people. The judge was trying to convince Eulalia that believing in God and Jesus was wrong but she refused to deny God or Jesus. They argued for many weeks, but in the end the judge sentenced Eulalia to death.

The story of Eulalia was told by many people and slowly the name may have changed to Olaia.

When I think of my name I like the feeling of having a unique name. I also like my name because Eulalia. Eulalia was young like me but she was really courageous and wise.  I hope to be like her….but live a long life.

Reflexiones sobre el nombre de Olaia Kathryn

¿Qué hay en un nombre? Como muchos de ustedes ya saben, antes de elegir por fin el nombre de Olaia Kathryn hubo mucha contemplación de qué era lo que queríamos decir con su nombre. Olaia, hace eco del lugar, el País Vasco, donde por primera vez soñamos con tener, con la voluntad de Dios, una hija con quien compartir nuestras bendiciones. Su segundo nombre refleja la parte irlandesa de su rica y variada herencia cultural. Queríamos que los nombres de nuestra hija la inspiraran a ser una mujer determinada y creativa, capaz de sobreponerse a la adversidad. En nuestra búsqueda por descubrir la historia de estos nombres hemos aprendido lo siguiente:

Olaia

Olaia es un nombre vasco derivado de la raíz Ola, la cual se refiere a un lugar de manufactura, de creación, tradicionalmente un taller donde se trabajaba la madera. Olaia (Olaya or Olalla en español, Laia en Catalán) también es derivado del nombre griego Eulalia. Eu significa “bueno, favorable” y lalia proviene del verbo “hablar.” Junto el nombre connota a una persona elocuente, bien hablada, convincente. Santa Olaia se Conoce oficialmente en la Iglesia como Santa Eulalia de Mérida. Ella fue una mártir española del siglo IV. No está claro si la historia de Santa Eulalia de Barcelona en el siglo III hace referencia a la misma persona. Se cree que Eulalia, una niña de a penas 12 años, discutió fervorosamente con el juez Daciano de Mérida por obligar a los cristianos a adorar a falsos dioses según el edicto Diocletano. Aunque Eulalia entretuvo al juez por largo tiempo, por lo cual éste le felicitó, Eulalia rehusó negar a Cristo. Eulalia defendió su Fe con su vida. Su coraje y valentía inspiró a muchos historiadores, poetas y trovadores de la época, quienes llevaron noticia de la Fe de Olaia a tierras lejanas. Su día de fiesta en la Iglesia es el 10 de diciembre.

Kathryn

Kathryn es una versión contemporánea irlandesa del nombre inglés Catherine. El nombre es de origen griego, “Aikaterina“. Los romanos dieron el nombre por derivado de la palabra griega ‛‛katharos”, que significa “pureza” y por lo tanto escribieron el nombre Katharina. Santa Catherine Laboure, nació en 1806. A temprana edad entró a la comunidad de religiosas Hijas de la Caridad, en París, Francia. Tres veces en 1830 la Virgen María se le apareció a Catherine, quien entonces era una novicia de veinte y cuatro años. El 18 de julio, E tuvo la primera aparición de la en la casa de la madre superiora. Santa Catherine vio una mujer sentada a la derecha del santuario. Cuando Sta. Catherine se le acercó, la visitante celestial le dijo como actuar en tiempos de prueba, señalándole al altar como punto de toda consolación. Le prometió a Sta. Catherine darle una misión la cual le traería gran sufrimiento; la señora también predijo la revuelta anticlerical que ocurrió en París en 1870. El 7.7 de noviembre Nuestra Señora le enseñó a Sta. Catherine la medalla de la inmaculada concepción, conocida universalmente hoy día como la medalla milagrosa. Sta. Catherine de Alejandría, es una mártir, cuyo día de fiesta es el 7.5 de noviembre. Es la patrona de los filósofos y predicadores. Se cree que Sta. Catherine procedía de una familia noble de “ Alejandría. Se convirtió al cristianismo por medio de una visión. Denunció a Maxentio por perseguir a los cristianos. ¿ Maxentio le ofreció a Catherine matrimonio si ella negaba su Fe. Al negarse fue enviada a prisión. Durante una ausencia de Nlaxentio, Catherine convirtió a su esposa y a 200 de sus soldados. La ira de Maxentio contra Sta. Catherine paralela la ira del mundo frente a la verdad y la justicia. Sta. Catherine también fue una de las voces que Sta. Juana de Arco escuchó.

Low Performing School Communities and the Digital Divide

A NAEP report published by the IES in 2007 assessed academic achievement of Puerto Rico’s public schools in Mathematics to be, on average, 50% below the national average by the time students reach the fourth grade. This disparity continues as students reach the eighth grade. It is estimated that Puerto Rico’s educational system lost access to $60 million in Reading First Programs under No Child Left Behind after failing to provide a curriculum that could be approved.

In the most recent study of Internet use on the Island (Puerto Rico Internet Pulse 2008), 38% of the population 12 and older connects to the Internet. Of this group, 15% does not cite the availability of home based connections. The study suggests that this latter group uses access points and computers at school or at work to navigate the web. This information is in stark contrast to the assessment realized by the Library and Information Systems Program of the Puerto Rico Department of Education.

In December 2006, April and May 2007 the Library and Information Systems Program of the Puerto Rico Department of Education conducted a survey among public schools and municipal library users and determined that ·”libraries need (1) to increase the public’s use of technology by increasing electronic capacities of libraries and training librarians and the public to effectively use technology” and secondly, “ (2) public schools need strong school library media programs that will support the academic success of Puerto Rico’s students. However, when the report was published in 2008, its assessment states that nearly 30% of the Puerto Rico public schools do not have adequate technology resources and 85% of public school libraries are said to need urgent renovation of media and technology equipment.

Over 78% of Puerto Rico’s public school students are below the poverty line. For this population, public schools are the first, and often only place, with access to computers. When the reality of Puerto Rico’s public school libraries is considered, it provides a powerful argument for why over 60% of the population 12 and older do not have access to the Internet and can be considered technologically illiterate.

The digital divide, herein described, alongside the recurring under-performance of public school students portrays a population at risk of being systemically disenfranchised from economic opportunity and social advancement. In order to effect change in the short term, a multi-pronged approach that combines innovation in the curriculum, improvement in the technology resources, and ongoing training of the human resources that will manage and interact with the new technology and curriculum changes.

Under the American Recovery and Rehabilitation Act (ARRA) the Federal Government makes funds available to Educational Regions for the modernization of school infrastructure, education reform for underachieving schools, “innovation and improvement” in education, improving data systems and data coordination efforts, ongoing education of teachers in support of school reform and innovation, integration of technology in education and initiatives advancing the learning of math and science. Furthermore, the Federal Government has renewed its commitment to Reading First Programs and has grant programs that focus on the development of libraries and early literacy initiatives.

The Puerto Rico Department of Education has identified problems with the passive integration of educational software in any given class. Computers identified for specific classes and software use are usually made unavailable for other classes to use. Furthermore the breakdown of any computer seems to not only inconvenience the teacher but also the school and negatively taints students and teachers relationship with technology, leaving an impression of disempowerment and lack of control.

The moment is right for making change happen. The proverbial ball is in our court.  Teachers, students, parents, administrators and the community at large all need to come together to bring about change.  Not just change to ease the immediate flow of funds, but the kind of change that transforms us all in the process. Teachers raising the bar on their performance, students growing in focus and commitment, parents with a renewed faith and joy in the school in of their children. Change is never easy but it  is possible we are open to it.

When love shines through

Christmas_2005KotarskiVisit_1.jpg

I remember very vividly the first time I met Uncle Gerry. We were not blood relatives, I was inheriting his acquaintance alongside many other aunts and uncles and cousins by virtue of being married to Jim. We were in at Mom’s house in St. Louis, Uncle Gerry and Aunt Jane and their two kids were visiting, as was I.  The kids were running around exploring the yard. Mom, Jane, Gerry and I were in the family room looking out at all the activity.  I mentioned to Gerry I was studying Anthropology and his quick reply was "My son Adam just loves dinosaurs. Well he even knows all the different periods and types of dinosaurs that walked the Earth."  I took a step back and admired the amazing love and pride for his son that poured out of this man. I thought to myself, I wanted that some day. My thoughts then quickly went back to the conversation as I added "Well you just might have an archeologist on your hands! It is a beautiful thing when one has a passion and a drive so early on." I could see the father entertaining that briefly before adding, "who knows?.."

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Facing absence, uncertainty and senseless loss

I sat down to dinner with my children, a big hole was felt as the customary seat my husband fills was empty and dinner was mostly a quiet affair.  I usually don’t sleep well when he is not around – 14 years of marraige will do that, I guess.   I worry. Is he ok? I anticipate his arrival. I am simply off beat, slightly restless, looking for things to fill up my time till he returns.   Tonight I say a little prayer for us, I can’t bear to imagine his absence and hop I will find solace in his return soon.

Olaia is still thinking of our earlier conversation, “Mom I am so thankful I did not live in the time of the Nazi’s…” -Yes, the house has been in a somewhat somber mood – Olaia’s cousin Mariam had a clever English teacher invite children to carry out an extra credit project re-enacting parts of Anne Frank’s experience.  Intrigued by the challenge, Mariam has decided to take on the experiment adding the twist of having Olaia partake of it. Both girls are to be in a closed room with no technology on hand, in strict silence for 10 hours a day. Olaia thought at first it was some turn of the 18th Century reenactment, then I explained the terror and hardship endured by Anne Frank and her family.

“I am thankful too, Olaia. It was a dreadful moment to live and witness” I added. Olaia then chimed in a short lived confidence, “I am glad that doesn’t happen now. Why did they do that to the Jews?”  I explained her that her assertion was wrong. Why does not matter.  It could have been us.  It could have been any arbitrary made up group… that is what we have to remember. In fact, today, in Africa Christians are killed because they are not Muslim. Outright prejudice and violence is never justified.

I wanted our daughter to have something to hold on as she peered with me over the edge of the senseless abyss of human violence. So I added

“You have to remember what we believe: God loves us all, without need for justification. His love is a gift. But just as important, remember that bad things happen to good people all the time. Accidents, violence, no one ever deserves any such fate. This is not God’s plan. The question is what are we going to do, so long as we live to let his love shine through so us so we can be light and hope in this world.”

And as I finished the thought, I was reminded of one light that is no more. I prayed with my children for our cousins, for our aunt. Not too far removed from us, a husband, a father is absent, never to return.  My heart aches as I barely fathom what pain overwhelms the family.

Kung Fu Panda Lessons

In our house we have debated many times why we like Kung Fu Panda the movie – mind you, our son Javier has perfume by the same name so I clarify. To some, it might seem we have analyzed the movie beyond any screenwriters original intent. We probably have.  But then that is the nature of art. The artist’s intention is only one dimension of the work’s communicative power. So here are some of our Kung Fu Panda lessons:
  1. Master Shifu acknowledges he cannot train Po like he did the others. – Teaching and training are not 1 size fits all.
  2. After earning his dumpling, Po gives it up – Exercise is a natural appetite suppressant.
  3. Po can do awesome kung fu when he is focused on food – We can achieve awesome results when we are singularly focused.
  4. Shifu: Read it and become the dragon warrior ! Shifu knew the truth but did not understand it. He saw his apprenticeship as to Oogway as a right and privilege. Shifu understood that he would be the trainer of Warriors and, more importantly, the Dragon Warrior. Aware of his place in history, Shifu aimed to be judicious and metered out his sharing of Kung Fu.  He was strict and selective.  Shifu wanted to ensure the worthiness of the recipient of the magic held by the Dragon Scroll.
  5. Shifu’s approach to training others shaped Tai Lung. Tai Lung was raised preparing for the next thing. Whatever he did it was not enough. He was always being trained so he could be worthy of the dragon scroll. This imprints Tai Lung with the acute message that he is not worthy as it is. He is waiting for external validation that never comes and is haunted by the void he feels inside. This void gave him insatiable rage and focus to earn or claim the dragon scroll. This rage was the key behind Tai Lungs outstanding Kungfu.
  6. Po: (Trying to read while blinded by the reflection of the scroll) it’s blank? ! So Oogway was just a crazy old turtle – This is Po’s most difficult moment. His childish faith has been shattered.  Po goes home.  In this nurturing environment he is able to come to terms with his faith and understand it more fully.
  7. Po’s father loves him,.this is easy to see to any parent. Po knows he is loved and will always have a place at home where he is needed and valued. This is captured consistently throughout the movie through Po’s Dad call out early on:  “Po! Your noodle cart!” and upon Po’s return and public failure. Po: Hey dad, Po’s Dad, Mr. ping: PO! Good to have you back son!   So for our next shop … Po’s Dad makes plans for him and his son. The Dad’s reaction is unchanged, Po’s Dad always has a future with Po in it, if Po chooses.
  8. Po’s Dad, Mr. Ping: The secret ingredient is… nothing! You heard me, there is no secret ingredient! To make something special you just have to believe it to be special. Po: There is no secret ingredient? This exchange highlight the redeeming power of faith. Our faith in each other unlocks the power with each of us to transform the world.  Soup made with ordinary ingredients becomes an experience for the senses because of the attention, focus and love that are part of the process.  The “magic” is in how we do things. We have a choice to assist in transforming the world around us or living and dying in a banal and meaningless sequence of events.
  9. Questions that we are inspired to ask after watching the movie: What do you love above all else? Do you dare be awesome? Who do you choose to be?
  10. Tai Lung: Finally,  (upon seeing his reflection on the glistening scroll) It’s nothing! Note that when Po sees the Dragon Scroll he assumes the scroll for some error is suddenly blank. This contrasts Tai Lungs response, whom upon seeing his own reflection says he sees nothing. Tai Lung was expecting magic, and does not see his own value otherwise.
  11. Tai Lung: The scroll has given him special powers! The Wuxi finger hold….skedoosh! – Your beliefs and you fears hold power over you.
  12. Po looks to others like a dragon warrior even when he is looking ridiculous himself with haggard fromt he battle with Po and wearing a cooking pot on his head.
  13. Maybe its because we are parents, but I see the Noodle Duck as an important unsung hero in the story. The Noodle Duck enables his protege’s with love and acceptance. But that would not be enough, the Noodle duck expresses his need – something we are so often told not to do these days…we should never be weak or needing of others -and it is through this need, that the protegé that is loved, feeling needed, finds a purpose, at least for that moment. Little by little the protegé is transformed through service to others and when the time is right, if the calling is heard, the protegé will again set on a new course confident that regardless of the success he meets he has a home.

Addressing Identity and Empowerment in Schools

I am sure I will find little argument when I say "schools and the education system of any population are the foundation for any sustainable economic development."  But then most people who agree would go on to talk about the importance of science and math, technology and global perspectives, and all these issues are important to the curriculum of schools in the 21st century as we each search for a way out of the current recession.  But there is another subject matter in need of reform which is often overlooked when discussing how to better prepare students for the new economic realities.  The development of empowered self aware individuals ready to add value on a local or supranational world stage requires more than math and science.  History and civics unattended may just be holding us back or if properly reviewed be factors of  innovation and economic development. 

The objectification of Puerto Rican culture ­

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Poison Pills and Miracle Cures in Education

The many in Puerto Rico’s working class will do most anything to avoid putting their children in the public education system. The reputation earned in the community at large and the media is of a bloated, broken bureaucracy that suffers a drop out rate by 7th grade of over 40% and results in systematic failure to prepare its students.  If this sounds unrealistic take the real life cases of Sonia, 37 and Mildred, 44. These are two of the many stories I hear. Some of the stories come from friends, members of my community and from people I casually start talking to in public settings.

Sonia has worked her entire life primarily as a housekeeper, earning under $17,000 a year while raising 3 children. Sonia lives in one of our recently dubbed metro area "special communities" she had a public elementary school just a couple of blocks away. When her eldest son was close to becoming another statistic, she was able to enroll him in a National Guard program designed to help at risk youth. As her second child finished middle school Sonia grew skeptical of the main public school system and enrolled her daughter in a vocational school. For her third child, Sonia was a mom with a plan. With great sacrifice her third child was enrolled in an inner city catholic school. Among the Sonia’s complaints were racism in the schools that victimized her children and resulted in lack of commitment to her children’s progress.

Lets change the setting to a gated working class community.  Mildred’s story is similar, public school is a working parent’s last choice. Eight years ago, Mildred’s husband lost his job at a hotel, leaving the family with only her wages as a secretary. In this period of uncertainty and financial duress 3 of her children were still in school.The parents fretted over the decision but keeping up with the mortgage and rising utility bills, they opted to pull out of the private catholic school her two boys who seemed to be underperforming,  leaving only the youngest in the catholic school elementary.  The eldest of these was enrolled in a vocational school and the younger brother in a public elementary school just a mile away.  As soon as it was practical, the younger brother was enrolled in the same vocational school.

Both stories illustrate that to many parents relying on Puerto Rico’s public school system is a  choice they are forced to consider and try to avoid making if it is at all possible.  Oakland, New York City, St. Louis, have all had failing school district, there like here, right now, against this backdrop, the timing seems right for the institution of charter schools. This new educational offer would be available only in places where the community came together in a grassroots movement that activated parents, teacher and administrators and rallied them around a common set of principles and rules. These new community charter schools would best be suited for failing schools as a dramatic measure of restoring the hope of a better educational offer. The introduction of these schools would be only one part of a plan regain the public trust in public education. 

Charter schools are not a magical pill. Public education needs to be reformed and strengthened, but like many teachers and administrators today know, public schools cannot work in a vacuum. They need the support of parents and the community, but the climate for cooperation has been poisoned, not by Charter schools, as the teachers unions suggest but by an unresponsive bureaucratic system, exhaustion, fear and despair.

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I dreamt I had my life

Interpret me this: I was having a happy dream. I did not want to wake up I wanted­ to keep the dream going.

I had just gotten out from hanging out a hotel pool with Javier and Jaimito. We had been sitting on the steps,  chatting, playing having fun. I remember thinking I love these two little boys they are so darn cute. Next thing I know we were out of the pool, kids had gone up to the room to change and go down for the evening. I was hanging out at an outdoor bar in plain clothes waiting for Jim to come down and meet up with me.

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The Role of Parents and Community in Education

In reading Charles Glenn’s book "Educational Freedom in ­Eastern Europe" (1995) I delve into the world of totalitarian states, regimes that looked to education to perpetuate a carefully tailored ideology that would ensure the perpetuation of the state.  Slowly as I read on, current day issues distract me and compel me search for implications this work has for understanding and rethinking problems in our education system. ­

Glenn himself draws parallels between the focus of his study and western educational systems:

 "While an authoritarian regime may be satisfied with obedience, a totalitarian regime seeks devotion that will be self-perpetuating….the nation-building elites who made popular education a priority in the United States and other industrializing nations throughout the 19th century had something similar in mind. Without intending to suggest a ‘moral equivalence’ between the educational goals of totalitarian regimes and those of liberal democracies, it is appropriate to recognize that few political leaders in times of rapid social change can resist the temptation to seek to promote their own agenda through schooling…" (p 11-12)

While Glenn sees a shared trend in governments wanting to use education to promote a common ideology, the problem I see is not with the goal -many examples attest to the lack of efficacy of large bureaucracies-, but the growing lack of balance of power, not by design but by happenstance. Many questioned whether the Communist regime would be successful in destroying civil society. When I paraphrase this question I see a bridge between bodies of work and analysis. I understand this question about civil society to be whether individual agency and the will and freedom to organize and collaborate could be eradicated, supplanted by a top down state control.

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