Many times, when the question arises about what 21st century education looks like and sounds like in today's classrooms, we look at each other with that proverbial quizzical look that we embody in Spanish with the saying, "Con qué se come eso?" Basically asking, "What does that even mean?" The truth is that there are so many theories and methodologies about education floating around that it is sometimes hard to keep up with what works and what doesn't. I have a unique perspective on education in this century due to my over 13 years experience as a New York City public school teacher. During my tenure, I have had the opportunity to observe firsthand some of the issues with our current educational system as well as celebrate some of its victories. One particular victory being the recent consensus that has been reached regarding implementing a common core curriculum across the entire United States. It was a necessary step that had to be taken because there have always … [Read more...]
21st Century Education-Con Qué Se Come Eso? @Univision #EsElMomento #Latism
Understanding Multivitamin Usage In The Latino Community #LATISM #Sponsored
*This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of LATISM . I was compensated to participate in a Latino research study around Latinos and multivitamin usage. All opinions are 100% mine. Taking vitamins and supplements has always been a part of my growing up in a Latino household. As far back as I can remember, my grandparents and parents made us take vitamins on a daily basis and always emphasized their importance to our overall well-being. A recent consumer survey conducted by Consumer Reports en Español and LATISM** investigating the use of vitamins and supplements among Latinos found that 66% take them at least once per week. It was also found that 56% of Latinos do not discuss potential hazardous interactions that could occur from combining supplements with their prescription medications with their doctors. Additionally, 56% of Latino parents give their children multivitamins at least once per week. According to Dr Jose Luis Mosquera, Medical Advisor for … [Read more...]
Global Motherhood Unites Mothers Around The World #InspireCare #Latism
These photos represent a few of the many programs supported by Johnson & Johnson and its partner organizations to serve the health and well-being needs of communities and people around the world. To read more about these programs and others that help us care for those in need, please visit our website:http://www.jnj.com/connect/caring/. Being a mother is the most important role that I have. At the end of my life, I want to be remembered for having been a good mother above all of my other accomplishments. Most of us have had women in our lives who nurtured us and taught us the meaning of "motherhood." In most Latino homes, grandmothers are not only the matriarchs of the family but also some of the first women who teach us what being a good mother is all about. My situation is no different. My paternal grandmother raised me during a time when my mother was incapable of handling the responsibility. I have always affectionately referred to her as "Tata" and she has … [Read more...]
Reflecting On My Blogging Conference Experiences!
I had the distinct pleasure of being sponsored to attend a blogging conference this past weekend by Latinos in Social Media (#LATISM.) It was an incredible honor to represent them and to have the opportunity to attend such an amazing conference right here in my own town of New York City. Since I only had a short time to prepare for the event, I frantically searched the internet for posts and articles that would help me to prepare for the weekend. I was worried about everything from what I was going to wear to what seminars I wanted to attend. Although there is a lot of information out there about blogging conferences, I wasn't able to find any one post/article that addressed all of my questions and concerns. Hopefully, I will be able to give you some insight into the conference in this post. Let's first talk about clothing...The truth is that, although there were some women who had on cute outfits with heels during the seminars, the vast majority of the … [Read more...]
Improving Latino Graduation Rates Through Parental Involvement
As an educator, I cannot even begin to stress the importance of parental involvement to a child's academic success. This is especially true for Latino students who face a myriad of unique obstacles that are not faced by other students. At the forefront of some of these obstacles is the language barrier that some of them struggle with due to not having a command of the English language. They are often caught between speaking Spanish at home to their family and attempting to become fluent in a second language at school. Sometimes Latino parents are discouraged from taking part in their child's academic progress because language barriers and social class issues prevent them from having the confidence to be proactive in their education. Schools need to adopt more flexible academic programs that take into account the diversity of the communities that they are servicing. This will open many doors for those children who have parents that are not able to expose them to traditional … [Read more...]
