Mrs. Kimberly K. Parker, discusses THREE WAYS TO DISCOVER YOUR CHILD

On the path of self discovery, I’ve arrived at many conclusions. One is that no two children are alike. While they may be cut from the same parental cloth, they are uniquely designed. It was many years after having my second child that this became truth for me. Sure, there were telltale signs from as early as the second day of his birth, but somehow my desire to duplicate my older son overshadowed the indicators.

The dichotomy between my two sons knocked me off my feet! One is night; the other is day. One is peanut butter; the other is jelly. One goes along with the program; the other is the program. One is ebb; the other is flow. I just could not adjust! The nearly immediate transition of mind, body, and soul…literally...challenged me beyond belief. Throw in an unexpected bout of post-partum depression and you have the making of disaster. “This was not a part of the plan,” I would often think.

I was overwhelmed and often found myself wishing, hoping, praying, and even verbally expressing, “Why can’t you be like your brother?” I’m not proud of that at all. In fact, the mere typing of those words caused my stomach to drop. Sadly, I know I’m not alone. I’ve engaged with enough moms and dads who, too, are guilty of harboring that thought..

For the first six years of his life, we bumped heads. Exhausted, I began to search for answers. It was not long before I discovered the solutions began and ended with me. I had to change my approach, accept his uniqueness, address, his individuality, and ensure he was appreciated. I had to discover who my son truly was and, most importantly, who he was not. Below are three initial ways I accomplished this goal:

• I discovered his learning style: Statistics show that a large majority of children are classified as linguistic learners. That is, they learn best by using syntax (the study of rules), phonology (the study of sound), semantics (the study of meanings), and pragmatics (which deals with logic). My younger son, on the other hand, is without question a bodily-kinesthetic/musical learner. In short, he learns best by moving so I no longer harp on him to sit down.
• I discovered his love language: Dr. Gary Chapman became one of my best friends when I got hold of his book The Five Love Languages. He shares that words of affirmation, quality time, receiving gifts, and physical touch are ways we can help another person feel loved. I discovered that my son’s love languages are receiving gifts and physical touch. No wonder he hugs me a hundred times a day and expects a treat just as often. Genius!
• I discovered his personality type: For many years, I thought there were just two personality types: A and B. Boy was I wrong! I discovered that there are over 16 personality types. Not only is my son a true type A, he is also somewhat of a type ENFP and an ESFP. I was…and still am…totally amazed.

Since I’ve made these discoveries, my relationship with my son has blossomed! Taking the time to learn about him also taught me so much about myself. The greatest lesson I learned was to never compare him with his brother or anyone else, for that matter. He is who he is because God uniquely designed him! I love you, Son!

Kimberly K. Parker is the President and CEO of Writing Momma Publishing, LLC (www.writingmomma.com). To date, she has written three books and has helped nine children between the ages of nine and nineteen write and publish books of their own. This summer, she is offering “The Ultimate Writing Experience!” For more information visit www.writingmomma.com and click on Writing Programs. Kimberly is a professional writer, author, publisher, and blogger living in Maryland with her husband and three children.

2012 Parental Engagement Survey for Parents

Hello Engaged Parents and Dedicated Educators,


Parental engagement makes a significant difference in the educational outcomes of children and young people; parents have a key role in raising educational standards. The more involved and engaged parents are in the education of their children the more likely their children are to succeed.

Forest Of The Rain Productions is committed to expanding the partnership between home and school. We believe increased communication between parents, families and school will serve as the pathway to increasing student achievement. To expand this discussion on the value of the home school partnership, we invite you to participate in our 2012 Parental Engagement Survey for parents. Your views, opinions and thoughts on the importance of parental engagement are priceless and represent one half of the team assigned to impact the academic achievement of children.

Please take a few minutes to complete our open-ended, narrative based survey. Your comments will be confidential. We have limited our response number, so please respond quickly if you aspire to have your voice included in this year’s study.

The link to the survey is listed below.

Thanks for your participation.

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/26BQN5J

Kimberly K. Parker Tells Us: YOU CAN DO IT

My commute to work this morning was as cool as a cucumber. Listening to the very insightful teachings of Joyce Meyers as I sipped green tea, I coasted with ease over the river and through the woods. There was no traffic as far as my four eyes could see and fellow drivers, at their most courteous best, allowed one another to segue with a smile. This, my friend, was mobile poetry in motion.

As I rounded a corner in a quiet residential neighborhood, I saw a plus size woman jogging with a look of “I can do it” on her face. She had earphones in her ears, weights on her legs and wrists, and a hand towel snuggly tucked in her waist belt. Her gait was slow, steady…which, by the way, wins the race. Victory was definitely in her future.

I became transfixed on that powerful sight. I tried to pull over, but the car behind me was trailing rather closely so my attempts were prevented. I anxiously felt my eyes widening and my smile broadening. My mouth was about to erupt as I struggled to capture what I felt would be appropriately encouraging words to scream out of my window. I could not contain myself any longer! I rolled down my window, gasped and swooned, and slowed down long enough to yell, “Go ‘head! You can do it!” The woman raised her fist in solidarity, smiled, and kept on moving.

Inspiration comes in the most unexpected form. That woman – who I may never see again – served as a reminder of my ability to be, to create, to live! Without speaking a word, she told me that I can do it…whatever “it” may be only if I pattern my actions around these five very simple yet profound thoughts:

1. Decide to take action. As I mentioned, the woman was plus sized. However, she made a decision to take exercise in an attempt to live a healthier life.

2. Determine that you must move forward. I can only imagine the defeating thoughts she internalized as well as heard from other. In spite of it all, she was determined to put one foot in front of the other.

3. Be driven. In case you did not know, you are already empowered. You have the wherewithal to accomplish your goals whether or not someone cheers you onward. Allow the powerful force of God on the inside to steer you in all of the right directions.

4. Just do it. Period.

5. Arrive at your destination. You have a goal in sight and it’s most attainable. As Michael Jackson said, “Keep on with the force…don’t stop! Don’t stop ‘til you get enough!” When you get to your expected end, do as that woman did: raise you fist in solidarity, smile, and keep it moving!

Kimberly K. Parker is the President and CEO of Writing Momma Publishing, LLC (www.writingmomma.com). This past summer, her company published three books for young authors age nine to nineteen! This fall, she will host “Write On!” an eight week writing program for youth and she is currently looking for a few young writers who want to participate. Visit www.writingmomma.com for more information. Kimberly is a ghostwriter, author and blogger living in Maryland with her husband and three children.

Funding Parental Engagement Services Is A Sound School District Policy

By:
Dr. Michael A. Robinson

It has been stated many times over that organizations fund what they believe is crucial to their mission. When a monetary importance is attached to a strategic objective or an organizational goal, one is made aware of its significance to the organization. This basic management concept easily applies to the educational arena. The funding associated with a school district’s departments or units of family and community engagement allows stakeholders to potentially evaluate the significance school districts associate with the importance of parent and community involvement.

If school districts desire a robust and effective parental engagement program, one where families, communities, and schools become authentic partners in forming a high performing school system those departments must be sufficiently funded. A sense of priority is communicated to internal and external stakeholders when parent and community outreach programs are satisfactorily provided resources. Seminal researchers in the area of parental engagement do not suggest parent and community support programs and services be funded at the levels of academic and or student services. Albeit, research has shown effective parental engagement and community involvement policies and programs have a direct impact on student achievement while reducing strain on student service personnel who perform home visits, parent conferences, and or counseling sessions with students.

School districts which have elected to eliminate part or their entire parental engagement department in the name of budget reductions have a very limited understanding of the indispensable role parent involvement plays in relation to the academic success of students and school systems. Abolishing family and community outreach services, specifically those aimed at increasing parental and community connections to their neighborhood schools and the school district overall will result in an eventual eroding of confidence from parents about the real mission of their public school system. Failure of school leadership to embrace the impact of parents supporting learning at home while working in concert with school based leadership can do damage to the educational community that possibly will take years to reverse.

A strong recommendation for school districts considering reducing or eliminating their family and community outreach departments would be not to do so, but to re-consider the benefits to actually adding more resources and what it would mean to overall school performance. Finally, for those school districts which have severely reduced or eliminated their parent and community outreach services restore them as soon as possible. Re-establish the relationship with your families and community by committing to ensure effective two-way unfettered communication. A sound and fully supported program of services in the area of parental engagement will help schools in achieving its schools in closing achievement gaps, increase in the number of students enrolled in advance classes, assist in preparing students to career and college ready.

Guest Blogger Kimberly Parker: My Child Is A Bully

MY CHILD IS A BULLY

Recent news headlines of how bullying is pervasive in schools all across the nation sounded the alarm in my heart and mind. What’s worse, such incidences have led to “bullycide.” Bullycide, according to Wikipedia, “refers to suicide attributable to the victim having been bullied.” I’m truly saddened that tragedy strikes our children in this manner. To think that a child feels such a sense of hopelessness should sadden us all.

While chatting with a parent not long ago, I began to share my thoughts and concerns on the subject. She, too, was concerned and thought that we should do something about it. After brainstorming for a moment, she suggested that we have a workshop in an attempt to bring awareness to other parents in the community. No longer, we felt, that the subject was taboo; the time was ripe to shed light on this not-so-often spoken of problem. Ironically, neither of us was aware that National Bullying Week was on the horizon.

I will be the first to admit that my expertise was not in “bullying prevention.” While I can speak about it from a victim perspective considering I was bullied from kindergarten through sixth grade, I was not equipped to impart information from the clinical vantage point. With that, I searched the internet and discovered tons of information. In the interest of time, I’ll merely highlight a few thoughts I pulled from a Power Point presentation entitled “Take a Stand Against Bullying”:

1. Bullying is an intentional written, verbal, or physical act that intimidates or subjects a person to hostility or ill treatment.

2. Bullying involves repeated actions which causes another to feel afraid, humiliated, embarrassed, threatened, or shamed.

3. There are four ways bullying happens: verbally, physically, sexually, or whereby property is extorted or vandalized.

4. There is typically an imbalance of power in the relationship whereby the culprit seeks control.

5. Bullying can lead to feelings of alienation, insecurity, anger, and fear. The victim can experience a drop in grades, weight loss or gain, headaches, and even suicide.

6. If you suspect your child is being bullied, talk to your child, contact the school, and/or notify the police. (NOTE: My mother never knew I was being bullied because I was afraid to tell her. I thought I was going to get in trouble and be blamed for what was happening to me. Please assure your child that it’s not their fault if this is taking place and that you are there to advocate and support them.

7. If you suspect your child is a bully, talk to your child, encourage empathy for others, review consequences of bullying behavior, and, if necessary, contact the school for help.

Two days after this presentation, I received this email from a parent:

Good Morning, Mrs. Parker. I was planning to not come to the meeting the other night because I was very tired from working all day. However, I am very glad that I did. The information you shared helped me to realize that my child is a bully. Up until the meeting, I dismissed what he was doing as “kids being kids.” But, when you started sharing those bullying traits and said, “It can lead to the death of another person” I knew I could no longer be in denial.

Initially, I was at a lost for words. I never expected an email like this. In short, I told the parent I was glad to assist and encouraged her to reach out if I could do more.

There is so much more helpful information I gleaned from this presentation. Unfortunately, I can not capture it all here. If you would like a copy, feel free to contact me directly. I will gladly share it with you.

Bullying is very serious. It is neither a normal childhood activity of rite of passage. Please take a moment to share this information with your child. In fact, let them read some of the news articles for themselves, if age appropriate. We can no longer afford to ignore this very serious problem. It’s time to take a stand against bullying.

Kimberly K. Parker is the President and CEO of Writing Momma Publishing, LLC (www.writingmomma.com). On July 23, 2011, she is hosting "The BEST Young Writer’s Workshop EVER” for youth between the ages of nine and 18. Additionally, she is hosting “Write On!”, an eight week summer writing program for youth. Visit www.writeonprogram.eventbrite.com for more information. Kimberly is a ghostwriter, author and blogger living in Maryland with her husband and three children.

"Your Money, Your Future" with Financial Educator, Carmen Johnson

"Has anyone seen the gas prices?"

I'm sure we all have! Even pedestrians are aware of the recent hike in prices at the pump. The pain at the pump is a national issue which stems from an international source. Anytime there's an uproar in the middle east we can guarantee that the United States will feel the pressure. Is this not yet another opportunity for us to design a plan in which we learn how to sustain ourselves with our own natural resources. Wind, Water, Electricity and even oil are all available on US soil. Its time for America to use it or lose it. Many automakers have taken the time to make more fuel efficient vehicles and communities are now thinking green. Step up America and fight! Say no to higher gas prices and yes to new technology which will empower our country for generations to come.

> Until next this is Your Money Your Future, I am Carmen Johnson, your Financial Educator and the Founder and CEO of the Katie Able Foundation Please check us out at the Katieablefoundation.org and remember do something to justify your existence, together we can create the Future.

Kimberly Parker Presents: The Resolve to Volunteer

Resolve to Volunteer

Here we are nearing the end of January 2011. Like many of you, I stepped into the New Year determined to make changes, implement plans, and amp up my “game” in one area of life or another. Some call these bulleted items resolutions. For the sake of being aligned, I concur. More than a cute story laced with anecdotes from my children, herein lays a heartfelt plea. My sincere request to all who read is to make one more resolution for 2011: resolve to volunteer!

I know and proudly boast that Prince George’s County parents are the cream of the crop! We are homemakers, entrepreneurs, CEO's, educators, military personnel, activist...and the list goes on! Oh yes, we are simply the best! By no means is my perspective portrayed to slight parents from other parts of the world. It’s merely to highlight the greatness right here in our own backyards.

There is a universal principle called the "vital few and trivial many." In short, it's equivalent to the 80/20 rule where we find that just a little bit of people do a large amount of work. As a parent volunteer at my children’s school, I’ve witnessed parents who sign up to participate at events, yet do not show up. Or, they show up and do not do what they signed up to do. Or even still, they begin doing such marvelous work, find "something wrong" with the assignment, but instead of providing solutions they step down from their position.

Now, I am not soliciting any argumentative replies and by no means am I trying to make anyone feel guilty. I’ve dropped the ball a time or two as well. But what I am hoping to do is inspire you to take self-inventory to see where you stand in this equation. The operative word here is “volunteer”. As one parent told me, "Nobody forced your hand to work with the PTSA!" True. However, the same vital few can not be the only one's serving on the board or heading committees that provide services to thousands of parents, teachers, and students year after year. And let's not forget about our partners and stakeholders!

I know you have 2.5 children -- so do we (four, in my case). I know you work 10, 12, and even 14 hours a day -- so do we. I know you live your share of miles away from the school -- so do we. I know you have a child in elementary school, one in middle school, and one about to graduate from high school -- again I say, so do we! As Michael Jackson so poignantly stated, “You are not alone!”
Madame, Sir, please resolve to volunteer. I know a few of you have been considering the possibility of increasing your service and I truly appreciate that! It all starts with a thought. I ask you to consider this as well: the phenomenal difference you can make as a volunteer!

Kimberly K. Parker is the owner of Writing Momma Publishing (www.writingmomma.com). She is hosting “Isn’t She Lovely!”, an elegant father and daughter event in March 2011 in hopes of promoting the importance of the relationship between little girls and their fathers. Visit www.isntshelovely.eventbrite.com to purchase tickets and for more information. Kimberly is an author and blogger living in Maryland with her husband and three children.