A humane education: teaching positive reinforcement in the classroom

The Kids-4-K9s Humane Education Program offers students and teachers an opportunity to focus on positive changes, instead of failures. “I like the way we ignore Bella when she doesn’t get it right and wait to praise her when she does,” one third grade student shared as part of his journal entry for the session. It is this kind of reflection and sharing that promotes real learning and growth that can extend far beyond the classroom.

More than just a garden

We live in a time when the social contract between individual and society has become implicit. We forget that as individuals we engage in our community, our government, and with our neighbors because they are there for our benefit as we are for theirs—to make our lives better than if we went on alone. For the members of low-income, underserved communities such as Brooklyn/Curtis Bay however, this contract has failed.

Guaranteeing appropriate medical care for all

Since the health of each member in any community is a collective responsibility of the community as a whole, I’d like to propose an idea that should not be audacious at all: to be a responsible community, our country needs to join the rest of the developed world in establishing a health care system where routine access to appropriate medical care for every member is not only a possibility, but a certainty.

Growing more farms and more food

One Friday afternoon at Whitelock Community Farm I found myself confronted by an 8-year-old who was pushing the carrots on anybody who would listen. Every few minutes, when somebody new walked up to the weekly farm stand, he exclaimed how sweet and delicious the carrots were and proceeded to enthusiastically chomp on a long, slender carrot with the greens still attached.

Sara’s crimmigration nightmare

Sara entered this country with a green card when she was 10 years old. She never became a citizen. When Sara was 19, she was caught shoplifting. She pleaded guilty to theft and was sentenced to one year, all time suspended. She served no jail time. Twelve years later, Sara has a husband and two young children. She works two jobs. She pays taxes every year. She is happy.

One day, Sara is arrested at work. Another worker wrongfully accused Sara of assault after a disagreement. Sara’s crimmigration nightmare begins.

A stain that never goes away

According to the Just Kids Report, each year Maryland charges 1,250 youth as adults with little concern or attention to the stain this places on the life of a young person. Youth charged as adults are forced to carry the burden of a felony for the rest of their lives.

Skateboarding for Success

Meet Daniel Oliver. Daniel is 17 years old, he grew up in Baltimore City attending public schools, and he is presently a junior at Baltimore City College. Danny is a skateboarder and this is what skateboarding means to him: “Ever since I started skateboarding around the age of 7, I’ve seen the world in an entirely different light.”

Make creditors prove they are entitled to collect a debt

Each year, thousands of Maryland consumers are sued for unpaid debts. The vast majority of these cases are brought in small claims court by third party debt buyers. Usually, these debt buyers lack the proper documentation and evidence to show that (1) a debt is actually owed, (2) the amount claimed is accurate, and (3) […]

Bringing poetry to life to make confident readers

Last April, the 7th grade writing workshop I teach at Margaret Brent Elementary/Middle School studied an Edna St. Vincent Millay poem. Today, the group struts around the school, reciting lines from the poem: “We were very tired, we were very merry–, We had gone back and forth all night on the ferry.” Writers in Baltimore […]

Supporting foster care youth

May is Foster Care month. It is our hope that during this month, as a community we will be thinking of innovative ways to give our foster youth the tools they need to become contributing and successful members of society. The difficult issues that youth transitioning from the foster care system face is something we […]