Stay Connected! KA Fall 2017

Welcome

TO THE KA WAY! Introduction from

ART FULLER This week a couple of KA’s founding students asked why I always wear a smile and optimistic outlook. Quickly, I shared the story of how my personality stems directly from my grandmother. She was raised in a small community, Hayneville, Alabama, dating back to the 1920s and important flashpoint of the Civil Rights era.

I was lucky to spend a great deal of time learning from her and all my relatives in and around Montgomery, Alabama. No matter the circumstance, her energy and light always shined through. She was the true embodiment of the power of knowledge. Not just knowing about something, but to truly know the deep experiences of life through service, humility, and the relationships of her community.

The premise of Knowledge Academies is centered on the quality of knowing, far below the surface.

Our mission is to prepare students to make the best academic and social choices leading to a successful life connected to college, community, creativity, and culture. Our core values are simple, yet powerful, focused on positive words, helpful action, and best effort.

We are proud to share the stories of our students, our Tigers, through this first historic publication.

We are also honored to work in partnership with a network of Nashville’s leading organizations, along with national partners.

Our goal is to share how the KA way can be applied to build long lasting change in communities. Our students and families are the key ingredient in our journey and story.

We are invested, for the long term, and beyond in one of Nashville’s most diverse communities, Antioch.

Within the last year, we have been humbled with recognition as the first public school to receive the Next Awards in Social Enterprise and Sustainability (2016), from the Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce; and one of ten national recipients of the LRNG Educator Innovators Challenge (2017), focused on reimagining education in partnership with the National Writing Project.

Our community is also recognized as a Pioneer for Children’s Wellbeing by Ashoka and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

The pages that follow are from our students, and provide a preview of the exciting opportunities focused on so many of the valuable lessons of life, as our community leaps forward, by sharing the power and diversity of our stories.

Connecting Purpose with Service ART FULLER FOUNDER & PRESIDENT ANTUIAN BRADFORD EXECUTIVE OFFICER, HUMAN RESOURCES EDON KATZ EXECUTIVE OFFICER, OPERATIONS JAMES B. BRISTOL, J.D., CHAIR PARTNER Waller Executive Compensation & Benefits JEFF BRADFORD, SECRETARY PRESIDENT & CEO The Bradford Group JASON REIERSON, TREASURER SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT Pinnacle Financial Partners SCOTT SCHUMPERT, CPA, CVA, ABV ASSISTANT TREASURER Partner, Carr, Riggs, & Ingram (Nashville) COLIN CANNONIER, PH.D. ASSISTANT PROFESSOR OF ECONOMICS College of Business Administration Belmont University STEPHEN F. GRAW Urban Grout (Commercial Real Estate) GLENN HUNTER, MBA INDEPENDENT CONSULTANT EVANGELINE MOTLEY-JOHNSON, PH.D. ASSOCIATE DEAN School of Graduate Studies and Research Meharry Medical College TANAKA VERCHER ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR Office of Financial Aid Tennessee State University SAM JACKSON ANNUAL FUND DIRECTOR University School of Nashville RAYMOND WILLIAMS PHOTOGRAPHER rwilliams@kayouth.org TONI LEPESKA EDITOR-IN-CHIEF tlepeska@theconnectmagazine

Knowledge Academes is a network of public schools for families, and a teacher leader professional development center that offers year-round programming for education professionals, families, and students.

Our core values are positive words, helpful action, and best effort.

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Press

RELEASE

First-Ever Magazine Opportunity to Middle School and High School Students

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ashville, Tennessee - The editorial team of Nashville-based inspired living and entrepreneurial publication, The Connect Magazine, is coaching and mentoring students at Knowledge Academies to create Stay Connected! - the first student-driven magazine in history. Three total classes, compiled of seventh and ninth graders, are being challenged and trained by the accomplished staff on the art of storytelling, photography and illustration, while creating content focused on four key themes: college, culture, creativity and community.

Traditional school curriculums provide knowledge for students to one day begin reaching for their dreams, however the staff of The Connect Magazine is driven by the desire to give minors the opportunity to begin bringing their dreams to life now - gaining professional credit before the college application process begins.

“Today’s generation is looking for instant gratification,” says Eric Jordan, CEO and Founder of The Connect Magazine and Stay Connected!

“The purpose of Stay Connected! is to allow students to share their creative ideas and needs with the world, while building a platform to challenge them to think outside of the box in terms of the key areas of college, culture, creativity and community. Giving them something tangible after our course is complete will allow them to recognize the importance of school.”

The program’s key initiative is simple: to use print media to focus on the real-world development of literacy skills, while synergistically providing the opportunity for schools to deepen their connection with the community through the creative lens of the students. Through this venture, voices of the emerging generation are being amplified while being tuned to the media and educated in regard to how a magazine is assembled. All articles, images and illustrations are filtered through their unique interpretations of the world, which are actively challenged, stretched and supported.

When asked what they enjoyed about the program, both high school and middle-school students echoed identical sentiments: “We like it because we are allowed to express ourselves.”

“The opportunity for my students’ perspectives and talents to be seen and heard is surreal,” says Jackie Nentwick, Journalism Teacher at Knowledge Academy. “I am ecstatic for them to see their unique skills come to life in the magazine. The chance for their ideas to not only be heard, but published across all aspects of life is a liberty very few high school students are given.”

The publication is collaborating with SmartCard discount company.

Through this partnership, the students will sell a card and magazine as a package deal, in exchange for a $15 donation. All proceeds will go directly to the school. The objective is for the program to not only catapult the futures of the individual students, but also encourage the community and families to thrive. The fundraising process will help raise revenue for the school, while promoting local businesses through advertising.

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And, this is just the incubation stage. Jordan’s plan is to eventually expand the program across the Southeast Region, and possibly across the United States.

“My five-year plan is to build multiple Connect Centers throughout the Southeast Region. This will hopefully provide lucrative jobs for members of the community, as well as scholarships to the students and schools involved.”

As the program expands to other academic institutions, the key areas of college, culture, creativity and community will be woven throughout the uniqueness of each. This means the foundation will always be formatted and laid according to the standard, but the individual personalities of all communities, schools and students will be distinctively and intricately illuminated.

To accelerate the program’s lofty goals, Stay Connected!’s team is inviting all who feel led to make tax-deductible donations to this community-building and history-making venture.

For Immediate Release Contact: Eric Jordan - info@theconnectmagazine.com Art Fuller - art.fuller@knowledgeacademies.org

CEO/PUBLISHER FALL 2017 | STAY CONNECTED! KA

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FROM URBAN CHINA TO MUSIC CITY OF AMERICA An International Student’s Quest for Growth and Self-Discovery WRITTEN BY: BINGRAN ZENG

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rowing up in Shenzhen, China, the most vibrant and fastgrowing migrant city in the country, I was always surrounded by driven entrepreneurs and hard workers who left their hometowns for the opportunities to thrive in the first Special Economic Zone of Communist China. Likewise, my parents were two of the first brave and aspiring entrepreneurs who moved to Shenzhen, a small fishery village then, to start new businesses and families. Working hard and education are two of the strongest values in my family, and my family have always provided me the best education opportunities they could afford, so that I can maximize my potential.

Nonetheless, it’s not until high school when I fully appreciated how privileged and blessed I am for my education. Going to a high school located in an infamous urban village-red light district in Shenzhen, I was exposed to a unique community that was radically different from my upbringing environment. Observing many young girls (about my age) working in various service industries, not only did I lament the learning opportunities they missed out on, I also questioned the value that I can contribute to society with my knowledge and skills. I wondered what I could do then, and in the future, to make education more accessible for those with fewer resources.

Living in a high-achieving family means that my parents have always expected me to go to college, graduate school, and beyond, to accomplish all that I want to in life. However, it was only in high school when I started to think about the value of a college degree, and how I can take advantages of every opportunity in college to become who I want to be.

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The college application process was excruciating but rewarding.

From taking rigorous high school coursework to participating in extracurricular activities, from taking the SAT and TOEFL exams to writing dozens of application essays, I kept myself going with the knowledge that all the hard work would pay off when I go to a university that will provide me with knowledge, skills, network, and so much more, to figure out how to provide quality education to more students around the world. Now that I have gone through the entire application process and on track to receive my Bachelor’s degree, I am delighted to say that everything I learned before college came into use at some point during my college career.

I still remember the nerve-wrecking month of March in 2014 when I anxiously waited for the big envelops to travel across the Pacific.

Though I did not get into my dream school, Vanderbilt turned out to be the best college experience that I could ask for, and I suppose that’s the first lesson learned from college. Though we dream about the perfect university and college experience, things rarely go as planned. When that happens, however, it simply means that there is a better path for you, and never have I ever regretted my decision to come to Vanderbilt.

In August, 2014, I hopped on an Boeing 787 and traveled 24 hours to arrive at the Music City of Nashville. Broad and green, Nashville was nothing like I expected. As soon as I arrived on campus, I was thrown into week-long orientation activities, freshman mixers, campus tours, and so on, despite that I just travelled 8000 miles from home to live by myself for the first time. Through all those years of studying and testing, KACONNECTCENTER.ORG

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I overlooked one of the most important things to succeed in college— taking care of myself.

Being admitted to an institution like Vanderbilt is not only a significant acknowledgement of your educational achievement, it is also the beginning of an exciting and challenging journey to self-discovery and growth. Just imagine what it’s like to go from being the top one percent of your high schools to being a regular student among all the top one percent from high schools around the country and the world.

It would be dishonest of me to say that transitioning to Vanderbilt was nothing but a breeze. Before coming to Vanderbilt, I lived in a close-knit community with good friends and family members that I have known all my life. Nevertheless, when we starts our college careers in a new environment, we lose that stable support system that we often take for granted. And it’s up to ourselves to reach out for help and opportunities in order to learn, grow, and build new relationships.

It took me many sleepless nights of writing papers, cramming for exams, feeling homesick, and doubting my decision to come to Vanderbilt to learn that it is ok to struggle and that my life would be a lot easier if I just reach out for help and take the initiatives to build relationships with my peers, professors and people in my community. I can only grow and become a better person after having failed and asked for help. That is the second and probably the most important lesson I learned from Vanderbilt.

One of my favorite professors and mentors at Vanderbilt says, “You need to fail fast in order to succeed.” In hindsight, he could not have KACONNECTCENTER.ORG

been more right. After learning that college is not just a place for me to succeed but a safe space to experiment and learn from my failures in order to succeed in the future, I finally lifted off the huge pressure that I always put myself.

Giving up my obsession with “always having it together” and switching from fixed mindset to growth mindset marked the turning point of my college career at Vanderbilt. My relentless efforts in going to office hours and asking for advice from professors turned in many important mentorships that have shaped my experience at Vanderbilt.

Participating in various volunteer activities solidified my passion for service and education, which led me to joining the Ingram Scholarship Program. Being comfortable with failure also means that I won’t ever be afraid any opportunities out there, may it be an internship, a scholarship, a job, etc, I push myself to leap into the unknown because I know that I will always learn something from the experience, even if i don’t get what I wanted in the end.

Graduation is around the corner, which marks the next chapter of my life, where I will face more uncertainties and challenges by myself.

Nevertheless, I am more excited than nervous about the future because my time at Vanderbilt has prepared me to build structure and support system in new environments, and grasp every opportunity available to learn and grow. College is not just about learning knowledge and getting a diploma, because I learned all my important life lessons outside the classrooms. When May comes, I will bring my growth mindset with me to embark on the next journey to more learning and self-discovery.

FALL 2017 | STAY CONNECTED! KA

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SUMMER COLLEGE TOUR

WRITTEN BY: CHLOE’ SMITH CLASS OF 2020

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welve students participated in an overnight summer college tour that crossed five states and stretched over five days. The students stayed in college dorms, ate in school cafeterias, toured campuses, visited zoos and museums, and met with college professionals. The trip challenged students to think about what they wanted from their college experience and exposed them to different resources and options within a multitude of different colleges. The students went to schools that identified as Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Predominately White Institutions (PWI), private, public, small schools, large schools, religiously-affiliated, research-based and others. Each school shared a different perspective with students about what it was like to seek an education on their campus. The element of staying overnight on a college provided a different experience when researching and touring schools. Do not be afraid to take a chance and explore your options!

The​ ​college​ ​trip​ ​I​ ​took​ ​this​ ​summer​ ​was​ ​wonderful! ​I​ ​met​ ​new​ ​people within Knowledge Academy High School,​ ​and​ ​I​ ​learned​ ​many​ ​new​ ​ things. For example,​I​ ​​learned​​about​d ​ ifferent majors offered and the admission process. I also stayed​i​n​ c​ ollege dorms, which in my opinion​​ 8

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was one of the most​ ​fun activities. ​I​ ​experienced​ ​what​ ​it​ ​would​ ​be​ ​like​ ​ if​​I​​actually​​were​​in​​college.​It also exposed me to the different qualities that exist within dorms, for example, some of housing was newer than other housing. I​​also​bonded​​with​​other​​students. O ​ n the trip, I became​​ really​ ​close​ ​to​ ​some​ ​people​ ​who​ ​I​ ​never​ ​really​ ​talked​ ​to or​ ​previously acknowledged​.

The​​colleges​​we​​visited​​had​​their​​own​​type​​of​​style​​and​​flair.​​Some​​ of​ ​them​ ​were​ ​newer​ ​or steeped in ​more​ ​history​ ​than​ ​others.​ ​They​ ​also​ ​ had​ ​certain​ ​traditions that​ ​we​ ​joined​ ​in​ ​on,​ ​and​ ​I​ ​thought​ ​that​ ​was​ ​very​ ​ kind​ ​of​ ​them.​ ​I​ ​remember​ one​ ​of​ ​the​ ​schools​ ​had​ ​this​ ​tradition​ ​where​ ​ we​ ​could​ ​rub​ ​the​ ​shoe​ ​of​ ​a​ ​statue​ ​and​ ​receive​ ​good luck.​ ​Each college had its own ​culture. ​ ​Some​ ​of​ ​them​ ​had​ ​cooler​ ​things than others,​ ​in​ ​my opinion.

The various​​characteristics​of the colleges h ​ elped​​me​​choose​​ whether​ ​I​ ​would like​ ​to​ ​go​ ​to​ ​the​ ​colleges​ ​or​ ​not.​ ​When we touched ground on the University of Kentucky campus and the West Virginia University campus,​ ​I​ ​fell​ ​head​ ​over​ ​heels​ ​for​ ​them both.​ ​I am​ ​not​ ​saying​ ​ I will​ ​go​ ​to​ ​those​ ​colleges,​ ​but​ ​I​ ​will apply​ ​to​ ​them.​ ​That​ ​way​ ​I​ ​can​ ​keep​ ​ my​ ​options​ ​open​ ​if​ ​I​​ ​do not​ ​get​ ​the​ ​college​ ​I​ ​want.​ ​In conclusion,​ ​this​ ​ trip​ ​was​ ​amazing​ ​and​ ​I​ ​would​ ​like​ ​to​ ​take​ ​another​ ​one​ ​next​ ​summer.

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JOINING THE CROWD AT A COLLEGE FAIR WRITTEN BY: SAMUEL PEREZ CLASS OF 2019

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nowledge Academies has taken students to Metro Nashville Public Schools’ College Fair for the past couple of years.

The fair does a great job in bringing multiple colleges and universities to one location for Nashville-area students to explore and discover options. In order for students to qualify to ride on Knowledge Academies transportation, students had to obtain signatures from teachers, which served as a recommendation that the student would benefit from the experience. It also nudged students to start thinking and learning about how to ask individuals to write letter of recommendations for their college applications. The setting of a college fair can be overwhelming, so before the students got there, they learned about proper college fair etiquette, first impressions, making a game plan, and asking good questions. Whether students are accessing college fairs through Knowledge Academies or through the community, school officials encourage the families and students to take advantage of every setting. There is no better way to learn about multiple colleges and universities than at a college fair.

This was my first college fair. I never pictured a college fair to be something like what I saw at Tennessee State University. There were over 200 colleges, more options than I expected. There were many KACONNECTCENTER.ORG

schools represented, from in-state to out-of-state colleges, leaving me uncertain of where to start. Tennessee Tech University, Belmont University, and Trevecca University were some of the colleges I was considering before I got to the college fair because I’d heard about these schools. These three universities are also close to the area where I live and have computer science as a major, two factors I have been considering in finding a school that best fits me. The first booth I walked to was for a school I had not heard of, Virginia Tech University. They were really nice and welcoming when I came closer.

I asked several questions. What did you like most about going to Virginia Tech? What is the community like in Blacksburg, Va.? Is it a commuter college or residential college? The experience of attending a college fair helped me continue to strive toward my college goals.

I now know more about colleges and how different ones can benefit me or not. This experience has helped me even more in trying to find a college that best fits me. I would recommend other students attend a college fair because they provide direction in finding a college and allow students to explore what they want for their future. The advice I would give to my peers prior to them attending a college fair is to always dress nice, give a good first impression when you walk up to booths, and ask good questions. Think about what you want to know, and you will find help in discovering the best college for you.

FALL 2017 | STAY CONNECTED! KA

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HIGH SCHOOL TEACHER’S ASSISTANT PROGRAM THE OPPORTUNITY TO GIVE BACK

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he college department launched a new student leadership program last year called Teacher Assistants (TA). Modeling a similar position in colleges, Teacher Assistants were invited to co-teach a college access activity to the middle school grades and would assist their assigned teacher on the college tour while mentoring the students they served. In addition to the TA getting the experience to develop their leadership skills through teaching, modeling good behavior, and executing responsibilities, they get to tour a college and receive vital college information. Therefore, the student not only is building their college resume but getting exposed to various colleges by touring and deciding whether or not it may be a good fit for them.

KA is excited to make this a fundamental program within the College Department.

At the beginning of my sophomore year, I started to notice how being a part of the oldest grade in the school meant we were the examples to the younger grades. This made me start thinking about how I carried myself in regards to my behavior towards my peers and my education.

I wanted the younger students to know how serious high school was in relationship to their future. Throughout my years of education, I have

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WRITTEN BY: AJAHNAY DATRY CLASS OF 2019

really focused on going to college and understanding what it takes to be a successful student. This led me to have a strong desire to help others find their passion for education and explore their options to find the right fit for them when it came to college. The opportunity to assist and direct younger grades to education opportunities presented itself to me when I asked to be a Teacher’s Assistant on a college tour for the seventh graders. I was going to be able to help someone who may not have had a chance to express how they felt about college or if they even knew anything about college. While preparing for the trip all the other Teaching Assistants got to interact with the seventh graders by teaching them about different types of colleges, what the expectations were for college, and how they would be able to tell if a school was the right fit for them or not. After the lesson, we helped students form questions for the day of the tour. Once on the tour, I was able to help certain students really come up with what are some of the things they would like to be involved with in college and what are some majors that interested them the most. With this experience, I was able to give back to my community by helping the upcoming high schoolers really take hold of their education. This also helped me understand more about myself. It allowed me to take a risk, develop leadership skills, and provided me with more control over my education and giving back.

FALL 2017 | STAY CONNECTED! KA

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MAKING THE MOST OF NOW IN PREPARATION FOR THE FUTURE

WRITTEN BY: CASSIE LEMON

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ere are a few tips and things to consider in preparation for the future.

Planning for the future starts now. The goal is for students to have options to various opportunities after high school. By considering these items and implementing them, students should have access to those various options.

THE TIME IS NOW

Some students feel that the college process begins their senior year.

They believe they have an abundant amount of time to think about it once they get there. The development and planning for college begins way before senior year and even before the student arrives to high school. Although the idea of where students may want to go or what they want to study may change, students need to begin envisioning what they want their future to look like prior to them facing it senior year. Starting early allows students to reflect on themselves and explore what they may want and need. The idea is not to create fear but to reduce or elevate anxiety by being proactive and creating a plan early.

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COLLEGES LOOK AT DATA!

It is important for students to do well their Freshman year of high school in order to lay a strong academic foundation. Students sometimes think that they may not really need to try until their Junior or Senior year. In reality, it is much harder to raise a grade point average (GPA) than it is to lower it. The earlier families understand how grades and testing play into accessing opportunities after high school, the more options that are available! That is what we want as educators. We want our families to have options and opportunities with the understanding that it starts with good data.

BE A SELF-ADVOCATE AND DEVELOP GOOD HABITS

COLLEGES LOOK AT THE HOLISTIC STUDENT!

Sometimes we put so much focus on the data pieces that we omit the soft, interpersonal, collaborative, and leadership skills developed through extra-curricular involvement. Colleges want students to come to their school and be academic successful, but they want more! They want to know what your student is going to bring to their school.

How are you going to get involved? By producing the evidence of being involved in high school through the arts, athletics, volunteering, clubs, the greater chance your student has at being accepted. Students can also acquire more financial aid with their involvement! Sometimes we think that schools only give money to for academic performance or being athletic. Schools will also give money for the arts like band, theater, and art. Some universities will give out money (even full ride scholarships) to students that do community service!!

SO GET UP AND GET INVOLVED!

Students have to learn to advocate for themselves. The best and easiest way of doing this is developing relationships with the teachers. When the relationship is there, it is easier to ask for assistance when needed.

It is also important to develop good habits. Good habits include: setting goals, developing good note taking skills, developing good test taking strategies, having good attendance, being on time, and not letting others be a distraction.

THERE IS POWER IN THE STUDENT They bring knowledge and experience to their learning. At the same time, they have to want to gain more knowledge in order to access the multiple options and opportunities postgraduation holds!

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DOES MISSING CLASS/SCHOOL REALLY MATTER? The effects of attendance on the development of an academic routine WRITTEN BY: CASSIE LEMON

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EEP BEEP BEEP! You roll over to hit the snooze button on your annoying alarm clock, also known as your cellphone. You have to pick the loudest, most annoying sounds to wake up you up any more because your sleep pattern is off. You thought by going to college that you would get to pick your own schedule. That you could customize your classes to meet your needs and wants. HOWEVER, you did not realize there would be classes that would be “outliers” and not fit your vision of when you wanted to go to class. You heard that business majors tend to have early classes because of the nature of the industry and the professors are early risers, so you decided to pursue a different major. Because you like learning about the brain and the psychology department offers evening classes, you thought that major would be a better fit. Little did you know that you would have to take general education classes (classes outside of your major) in order to attain a degree. When scheduling your classes this semester, you were forced to take a theater history class at 9:00am on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. This was the only course that fit in with your psychology major courses that would fulfil your fine arts credit that you need. Although 9:00am may not seem like an “early” class, but when you factor in how late you are in the labs for you major, your other homework, and keeping up with your buzzing social life, 9:00am feels more like a 7:00am most days. Sometimes it feels earlier than that due to your lack of interest in the material. Alas, here you are. 8:30am on a Friday contemplating whether it is worth getting out of bed, getting dressed and walking 15 minutes across campus to your class.

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Here is where the real issue lies—you skipped this class before. It was a Monday morning instead of a Friday during your Fall Break. Because your next class on Monday does not start until 1:00pm, you decided to stay home a little longer that weekend and did not come back to school until later in the day. The professor on the first day of class addressed his attendance policy outlined in the syllabus. You are permitted to miss three classes before your grade will be affected. Whether the absences are deemed excused or unexcused, missing three days would drop you down an entire letter grade. As you are half asleep deciding whether or not to get out of bed, the following thoughts run through your head: • You are currently sitting at a C in that class because you underestimated the difficultly of a Theater History course and its test. Therefore, you cannot afford to drop another letter grade due to absences.

• You have currently used one absence so you have two left.

• You are not even half way through the semester and who knows what emergencies may arise.

• Lastly, tuition cost $18,500 or $1,233 per credit hour.

Theater History is a 3 credit hour class meaning your spend a total of three hours a week in the actual classroom for this one class.

Resulting in the entire cost to take this one class is $3,700. If you take $3,700 and divide, it by 37, which is how often the class meets over the semester, each class cost $100. In other words, it cost $100 to attend your Theater History class a day. By you skipping this class today, you are essentially wasting $100.

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After running these four different scenarios through your head, you still have a decision to make. Is wasting $100 and gambling with skipping which could affect your overall grade worth not getting out of bed this morning?

You may be asking why is this important? How is this relevant to me?

If attending college (career & technical college, 2 year community college, or 4 year college) is a goal of yours, I guarantee you will be faced with this dilemma. You face it now as middle school and high school student and you will face it as an adult in your professional life.

In college or life, you will not have someone waking you up or trying to hold you accountable for getting up and getting to where you are supposed to be. The responsibility falls on YOU. There is an article titled The Cost of Cutting Class: Attendance As A Predictor of Success that stresses the importance of going to class. It states “attendance should be one of the easiest variable for students to control” (Gump, 2010). In this case, this student could put himself or herself in jeopardy of dropping a letter grade by missing too many classes. As a student, you do not have full control over your test scores or scores on assignments, but you do have control over waking up and being present. The article goes further to stress, “Students who wish to succeed academically should attend classes and instructors should likewise encourage class attendance” (Gump, 2010). This professor has set the expectation for his students to attend. It is hard to learn content and do well on test if you are not present to receive the information.

But you are in high school! Why does this matter? How is relevant to you now as a middle or high school student?

By attending school the student is developing what is known as an academic routine. The routine or habit of attending school eventually KACONNECTCENTER.ORG

becomes second nature to the student. Therefore, their ability to practice the habit of getting up, attending school, and being on time develops the “necessary self-discipline as they grow into adulthood” (Reed, 2015). Attendance is encouraged and celebrated at this level to help students and families understand its importance in the development of this good habit. The earlier this habit is established, the easier it is for the person to make it a routine.

Like college, you need to be present to get the information that you later will be tested on and will use in life. Although you may not “feel” the direct effects of attending school, you are creating a habit that leads to a routine. The routine of being present and on time is a habit that will serve you now to your adult life. So when you are in that bed contemplating whether or not it is worth getting up for, you will be more likely to get up and attend the class without parent/guardian telling you. Getting in the habit of doing it now will reap reward in the long run.

For that reason, getting in the habit of missing school becomes a hard habit to break and can eventually affect your grades (high school or college) and your pocket (college or career).

WORK CITED Gump, S. E. (2005). The Cost of Cutting Class: Attendance As A Predictor of Success. College Teaching, 53(1), 21-26. doi:10.3200/ ctch.53.1.21-26 Reed, A. (2015, July 2). Developing Academic Habits: A Guide for Parents. Retrieved October 03, 2017, from https://heights.edu/developing-academic-habits-a-guide-for-parents/ FALL 2017 | STAY CONNECTED! KA

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WRITTEN BY: DEVIN OBENG - 7TH GRADE

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he homeless are the people you see on the streets. They are in front of McDonald’s begging for money and food. They are the people who others don’t want to be around because they are in a bad position. I think they are misunderstood for who they are because they don’t have enough money to present themselves well. They are the people who cry because some people are cruel and won’t give them a chance or food to eat.

Some kids are homeless and suffering because their parents can’t provide for them. I’m sure most of the kids get bullied because of that.

Some people say that they need to get their lazy butts to work, but that is not the case. Some of the homeless can’t get a job because they are not qualified enough or don’t have enough education to get a job.

The main reason that people are hesitant to give their money to the homeless is because they think that they would use it for drugs, but they could still give them food or a restaurant gift card. Another reason is that sometimes people believe that most of the homeless are fake. They think they are just doing it for the money because they don’t want to work, and I understand why they don’t want to give money to them in that situation.

They think that it is a scam, but you could still give them food and they will decide if they want it or not.

I am not saying that all homeless people don’t have food but studies show that most of the homeless population don’t have enough food.

When I was watching a documentary on the economy, I learned that some people start out wealthy, but lose their money because of a crash in the economy. I feel sad because they lost their security and must sell their things or beg for money to provide for their families. If what I said inspired you at all, and you want to help, go to the website: HomelessFamilyFoundation.org. So please help the homeless in any way you can either by giving them food, money, or shelter. Trust me, you will feel good helping them.

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OUR SUMMER AT THE FARM WRITTEN BY: JAY RENFRO

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would like to place a bulk order for 4,000 pumpkin seeds.”

It took at least half a dozen seed vendors before finding someone able meet this heavy demand. As it turns out, 4,000 pumpkin plants is a lot to deal with; the typical novice pumpkin farmer might start with something more manageable—like maybe 100 seeds. I guess we didn’t want to be typical!

Over the past two years, Knowledge Academies has been building its Outdoor Learning program. We’ve had 21 brave campers “rough it” in the woods for a week to learn survival skills and over 500 students visit the Renfro farm to have a day of School at the Farm.

What we discovered by doing this is that kids love to rise to the challenges that only the outdoors can present. We also quickly realized that learning can definitely happen outside the confines of classroom walls and schedules.

This was one of the reasons we were recognized as winners of the 2017 LRNG Educator Innovator Challenge. That recognition allowed us to further the work we were doing, this time asking the question: what would it look like if teachers and students teamed up to take learning outside the walls of the school, while also solving a challenge in their community?

Last Spring two dozen brave students responded to this charge, with an interesting answer. The USDA defines our school’s community as a food desert (lacking in adequate fresh fruit and vegetables to meet the needs of the population), so our students and teachers wondered what it would look like to grow fresh produce to sell in our community. It would be a win-win-win: people in our community could have access to fresh produce for a reasonable price, our outdoor learning program could raise funds to sustain itself and eventually grow, and the students would receive a hands-on education in agriculture and entrepreneurship. The purchase of 4,000 pumpkin seeds was our first bold step to kickstart this idea.

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The rest of our plan was simple: We’d have a seed sowing day in late May, a few trips to tend the crop during the summer, and a few harvesting days to bring them to Antioch. To be clear, not only had the students never grown a 2-acre crop of pumpkins—none of the teachers had ever done this either. We would be learning together, giving ourselves plenty of room to make mistakes and figure things out as we went.

One way to teach students agriculture might be to offer an Agriculture 101 class. The teacher can give engaging lectures, relevant assignments, and then quizzes to make sure the students learn the

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content. In fact, teachers all over the country are fighting student boredom with these methods. However, what if students feel bored and checked out of school because they actually crave a challenge that will involve their talents and exhaust their creative energy? Maybe the better way to teaching anything—not just agriculture-- is simply to have the students participate in the process, with total permission to make decisions and mistakes. Most of our deepest learning this summer, it turns out, came from these mistakes.

My students learned how to grow pumpkins because from the moment the seeds went in the ground, they were responsible to keep them alive.

They learned how to identify squash bugs and which methods of pest control work and don’t work, but only after we lost a few plants.

They learned how to know when a pumpkin is ready for harvest, but only after waiting too late and dealing with many rotten pumpkins.

They learned about weather patterns and river dynamics, but only after rains from Hurricane Harvey washed away over a thousand plants.

Those mistakes negatively influenced potential sales, but they also brought the best epiphanies.

The pest-control battle brought up great conversations about ecologically sound farming techniques, leading to a more environmentally conscious strategy for next year. The flooding from Harvey brought an unexpected opportunity to teach how to navigate a river in a canoe—once the river was safe, we went down after the pumpkins and rescued about two dozen whose vines had been tangled in trees!

This kind of learning is an adventure. It makes kids want to show up because it makes them participants in something bigger than themselves.

It gives them something to own.

My favorite example is from when I discovered a white fungus growing on the pumpkin leaves during an early morning walk. Completely uncourteous to the early hour during their summer break, I sent a text to a few of the kids asking what it was and what we should do about it.

10th grader Amanuel-Benti (who the text had woken up), did a bit of research and was the first to render the unfortunate verdict, “It’s called powdery mildew. It’s bad.”

This deflated my enthusiasm for the project because the fungus was on the entire crop. “I guess that’s a wrap,” I thought, “we’re all done here.”

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Meanwhile, as I was dismaying the projected failure of our project, he was finding a solution: Milk, as it turns out, will kill the fungus and not harm the plant.

Within a few days we acquired a large quantity of expired milk and sprayed our plants using a GhostBusters-style backpack sprayer.

And it worked!

I will never forget the smell of expired milk, warmed by a Tennessee July afternoon, but, most importantly, what the circumstance taught me as an educator. While adults are likely to get stuck on what seems impossible, kids are far more likely to dream big and propose crazy solutions.

To conduct our business we created an LLC (Renfro Farms), put together a website (www.renfrofarms.com), an Instagram (@ learningtochangetheworld), and made a bunch of phone calls to connect with people needing pumpkins. I’d sometimes wake up to a late night text from one of the student-farmers, “Have you thought about calling this grocery store or this business?”.

As the season ends, we’re thinking fondly on some of our biggest victories. With all our setbacks and adventures, we picked and sold over 1,000 pumpkins. We were the providers of pumpkins for our city zoo’s fall event. We raked in enough money to cover expenses, hire “interns,” and still ended up with plenty to invest in whatever crazy idea the student-entrepreneurs think of next. What an accomplishment!

Even still, numbers of pumpkins grown and sold just doesn’t quite quantify the magic of the whole experience.

Some of the best moments in all of this came when the workday was over. We’d have a truck full of pumpkins from a full day’s work, but nobody would quite be ready to go home.

So we would linger in the South Harpeth River, either swimming, skipping rocks, or just watching fish swim around our feet. Sometimes, during days like these, it’s like time slows down just enough for us to remember what’s important. You can catch your breath and have crazy conversations about how to change the world. The things waiting for us back in the city lose their pull on us for a short bit. And then, when we can’t delay it any longer, we’d break the grip the farm holds on us and eventually return home.

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WHAT DOES LEARNING LOOK LIKE? XQ Learning provides all students with the skills they need to be prepared for college, career and life.

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What started as a competition grew into a nationwide movement.

We began as XQ: The Super School Project, a competition inviting America to reimagine high school. People across the country self-assembled into teams and started a movement to transform high school education in their areas.

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2017 KNOWLEGE ACADEMIES BREAST CANCER WALK

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MENTAL HEALTH

WRITTEN BY: DR. JEREMY LYNCH, DR. ESTER LYNCH, DR. RUBIN COCKRELL, DR. THURMAN WEBB

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he topic of mental health related issues has increasingly become of importance recently within the United States. The opioid epidemic and recent attacks in churches and communities have raised some concerns about the need for mental health treatment.

Many individuals have a stigma attached to mental health and seeking treatment; mainly due to the idea that to have a mental health disorder means something bad about me. However, this is furthest from the truth. Everyone can benefit from improved mental health.

In today’s society, there are many stressors and challenges to navigate in life. However, there are some stressors that can become overwhelming or have no clear path to navigate the circumstances. During those times, we seek help from family members, friends, mentors, pastors, therapist, and other professionals. Research has shown and continues to show there are many benefits to seeking help from mental health professionals. There are many benefits to improving mental health.

We are taught that exercise and a healthy diet are vital for improved health, but in addition to that, a healthy mind is as vital.

Poor mental health not only has an influence on how you live your life but also on your physical health. When we are mentally healthy we have more time to enjoy life and the people in it. It increases our abilities to deal with difficult times in personal and professional lives; such as a job loss, relationship problem, or death of a loved one. Like exercise, the stronger we are mentally, the more we can endure and the better we perform.

Poor mental health can lead to poor physical health. Inability to manage stress or symptoms of depression well can lead to chronic physical illness.

Elevated periods of stress can weaken your immune system, increase the chances of heart disease, high blood pressure, asthma, interferes with sleep, and even digestive issues. Individuals suffering from diabetes or hypertension can have symptoms worsen due to mental health disorders. It is estimated that 70% of all healthcare visits have a psychosocial basis.

As you can see, mental health goes beyond just those in need of crisis. It is vital to your overall health and quality of life. We should all put effort into improving our mental health. The improvement of mental health can be approach using the behavioral health approach. Behavioral health is the integration of all those dynamics just discussed. Looking at behaviors, coping skills, lifestyle choices, physical health, nutrition, and many other factors to create the best you. Integrated behavioral health incorporates those components into a seamless approach for you to get the best treatment.

You have a team of mental health professionals and medical professionals treating the mind and body together. It is estimated that 80% of people with a behavioral health disorder will visit a primary care provider at least once a year and that at least half of those disorders will be treated in the primary care setting. Having someone who specializes in mental health in the primary care setting is important for your health.

Improved mental health produces positive effects for the individual but also for other organizations such as schools, prisons, businesses, and churches.

COVER

BUILDING ON A 3-YEAR JOURNEY: CAVALRY LOGISTICS AND THE KA COMMUNITY

WRITTEN BY: ART FULLER, FOUNDER, KNOWLEDGE ACADEMIES, INC.

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he date is imprinted on my mind. On March 20, 2015, I was introduced to a like-minded leader who was hungry to know more about the Knowledge Academies, Inc., community. He wanted to hear about our vision, our vision of a hands-on community in support of children’s education.

As a network of public schools that strives to support deep community connections, KA’s goals center on outreach to multiple potential partners – businesses, organizations and individuals. The CEO of Cavalry Logistics, Bob King listened intently to what I had to say about KA. His interest was piqued, but I had no idea the impact this particular introduction would make.

Three months later, King and the Nashville transportation and shipping company he oversees had established a public-private model for community service with KA that sets a benchmark for the way schools and businesses can best work together toward a common vision.

As the third year of the partnership unfolds, it continues to evolve and to build momentum.

I still have the original presentation Cavalry Logistics provided to KA, a strategy with a unique approach. You may know that the norm for a school is to submit the initial proposal to a potential partner, but our departure from the norm led to a series of activities focused on providing mentorships, clothing, teacher supplies and technology to students.

Cavalry followed through on its commitment and went beyond expectations.

In this third year, we are expanding the scope of opportunities in support of future career advancement for developing high schoolers.

This new pathway includes providing internships, developing marketready skills and contributing funds to students’ college saving funds through the state of Tennessee’s 529 program.

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Plans call for students to serve as Cavalry Logistics interns and earn $14 per hour, devoting $7 of the amount to a personal bank account and $7 to their dedicated college savings fund.

The approach will be groundbreaking and transformational for our students. The impact is expected to be greatest for families with concerns about the challenges of attending post-secondary institutions, and for families that may lack documentation of citizenship.

We are also combining the internship experience with financial literacy training and professional social media profile workshops connected to LinkedIn, which will be delivered by our human resources team and college department. Our purpose is to ground our students in the daily habits necessary for success, with a focus on their making the best choices.

Over the past three years, Cavalry Logistics has adopted and contributed to our KA community like no other. Nashville’s WTVF Newschannel http://eepurl.com/bS2y6f http://eepurl.com/bS2y6f http://eepurl.com/bS2y6f 5 featured the support, which includes an annual Battle of the Bands that raises funds for the purchase of laptops and other technology. The technology has allowed our community to better support digital literacy connections. We focused this year on providing every member of the first graduating class (2019) with a new laptop to assist with post-secondary career and future learning.

All of our future seniors are beginning a high-school-to-postsecondary-learning program. This includes a college portfolio that will track progress as students engage in training for digital literacy certifications, resume writing, ACT prep work, after-school internship opportunities and family financial aid workshops (in both English and Spanish).

Our partnership with Cavalry Logistics is creating tangible career advancement pathways connected to the real-time requirements of industry.

To the bright future ahead! I am thankful and grateful for the opportunity to send a special thanks to the Cavalry Logistics team.

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SOUND, SAFE, AND SECURE PARTNERSHIPS - MCC NASHVILLE WRITTEN BY: ART FULLER, FOUNDER, KNOWLEDGE ACADEMIES, INC.

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ach new phase of any school construction requires many important, time-consuming logistical decisions and inspections.

Knowledge Academies was able to occupy its new facility “just in time” for the first day of school this summer due to the support of MCC Nashville.

A technical service and installation service provider, MCC Nashville moved mountains to ensure our main entrance doors were secure and capable of passing code inspections. Without this clearance, our students, teachers and families couldn’t have occupied the completed phase of the high school on time.

This demonstration of goodwill provides just one example of how KA and MCC Nashville are building a sound, safe, and secure partnership.

The relationship began with installation of a “rockin’” sound and audio system for our first gymnasium. The new system is used every day as part of gym classes, and ramps up into full gear every basketball season. As a new school, proper sound and audio are essential to daily operations. As students and teachers fill large spaces such as the gym, teachers strain and stress their voice without properly-installed audio. Installation of sound equipment enables our team to resolve this challenge.

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The next year, MCC Nashville helped us upgrade our door access.

We added security protocols, and added capacity throughout our school campus. By adding security cameras, we ensured the safety of our educational community.

The KA and MCC Nashville partnership is an ongoing one. Work is rolling out on installation of state-of-the art LCD projectors, which will enable our classrooms to maximize digital and technology connections. Our brand new high school gymnasium will be outfitted with a multi-tiered video display, useful for weekly events that draw a larger audience. We look forward to demonstrating how we can use video to train and to support career advancement workshops, information session on college access, business-connected internships and community celebrations that recognize the excellence and potential in our Tigers!

All these pieces are essential to establishing a strong infrastructure and backbone in support of KA’s vision for learning. This infrastructure helps facilitate more smiles across our community. We intend to continue to expand our sound, safe, and secure partnership with MCC Nashville. Thanks for supporting our journey towards creating authentic community connections that reinforce excellence.

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At Holler & Dash, we’re about the experience that comes with it.

CREATIVITY

LAEL ANDREW ALEXANDER

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WRITTEN BY: ART FULLER, FOUNDER, KNOWLEDGE ACADEMIES INC.

f you’ve ever used a mobile phone, you’ve been touched by the ideas and innovation of Lael Andrew Alexander. A leading innovator of consumer electronics, he has designed consumer products for global brands as diverse as Sony, Haiar, RCA, Aston Martin, and T Mobile. Lael’s work continues to receive recognition in 2017, as Technology Entrepreneur of the Year, recognized

by AT&T and Black Enterprise Magazine.

Lael’s passion for innovation began in grade school in the small town of Edgar, Louisiana. He used to get sent to the principal’s office, because he frequently challenged the validity of information, written in textbooks. Although his questions may have been well grounded, it took Lael a while to understand, that how and when questions are asked, is just as important as the question itself.

This passion for understanding and challenging the status quo, resulted in a mindset where finding “real” ways to make his love for drawing “things” come to life. This passion has led to a successful global design house, sought by the world’s leading brands of consumer electronics.

Lael’s electronics are distributed globally. He is the president and founder of one of the world’s first minority owned engineering design houses.

This modern day “Hidden Figure” is committed to finding the best ways to share what he has learned.

Lael is now working to help students and young entrepreneurs understand the specifics about being successful in the global economy, bringing practical applications of global manufacturing, engineering, and lifestyle design to the classroom, in real-time. Lael compares himself to an “E”nnovator, where the “E” represents the important business foundations behind every innovative idea. His message is, that it’s not enough just to create the innovation. Today, innovators and entrepreneurs must deeply understand the impact their ideas can have, almost immediately, on the global economy. Innovations, must be thoughtfully conceived, properly protected and licensed to achieve lasting benefits, for the public.

Lael’s says that an “E”nnovator creates the parts that are missing”, a constant

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problem solver. “I specialize in making my drawings come to life”, and he’s been drawing since he was four years old.

“They teach you how to be an engineer, but they don’t teach an engineer how to be an entrepreneur.” Our company builds the “internet of things”, also known as IOT. “We operate one of the world’s first consumer electronics manufacturing house. From tablets, televisions, a phone, a refrigerator, telemetry devices, or devices that talk to one another.”

Lael oversees the work of over 300 people, as an original design manufacturer, known today as ODM. His firm is one of the leading pioneers, in the field, dating back to 2007. Prior to their entry into the market, the field of ODM did not exist, for the global market, to small businesses and emerging entrepreneurs. “We were the first company to pioneer this field, within the mobile market design sector”.

“We design unique products that global brands use and market as their label design.” Such examples include multi-year product lines with Haiar, Sony (2012 – 2014), and Aston Martin, serving as their exclusive mobile phone design provider for three consecutive years. Lael’s design house has sold and produced more volume in devices than the iPhone, in global markets, outside of the U.S. His tablet design won “Best in Show” at the global Consumer Electronics Show (CES).

Lael’s next innovation is to give middle and high school students a more robust taste of how a passion, for learning, can be leveraged as a public benefit, through creative exploration, creative projects, and social media platforms that reward excellence, in thinking, design, and delivery.

“If you can put something together that appears complicated, you can breathe life into curriculum, and empower learning in a meaningful way.

We can show students how to take a bag of random parts, put a phone together, and make a call on that same phone.”

“A lot of my friends make the comparison to Tony Stark. But, even if you don’t want to be Iron Man, you will at least be a fan of the pursuit of innovation.”

In working with schools, he’s helped students learn how to design prosthetic limbs for fellow students. He’s designed first of their kind “wifi connected” bicycles, formula 1 race cars, and cloud storage devices. He also has his own clothing and lifestyle line.

If it can be conceived, Lael’s design house can design, improve, and deliver it, at the highest quality for the world’s leading consumer brands.

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His design house is Noitavonne (Noy-ta-von-ay). Or “E”nnovation, spelled backwards. Such an audacious concept breaks the mold regarding what is possible. His team runs three design houses in Shenzehn, China, along with design spaces in the U.S., including sites in Tulsa and Houston.

Lael’s drive towards continuous innovation has deep family roots, modeling the example of his mother, who was a successful executive in the very early stages of what we know now as the modern computer age, during the birth of Apple and modern PCs. After attending Grambling State University and the University of New Orleans, Lael applied his drive for design and innovation in the U.S. Navy.

While serving our country, he created one of the original formulas used to predict and understand the profile of the best military soldiers to re-enlist, at the end of their term of service (known today as, Command Retention Information Training Course, CRITC). He won his first Navy achievement medal, from this design, iterations of which are still used today.

After the Navy, Lael applied his drive for innovation to solving problems in each of the career pathways he found himself applied. Companies could not find a specific job title, for him. So, in the end, they just let him maximize his talent across multiple fields and multiple high impact industries, including oil, gas refineries, and utility grids. One of his first investment breakthroughs came after being recruited to Texas by the CEO of Longview Refinery, eventually leading to his first patent. His team created one of the first sensors to provide signals to power grids that were experiencing black outs, due to malfunctioning electrical transformers. The sensor was designed to monitor the health condition of the power grid, providing early warning signals before large power sources malfunctioned. Lael and his team were pioneers, in support of the original California smart grid.

His team’s knack for problem solving, led to an innovation known as “mirror casting”, a technology that has been installed on every mobile phone manufactured since 2010.

In the end, we end, where we began. Lael Andrew Alexander’s work provides a modern-day innovation case study.

If you’ve ever used a mobile phone, you now know more about one of the hidden figures that helped pioneer one of the primary consumer electronic devices of our time. Fortunately, you will be able to soon see more of Lael’s innovation, at work, right here at Knowledge Academies.

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NASHVILLE SCHOOL MAKES HISTORY WITH INNOVATIVE APPROACH TO

STUDENT DEVELOPMENT S

chool is in session at a former Best Buy in a nondescript strip mall in Antioch, Tenn., and not only is the whole community invited, but a history-making publication is in the works.

Knowledge Academies relies on the premise that children learn better when family members, business leaders and community partners involve themselves hands-on in student education. KA is using all sorts of methods to encourage participation, such as health and career fairs and even enlisting a Jazz band to play at one of its monthly family meetings.

“That opens the door to show them how we can best support their student in other areas,” said President Art Fuller, who founded KA after teaching mathematics in New England schools and working as a policy analyst and fiscal budget officer with the Tennessee State Board of Education. “You have to be real intentional with it. It doesn’t just happen.”

While engaging parents and other family members, KA also enlists businesses and colleges to demonstrate students are preparing for the real world in a classroom. One way the real world will be brought into the classroom involves a partnership between KA and The Connect Magazine. With 48 text pages, the student-driven magazine, Stay CONNECTed! Knowledge Academies, will be distributed throughout the Nashville community.

During the six-week program of interactive lectures and hands-on training, students will brainstorm story ideas and magazine content, including photos and graphics, to create the professional-quality magazine. Students will be given credit for their work, information that 30

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WRITTEN BY: TONI LEPESKA PHOTOGRAPHY BY: BARBARA POTTER

may be used on college applications and resumes. Officials also expect the program to build critical-thinking skills and improve student bonds with their communities.

Another business that’s involved in KAs efforts is Cavalry Logistics, which helps companies like Wal-Mart transport goods. Cavalry provides up to a dozen mentors at a time for KA students and requires vendors in its building to set aside some of its sales in the building for KA. Cavalry moved to Antioch not too long ago, and the company founder, Bob King, picked out the location with an eye to community involvement.

“We want to change people’s lives,” said Mitchell Blom, a business development analyst with Cavalry. “What we hope is more organizations will get involved. Education is a responsibility for everybody.”

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Stay CONNECTed! also will serve as a fundraising mechanism for KA through advertising revenue. The school is supported by tax dollars and grants primarily.

KA’s first classrooms opened in 2012 in Crossing Plaza, across from the Chevy place on Hickory Hollow Parkway. Situated outside of Nashville, the charter school network moved into empty strip mall space with a burger joint, dental care and gem store as its neighbors and a public library less than a mile from its doors. The school started out with fifth and sixth grades, then gradually ramped up each year. Taking up more and more of the strip mall space, KA is expected to use 125,000 square feet next year when the enrollment of 625 is projected to bulge to 850 students. It’s not a small school.

What’s got KA and its community partners so excited is the potential impact the school could have on economically-challenged families.

Fuller, who comes from a family of educators, said he decided on building a charter school after seeing that many communities “didn’t have access” to choices. “Education is the pathway to get the best opportunities in life,” he said. “Families play an important, critical role.”

Ninety percent of the KA students are eligible for free and reduced price lunch. Enrollment is open to anyone who lives in Davidson County, and students represent a diversity of cultures: 42 percent African-American, 34 percent Hispanic, 20 percent Arabic, 3 percent Caucasian and 1 percent Asian. English is a second language for many students’ families, which complicates their helping children with homework and speaking with teachers. But KA, in partnership with Nashville Literacy, is helping those families by holding language classes on campus twice a week for family members. “In some countries, the teacher is given full authority,” said Cheryl Hadley, manager of the English for Language Learners class. “It’s been really cool to watch (parents) become more empowered and engaged.”

Also complicating involvement is the complexity of what students are being asked to learn these days, Fuller said, thus, it is harder for parents to help with homework. KA tries to bridge the gap by making the school a welcoming place that family members feel they can visit and ask questions. The school also has provided information to adults on how they may further their own education. At Family Council Meetings, held the third Thursday of each month, 100 or more families are typically represented. Fuller says that’s a significant show of support and KACONNECTCENTER.ORG

not a one-time event. “We see our level of engagement is a lot higher than the norm,” Fuller said.

Adults also connect to the school through cultural celebrations held from time to time and “Saturday school” events like a walk for breast cancer awareness. School leaders work on inserting “real things happening in the community” into the atmosphere of the KA campus.

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With an eye to getting students to further their education, KA exposes high schoolers to college life in a variety of ways. Students and families go to specified game nights at local colleges to watch basketball. In the classroom, Meharry Medical College graduate students worked with KA students on a dentistry project, and Belmont University’s Enactus student club taught business and entrepreneurship principles to some 55 KA students who then examined the financial ramifications of redevelopment projects using mathematics to determine profitability.

“It really is very in tune with Nashville now,” said John S. Gonas, associate professor of finance at Belmont. “These students are seeing whole neighborhoods torn up before their eyes.”

To further drive home the real-world application, KA’s students and the Belmont club piled into buses and visited a new investment property. The students peppered the property’s representatives with questions. They’d learned to apply all the financial considerations just as an investor would.

“We couldn’t get them back in the bus, they were so intrigued,” Gonas said.

Students also will engage the real world while producing their magazine. They’ll learn to relate to an audience beyond the classroom.

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Students will be encouraged to write about issues beyond the surface and to consider alternative angles for stories and development. Each week, a Connect Magazine representative will visit with students. While production of a magazine is one goal, a broader-picture objective of the program is that students will learn the value of magazines in modern day society as a forum of debate and new ideas. They’ll become better thinkers and communicators.

While the anecdotal evidence appears strong, KA does not yet have statistical evidence that its way of teaching students leads to higher participation in college and better outcomes. The first students who started at the school at its inception don’t graduate until 2019. However, Fuller said there is an early indicator that Knowledge Academies is on track. The percentage of students enrolled in college AP classes is at the national average, whereas students of the same socio-economic background are typically below it, Fuller said. About a fourth of KA’s eligible high school students are enrolled, and that is actually at a rate higher than the state average.

“It’s very challenging work,” Fuller said, “but when you see that kind of stuff, that helps make it all worthwhile.”

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SCHOOL LUNCHES NATIONWIDE WRITTEN BY: KASSIA BRYANT - 5TH GRADE

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et’s talk about school lunches across the nation. Most of the time, schools in the U.S serve sandwiches, fruits, vegetables, and maybe a salad. On the other hand, children in France will normally eat a piece of bread, baked chicken, and rice. Now think about which one you would rather have. I believe we should be able to have a variety of food options available in schools in the U.S. Common African starches include sorghum (a type of grain), ground millet, cornmeal, potatoes, yams and rice. Sorghum looks like popcorn seeds and ground millet looks like tuna. I wonder if they taste similar to how they look. In Japan, kids normally eat sushi or noodles with broccoli and fruit. In Nigeria, people of the northern region—whose beliefs prohibit eating pork—have diets rich in beans, sorghum, and brown rice.

In Russia, they eat lunches that include roasted meats, vegetables, soups and stews. A staple of the Russian diet is dark, heavy bread. Individuals in Sweden eat lots of cheese and crackers, and carrots filled with raisins. Not everyone eats meat, but there are still plenty of other options.

Kids in India drink something called “chaas”. Chaas looks like milk; I wonder if it tastes similar? They also consume rice and a dish called kesari.

It looks like pudding and is enjoyed as a dessert or snack. In Cuba, the locals eat taro rolled in rice like sushi and it looks like a mint leaf. People in Afghanistan have a unique meal schedule, because they usually eat one thing for lunch. I bet you can’t guess what it is called. It’s called “a highenergy biscuit”. I know, right? That is unique.

On to people in Spain. Common lunch items include rice, shrimp, bread, tomato soup, and veggies. A typical lunch in the Netherlands is a “tosti,” a grilled sandwich with cheese and ham. Another popular Dutch sandwich is made of brown bread and cheese. Tostilocos, on the other hand, are a popular Mexican food that consist of tortilla chips topped with cueritos, cucumber, jicama, lime juice, Valentina hot sauce, chamoy, tajín chile powder, salt, and “Japanese peanuts”. In Italy, the most common lunch dishes are pasta and risotto. Finally, in Israel the most common meal KACONNECTCENTER.ORG

is a small falafel plate with pita chips, tzatziki dip and fresh veggies.

Well I guess that concludes the topic of school lunches nationwide.

Hope you enjoyed. I also hope you learned something new. I would also like to know what country’s food you would like to try and want to have at your school or your child’s school. Thank you for reading. Have a great rest of the day and enjoy your lunch!

Here and some sites you can go to find out more: http://www.foodnetwork.ca/global-eats/photos/kids-school-luncharound-the-world/#!tosti-met-tonijn FALL 2017 | STAY CONNECTED! KA

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CREATIVITY

THE FEELING WRITTEN BY: HAKHEME EL-AMIN - 7TH GRADE

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he feeling happens as blood is pumped. It’s the feeling of being scared, having joy, or even being nervous. It feels like your heart is being obliviated, destroyed. You may pass out from the rush of excitement. All other emotions slowly fade away. It feels even more tense as you begin to fall. You go up, but you must fall at some time. You reach a point where you want, and must go down. It feels like your heart is falling, pushing, fighting to break, tear through your back. It’s the feeling of traveling high, coming to a stop for a few seconds, then feeling another rush as you fall as quickly as possible. Some may say they feel like they are about to die. I never felt the emotions anywhere but in my heart. I may sometimes feel it in my legs. When I feel it in my legs, they feel light and heavy at the same time. After everything is over, I feel as though I am unable to move my legs let alone feel them. Sometimes, if not all the time, you feel as if your life is in danger. Soon your entire body becomes weak.

An intense disruption sparks in your Nervous System. As you begin to experience mixed emotions, you begin to become a jumbled and 34

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endless expression of yourself. Amusement parks, such as Disney land and Six Flags, trigger the need for adventure. Roller coasters and other outlets allow you to feel the expression of yourself. These places all have one thing in common.

Rollercoasters take you on loops, high into the world’s atmosphere and suddenly dropping you, almost as fast as lightning. Then after you come to a stop, you begin to think to yourself, “ Is it over?” Your adventurous self wants to keep going even though you feel scared.

Your scared and timid self wants to jump off and stay off. Some people just don’t know what they want to happen. Many feel they are in a life or death situation. Your body is to once again turned off. Stop, go, stop, go. It’s as if the ride is in a time lapse and you once again come to a stop. Either it is a relief that everything is over or you want to keep going for the thrill. It’s all a matter of the mind which hasn’t come back into contact with your body and brain. Before your body and mind, stands a decision of yes or no. It is unbelievable how much of a toll it takes to make your decision.

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CREATIVITY

TIME IS MONEY! WRITTEN BY: JUDY JADEN CLASS OF 2021

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rowing up, I really didn’t know what I wanted to do in life.

One day as I looked for things to do on my birthday, I found a website about gymnastics. As I was checking out the website, I got more and more interested in gymnastics, but the sticker was hard to swallow: $50 a month for an hour-and-45-minute class.

I was shocked that it cost that much money. Nonetheless, I should have known it would cost money. My parents have always told me nothing in this world is free. After a while, I told my parents about gymnastics. They didn’t like the idea of me trying out at first. As one of six kids, I knew if I tried out my siblings would soon follow. With that being said, I had a lot of persuading to do. I had no choice but to get

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on my knees and beg for permission. After all the begging, my parents finally said yes. I was so excited about gymnastics because my first day would be on my birthday.

After two months of gymnastics passed, my parents told me I couldn’t do it anymore because of the monthly tuition. I was mad at first, but I quickly realized the burden they must have felt with providing food and paying bills. I just wished I had the money to help them with these items.

I finally resumed gymnastics after six months passed. I was extremely excited about the opportunity. This experience taught me to always use my time wisely and practice often. I learned to never take time for granted!

FALL 2017 | STAY CONNECTED! KA

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CREATIVITY

KA CONNECT CENTER SCHOLARSHIPS KA Connect Center scholarships focus on helping you develop into the best version of yourself at every stage of life, learning, and development.

BACKGROUND: The KA Connect Center provides access to leadership development and internship opportunities that empower members to build successful, connected and inspired lives. Throughout every stage of life, we benefit from stronger community and family connections – because learning is best achieved as a joint venture.

PURPOSE: Empower the Journey is about developing into the best version of yourself, in collaboration with others.

Our team is focused on supporting families!

EMPOWER YOUR VOICE through essays, social media, music, language, arts HEALTH through fitness, wellness CAREER through certifications, workshops, mentorships FAITH through community, fellowship FAMILY through education, scholarships, career development BUSINESS through ideas, collaborations, innovation, incubator center WHO CAN APPLY FOR KA CONNECT CENTER EMPOWER THE JOURNEY SCHOLARSHIPS? • Anyone that is a member of the KA Connect Center.

• Any family member of the Knowledge Academies community.

HOW MUCH ARE THE KA CONNECT CENTER EMPOWER THE JOURNEY SCHOLARSHIPS? • $1,000 to $25,000, annually.

HOW CAN SCHOLARSHIP FUNDS BE USED? To pay for courses, certifications, conferences, or workshops focused on helping you develop into your best self.

Funds can be used across any of the following institutions or agencies: • Colleges or universities • Certifications delivered by an agency or organization • Conferences delivered by an agency or organization • Massive open online course certifications

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STAY CONNECTED! KA | FALL 2017

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CREATIVITY

HOW MANY SCHOLARSHIPS ARE AWARDED ANNUALLY? • At least 25 TO BECOME ELIGIBLE, APPLICANTS MUST COMPLETE OR SUBMIT EACH OF THE FOLLOWING: • Understanding credit cards workshop • Fundamentals of college savings workshop • Articulate a vision of how the scholarship will assist them in their life’s journey • Submit a two-minute YouTube video, designed to inspire in pursuit of their own journey • Submit three written, professional references.

WHEN IS THE DEADLINE? The following due dates occur annually.

• April 1, 2018 • October 1, 2018 HOW ARE APPLICATIONS REVIEWED? • A national panel of Empower the Journey ambassadors evaluate submissions on a quarterly basis, in partnership with the KA Connect Center.

Learn more at https: kaconnectcenter.org/scholarships/

EMPOWER THE JOURNEY! WE CROSS THE FINISH LINE, TOGETHER KACONNECTCENTER.ORG

FALL 2017 | STAY CONNECTED! KA

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CULTURE

MY HERITAGE WRITTEN BY: BARLYNNE CASTILLO CLASS OF 2019

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rowing up, I did not know the difference between races. I thought we were all the same. When I got older I realized we were all different in our own way. I was talking to my friend in Spanish one day in middle school, and another student called me a name. Later, I asked my friend what that word meant, and she told me the student had basically called me “illegal.� When she told me this I was furious with the other student. My blood boiled. I wanted to go off, but I controlled myself.

A month later I realized getting mad and going off was not the right thing to do. I also realized I should not get mad but instead accept it and love the fact that I am Hispanic. To this day, being Hispanic means many different things to me. It means family, intelligence and festivities. These

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three things are the best things about being Hispanic, I think. No matter how bad things get, you can always count on these things.

Being Hispanic is an amazing thing when you get older. Being Hispanic, and knowing that I come from an Aztec background, makes me so happy. The Aztecs worshipped Mother Nature, and I love nature, and that makes me joyful. I always think about this and it makes me feel more connected to my roots.

Being Hispanic will always be the best thing about me, and I would not change it. If I changed, I would not stand out. Being Hispanic is the most important thing to me in my life.

I AM HISPANIC AND I AM PROUD!

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CULTURE

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CULTURE

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CULTURE

A TALE OF TWO SYSTEMS Comparing U.S.-China Education Through the Lens of Migrant Youth Education WRITTEN BY: BINGRAN ZENG

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ducation is a constant hot topic in every country’s policy conversations because the effectiveness of each country’s education system correlates with a country’s poverty rate, crime rate, incarceration rate, human capital quality and so much more.

It’s unnecessary for me to belabor the importance of education, but I am always intrigued in comparing education systems in different countries to address the unique, and yet similar challenges, they face as a country. As a Chinese national who has experienced both public and private education in my home country, and as an undergraduate international student studying education in the U.S., my learning and work experiences guide me to explore the strengths and weaknesses of both countries’ systems and investigate strategies for one to possibly learn from another.

As one of the countries that receive the highest number of refugees and immigrants from around the world, the United States faces a set of unique challenges, such as educating ESL students from diverse backgrounds, supporting undocumented immigrant students to pursue higher education, and cultivating cultural awareness among all students. Based on the American values of equality and freedom, such challenges require the education system to dedicate extra resources to accommodate each student’s need to ensure everyone is learning in the least-restrictive environment.

On the other hand, the education system in China is responsible for teaching the biggest student body in the world and developing human capital for the world’s biggest economy. Migrant youths, students who move from rural areas to urban China with their working 42

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parents, represent a significant segment of Chinese student body who face significant challenges in receiving quality public education. The household registration (Hukou) system in China controls population flow by allotting education funding based on one’s household registration, which prevents migrant youth from enrolling in public schools in urban China. Consequently, most Chinese migrant youth end up being segregated into for-profit migrant schools.

Therefore, the immigrant/refugee students in the United States and migrant youths in China represent two student populations that face special barriers to achieve academic success. By working with both populations, I was not only able to gain first-hand insight into the challenges they face, I also learned how the education system is or is not supporting them to maximize their potential.

While completing my teaching practicum for second-language education, I had the opportunity to serve as a teaching assistant in an 11th grade ESL classroom in the most diverse high school in Tennessee.

The students in my classrooms came from more than a dozen countries and all of them are bilingual or trilingual. Surprised but delighted, I was glad to learn all students, despite their immigration statuses, can enroll in public schools to receive free education as long as they are the residents of Davidson County. Nevertheless, I was also disappointed by how little support my students received both in and outside their ESL classroom to overcome the language barrier and improve overall academic performance. I can only imagine the tremendous challenges a 16-year-old, Spanish-speaking student who arrived in the States a year ago faces to catch KACONNECTCENTER.ORG

FAMILY

up on academic work, acclimate to a new culture and living environment, and prepare for college application. Working with these students not only motivated me to do more as a teacher to help them succeed, it also led me to question whether equal learning opportunity is enough to help our diverse student body to excel. My teaching experience in an ESL classroom motivated me to further investigate how the Chinese school system provides education for migrant youths.

This past summer, I worked with JUMP! Foundation, a nonprofit social enterprise in Beijing, to design and implement a leadership program for migrant youth in the city and to provide youth with more social and emotional learning opportunities. As most migrant youth are not allowed to enroll in public schools due to their lack of household registration within the city, they often have to enter migrant schools that accommodate this population’s need for education. Nevertheless, most migrant schools are run for profit without proper government regulations or support, which not only deprive migrant students the rights for free education but also endanger their chance of receiving quality education. Unfortunately, the already meager amount of nonprofit organizations in the city is not enough to serve the high need for quality education and social and emotional support for migrant youth. The more than three million migrant youth who are missing out on education during their prime time for learning just seemed an incredible waste of human capital to me.

Following this summer experience, I took a step back to evaluate my role in supporting both student populations in their respective education KACONNECTCENTER.ORG

system, and asked myself what each system could learn from the other.

Immigrant/refugee students in the U.S. already have access to public education, and what they need more is holistic support from the schools to overcome language barriers, appropriate into a new culture, and achieve equitable learning outcomes. On the other hand, migrant youths in urban China still face the rudimentary barrier to access quality and free education.

In my opinion, the U.S. education system is one step ahead of the Chinese in providing access to students who are removed from their place of origin. Numerous research findings stress the academic, social and economic benefits of keeping students in school during their formative years. Meanwhile, redistribution of educational resources for migrant youths is a bigger policy issue to be addressed on a macro level.

Nonetheless, I also believe there is something to be learned by American educators from the migrant school model in China. I am by no means advocating for school segregation, but teachers and administrators in the U.S. may contemplate on the benefits of providing newcomer-specific support in addition to ESL instructions to support students’ social and emotional development.

I am well aware that my brief work experience with students in the United States and China does not make me the expert on solving the issues that numerous policymakers are working on, but I am grateful for the chance to witness first-hand how inequitable learning opportunity or lack of education is affecting students in the most rudimentary ways. And it motivates me to further investigate best practices in education policy to afford equitable learning opportunities to students from diverse backgrounds.

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TECHNOLOGY

STUDENT SOCIAL MEDIA

Blanca Joana Amalla 7th grade Hobbies and Interest:

Gymnastic, school, writing, books, reading, drawing and the arts.

How do you plan to serve as KA Student Ambassador?

As a Student Ambassador at KA, I would show families how Knowledge Academies is the perfect school for their child. I would also share my personal experiences, different programs, clubs and activities offered at KA since enrolling my fifth grade year.

More importantly, tell the story of how the teachers at Knowledge Academies prepares students for the future.

Juwana Elasha 9

th

Tigist Tilahun

grade

Hobbies & Interests:

I enjoy cooking new food, sewing, arts and crafts as decorations in the house, and solving puzzles that challenges the brain.

How do you plan to serve as KA Student Ambassador?

As a Student Ambassador of Knowledge Academies, my goal is to follow KA’s mission statement in preparing students academically with necessary tools to succeed in life.

I will work hard to show other students that Knowledge Academies is a great school for them to attend. I would also like to teach others about my background and culture.

9th grade Hobbies and Interest:

Sports, reading, traveling, watching movies and shows, and debating.

How do you plan to serve as KA Student Ambassador?

As KA ambassador, I would like to represent Knowledge Academies the way best I can. I want students and families to be well informed about Knowledge Academies. I will work to ensure that everyone feels a sense of comfort from the KA community. I would share all experiences. From being in class, to enjoying hanging with my friends while in the cafeteria. Most of all, I will be really dedicated and work hard to show people that K.A is a great school.

How do you plan to serve as KA Student Ambassador?

Komilla Malayeva 8

th

grade

Hobbies & Interests:

Singing and Acting

How do you plan to serve as KA Student Ambassador?

As a Student Ambassador for KA, I plan to attend all schedule meetings and all events.

I will promote leadership, good grades and represent KA to the fullest.

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Roselyn hernandez 9th grade Hobbies & Interests:

Watching TV shows about murder or investigation or medical things, traveling to places, listening to music, singing, cooking, hairstyling, and shopping. I am interested in health care, being a hairstylist, being a preacher, cleaning houses and a cosmetologist.

First, I want to make a good name for myself and be a good example to others so that they can learn too. I want to serve by introducing new students to Knowledge Academies and the many things the school has to offer. My mission is to help out in any way possible.

Whenever someone is in need, I want to be there. Being a Student Ambassador will help me grow as a student and I will be able to learn something new from other people.

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CYNTHIA FITZGERALD

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J.C. Napier Trailblazer Award Winner

ynthia Fitzgerald grew up in a home where college was not expected. Her mother cleaned homes but hoped for more for her children. In high school, Cynthia’s life changed when she learned there were scholarships for college stu­dents, and she was accepted to MTSU. While at MTSU, Fitzgerald majored in accounting and landed summer in­ternships with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). After graduating in 1979, the IRS offered her a full-time job. She began to climb the ranks of management as an IRS agent Now a degree holder with a good job and the strong like­lihood of more professional growth ahead, Fitzgerald had come a long way from her humble beginnings. Years passed, and Fitzgerald added wife and mother to her re­sume. But a long-held dream still burned inside -Fitzger­ald had always wanted to be a lawyer. In the mid-1990s, she began attending LSAT prep courses at MTSU. She passed the test with flying colors, enrolled, and was accepted to law school at Vanderbilt. She quit her job at the IRS. Fitzgerald received her law degree in 1997 and joined a local law firm. Then a new dream emerged. Fitzgerald opened her own law firm and later became the Vice President of Legal Services for Com­pliance at the Tennessee Education Lottery Corporation. Fitzgerald and her husband Maurice, who for many years was an athletics coach at Pearl Cohn High School in Nashville, had always worked with neighborhood kids on school work. Informal study sessions in their home geared largely toward helping student-athletes prep for ACT tests that could get them into college eventually turned into the formation of a not-for-profit called In Full Motion.

In Full Motion is a “wrap-around” program of support for young people to succeed. It provides free ACT/ SAT preparation classes and funds the testing fees to ensure every student has the opportunity to graduate high school and attend the college, trade school, or university of their choice. Classes are held every Saturday morning from 8 to 11 a.m. In Full Motion’s trained staff of tutors includes educators, college students, administrators and concerned citizens who want to share in making a difference in the lives of youth. Other program activities include wellness and nutritional counseling, reading and academic tutoring. Last year, the program topped 1000 students who attend 122 schools across 11 counties; today, there are more than 1500 students in the program.

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On March 14, 2011, in his first major speech to the state legislature since taking office, Gov. Bill Haslam pointed to Fitzgerald seated in the crowd and began to tell her story. “I want to share one more story this evening,” Haslam began. “One that shows a commitment to be more and then encouraging others to do the same. My wife, Crissy, as she was on the campaign trail last year, visited a program in Nash­ville -In Full Motion. I want to introduce Cynthia Fitzgerald-someone who is making a difference in the lives of others and ‘Building Champions for Life.’ She shares her message with inner city youth -that college is for everyone. She and her husband, Maurice, offer ACT prep courses on Saturday mornings. The results -100 percent graduation rate for students who complete the program. These are game changers, and there are many others across the state. They point toward a brighter future on the horizon where the dreams and aspirations of young people will be seen, encouraged and fulfilled.”

Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.

-Raloh Waldo Emerson FALL 2017 | STAY CONNECTED! KA

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TEACHER SPOTLIGHT

WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE NEW TEACHERS?

KEISHA BRADY

LAUREN BURSH

Be consistent. Keep to the same schedule every day.

Getting students to think on their own is one of the most powerful skills you can develop and reinforce everyday.

This helps students become fluent with analyzing. Students have to be able to defend their opinions and views in order to go to the next level.

Consistency. Not changing the rules, not varying from person to person. This helps kids know that you are not going to change.

Keep the expectations of your students very high. Push all of your students to a high level.

Keep students on tasks, all the time.

JACKIE NENTWICK

AMANDA PHILLIPS

JON BAYLISS

I try to keep a routine everyday, simple organizational skills and accountability. We are teaching our students how to become successful, as individual. I hold my students accountable, especially as they are transitioning to their first year in high school.

An agenda for the day is important.

Constantly keeping students busy is important.

Brain breaks. Songs. Graphic Organizers.

Think, pair, share (collaboration).

It’s important to get students to believe in themselves. Whatever is happening that day just drop it at the door. I like to look at my room, like a safe zone. You can’t teach a person that’s not inspired.

I open up my story to students. I was one of the students that was very uninspired. So I share that experience with students. This helps create meaningful connections.

If you really believe that you can do something. Then you can. You can do it, if you put your mind to it.

Build Relationships with Your Students…

Positive words- Helpful Action- Best Effort

2 Years in the US, 3 Years Total, English

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13 years, Science

4 years, Science

10 years, Mathematics

2 years, English

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FAMILY

DOMINIQUE HAYES 1 year, Physical Education

Teaching requires a lot of preparation and adaptability. You have to be flexible, able to mold yourself into what they need from you.

I’ve had to become flexible, for the benefit of our kids, and I embrace that type of chance.

OLENA JAMES

7 years, Biology (4 Years, High School; 3 years College) Real world application is key. Students need to be able to take what they are learning home, and relate the information to their own experience. Bell ringers and hands on activities are important, along with exit tickets.

This helps students know where they are, and what they need to work on further.

My exit tickets are also usually taken from old state tests.

MADDIE MILLER 2 years, English

I always try to incorporate some type of reading activity and some type of writing activity. I also incorporate a standard process of review. Combining both the reading and writing standards creates that balance.

If you tell me something you must show evidence, from the material.

JACK CRITES

CHRIS PRYOR

JAY RENFRO

I try to let students understand the way that I approach solving problems, and use that as the basis for students to articulate the way they approach problem solving. This reinforces critical thinking.

This also helps the class to work more, as a unit. This helps the learning remain more relevant.

We have to teach kids personal responsibility.

I also like using Teaching Like a Champion as a resource, especially the principle of No Opt Out. Format matters. Teachers need to compile shared information that can be used consistently in collaboration with other teachers. Following a test where the format matters.

Motivation. It’s important to motivate students by love, and that looks differently depending on the student. I want to reinforce to students that you belong. It helps reinforce positivity. Relationships are very important.

The brain learns best when it’s not stressed.

7 Years Mathematics

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6 years, Science

5 years, Science

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Welcoming Diversity At Cracker Barrel Old Country Store , we think a key to our success is welcoming diversity in our company, our country stores, our restaurants, and our communities. ®

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