Journey to an Inclusive, Supportive, and Loving Community

It is beautiful witnessing the moral emotions of community members and our natural instincts to protect family. We all witness examples of time and effort gifted to those we consider part of our inner circle, which ultimately strengthens our connections.

Our challenge is to broaden our reach by harnessing these collective emotions to evoke action for the greater good and thereby strengthening community connections. 

To conquer this challenge we must start seeing our community as our family, so the gifts and protections we share are inclusive and love abounds.

Let us join together to discard our judgements and prejudices, while understanding how history impacts current realities. There is power in owning and learning from past mistakes. 

This challenge is one of many on our lifelong journey to shape an inclusive, supportive, and loving community. I look forward to sharing this challenging journey with you. Please tune in and engage mindfully. 

Peace to you and yours - Jackie

Why Not ERA?

It's your friend, Jackie, rabble-rousing again. This time, I'm advocating for the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) in Minnesota. 

Here's a bit of insider scoop. The ERA Minnesota push initially included a Republican woman, who later removed her name because the big boys didn't want her to push for equal rights. I don't know about you, but if leadership in my party tried to shutdown my rights, I'd push even harder. 

Here's a quote sharing the history of ERA from Betty Folliard, a former state representative and Founder of ERA Minnesota.

"The ERA is a non-partisan issue. Alice Paul, a Republican, wrote the ERA in 1923. It was supported by every subsequent Republican president up until Ronald Reagan and was actively promoted by two former First Ladies: Pat Nixon & Betty Ford. For decades it was part of the GOP platform."

Ladies, support the ERA as a matter of principle. This is non-partisan when party leaders stay the heck out of it. We are women and will not be oppressed. Unite, support, and protect each other.

Feminism is about supporting the choices we make, despite our differences, because we all are working towards the same goals. We desire the best for our families and communities. Let them not divide us. Judge not and spread the love and joy of inclusion. Join together in a resounding voice for equality. 

Peace to you and yours - Jackie 

Safe & Supportive Schools For All

As those who know me have invariably heard, one of my favorite sayings is, "There are more differences within groups than there are between groups." This can also be flipped to, “There are more similarities between groups than there are within groups.” This post is about one of the many similarities I share with most of my friends and family members: the value of protecting the safety of all children.

The people I know, respect, and even love vary widely on a broad political spectrum. Please humor me for a moment and remove our political agendas and move directly to our base feelings about protecting all children. Let’s see those mommy and daddy bears that come out when we find someone has harmed our children. Stay with me my friends... I’m going to talk about sexual orientation.

For most people, sexual orientation is not a choice. Some would argue it’s not a choice for anyone, but I’m going to stick with a source I trust: the American Psychological Association (APA). The APA’s description of what causes a person to have a particular sexual orientation is as follows:

“There is no consensus among scientists about the exact reasons that an individual develops a heterosexual, bisexual, gay or lesbian orientation. Although much research has examined the possible genetic, hormonal, developmental, social and cultural influences on sexual orientation, no findings have emerged that permit scientists to conclude that sexual orientation is determined by any particular factor or factors. Many think that nature and nurture both play complex roles; most people experience little or no sense of choice about their sexual orientation.”

Are you still with me? Here’s an exercise to test our empathy skills.

Imagine yourself in a romantic embrace with someone of the opposite gender you are not attracted to. Want to stretch yourself? Imagine a similar situation with someone of your same gender. Uncomfortable and confusing, huh? Now, imagine you are a child trying to understand these feelings.

This is how the ACA explains how people know they are lesbian, gay, or bisexual:

“According to current scientific and professional understanding, the core attractions that form the basis for adult sexual orientation typically emerge between middle childhood and early adolescence. These patterns of emotional, romantic, and sexual attraction may arise without any prior sexual experience. People can be celibate and still know their sexual orientation--be it lesbian, gay, bisexual or heterosexual.”

Another similarity many of us share is that we are followers of Jesus. I’m being completely genuine and honest when I share that it’s been a struggle for me understanding how the lessons of love and tolerance I learned from the teachings of Jesus have been twisted politically to spread intolerance. It’s even harder for me to comprehend that there are still human beings out there who would rather harm children by exposing them to bullying and even worse, bogus conversion therapies, than support a child's sexual orientation.

Here’s why am I bringing this up now. I advocate for all of our children being protected with strong bullying prevention legislation guaranteeing them learning in a safe and supportive environment. Too many children face harassment and even violence, leading to serious mental health issues and sometimes suicide-related behavior. 

Right now, there is a bill in the Minnesota Senate (SF221) to exempt a large number of school districts from implementing the Safe & Supportive Minnesota Schools law (passed last April). There’s an identical bill in the Minnesota House (HF102).

Safe & Supportive Minnesota Schools law being signed by Governor Dayton.
Photo by Glen Stubbe

To protect the safety of all children, please contact your local representative and senator and let them know you do NOT want our Safe & Supportive Schools (anti-bullying) law watered down. Thank you for sticking with me… your pestering, progressive friend.

Peace to you and yours - Jackie

Investing in Public Education

In light of a Star Tribune analysis showing a widening gap between success of white and minority students, I have updated a past blog post. 

Star Tribune "Charter schools struggling to meet academic growth" 

Our history shows that we value children and the education they receive. We put a high priority on learning for all and support education as a fundamental right in Minnesota (and most other states):

The stability of a republican form of government depending mainly upon the intelligence of the people, it is the duty of the legislature to establish a general and uniform system of public schools. The legislature shall make such provisions by taxation or otherwise as will secure a thorough and efficient system of public schools throughout the state.
(Minn. Const., art. XIII, § 1)

What a wonderful society we live in!

We care so deeply about our children that in the 1990's we decided to try something new - Charter Schools. In fact, Minnesota was the first state to pass a charter school law in 1991. I am an advocate for trying new things and hope that we continue to do so as a society. I am also a firm believer in accurately measuring success for society as a whole. After 20 plus years of many charters being exploited by for-profit entities, we have learned that much improvement is needed, especially in the area of equity. The push to privatize and profit attacks the very people we need to support (our teachers and students). Here are some examples of areas we need to improve:

• For-Profit Exploitation
• Lack of Accountability
• Teacher Dissatisfaction
• Racial Segregation
• Negative Impact of Vouchers

As we learn from our past policy decisions, many suggest we reinvest in our public education system instead of siphoning money to for-profit entities. One particular champion of public schools is Diane Ravitch. Visit Diane Ravitch's Blog for up-to-date articles about education and follow Diane on Twitter @DianeRavitch. 

"Diane Ravitch was one of the strongest voices in the school reform movement—advocating for school choice, charters, and No Child Left Behind. But less than a decade ago, Ravitch had a change of heart. The reliance on standardized testing, she now says, has caused schools to ignore the "humanistic" elements of education." Quote from Diane Ravitch on Education Reform, Chicago Tonight by Michael Lipkin, November 20, 2012 (video included). 

It has been truly rewarding to see the benefits of investing in public education as a Minnesota resident living in Lakeville. I am continually impressed by the ingenuity and leadership of our teachers. A great example is Impact Academy - Lakeville Area Schools were able to keep this program in-house instead of it branching-off as a charter school competing for public funds. Impact Academy currently benefits one of our grade schools; however, many families are excited to see the model implemented across the district. I am excited about programs that offer true choices to all families. True choice includes transportation and access for all students. We have a long way to go my friends.

I sincerely believe that continued investment in public education will provide the best return on investment for our children and the future of our great nation. Let's work together to create a public school system that is transparent, accountable (for real results, not simply teaching to tests), and enjoyable!


Peace to you and yours - 

Jackie Craig




For your reference, here are a few studies showing investment in public education pays-off for America (there are plenty more):

ROI from Adult Education

Early Childhood Education for All

National Conference of State Legislatures

In Support of Universal Preschool

There is a relentless effort to defund public education, to turn public money over to unaccountable private hands, and to abolish collective bargaining and due process. As supporters of public education, we must rally and stand together. It’s time to organize, strategize, and mobilize in solidarity with our teachers because we trust them to sound the alarm against unwise education policies and to lead the way toward education innovation.

There are those who say I care too much about what teachers think. Well, they’re right. I do care. They just don’t care enough. They don’t care that our front line professionals are being ignored in the so called “education reform movement.” They don’t care that pitting teachers against one-another in competition negatively impacts motivation instead of fostering cooperative environments in our schools that improve educational outcomes and support retention of teachers of color in our classrooms. They don't care that teachers are forced to "teach to the test" instead of teaching children in a more personalized manner. They don’t care that teacher voices have been purposely left out of the decision-making process in favor of venture capitalists and for-profit firms who are salivating over the education market.  

And why is it that our economy continues to improve, but public school spending still suffers? I’ll tell you why. There is a well-organized crusade to privatize and profit off the education of our children. And guess who suffers most from these kinds of policies. You guessed it, those who need us most: low-income and disadvantaged children. The socioeconomic status of families has a profound effect on children’s education. Many of our teachers work with children who are living in poverty, often lacking sleep, proper nutrition, and stable family lives. We must invest in the public education of all children to support equitable economic and social growth and put an end to policies systematically disadvantaging children. 

That’s why the time is now to invest in free public preschool for all. High-quality, developmentally appropriate preschool supports cognitive and socio-emotional development, which are important building blocks for reversing some of the effects of economic inequality. As a community, it is our responsibility to make sure that every student has a chance to excel, both in school and in life. In fact, school success has been linked to college attendance, career choice, increased wages, decreased use of social safety nets, and decreased involvement with the criminal justice system. I don’t know about you, but I’d much rather invest in public education than our “zero tolerance,” “get tough on crime,” and “war on drugs” policies that have led to racially discriminatory incarcerations and the resegregation of our communities and schools.   

And considering that it costs us over $40,000 per year for each person we incarcerate in our state prison system, compared to the less than $11,000 average per student cost, I’d say the fiscally smart approach is to invest in public education. 
  
This kind of responsible investment in our children, supports healthy, safe, and equitable communities. By empowering our educators in the classroom and insisting on policies that benefit all children, we can deliver the responsible, robust public schools that our children and our communities need.

Peace to you and yours - Jackie

Jackie Craig is running for Lakeville Area Public Schools Board of Education… and here’s why!

James, Katie, and I moved to Lakeville from Saint Louis Park when Katie was a toddler. We researched the Twin Cities metro based on the following criteria: housing value, ease of transportation, and school excellence. Lakeville was at the top of our list and we were able to find a home that fit our needs at a reasonable cost and in a great location. We were thrilled with the community’s dedication to exceptional education and excited about being part of one of the fastest growing cities in the metro. 

Us picking blueberries in Michigan last summer.

We enrolled Katie in Early Childhood Family Education (ECFE) through Lakeville Area Community Education and the experience was so wonderful, I decided to donate time to the ECFE Advisory Council in a marketing role (2007-2008). In 2007, we welcomed Preston to our family and I remained on the ECFE Advisory Council, serving as Vice Chair (2008-2010) and then as Chair (2010-2011). I was invited to participate in Leadership Lakeville, sponsored by Lakeville Area Chamber of Commerce, as Chair of the ECFE Advisory Council. Both were amazing experiences! Collaborating with community members and school staff to have an impact on our community was extremely rewarding. 

Both Katie and Preston benefitted from quality classes at Small Wonders Preschool through Lakeville Area Community Education. Once again, we were thrilled with the high level of learning and excellent staff members. Our experiences with Community Education during sporting and other educational courses continued to be rewarding. Engaged children excited about play and learning are an asset to our community in many ways. Early childhood education programs are vital for building communities filled with families who are able to avoid use of safety net programs and trouble with the law. Other community benefits include improved graduation rates and higher employment earnings. 

Click HERE to Learn More

Katie attended Crystal Lake Elementary School for both kindergarten and first grade, while Preston remained in Small Wonders. Our involvement continued to build and we were pleased with our community and the services we enjoyed as active members. 

When Crystal Lake Elementary was closed due to budgetary concerns, it was a tough transition; however, as partners in our community we did our best to remain flexible and positive. Katie moved over to Oak Hills Elementary for second grade and after a year of volunteering, I decided to become officially involved in the Oak Hills Parent Teacher Organization (PTO). The co-president role was open, so I figured I might as well dive in headfirst! 

I learned a crucial lesson about being inclusive while serving as PTO president. I was reminded that not all people have had the experience our family has had. Not all relationships have been positive and not every education experience is without turmoil. My understanding comes from my perspective alone and it is important to listen to and empathize with the experiences of community members. All deserve the respect of having their voices heard because it will be as a community working together that we continue to prosper, making Lakeville one of the best places to raise a family. 

My family enjoying the Chart House's patio this spring.

What makes an effective school board member and what skills do I possess that qualify me to represent our community?

Vision

I support the Lakeville Area Public Schools vision of world-class, personalized learning ensuring the success of all students and am capable of measuring the success of our district and our superintendent against our goals. 

Transparency 

You will always know where I stand on issues. I also advocate for all open public meetings to be live feeds, including study sessions. An important role of the public sector is to debate publicly in accordance to the Minnesota Open Meeting Law.  

Communication

I enthusiastically participate in discussions about the direction of education in Lakeville and beyond. I am an active learner who is interested in ideas from everyone in my community that progress our community forward. 

Leadership & Collaboration

I have been leading successful teams for over 25 years. From high school and college level captain roles to senior management and volunteer leadership, I have led success through development of capable team members. 

Budget Management 

My professional experience includes fiscally sound government program budget management and reporting. The Minnesota School Finance Guide is an excellent resource.

Student Focus

My priority is to focus on what is best for all students and their achievement. Complying with laws regulating public education and advocating for community input is imperative.  

Public Education Advocacy

I am an active advocate for public education at the local, state, and national level and am able to collaborate with diverse populations. 

Us visiting the Soudan Underground Mine State Park. 

James and I look forward to being proud parents of Oak Hills Elementary students for 2014-15 with Katie in fifth grade Ignite! and Preston in first grade. Blessings for a safe and fun summer to you and yours!

REMINDER - Please vote in Jackie Craig as Lakeville Area Public Schools Board of Education member on November 4, 2014. Thank you!

Fair vs. Equal: Pattie Morales (Milwaukee Teacher & Guest Blogger)

About Me:

I have been teaching in Milwaukee Public Schools for the last eight years as a regular education and inclusion teacher. I live in the Enderis Park neighborhood of Milwaukee with my husband Juan and our three children: Stuart, age 10, Gabriel, age 4, and Isabella, age 1. My experience with special education also extends outside of the classroom. Stuart has been diagnosed with ADHD, Mood Disorder, and Tourette Syndrome.

Pattie with husband Juan and their children (by age) Stuart, Gabriel & Isabella.

Fair vs. Equal

Education advocates are quick to insist that academics need to be differentiated so that all students can be successful. Learning in the classroom should include strategies that meet the needs of all students, whether that includes technology, music, oral representations, or visual representations.  Teachers are directed to use the Multiple Intelligences during instruction and to offer multiple options for assessing a student’s understanding of a concept (e.g. multiple choice test, essay, project). There are professional development opportunities throughout the year for educators that focus on this topic. If there is a generally accepted understanding that not all students learn or express their understanding in the same way, then the leap can be made that not all students respond to behavior systems the same way.

The concept of a fair vs. equal behavior model is not new, however, it has not received the amount of attention that differentiated academics has (most likely because behavior concepts aren’t part of a standardized test). When teachers create a behavior plan for their classroom, it is often based on the school’s general plan. In Milwaukee, most schools have adopted the Positive Behavior Intervention and Support model (PBIS), which emphasizes being Safe, Respectful, and Responsible. How the classroom teacher interprets these rules in their classroom is often very different throughout a single building. This standardized behavior model offers consistency, which is important, but it doesn’t offer the flexibility that students (especially students with special needs) require. In a typical classroom, students are required to sit straight up in their desks, stay silent during instruction, and are given increasingly harsher consequences for each infraction of the rules. The idea behind fair vs. equal, is that just like with academics, students don’t respond to the same set of rules and consequences in the same way.

Don’t misunderstand. I’m not suggesting that teachers should have a separate set of rules and consequences for each student. That isn’t even remotely attainable. What I am advocating for is a better understanding of how our students respond to behavior systems, what their behavior triggers are, and how to reach them in a positive and appropriate way. This means that not all students will receive the same level of consequence for the same behavior, but that each person’s consequence will be fair and reasonable for the individual.

How does fair vs. equal look in a classroom?

A regular education student who has no previous behavior issues refuses to take their seat. A reasonable consequence would be moving down on the behavior chart or flipping their behavior card. On the other hand, a student who does have previous behavior issues may need more attention to the antecedent (event that precedes the action), than an immediate consequence. Having this student flip their card or go down on the behavior chart will often escalate the problem. Taking the time to identify the antecedent before deciding on a course of action will often not lead to the same consequence, but it will be what the student needs, which makes it the fair consequence.

To sum up what has been a longer blog post than I intended (and truly, I could go on for much longer, as I happen to truly like this particular soapbox), I will leave you with the poster that hangs in my classroom, as well as a link to another blog post about this topic.

Thank you to my guest blogger (and sister), Pattie Morales, for taking time out of her busy schedule to write an awesome guest blog for me! 

Peace to you and yours - Jackie