By Josh Caballero
Most of us have picked up a book to read to or with someone else at some point in our life. We have read to our children, younger siblings, nieces and nephews. We have grabbed the newspaper or our phone and read a section to our spouse, colleague or friend. We can remember grabbing a book and reading along in school as a teacher read to us. These simple moments seem exactly that—simple. Yet we often forget this when we are asked to consider volunteering to read to children at a school. We think it takes a certain type of person with some sort of specialty in reading and other skills that we don’t have. We think, “I don’t have a teaching background or know how to work with kids. I wouldn’t know where to begin to help children improve their reading.”
If I’m honest, I’m not sure that I often know where to begin when helping a kid to read, but I can tell you what it looks like for me and the volunteers Waco CDC works with at various campuses:
Every week, one day a week, I take my lunch break to drive to West Avenue Elementary School. I arrive and say hi to the clerk in the front office and get signed in. Then I go to the counselor’s office to select books for my group to read. Once I have the books selected, I go to the cafeteria to wait on my students to grab their lunch. When they see me, they smile and wave and move to the front of the line. After they have their lunch trays we go to our reading area. We sit down and as they eat their lunch, they talk about things that are happening that week, what they’re learning in school, and what they think the book I’ve picked for us will be about based on the cover. Once we’ve done this we begin to read while they finish eating. Usually, we take turns reading. If they struggle at certain points I help them to slow down, sound out different words, and teach them the definition of words they haven’t read before. Sometimes I read to them and have them follow along. Other times they do all the reading. We’ll work on recognizing words on flash cards or make up our own story with the pictures in the book. When our time is up, we go back to the cafeteria to throw away their lunch trash and they join their classmates to go back to class.
Right now, there are almost 20 mentors reading at West Avenue Elementary School, more than 70 at Brook Avenue Elementary School, and nearly 10 at JH Hines Elementary School. The reality is that it does take a very specific type of person with a particular skill set to be a reading club volunteer. It takes a caring adult who is willing to be committed to give up a small portion of their time each week to get to know a kid while they sit and simply read together. If this sounds like you and you’re interested in being a reading club volunteer, please contact Josh Caballero at josh@wacocdc.org
If you would like more information about mentoring opportunities in Waco, don’t hesitate to reach out to Jillian Jones with the Prosper Waco team. You can contact her by sending an email to jillian@prosperwaco.org, or completing this form on the Prosper Waco website.
Josh Caballero is a community organizer in North Waco for Waco Community Development and works closely with local schools, churches, businesses, and residents in the Brook Oaks and Sanger Heights neighborhoods. Originally from the panhandle of Texas, Josh has been a Wacoan for 12 years and enjoys living in the Sanger Heights neighborhood with his wife Jennifer and daughter Millee Grace.
By Melody Terrell
Are you worried about children in your family with learning challenges? Have you been frustrated over the lack of services in the schools? It’s time to forget those past experiences. Today is the day to head back up to the schoolhouse for a word with the teacher, counselor, or principal. Our schools want to do the right thing and now is a great time to ask again. Texas is in the news (again) for problems related to identifying and serving children with disabilities. This sounds like bad news, but there is good news that goes with it.
We can’t change the past, but as a veteran teacher and instructional specialist, I know the schools are full of good people who want to help your child. No one goes into education to do an ‘okay’ job. We all start starry-eyed and eager. Education professionals are mostly doing the best they can with what they’ve got. Frustration with suggested “caps”, lack of funding, and inconsistent direction has stalled the quality of services for students. Problems with identification and services can change based on the attention this issue is getting in Texas right now.
Conditions that qualify for special education include autism, blindness, deafness, emotional disturbance, hearing impairment, intellectual disability, multiple disabilities, and orthopedic impairment. But there’s more. Some children do not qualify based on those categories but have other conditions which affect a life activity. ADHD and Dyslexia are high frequency disabilities that certainly affect life activities such as reading, learning, and/or caring for self. These children may qualify for other protections under the law. Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 requires that the needs of students with disabilities be adequately met. Section 504 of this important document requires public school districts to provide a ‘Free Appropriate Public Education’ (FAPE) including identification, appropriate needed services in regular or special education, and related aids to help with learning.
I am most familiar with dyslexia. The International Dyslexia Association estimates that 1 in 5 people are born with this brain-based learning difference. Dyslexia, a print-based learning difference, is seriously under-identified in Texas. Students with dyslexia need classroom accommodations and multi-sensory structured language lessons. Small group tutoring is not the same remediation. This translates to money spent on training and a strong core of professionals to provide this service. Done well, this 2-3 year service can make a lifetime of difference to a non-reader. Simple accommodations such as photographing assignments on the board with a smart phone are easy. Pen devices that scan and read lines of text cost more, but offer independence and dignity for the individual. Other conditions have similar services and learning aids which can help if supported by The Texas Education Agency and school administrators.
How we treat students with disabilities is in the news. The governor and the Texas Education Agency are on it. Traditional public schools and public charter schools will be taking a close look at improving. Private schools are not held to the same requirements, but many in the Waco area are faith-based. Perhaps there will be conversations about ministry to families who feel beaten down by learning differences.
The most important adult in this mix is the parent or guardian. If you have been asking for help, keep asking. Send a letter to the principal then to the director of special education if you are not getting help. Always try to work with the school first and remember that you are on the same team. It can be frustrating, but do not stop asking questions and seeking help. Your child’s future depends on it. School attendance alone will not help a child with a learning disability succeed. The right intervention and classroom support can be incredibly effective.
For more information:
- U.S. Department of Education – “Protecting Students With Disabilities” – https://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ocr/504faq.html
- Texas Education Agency Dyslexia Handbook 2014 – https://tea.texas.gov/academics/dyslexia/
- International Dyslexia Association – https://dyslexiaida.org
- Learning Disabilities Association – https://ldaamerica.org
- Academic Language Therapy Association – https://www.altaread.org
Melody Terrell is a retired public educator and a part-time private dyslexia therapist. She is certified in special education and gifted education. She is the parent of grown children with learning differences who now advocate for themselves.
By Major Anita Caldwell
My husband and I left the USA to serve oversees with The Salvation Army in 2001. When we left, The Salvation Army was well loved and respected for the care and compassion shown to those experiencing homelessness. Upon our return, I have wondered if attitudes have changed. I am worried that our national attitude toward “the least of these” has drifted from care and compassion to irritation and impatience. I hope our community can avoid following this trend.
A truly prosperous city has room for all people, it is a city that not only celebrates its success stories but embraces those who are struggling. I hope that as our own city becomes popular and prosperous we are careful not to turn our backs on “the others,” but to open our arms.
The Salvation Army is one of the access points for Waco’s Coordinated Entry Program for homeless families. We are a part of a network of resources available in Waco. Those seeking shelter can come to the Salvation Army to be assessed as to which local program will best serve their need.
When we encounter a person suffering from mental illness, for example, we may refer them to the MHMR PATH program where they are interviewed for appropriate assistance. Sometimes we encounter homeless veterans who just can’t bring themselves to sleep inside. They end up sleeping beside our building which they consider to be a safe place. We connect them to veteran services and the Veteran’s Hospital.
Our primary goal at Salvation Army is homelessness prevention. If a family has an eviction notice, and we have available funds, The Salvation Army can work with the landlord, pay the rent and stop the eviction. This fall, for example, I sat in my office with Helen*, a hard-working mother of one child who works two jobs to pay her bills. Together we reviewed her income and expenses. She concluded that she would need to give up her new car because she simply could not afford the payments. Conversations such as these, also called case management, are a common everyday occurrence at The Salvation Army in each of our programs. We help find the root of the problem and encourage change that sets people free of needing help from others.
If the family is already homeless, we have three small rooms at Sally’s House, The Salvation Army Emergency Shelter for homeless women and homeless families. Our goal is to educate, encourage and support these families as they get employment and move to their own apartments with rapid rehousing funds. Once in their apartments, we continue to have case management conversations that encourage successful changes and help them shift from dependence to independence.
The Homeless Management Information System data from the City of Waco, during three months this past fall, showed that 95 percent of people assisted by The Salvation Army are McLennan County residents – people of this county, this city. These are God’s children who have lost their way. They could be your parent, your spouse, your sister or brother, or your child. They definitely need more services than a meal, and that’s where The Salvation Army asks the harder questions and seeks to find the real answers.
On a recent warm fall evening, I threw a plastic table cloth on the deck of Sally’s House. Three children gathered with their moms as I gave them each paint, brush and canvas. Little wide-eyed Bobby* immediately went for the black and dark colors. You see, this was his first night at the shelter and there were many uncertainties in his little life. It took several words of encouragement before he looked over at Jason’s* painting and decided to go for the brighter colors of green and blue. Jason, on the other hand, painted joyfully. His picture included an open green field, blue sky and bright sun. You see, Jason and his mom had found safety and protection at Sally’s House from a domestic violence situation. Jason’s life was full of hope and happiness.
No matter how society has changed we still know that Jesus calls us to give the cup of cold water to the thirsty and care to the prisoner, the orphan, the widow… the neediest of Waco. He calls us to be the good Samaritan and to take those we find wounded and hurting to the Inn. That’s why we remain steadfast in our mission.
Major Anita Caldwell was born in Olean, NY, to a family of ministers. She attended and graduated from Kentucky Mountain Bible Institute with a BA in Religion. Her MA is in Pastoral Leadership from Olivet Nazarene University. She and her husband, Bradley Caldwell are Majors in The Salvation Army and are Regional Coordinators for this area. They have served as ministers of the gospel in The Salvation Army for 24 years. After serving in three USA appointments, they were transferred as Regional Leaders in Moldova, Romania, Russia and the country of Georgia over a twelve-year period. They received their Waco assignment after serving at International Headquarters in London, UK.
The Act Locally Waco blog publishes posts with a connection to these aspirations for Waco. If you are interested in writing for the Act Locally Waco Blog, please email ashleyt@actlocallywaco.org for more information.
*Names changed throughout to protect privacy.
(During these last few weeks of December we will be reprising the Top 10 Most Opened Blog Posts for 2018 from the Act Locally Waco blog. I couldn’t possibly pick my favorites – so I used the simple (cop out?) approach of pulling up the 10 blog posts that got the most “opens” according to our Google Analytics. It is an intriguing collection that gives at least a little insight into the interests and concerns of Act Locally Waco readers. I hope this “Top 10” idea inspires you to go back and re-read your personal favorites. There have been so many terrific ones… If you would like to see the Top 10 according to Google Analytics, here’s the link: Top 10 Most Opened Blog Posts of 2018. Merry Christmas! — ABT)
(This post was first published on January 3, 2018 in the Waco Mom’s Blog, which is a terrific Waco resource. — ALW )
by Kim Millington
I want to offer a huge thanks to Natalie and her team at UnBound, Waco – the organizational headquarters. She provided excellent resources and provided insight as I wrote my personal human trafficking story.
Writing this post has been much harder than I imagined. I have shared my personal story countless times and never hesitated but this time it is different. This time I am sharing it in light of what it actually entails – human trafficking…
<Click here to read the rest of this post on the Waco Mom’s Blog…>
Kim “Millie” Millington is a wife, mom and entrepreneur. She is a certified life coach and operates Coach Millie’s Family Life Coaching in Waco, Texas. Her husband, James, is an instructor at TSTC. Her son is heading to the Air Force and her daughter is a senior at Rapoport Academy. She moved to Waco in 2008 to attend Truett Seminary at Baylor. She is also a graduate of Dallas Baptist University. Kim is a contributing writer for Waco Mom’s Blog and loves spending her time helping families get organized and holistically healthy.
By Terri Jo Ryan
Waco was a city on the move at the turn of the twentieth century, and its run into modernity was aided by the advent of the interurban electric railway.
Although Waco had other forms of mass transit since the days of the stagecoach, with first mule-hauled and then electrically-powered streetcars, it was the Texas Electric Railway that ultimately inherited the early rights-of-way to do business in the city, though several transit firms vied for traffic in its early days.
Citizen’s Railway Company, formed in 1877, used eighteen mule-drawn cars, and ten electric ones after 1891, to get commuters and shoppers where they needed to go until 1912. Southern Traction Company succeeded it, reconstructing tracks and adding extensions. Additionally, a streetcar company named Huaco Heights leased equipment from Citizen’s Railway Company and operated from 1913 to 1918, servicing the Huaco Heights real estate development.
It took John Frank Strickland, a man of vision and drive, to pull together the diverse elements to craft an efficient system. Strickland traveled to Texas by wagon train in 1878 from his native Alabama. He later went on to create the largest interurban rail system in the Southwest, with more than two hundred miles of track connecting commercial and cultural centers throughout the state.
Working his way up through plowing, cotton ginning, and then the grocery trade, Strickland became involved in electric power generation in Waxahachie in 1892. He later served as president of companies such as Texas Power & Light and Dallas Power & Light, positions he held until his death. Strickland and partners saw construction of interurban railroads as a complementary function of their power companies, and in 1908, a Strickland company began interurban service from Dallas to Sherman.
By 1911, Texas Traction operated seventy-seven miles of track from Dallas and Denison as well as local lines in Sherman, Denison, and McKinney. In 1912, interurban transportation from Dallas to Waxahachie began. The company extended the line to Waco in October of 1913, and absorbed streetcar lines in Waxahachie and Waco.
On New Year’s Day in 1917, Strickland merged Southern Traction Company and Texas Traction Company to create the Texas Electric Railway Company. The rail also served as the right-of-way for the electric power lines. Area drugstores and hotel lobbies sold tickets, offering different rates for children, clergy, and “excursion” groups. As ridership soared and business boomed, Strickland also won a postal contract to transport US mail, and employed a clerk to sort the letters and packages along the way.
The system’s usage peaked around 1920, when some 819,000 passengers rode the rails. The interurban’s decline began during the Great Depression, and the line started taking freight to make up for the loss of passenger revenue. Business rallied again during World War II, when gasoline shortages and rationing of rubber made rail travel more attractive than driving.
But after the war, the lure of private-car ownership and the development of better roads led to the system’s decline. The streetcar operations of Texas Electric Railway were sold to Waco Transit Company in 1946. As part of that sale, the streetcar continued to run from downtown to East Waco along the Texas Electric’s city track. But streetcar service ended when Texas Electric Railway ceased operations on December 31, 1948. Commuter service lasted for another year by the Texas Electric Bus System before being entirely phased out. Within days of the company’s closure, workers began pulling up tracks and taking down copper wire to sell off the assets and liquidate.
Remnants of the interurban railway remain visible in downtown Waco today. Pylons which once supported the interurban bridge as it spanned the Brazos River (noted on the Waco History map) offer a constant reminder of the interurban’s legacy of providing citizens with a convenient and economical means of transportation both throughout the city and the state.
Cite this Page
Terri Jo Ryan, “Interurban Railway,” Waco History, accessed January 4, 2018, http://www.wacohistory.org/items/show/117.
This post was first published in “Waco History.” Waco History is a mobile app and web platform that places the past at your fingertips! It incorporates maps, text, images, video, and oral histories to provide individuals and groups a dynamic and place-based tool to navigate the diverse and rich history of Waco and McLennan County. It is brought to you by the Institute for Oral History and Texas Collection at Baylor University.
The Act Locally Waco blog publishes posts with a connection to these aspirations for Waco. If you are interested in writing for the Act Locally Waco Blog, please email ashleyt@actlocallywaco.org for more information.
By Anna Dunbar
Did you know Americans create 25% more trash during the holidays? All of the celebrations, with disposables, create more trash than usual.
This year, take a second out of your busy schedule, and put your gift-packing into your blue recycling cart.
1. A Cardboard Reminder – It is important to remember that ALMOST ALL corrugated cardboard boxes are recyclable and should ALWAYS be placed at the curb with your blue recycling cart (not with your trash). It is helpful if you break-down boxes as flat as possible. If you have too much recycling for your curbside cart, put the excess in one of the cardboard boxes!
DON’T FORGET…You can recycle:
- Large Gift boxes (used for boxing clothing, etc.)
- Small Gift boxes (used for boxing jewelry, etc.)
- Any color packing boxes
- Any color shipping boxes
Do NOT recycle boxes contaminated with food, such as delivery pizza.
2. Electronics – Did you get a new TV or computer and need to dispose of the old one? Take the television or other electronic item, along with your most recent Waco water bill, to the Cobbs Citizen Convenience Center (recycling center).
3. Live Christmas Tree – Don’t throw out your tree just yet! Keep Waco Beautiful has an awesome opportunity to recycle those lovely Christmas trees! Bring them out Saturday, January 6, 2018 from 10 AM – 3 PM to Paul Tyson Football Field and Keep Waco Beautiful, along with Waco Parks and Recreation, will mulch the trees for free! This service is for anyone, no matter where you live. You can also get a bag of mulch to take home with you. Waco residents can also take the tree to the Cobbs Citizen Convenience Center or leave it at the curb during green week.
4. Need a second recycling cart? – Waco residents can now have access to two blue curbside carts for no extra cost. Go to Waco-texas.com or call (254) 299-2612 to request a second recycling cart.
5. Glass Containers – Don’t forget that glass food or drink containers can be dropped off at the Cobbs Convenience Center for recycling by anyone, no matter where you live! Please do NOT put glass in your blue curbside recycling cart.
6. Got beautiful bags and bows?? – Have a bag swap with friends! It saves money and reuses a bag that has a lot of cheer left!
Thank you for all you do to Keep Waco Clean and Green!
Anna Dunbar is the Operations Administrator for the City of Waco Public Works. She is responsible for informing Waco residents and businesses about recycling and waste reduction opportunities as well as solid waste services in Waco. Her husband is a Baylor professor and her daughter is a graduate student at Baylor University. She is an active member of Keep Waco Beautiful and The Central Texas Audubon Society. If you would be interested in writing for the Act Locally Waco blog, please email ashleyt@actlocallywaco.org .
By Madiha Kark
The holiday season can get to the best of us – uncontrolled food indulgences, sugary deserts, late nights, and less-than-good skincare. We’ve all been down that road, making New Year’s resolutions to take care of our skin, be healthier, and read more books.
Let’s try and take care of one of those resolutions: Taking care of our skin.
I sat down with Nicole Pepper, a student in MCC’s esthetician program, to ask her about common mistakes and myths about skincare and how to improve it. She has a bachelor’s degree from Baylor in theater design but wanted to focus more on makeup; however, “Baylor doesn’t have a strong makeup program. Everybody just kept recommending MCC’s program, so here I am!”
Getting an education in esthetics opens up doors to all sorts of career options, and MCC’s program is hands-on. Unlike other career paths in the beauty industry, esthetics offers a variety of workplaces, positions, and industries. McLennan Community College offers three certification courses through the cosmetology program: Esthetician specialist, Cosmetology Instructor, and Cosmetology. You could train to become a medical esthetician and work in doctor’s office or for a plastic surgeon, or you could become a skincare specialist working in a dermatologist’s office. You could even become a facialist working at a spa or salon. There are a lot of options!
So, let’s ask Nicole some questions to help us develop good skin habits and find out why she loves being an esthetician.
Q: What is the most common mistake when putting on makeup and how to avoid it?
Nicole: The most common mistake is not blending and buying whatever product is hot on Instagram or social media instead of understanding your skin needs. Invest in the right tools.
Q: What is the one thing people don’t realize the importance of?
Washing your brushes. At least once a week. You don’t even have to get fancy, just use a plain Dove bar soap. It works wonders.
Q: What are the essentials for a good skin-care regime?
Start with a cleanser, use an exfoliator (once a week) and moisturize. Those are the top three things if you want to start good skin habits.
Q: What changes have you made to your beauty regimen since you started the program?
I work at Beauty Brands and often times I would try new products and then buy them and they would end up under my sink. I’ve become very selective of the products I put on my face. I use a website to check ingredients in the products. It will give a rating on products. 1 or 2 is good. The rating turns from green to red to indicate harmful chemicals in the product. A good rule of thumb is to check the first five ingredients because that’s what is working.
Q: What’s the trick to a good foundation base, other than blending?
A really good skin care regimen. Some people swear by primer, but my skin looks worse with it. So I would recommend having a really good skin care regimen. If you have that, you have a great base to work on.
Q: What’s the secret to a good smoky eye?
That’s also blending – really, really good blending. Use, a tiny brush with a fluffy dome top. Just sit and blend away.
Q: If there is one thing you would recommend to take care of your skin, what would it be?
Invest in good skin care. The idea is not to buy just whatever is in the market. Research for ingredients and check labels on what the products have.
***
In addition to the personal and emotional benefits, a career as an esthetician offers the potential for advancement and growth. According to some surveys, by 2024, employment of skincare specialists is projected to grow by 12 percent, which is faster than average for other professions. More and more people are interested in holistic health and overall wellbeing which estheticians can help accomplish. Since your skin is the largest organ in your body, you want to take care of it. At MCC’s state-of-the-art facility, the machines and techniques that are taught allow for hands-on experience, meaning you can step into the workforce as soon as you complete one of the certificates.
For more information on the cosmetology and esthetician program, as well as salon hours, visit http://www.mclennan.edu/cosmetology/. Find out how you can start your career in holistic health and wellbeing at MCC!
Madiha Kark is a Marketing, Communications and Photography Specialist at McLennan Community College. She holds an M.A. in Journalism from the University of North Texas. She loves to travel, cook, and read nonfiction books.
The Act Locally Waco blog publishes posts with a connection to these aspirations for Waco. If you are interested in writing for the Act Locally Waco Blog, please email ashleyt@actlocallywaco.org for more information.
By Ashley Bean Thornton
There are many things I love about my husband: he knows how to grill a steak just the way I like it, he does most of the grocery shopping, he brought Mo-town and peppermint ice cream into my life, he’s good looking, etc. etc.
But, if I had to pick the one trait that I love most of all about Mr. Thornton it is that he has a wonderful capacity for delight. He laughs out loud at the Sunday morning funnies. When he is reading a good book, he reads the best lines out loud to me. He takes full-hearted joy in watching our dogs zoom around the house. A cookie, an onion ring, the sound of a wind chime, a full moon, clean sheets, warm towels, elephant jokes…he delights me nearly every day by taking delight in things that I might have missed.
One of the least disturbing examples of the graffiti we saw.
A few weekends ago our Waco Walks group took a walk with Erika Huddleston. Erika is an artist who specializes in “nature paintings in urban settings.” Thanks to the Art Center of Waco, she has a series of paintings on exhibit at the Mayborn Museum that are her interpretations of Waco Creek. Our walk with Erika took us into parts of town that many of us – left to our own inclinations – might have avoided. As is my habit sometimes, I saw plenty of ugly things: disturbing graffiti made all the more disturbing by the obvious artistic talent of the ones who created it, a stringer of dead fish covered with flies and stink, broken concrete and glass, and everywhere trash, trash, trash.
Thanks to Erika’s gentle leadership we also saw some beautiful things. One of the most beautiful was standing on the 15th Street bridge overlooking Waco Creek listening to Erika talk about what she saw there. She described how the chaos and beauty of nature in the midst of the imposed structure of the city inspired and delighted her. With the aid of her delight I saw the limestone, the fall color in the leaves, the tiny fish… all beauty I might have missed.
As part of my job at Baylor I have been doing a little tutoring at J. H. Hines Elementary. We are trying to figure out ways that the University can partner with the public schools within a two-mile radius of campus for the benefit of both. I was working through a box of sight word cards with a first grader the other day when he grabbed the pile of cards containing words he had
One of Erika’s Waco Creek paintings.
read successfully and fanned them out like hundred dollar bills – “Look at all the words I can read!” he beamed. Little kids are notorious carriers of delight.
I called my mom last night. Our family Christmas plans are a little rushed this year and I needed to delicately negotiate spending time with Family in Houston while still getting back to Waco in time for church obligations. I was slightly annoyed when she didn’t answer the phone. This morning I got a text, “Sorry I missed your call – watching Sound of Music and singing along. Please try again.” Thanks Mom, for raising me to understand the importance of delight!
As one year sets and another rises, there are some heavy problems out there in our city and in our world. Good people have been chopping away at them for a long time. Sometimes it feels like we are making progress and sometimes it doesn’t. How do we keep going? How do we renew our spirits? Keep an eye out for the delights along the way, my friends, and keep on chopping! Merry Christmas to all and onward to 2018!
This Act Locally Waco blog post is by Ashley Bean Thornton, she has lived in Waco almost 20 years now. Far longer than she ever lived anywhere else. She likes to walk. If you see her out walking, honk and wave and say “hi!”
The Act Locally Waco blog publishes posts with a connection to these aspirations for Waco. If you are interested in writing for the Act Locally Waco Blog, please email ashleyt@actlocallywaco.org for more information.
By Christopher Qualls
I work at Indian Spring Middle School in Waco ISD. Though I share that with pride, I am not oblivious to the feelings it conjures up in others. Our school has been in the news for a myriad of less-than-positive reasons over time. Recent history is no exception.
There are several vicious cycles present in our communities’ schools, and I have not the time nor energy to discuss each of those in depth through this platform. However, the most nefarious problem I believe that our students face is the public perception.
While shopping at a local business this weekend, I learned that an employee there had retired from Midway ISD. Interested to find that unique bond shared between wartime trench-friends, I proudly shared my occupation.
“Oh. I bet that’s tough. Those kids have a rougher, street element”
Wait. What.
What does that mean?
Our students at Indian Spring are exceptional.
There is little difference in the students of Indian Spring, Tennyson, Caesar Chavez, G.W. Carver or even Midway Middle.
The problem is not the people; it is the perception of the people.
Our students at Indian Spring are victims of others’ perception. From the time they were in elementary school, the assumption has been that these students are somehow lesser than. There are those in the community that mistakenly underestimate the limitless potential of youth. They assume that these children will grow into underperforming middle school students, high school students, and eventually some sort of scourge on society.
This perception seeps through to the students, and it becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy.
By expecting less of the students at Indian Spring, we are setting them up for failure.
These are good children who have been given up on and underestimated.
If we are going to change the educational climate of Waco ISD, we must first start with the perception we have of the students. That means we must start with ourselves. We must realize that the perceptions we have of our students will either enable or limit their future. More than any skills, we teach young people how to believe in themselves—or not. We wield a dangerous power through our perception. We must use it wisely.
Christopher Qualls is a Licensed Master Social Worker serving Waco Independent School District as the Afterschool and Summer Enrichment Programs Manager and actively consulting various non-profits on all aspects of programming. He has near 10 years of experience in agencies all over the world, but has spent the past three years living and serving in Waco.
The Act Locally Waco blog publishes posts with a connection to these aspirations for Waco. If you are interested in writing for the Act Locally Waco Blog, please email ashleyt@actlocallywaco.org for more information.
By Emily Carolin
For the 2017-2018 school year, Baylor launched an exciting set of transdisciplinary courses aimed toward the promotion of human flourishing and the development of innovative approaches to some of the world’s most complex challenges. Under the umbrella of the Social Innovation Collaborative (SIC), Baylor currently has teams of students and faculty collaborating on a wide range of important projects. One of these projects includes the pioneering Water, River, and Community course taught by a wide range of professors from Museum Studies, Economics, Environmental Science, English, Education, and Religion. I was fortunate enough to be one of three Museum Studies graduate students in this course, along with nine other undergraduate students from various disciplines. This unique mix of both professors and students allowed us to delve into a topic from our own backyard.
Water, River, and Community is a problem-based, community-embedded transdisciplinary learning experience that involves students in an exploration of the wicked problem of water. The problems associated with water are difficult to define, without clear solution, socially complex, void of one group who expresses sole responsibility for the problems, and involve many interdependencies. As stated by Ban Ki-moon, former United Nations Secretary General, “Water is the classic common property resource. No one really owns the problem. Therefore, no one really owns the solution.” As a class, we undertook the problem of water and in some cases, worked to find a solution, through lectures, field trips, and assignments.
At the start of the semester, we took a canoe trip down the Brazos River in conjunction with reading John Graves Goodbye to a River. While we contentedly paddled down the river, we looked to discover our own natural connection with the river while understanding Graves’ personal love for the Brazos River. We saw turtles, various bird and fish, snakes, and encountered one too many spiderwebs strung across low-hanging branches. We caught and identified tiny fish native and non-native to the Brazos River, while discussing the impact of the Whitney Dam on the aquatic life. We explored the heart of the Brazos River Valley first-hand with wet clothes and slightly sunburnt skin.
One of my personal favorite assignments and activities of the semester included the development of a survey using Contingent Valuation Method (CVM). This economics-based method allowed us to inquire as to our fellow students’ willingness to pay regarding cleaning up and beautifying Waco Creek on Baylor’s campus. Many students complain of the trash in the creek and recognize it as a major eyesore on Baylor’s campus. We developed questions that probed students as to their recycling habits, opinions on landscaping on Baylor campus, and if they choose to recreationally use the areas around Waco Creek. We proposed a one-time $25 increase to student fee and a subsequent $5 increase to install a bandalong trash collection device that would skim the top of the water for trash and adding planters and seating to other areas of Waco Creek. A high majority of students said they would be willing to increase their student fees to clean up Waco Creek for the betterment of the Waco community. In the future, we hope to expand upon this survey to propose a solution to keep Waco Creek clean. Waco Creek is not just important to the Baylor campus but to all Waco residents; and this is only one example of how our class continually connected the health of a community to the health of a river. We depend on a river just as much as the river depends on us.
A final assignment brought local fourth-grade students from Bell’s Hills Elementary School to the Mayborn Museum to learn about their local waterways. My group developed an activity, Can You Undo Pollution? It simulated pollution in a river or creek. We took a metal tub of water and filled it with dirt and trash. Students upon walking up the activity were initially disgusted by the tubs, which was just the reaction we were hoping for! By seeing the damage that littering or polluting local waterways can cause, students can better understand how the actions they take affect the world around them. With strainers and tongs, we asked the students to attempt to remove the dirt and trash from the water. While the trash was removed, much of the dirt continued to swirl in the water showing students that pollution is often irreversible. Students then suggested ways that we could act to stop pollution from happening, including: stop littering, recycle, and throw trash away appropriately. We hope that came away from this activity with a better understanding of how their actions affect the health of a river, which in turn will affect their own health in the future.
While this is only a small glimpse of activities we undertook in the Water, River, and Community, Overall, the course taught me to be more cognizant of my actions and to better appreciate the natural world where we live, while also providing me with a strong background to discuss water policy, ethics, and law. I hope this blog has helped you learn some of the effects that a person can have on a river!
Emily Carolin is a Yankee living the grad school life in the South. She can often be found: devouring books and baked goods, wearing clogs, and wandering in museums. Emily is a graduate student at Baylor University and works at the Mayborn Museum Complex.
The Act Locally Waco blog publishes posts with a connection to these aspirations for Waco. If you are interested in writing for the Act Locally Waco Blog, please email ashleyt@actlocallywaco.org for more information.