Best Way To Tutor Young Black Kids - Page 2

Madam Butterfly · (#26 (**permalink**))

well having a bigger picture or an end game in sight is always good. You need to know where you are going before you can start the journey.

So what are you doing to achieve your end game ?

To be honest my "end game" centres around the relatively immediate future - that is to get the small groups of childrenI work with to raise their literacy and numeracy standards.

In terms of the "bigger picture" - what I truly want to achieve,I guess the same thing but on a much larger scale. That is the education and betterment of Black children.

Incognito · (#27 (**permalink**))

MB - I hear a lot of talk about who's doing what but with the end game I had you'll find your entire life and the way you live it everyday is devoted to that end game. There is nothing you do that is seen as extra or special but maybe I should have clocked on a lot earlier when other people told me I was doing special things where all I had was a career and a car and a house for my children/family :? which was simply laying the foundations towards the end game.

Now you know what I mean about getting high on trivialties i.e. it's trivial in relation to the size of your end game. But it's like religion, it's ok as long as everyone is practising the same one.

What we are doing is the impossible, telling ourselves we are contribting to the cause but all with our own rules of personal comfort. This I refer to as the shattered windscreen approach where we get all these individual pieces of glass of which some can and some can't see they are supposed to be working together to form a single pane of glass and each piece thinks they are the centre with the pane being held together by them.

With no common protocol we rejoice that at least we are still holding loosely together. And with the wrong protocols, like money and sex, each piece feels they are doing their bit which for the most part is for no other reason than to give them the right to say they are not the cause for the pane failing to hold firm.

Indeed I feel it's embarassing that as a people we 1) even debate these things 2) ask questions like the one heading this thread and 3) even worse be at war over them.

If my observations are anything to go by then the majority of us see life as 'This is as good as it gets', so after years of revelling in babylon we gain comfort in saying anything done now must help as the revelling didn't make it any worse than it already was.

It doesn't take a genuis to know it just takes the wind to blow to see a shattered windscreen is not fit for purpose but each fragment is content knowing worse case it can cope on its own.

In practial terms this is where I see we are at so by all means embark on endeavours to put back in as who knows, in years to come we might even be able to hold back a force 10 gale...but that all depends on the size of your end game.

My end game? Hmmm...I think I've said enough about babylons daughters, overnight militants, hypocrites and parasitesniceone.gif

Incognito · (#28 (**permalink**))

Pyro - watch this video if you haven't already. This is probably tutoring more at the extreme fringes of our community, your end game should determine if there is any relevance.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/newsa/n5ctrl/pr...ncis_07feb.ram

Pyrokenesis · (#29 (**permalink**))

Incognito wrote:

Quote:

It's all relative which is why there will never be the unity required to make real change and I've always had a problem with settling for second best.

So you are defeated before you even start???

Marcus Garvey once said, "If you have no confidence in self you are twice defeated in the race of life. With confidence you have won even before you have started."

I am confident change and victory await.

You talk of this mass exodus, movement of Jah people back to Mother Africa, but the fact is we are here. What we need to do is identify, infiltrate and populate.

I'm getting too deep considering this thread was started in order to just find out some information regarding tutoring (when I have time I'll watch the vid), other cultures don't seem to have a problem with this concept.

Rather than give up because we are not in our natural home, we need to understand that the WORLD is our oyster. YOU have choice and YOU can make change.

The decendants of the African Holocaust are having a hard time, but without education from an early age your tools are limited and your left with basic instincts... survival.

Choose apathy andprocastination at your peril.

Taking Lloyds of London to court and suing them for compensation for the desendants of slavery, now thats positive action. It may not work, but it starts to open doors and makes the world take note.

Being a scientist, I have to focus my "end game" in other areas. If we focus our "end games" collectively, we achieve more. T.E.A.M. Together Each Achieves More.

Thanx again to Madame Butterfly for the information, it's something I've been meaning to do for a while.

Incognito · (#30 (**permalink**))

Pyro - you left out the rest of my post, it deals with your reply. As I said, it's all relative, even the end game of Marcus Garvey has relativity....or ask yourself why did Marcus garvey say these things, what was the mind behind it, what was his end game, to become a European citizen?

The world isn't our oyster but I'm intrigued into why we feel we need or even want it to be. Can I suggest that this is due to different strokes for different folks...hmm...hasn't somebody mentioned relativity already!

The fact is...
We need to...

Wether you apply this to a mass exodus or what we need to do to educate our kids the dynamics are the same - success or failure will be determined by the size of your end game. But yeah conceptually we are not disagreeing I just need to get off my high horse regarding any mass exodus.

As I said, the world isn't our oyster, but if you look carefully, Africa seems to be the oyster for the rest of the world - I guess this depends on where you call home.

Incognito · (#31 (**permalink**))

The link is an interview with another sista trying to put back in. I share much of her fundamental analysis. For providing the link to this information I accept your thanks in advance

Heard a young sista talking aout her babyfather like it was a fashion statement. The inner cities are a reality which many if not most of those that live it accept it is a fact of life. In the extreme what is needed is a total eclipse of the psyche, a complete reworking and unwashing of the brain and that's just to get them to see any tutoring being offered as a smaller begining to a bigger end game.

Your end game might mean you have no time for those who don't want to learn. There's plenty of resources for those that do, and I guess their are those on the borderline that just need a little push either way. We need to be dealing with all these dynamics from the perspective of a common agenda.

Ironic how years ago, when growing up our biggest fear was encountering racists and skinheads, now it's another black youth. Access to ****ography was restricted to a top shelf now we got the internet and the music industry and young girls are giving head for sport. Our children need things put into perspective before they become a perspective.

We've had hundreds if not thousands of militants and activists over the last fifty years yet look at our predicament today. Look at America and the plight of the average African American and we're supposed to be at least ten years behind them.

But by all means we should all play a part but goes back to ideology and reality. Jut like the police department, the reality is no matter what the politicians try, they accept they will never be totally rid of crime they'll just try to minimise the effects of it. There may never be a mass exodus to the motherland but we can still have the option there for those who want it.

Getting others to share your reality or ideology is no walk in the park when those you are trying to convince are trying to do the same to you with theirs. A teacher is only as good as the students ability to learn.

Pyrokenesis · (#32 (**permalink**))

I'm off to watch Arsenal in a minute, so I'm a keep this brief.

It looks like we're singing from the same hymn book, we are just on different pages at the moment.

I would love for us to reclaim Africa and utilise its resources for the betterment of Africas children. But you must understand, the WORLD is ours, each and every one of ours.

When Europeans discovered that the chinese powder used for fireworks could be used for guns and then subsequently embarked on a quest to dominate the WORLD using the guns they invented, they believed the world was theirs to take.

They imposed their religion and beliefs on those they conquered, at sword and gun point when necessary and thus the majority of the WORLD now speaks SPANISH, FRENCH and ENGLISH. Christianity and Catholicism are two of the biggest religions in the WORLD. The Europeans had no such limitations when it came to possesion of the WORLD.

All I'm saying is that buy widening your net, you catch more fish. Wouldn't it be great, if the WORLD was eventually dominated by the Black race, but instead of inflicting the same pain on Caucasians that they inflicted on us, we implemented a WORLD of equality (as much as possible anyway), being at the forefront of that WORLD.

Bla, bla, anyway football... I will watch that vid by the way.

Madam Butterfly · (#33 (**permalink**))

Incognito wrote:

Quote:

MB - I hear a lot of talk about who's doing what but with the end game I had you'll find your entire life and the way you live it everyday is devoted to that end game. There is nothing you do that is seen as extra or special but maybe I should have clocked on a lot earlier when other people told me I was doing special things where all I had was a career and a car and a house for my children/family :? which was simply laying the foundations towards the end game. Well you are right in saying that everything you do and the way you live is devotd to the end game. BUT only if you are doing positive things and living a positive life. But by no means should simply "living" and doing the "normal" things be enough. I appreciate there are people who cannot do more than they already do, but no one should think "well i have a job a house and a car so i have done my bit for Black people". Unless your career involves "doing your bit" then that is a complacent attitude to have. Almost an "I'm alright Jack" attitude.

Now you know what I mean about getting high on trivialties i.e. it's trivial in relation to the size of your end game. But it's like religion, it's ok as long as everyone is practising the same one. See, now i would say "trivial" is the wrong word to use. Small, maybe, but not trivial. Maybe volunteering twice a week is a small step, but if someone doing that is effecting positive changes in the life of another why shouldn;t they "get high" about it. Now feeling self rightous about "doing good" is totally a different thing, and there are those who get high of of their own self righteousness as opposed to from doing good. But anyone who "does their bit" shouldn;t be lumped in with those who simply want another reason to look down on others. Like i say, there could be many reasons why people cannot contribute and noone should be made to feel less than anyone else. Maybe you (you as in the general "you" not you personally) feel that you are doing enough simply by living a positive life and having a high standard of living. I am not going to look down my nose at anybody because they don't/can't do what i do.

What we are doing is the impossible, telling ourselves we are contribting to the cause but all with our own rules of personal comfort. This I refer to as the shattered windscreen approach where we get all these individual pieces of glass of which some can and some can't see they are supposed to be working together to form a single pane of glass and each piece thinks they are the centre with the pane being held together by them. Well again i see what you are saying. But surely it is better to contribute to the "shatterd windscreen" than to simply sit back and say "these people are wasting their time. That windshield will never hold". At least those people are TRYING to do something, as opposed to being a sideline naysayer.

With no common protocol we rejoice that at least we are still holding loosely together. And with the wrong protocols, like money and sex, each piece feels they are doing their bit which for the most part is for no other reason than to give them the right to say they are not the cause for the pane failing to hold firm.

Quote:

well again i say it is better to be part of TRYING to be the solution, as opposed to saying "the fact i am not part of the problem is enough".

Indeed I feel it's embarassing that as a people we 1) even debate these things 2) ask questions like the one heading this thread and 3) even worse be at war over them. well i don't really see whats to debate. The black community is in trouble. it needs to be helped. The best way to start is with children. The thread starter is simply looking for a leg up into doing this. As for being "at war" over it, i don;t think anyone is. I just think there are three main groups of people: those who are helping, those who want to help but can;t for what ever reason and those who don;t want to help or take the "i'm alright jack" attitude. For the latter group i think it makes them feel better to critisize those trying to help by saying they are self rightous or self serving or not really making a difference. it lessons their own guilt at doing nothing.

Quote:

If my observations are anything to go by then the majority of us see life as 'This is as good as it gets', I have to disagree. I think we are all aware that life SHOULD and COULD be much better than this. Of course there are those who get frustrated with the lack of progress and attempt to work within what we currantly have to work with. so after years of revelling in babylon we gain comfort in saying anything done now must help as the revelling didn't make it any worse than it already was. Well anything done now WILL help. And must surely be better than doing nothing at all. I don;t believe it makes no difference at all. Anyone who thinks it makes no difference at all is the one who has given up.

It doesn't take a genuis to know it just takes the wind to blow to see a shattered windscreen is not fit for purpose but each fragment is content knowing worse case it can cope on its own. And sometimes Black folks can BE that wind, tearing their own folks down.

In practial terms this is where I see we are at so by all means embark on endeavours to put back in as who knows, in years to come we might even be able to hold back a force 10 gale...but that all depends on the size of your end game. Well in ten years we won;t be in a position to do anything if everyone takes the attitude that anything done makes no difference.

My end game? Hmmm...I think I've said enough about babylons daughters, overnight militants, hypocrites and parasitesniceone.gif But what are you ACTIVELY doing to achieve your end game?

Incognito · (#34 (**permalink**))

Madam Butterfly wrote:

Quote:

Incognito wrote:

Quote:

....where all I had was a career and a car and a house for my children/family :? which was simply laying the foundations towards the end game. Well you are right in saying that everything you do and the way you live is devotd to the end game. BUT only if you are doing positive things and living a positive life. But by no means should simply "living" and doing the "normal" things be enough. I appreciate there are people who cannot do more than they already do, but no one should think "well i have a job a house and a car so i have done my bit for Black people". Unless your career involves "doing your bit" then that is a complacent attitude to have. Almost an "I'm alright Jack" attitude.

Precisely - hence my confused look. It goes down to people judging you by their standards. In my world I'm simply doing what's normal.

Small, maybe, but not trivial.

Nope trivial it is. We been in it long enough not to be singing the same song and making the same mistakes as the generations before us. But then we are an oppressed people, think we understimate this.

But surely it is better to contribute to the "shatterd windscreen" than to simply sit back and say "these people are wasting their time. That windshield will never hold". At least those people are TRYING to do something, as opposed to being a sideline naysayer.

Only if that makes you feel better i.e. the satisfaction of being seen to try is the end game. Got no time in exerting energy simply to end up where I was when I started. Though that's not to say you didn't learn something on that journey...other than don't waste time that is.

Quote:

well again i say it is better to be part of TRYING to be the solution, as opposed to saying "the fact i am not part of the problem is enough".

If we really new what the problem was we wouldn't need to try we'd do. The problem is with general perception of what the problem is.

For the latter group i think it makes them feel better to critisize those trying to help by saying they are self rightous or self serving or not really making a difference. it lessons their own guilt at doing nothing.

Don't think anyone really criticizes when it comes to contributions. They may debate method and motives but criticize hell no!.

Quote:

Well anything done now WILL help. And must surely be better than doing nothing at all. I don;t believe it makes no difference at all. Anyone who thinks it makes no difference at all is the one who has given up.

An activist was on the news the other day talking about how todays hoodlums are an insult to the efforts made by people like him and his generation to put black people on the map. I always wondered why these activists are never invited to the news studio when there is good news. Maybe good is normal...or non trivial...i.e. nothing to make noise about.

And sometimes Black folks can BE that wind, tearing their own folks down.

I was going to mention that. It's in the interest of many of 'our' own for that windscreen to remain shattered. But yeah it's all about perspective i.e are you a top down or bottom up person - I'm bottom up myself. If it's about perspectives then shattered assumes it was once solid. It could be the fragments actually formed from nothing and are on their way to becoming solid....but that would be too much of a comfort zone for too many.

Well in ten years we won;t be in a position to do anything if everyone takes the attitude that anything done makes no difference.

Doing nothing isn't an option. Doing the right thing the wrong way wastes time. Better off finding that out in ten years than one hundred. Indeed looking at many today I'd say there's room to suggest that the masses have already reached that conclusion.

But what are you ACTIVELY doing to achieve your end game?

Whatever I do is normal...therefore I don't notice it...I guess that means nothing. But last ten years have really been carving a career, a family while giving free time and labour to all those who rang me when they needed a new computer, a computer repaired, money (including charities), words of wisdom and help with IT related exams..as I said all part of normal life....but couldn't take the phone calls in the end..nobody seemed to know anything about me, just what I could provide.

Currently working on this fund raising exercise but it looks like it's dependant on a tax loophole which means it won't last forever (not while labour are in anyway) which means I can no longer see the end game within it. Spent the last two years getting a cheap suit off my back which means it will probably take five years to get back to where I should have been today. An example of doing something the wrong way maybe. For all the time wasted do I feel satisfied for trying....hell no...that wasn't the end game.

Incognito · (#35 (**permalink**))

Some motives for you:- Get rich or die trying, unite or die trying, try or die trying!