Sankofa Kuumba CAC Needs Tutors

Tutor – Level I

Position Summary: The tutor (Level I) will work in the Power Up! After-school tutoring program, under the supervision of a Certified Teacher, with a focus on improving the reading skills of students, using the prescribed Scott Foresman’s My Side Walks Reading intervention. The tutor is required, working with the Certified Teacher’s supervison, to maintain student records, communicate with parents and school staff, and provide appropriate paperwork, as required by city, state and federal governments. Sankofa provides instructional materials, professional development trainings and support. Tutors are asked to work between 5-20 hours per week during after-schools hours (2-6pm). Limited opportunities are available for weekends and summer.


Qualifications:

• Associates Degree, degree work in process, or appropriate expertise/experience

• Experience with target population, including special needs students

• Experience working with youth in an educational environment

• Ability to keep students engaged and excited about learning

• Excellent communication skills (Good English writing and speaking skills)

• Ability to work effectively with students, parents and as part of a team

• Ability to assess student progress, formally and informally

• Timely, reliable, and accurate record keeping abilities

• Proficiency with Microsoft Word and Internet (access required to submit on-line reports)

• High level of commitment

• Self-motivated

• Strong organizational skills

• Background in reading interventions or family literacy a plus

• Experience in community tutoring or after school programming a plus


Essential Functions:

• Under the supervision of a Certified Teacher, tutor students using the Scott Foresman materials provided

• Maintain discipline and order, while engaging the students, including those with special needs, in learning

• Communicate, on a regular basis, about student progress and barriers with Supervisor, Curriculum Specialist, Parents and School Staff

• Complete or assist with timely and accurate completion and submission of all required paperwork to city, state and federal governments, thereby ensuring SANKOFA Kuumba CAC and program remain in good standing

• Create and maintain all relevant educational information in individual student files

• Ensure and maintain safety for children at tutoring sites - use proper safety techniques and comply with all organization safety procedures


• Meet regularly(weekly) with Sankofa Staff and attend Professional Development Trainings (participate in, retain and incorporate training as required)

Work with parents to advocate for their children in the school system


Additional Responsibilities:

• Provide effective customer service including, but not limited to greeting, receiving and addressing clients with respect and dignity at all times

• Perform other duties as assigned

• Provide comments and recommendations regarding program/departmental policies, procedures, and practices



Standards of Performance:

• Interact at all times and with all individuals in a manner that is respectful of their human dignity, through consistently cooperative and courteous behavior. Communicate in a sensitive and caring way, including active listening and appropriate body language

• Recognize and respond appropriately when others need information, direction or assistance and provide help as evidenced by constructive criticism and observation

• Understand and appreciate the value and contribution of other employees through demonstrated sensitivity to their needs, teamwork and constructive criticism

• Use creative approaches to customer service, within the bounds of job authority and responsibility, as evidenced by client opinion and submission of ideas for improvement.


• Use time constructively and perform responsibilities cooperatively.

• Report problems, accidents, concerns and issues promptly

• Support changes as they occur.


Working Conditions:

Individual is regularly required to sit in low chairs

Must be able to lift and/or move up to 10 pounds

lose vision abilities, ability to adjust focus

Required to reach with hands and arms

All employees must pass criminal history and fingerprint background checks.

For more information call 242-2999

Unique and Distinctive African Instruments By Matthew Stanton

When you talk about Africa, the very first thing that would ever come to your mind is the rich wild life and the vast vegetation. There is something more to Africa than lions, tigers, snakes and zebras though; they have rich music which they are able to make through the help of African instruments.
Africa is a continent where a wide variation of culture is present. Africa is the cradle for some 350 million people belonging to 3000 different cultural tribes who are speaking some 800 to 1000 different languages. As if Africa is in the forefront when God showered blessings of teeming wild life and vegetation, this continents main attraction and natural resource is the thousands of flora and fauna that is indigenous here.
However, Africa is not just about all the fierce and wild animals or the beautiful plants. It is more than just the tribes and the different cultures that they have; African music is one of the richest and liveliest in the world.
The main characteristic of African music is its being percussive. African instruments compose of different drums, gongs, rattles and bells among others, while there are also xylophones and plucked strings that you can play along the percussion instruments.
The melodies of African music are mainly based on short units and most of the time the singers and instrument players improvise on their songs.
The more unique characteristic of their music is the metronome sense which is the ability of many musicians to perform for long periods of time without deviating from the original tempo. The diatonic scales, which is similar to European music is a prevalent characteristic of their music too.
The membrane drums are the most celebrated of the instruments. They have famous talking-drums in the South Africa, like the atumpan of Ghana which can mimic speech tones and are sometimes used by people to signal messages. The bells, gongs, wind instruments of the horns also mimic speech. There are a lot of wind instruments made of wood and horns of animals. The harp and harp-lutes are also very present. Another interesting entry is the musical bow. This is a string instrument fashioned like a bow and with varied techniques and sophistication by most people all throughout the continent.

There are really a lot of great things to be discovered in Africa. If you are tired of the usual beating of your life, you might want to consider experiencing the richness of Africa in person. There will be a lot of things that will unfold before your very eyes. Animals which you can only dream of seeing face to face (the elephants, the lions, the tigers, many snakes in different sizes and colors and venom ranges, the rhinos and many other animals) could be seen free and teeming.
You can also witness the growth of many flowers, shrubs, trees and other wild plants. African with its terrains, cliffs, valleys, hills, plains and mountains can be a haven for the flora and fauna. But most of all the culture of Africa is so rich you can be really glad to see it with your naked eye.
If you cannot be there in person though, you can always play the African instruments. It would be the same as stepping foot in the richest place in the world.

Matthew Stanton writes an article about African Instruments and how it can produce a distinctive sound of African music. Simply visit this site for information at http://www.yourworldinstruments.com/

Parents Must Lead by Example - Walk the Walk, Don't Just Talk the Talk

Kids don't just learn things through osmosis....they must be taught, and the best way for parents to teach values to their children is through leading by example. Walk the walk, don't just talk the talk.
Parents today are tired. We work hard and the last thing we want to do is fight with our kids. Sometimes, it's easier just to give in than have yet another battle. Well, get over it.
I don't mean to be harsh, but kids are very, very smart, and they know how to get what they want. It is the parents' job to lead by example, set the rules, and carry them out. When parents tell their kids something, but don't follow through, they have let the ball drop. Consider the story of Trevor.
Trevor was a child in our class who figured out very quickly that his father's threats were usually idle. One day, we went to the grocery store on a field trip. Trevor was very excited and just wanted to touch everything he saw. First, he grabbed an apple from the shelf, which caused several more apples to roll to the ground. His father reminded him that he wasn't allowed to touch the food. A moment later, Trevor grabbed a cucumber. This time, Trevor's father raised his voice and told his son that if he touched one more thing they were going home. Five minutes later, Trevor nabbed a candy bar off another shelf. Again, his father told him to stop touching things or they would go home.
And yet again, Trevor took another item from the shelf. Though his father got angrier, he continued to threaten to leave without having any intention of doing so. There was no incentive for Trevor to stop touching things because he knew there would be no consequence.
Trevor's dad had two choices. He could have threatened to leave and then actually left, or he could have used another punishment that he could follow through on. For example, he might have told Trevor that if he touched something else, they'd have to sit for five minutes and miss out on the class visiting the lobster tank in the seafood department. Once he followed through on that threat, Trevor would be disappointed to miss seeing the lobsters, but he would know that his father meant what he said.
Parents need to walk the walk, not just talk the talk. You have to let your children know that you mean what you say. If you follow through the first time, the kids will be less apt to challenge you the next time.

Check out my blog at http://www.preschoolteach.blogspot.com.
Email me at terribakman@gmail.com.

A bit about myself:

I produced the Romper Room and Friends TV show and Bowling for Dollars when I worked for Claster Television in the '80's and '90's. With three kids of my own, I stopped working there in 1996. Today I am a freelance writer and preschool teacher and I am in the process of publishing my first book about preschool advice for parents. Please contact me at: terribakman@gmail.com.

Critiquing Your Child's Homework - What's the Best Way?

Suppose your daughter has just completed a story she has written and excitedly comes to share it with you. You begin reading and notice that there are some misspelled words. Your first instinctual reaction might be to point out those errors right away, however that is the WRONG thing to do.
There is a method that is being taught to managers, leaders, teachers and all professionals who have people directly reporting to them. This is called the PNP Method. It stands for Positive-Negative-Positive. This method states that when you are critiquing someone's work you first praise them for something, then, if necessary, offer an area they need to work on, and finally, end by praising them again.
The theory behind this is that if a critique session ends with a negative, people tend to remember only that and begin to feel badly about themselves. This is in turn leaves them with little inspiration to improve their performance. However, the reverse is true for the PNP Method. People generally feel relaxed once they hear praise, feel open when they hear an area that could be improved and happy and motivated after they receive the final word of praise.
This technique works exactly the same way with children. When they finish their homework or show you a piece of work, be sure to follow this formula. State something positive about the piece of work such as, "Wow, you sure did this neatly!" Then offer, if necessary, an area for improvement such as, "Oops, I see this word and this word need spell checking" and finally, end with another word of praise such as "I'm really proud of your effort, Julie".
If you follow this PNP Method of critiquing, your kids will want to bring you quality work more often and their overall effort on projects will be higher.

Erin Kurt is currently the president of Erin Parenting, a company devoted to empowering parents with the tools, training and support they need to create the family life they truly desire. She is also the author of Juggling Family Life. To learn more about her book and to sign up for more FREE tips like these, visit her site at http://erinparenting.com/

About Sankofa Kuumba Cultural Arts Consortium

Sankofa Kuumba seeks to perpetuate African culture through instruction and performance of traditional performing and visual arts. Sankofa is a consortium of performing and teaching artists in many disciplines including dance, music, and visual and textile arts. Our programs are designed as imaginative journeys that promote cultural enrichment, arts education and a greater understanding and appreciation of African culture by all.

Based in Hartford, Connecticut, the company provides a vehicle for teaching, learning and experiencing the arts of Africa and the African diaspora.

Top Ten Reasons Arts and Crafts Helps Boost a Child's Self Esteem By Elena Neitlich

A child's self esteem is built throughout the course of childhood. Although ultimately the child develops her own perceptions of self and builds her own self esteem, reinforcement from the outside world is crucial in fortifying the child's self assessment.  Appropriate responses to the child support the child's opinion of herself, "I think that I did a nice job completing this arts and crafts project." "Yes, you did a terrific job completing your arts and crafts project. I can tell by the quality of the finished piece that you really put your all into it!"
Praise just for the sake of praise isn't effective in building a child's self esteem. Kids are very insightful, especially teens, and even the most enthusiastic praise will ring hollow if it is not attached to something meaningful. "Wow, you are amazing!" "Why, what did I do?"
Creative activities such as arts and crafts provide an outstanding opportunity for adults to help bolster a child's self esteem. As the child works the observant adult has almost unlimited opportunities to point out what the child is doing well.
Top ten reasons arts and crafts helps boost a child's self esteem.
1.      Arts and crafts invites the child to experiment with supplies, techniques, and directions that are often foreign and intimidating. Tackling and becoming adept at creative new tasks brings satisfaction and gratification to children of all ages.
2.      Arts and crafts encourages children to push themselves to plan and finish an entire project. Children feel a great sense of accomplishment when they are responsible for completing an entire task from A to Z.
3.      Arts and crafts classes produce a fertile environment for meeting and interacting with new people. It can be difficult for some children to venture beyond their comfort zones and intermingle with children they don't know. It is very flattering and a boost to self esteem for children to hit it off and work with new friends.
4.      Arts and crafts classes force children to take risk and put themselves and their work "out there". It is a gamble to create something and show people because there is the possibility of receiving criticism. Children, especially teens are averse to this type of hazard. A supportive arts and crafts trainer creates an environment where children feel comfortable exposing their work. Children who learn how to tackle risk are better suited and more comfortable tackling appropriate risk as adults.
5.      Arts and crafts teach open mindedness. Creative questions do not have finite answers like math or physics problems. When doing arts and crafts children learn how to explore the many different possible solutions to the problems that they face. Being imaginative and open minded allows for them to invent solutions that are exciting and inspired. Children gain the confidence to tackle many problems in creative and ingenious ways.
6.      Arts and crafts aid in dispelling a child's "limiting beliefs". It is very common for children to create ideas about their own abilities that restrict their activities. Thoughts like, "I am not smart enough to do this," are destructive and chip away at their self esteem. Craft projects teach children how to change damaging preconceived notions. Children learn how much they truly are capable of and build on each experience gaining confidence with each project.
7.      Arts and crafts projects illustrate to children that they can achieve success. It is good for children to discover that they can be victorious. Success feels great and inspires children to reach for more and attempt harder and harder tasks.
8.      Arts and crafts allows an opportunity for children to let loose and have fun. In a relaxed and non-competitive atmosphere children can explore their carefree and imaginative side. Seeing that they are multidimensional beings contributes to their overall sense of well being and a healthy sense of self.
9.      Arts and crafts classes permit children to see themselves in a fresh, new light. It is important that kids have the opportunity to survey many different pursuits. Allowing kids to choose the activities that excite and delight them gives them the confidence to later pursue their own interests and eventually choose meaningful careers and pastimes.
10. Arts and crafts promote a passion for learning! Kids who have expanded their confidence through creativity and developing a healthy self esteem are curious about learning new things. The self assurance that they build doing arts and crafts overflows into all of their endeavors making for a rich and highly satisfying childhood.

Elena Neitlich is owner of Arts and Crafts Moms at http://www.artsandcraftsmoms.com If you want to follow your passion for creativity, start your own business, and have a lasting impact on kids and teens, become a certified Arts and Crafts Trainer Take the steps to make a difference in the lives of kids and in your own life.

After School Tutoring Benefits Students

If your child is struggling in school, after school tutoring may be an option to improve his understanding of academic concepts and increase his self esteem.
Children that struggle in a school may not have many opportunities to get one on one help with academics. Some children are hesitant to ask for help while others do not get the help they need even if they ask. This can be because of too many children in a classroom or not enough time for the teacher to review and repeat lessons that a child is having difficulty.
For that reason, a parent may want to look into hiring a tutor at least once a week for additional instruction and one on one help. This session can last as little as 30 minutes with children under seven years old and up to one hour for older children. Sessions longer than the child's attention spam are not conducive to learning. Keep your child's attention span in mind when scheduling the time.
Look for an individual session rather than a group session. The opportunity to get one on one help should be the deciding factor in getting a tutor. Almost all children will succeed getting individual attention and individual instruction on the level they are learning. Be cautious of group tutoring sessions and companies that offer homework help. A tutor should re-teach and reinforce skills that the individual child is not succeeding in by finding appropriate activities in that subject area. Homework help will help increase your child's grade, but will not necessarily help them understand. Tutoring should focus on the understanding of the concepts, not only improving a report card grade.
Although group sessions can cost less and are an option is finances are a consideration, try to find a group that has less than four children per tutor. Larger groups will not provide the individual attention that a smaller group offers.
Some parents do not know where to look for a quality tutor. Of course, the best option is to get a referral from the child's teacher, the school board, or other parents. Look in the classifieds at a local college. College students are often looking for tutoring work and can be a great option since they are usually younger and perceived to be "cooler" than a teacher. Churches and religious organizations may also provide tutoring services for free or a reduced charge. Stay at home parents, home schooling parents, and former and current teachers may be a resource for referrals or services. You may also find the occasional high school student that tutors. This would probably be the cheapest option.
An after school tutor is a great option for parents to help their child succeed in struggling curriculum areas. If your child is in need of help, do not hesitate to start researching tutors now. The longer you wait, the more difficulty may arise in that curriculum area.

Rebekah Kogelschatz is a school teacher of gifted students. She has taught all grades from pre-school to 8th grade in all subject areas. She is a co-founder of the site SmartMoms-SmartBusiness and the founder of a preschool resource site Preschool Activities Everyday. You can read more articles on parenting in her Mom Blog.

'Sankofa' What Does it Mean?

The word SANKOFA is derived from the words SAN (return), KO (go), FA (look, seek and take). This symbolizes the Akan's quest for knowledge with the implication that the quest is based on critical examination, and intelligent and patient investigation.

The symbol is based on a mythical bird that flies forwards with its head turned backwards. This reflects the Akan belief that the past serves as a guide for planning the future, or the wisdom in learning from the past in building the future.