My child study project was also very difficult to initiate because I, too, faced the dilemma of deciding which of the multitude of children that I met and fell in love with at Bragaw, should I select as my candidate.
Humm.....would it be Deyona, a beautiful young lady, both spiritually and physically, who loves to write and gave me a red and white "Teddy Bear" and a note of thanks, on my last day, which read: Dear Ms. Ashs...For all the time I have known you, it's been great and I was lucky to have you for my last year. I Love You for helping me learn a new way how to express myself. From, Deyona....
Or, would it be Amari, a wonderfully sensitive young man who actually clapped his hands in front of my face, once, when he felt I was dozing off during a checkers game!!!! I LOVE that kid!!!
SO MANY KIDS....SO LITTLE TIME!!!!!!
Ultimately, I narrowed it down and decided to expound upon twin sisters, Mecca and Medina Lockett.(Named for the two Holy Cities to which each Muslim is requied to traverse, at least once, in their lifetime...the journey is referred to as the Hajj)
The sisters live with their Dad and Stepmom on Schley St., around the corner from Bragaw Elementary. (Tragically, their mom died when they were 5years old, therefore, memories of her are either vague or non-existent.) However, their relationship with their Stepmom is great!
The twins have 8 siblings, 5 girls and 3 boys! Smaisha..(grown with 4 kids; 3 boys, Ralph, Jacques, and Kwasim and 1 girl Kyona), Aisha... grown with twin boys: Amiri and Ahmad, Taisha... grown with no children and Kamilla...grown with 2 girls: Shanashia and Yannah, and Assata who is currently enrolled in Kean Univerrsity. The adult male siblings are Shakur (twin of Assata) also a college student, Khalil father of 1 girl, Kayla. Their youngest brother, Amadou, is a student at Bragaw.
Every holiday the entire family, Mecca, Medina, their parents, grandmother, siblings, neices, nephews, cousins, aunts and uncles congregate in thier "Big House" on Schley Street for family time. As an only child, I too, can recall, vividly, the special times spent in my aunt's home (she had 6 kids), where our entire family merged to partake of meals, laughter and Love!!!
The girls are both very tall and somewhat self-conscious of their size and developing body parts. I explained to them that it is natural to feel somewhat awkward...(I know I did,) when you have "boobs" at 13!...I reassured them both, that they were beautiful, and smart and could accomplish ANYTHING!!! (Hopefully this positive re-inforcement helped to counteract their being told that one or the other was "ugly," by the head teacher!)
Both sisters are excellent writers, although their other interests were more diverse; Mecca loves math and writing, while Medina (the more athletic of the 2) adores basketball and math. Medina is the ONLY person to beat me at checkers, the entire Summer!!! Their Acrostic Poems (see below) will be included in the compilation of poetic works that Bragaw Students and myself have written in honor of Mayor Booker. We hope to present it to him in the near future!
Mecca Lockett's poem:
Courageous
Outstanding
Ready and on time
You work hard
Bringing more activities to school
Obsevant
Overcoming problems
Keeping danger away from people
Engaged in our community
Relate you life to your city
Medina Lockett's poem:
Inspires my heart
Love the way you write poetry
Outstanding at school
Valuable to others
Enjoy how you help people
You love the city you own
Overwhelming pride in your town
Unwilling to compromise
Cute and funny
Obstacles fade when you're here
Really easy to give you...xoxoxo's
Youth is important
Best Mayor
Only the sweetest thing on earth
Outspoken person
Keep people out of trouble
Engaged in your community
Restoring all good things
Obviously, these sisters are creative and funny and gifted and I hope to remain in contact with them ( I've promised to come to Bragaw during the school year, to check on them). They are also extremly honest and reflective: Medina will actually say, I know that I am "bad" sometimes, but I'm getting better. I offered the suggestion, that when she "feels" the negative behaviors developing, maybe she could turn-away and take a deep breath. She promised to try.
All in all, my experience at Bragaw was fruitful, pleasurable, and HOT!!! (in more ways than one). All of the students hold a special place in my heart and as I expressed most days...I expect GREAT things from them!!! From all that I've been privy to; from their writing, to their athletic ability, to their ability to articulate their thoughts, I don't think that my expectations are too grandiose!!!
Mecca and Medina....I love those names for twins.
ReplyDeleteI find it amazing that you were able to get and remember so much information about the girls family members. It is a testament to who you are s a person, and I am positive that the girls were more than appreciative that you took such an interest in who they were.
I also find it interesting that you chose twins for your child study. In my research for child development, I found that when people are addressing one twin, they will address both, or when they are including a twin in an activity, they will open it up to the other twin. Even when we were taking picturs for the yearbook, the kids took individual pics for everyone, except the set of twins who got a doubles shot. I realized I was doing this with my own kids (and still do sometimes - taking both to the doctor when only one has the ailment, waking up the other when someone wakes up from a nap). And instead of choosing one twin for your study, you chose both. I had never noticed this before my assignment. So crazy! :-)
DEBORAH....Now you know that I did not remember ALL of that info...I took notes...LOL...LOL..
ReplyDeleteBelieve it or not, though, I was actually only going to use Medina(the least athletic of the two) as the student to establish a relationship with, as Mecca was always playing basketball. However, Medina was absent for quite a few days, so, I actually began to speak with Mecca as well...she loves checkers, too. And our checker playing time proved invsluable in our establishing a relationship.
They are wonderfully close, just as I'm sure your girls
will continue to be!!!!
It is exciting to be in the presence of twins!!!
Joanne, your ability to delve deeply into a child's life is just what is needed. As teachers it is imperative to know as much as we can about the children who will be entrusted to us. Joanne, I dare say that ALL the children of Bragaw will remember you as a pivotal point in their lives.
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