Dr Flavius Akerele III's The E Team Education blog

Education is the one industry that touches all other industries. This can be said because every profession, skill, etc., needs teachers. Like every industry, education has its ups and downs, and the pattern does not necessarily fall under traditional business downturns; in fact, when the market is down, people often go back to school. Traditional educational institutions often like to consider themselves bastions of free thinking and the incubators of new ideas. However, as someone who has worked in the industry for a while now, I need to point out that educators hate change ! Curriculum changes are often done out of shear necessity and not proactively. Leadership changes (especially if the person comes from the outside) are looked on with suspicion. The “ old boys ” network still rules who gets hired, fired, and what gets swept under the rug to avoid scandal. Educators are often among the most indiscreet people, the rumor mills are terrible, despite FERPA ! The educat...

Sociopath: “ a person with a personality disorder manifesting itself in extreme antisocial attitudes and behavior and a lack of conscience”. How to Spot a Sociopath: https://www.psychologytoday.com/articles/201305/how-spot-sociopath Sometimes the simplest explanation is the one that is real, and too often we human beings are good at making excuses for other peoples’ bad behavior. Sociopaths are real, they might not even recognize (or care) what they are, and in this day of social media, we seem to be letting them into our lives all the more rapidly. Do not give up on people, but it is ok to take your time before letting someone into your life. Slow down! Thoughts from an educator Dr Flavius A B Akerele III The ETeam

Jut a reminder that the U.S. is still a very young country, and we all know young people make mistakes. If you don't believe me, may I remind you that there are still some children whose parents fought in the civil war 150 years ago, STILL ALIVE! https://news.nationalgeographic.com/…/141111-veterans-day-…/ There are still children whose PARENTS were slaves still walking this country! https://www.currentaffairs.org/20…/…/slavery-was-very-recent Food for thought.... Dr Flavius A B Akerele III The ETeam

“Social media is the collective of online communications channels dedicated to community-based input, interaction, content-sharing and collaboration” Social: “ living and breeding in more or less organized communities especially for the purposes of cooperation and mutual benefit ” The purpose of social media was help us get more connected, to share, collaborate, etc.; especially with people who lived far away. There is nothing social about the way we see it being used today: ·          Cyber bullying ·          Hate Speech ·          Shaming These are just some of the daily things that happen on social media, and it seems like we are at the point where this kind of negativity is overtaking the positive aspect of what it was created for. What is interesting is that people feel safe behind their computer screen, they say things to people vir...

Saying what you mean, and meaning what you say; that is something we should all be striving for in life. It is even more important when you are hiring people, writing recommendations, mentoring people, etc. I have said it before and will say it again, everyone’s time is valuable, including the person applying for the job. What kind of relationships are you building with a non-caring attitude? This is more than just communication (which many people do not truly understand), this is about effective communication. Lessons from an MBA program. Dr Flavius A B Akerele III The ETeam

I picked up a part-time gig at a concert venue. I get to listen to world class musicians in every genre for free and I get paid for it. Something has been bugging me though, and it is the excess appearance of cell phones while the music is playing. You have a Grammy award winning artist in front of you, and you are watching the concert through a cellphone?! Are you kidding me?! I know your social media is so desperately in need of an update, and everyone must know you are listening to awesome music; but the trouble is you are not listening. Try leaving your cell phones at home for a day and go out and have fun. You might actual enjoy some of that music. Dr Flavius A B Akerele III The ETeam

When you are looking for a job, besides networking, everyone signs up on job boards. I just realized I have never met one person who said that they have gotten their job from a job board directly. I would love to be proven wrong on this. Dr Flavius A B Akerele III The ETeam PS. All of them claim to be the number one place to get a job, interesting

Sharing today: Curious about his haters, Theo E.J. Wilson did the only reasonable thing – he went undercover and joined their ranks. In this insightful and downright hilarious talk, Theo shares some surprising discoveries about both sides of the aisle. Slam poet Theo E.J. Wilson, a.k.a Lucifury, is a founding member of Denver’s SlamNUBA team, which won the National Poetry Slam in 2011. He began his speaking career with the NAACP at the age of 15 and has always been passionate about social justice. Theo is currently the Executive Director of Shop Talk Live, an organization that uses the barbershop as a staging ground for community dialogue and healing. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FdHJw0veVNY Dr Flavius A B Akerele III The ETeam

For some reason, I keep seeing red herrings and non-sequiturs being thrown into discussions of “race and racially charged incidences”, and before anyone starts saying we are all one race, just know that I am using the term for educational purposes. Also, know that many Americans do believe we are different races, and that is a pity. When you compare the KKK: “ The Ku Klux Klan established in 1865, with its long history of violence, is the most infamous — and oldest — of American hate groups. Although black Americans have typically been the Klan's primary target, it also has attacked Jews, immigrants, gays and lesbians and, until recently, Catholics” https://www.splcenter.org/fighting-hate/extremist-files/ideology/ku-klux-klan To the Black Panthers: “The Black Panther Party (BPP), was established in 1966 by Huey Newton and Bobby Seale. The two leading revolutionary men created the national organization as a way to collectively combat white oppression, after constan...

Do you know why Americans died in ww2? An education question and statement In regard to Charleville, VA this week http://abcnews.go.com/US/unite-rally-virginia-sparks-counterprotests-state-emergency/story?id=49176243 “World War II  fatality statistics vary, with estimates of total deaths ranging from 50 million to more than 80 million. The higher figure of over 80 million includes deaths from war-related disease and famine. World War II  fatality statistics vary, with estimates of total  deaths  ranging from 50 million to more than 80 million”  “World War II  (1939-1945) ... The roots of  World War II , which eventually pitted Germany, Japan, and Italy (the Axis) against the United States, Great Britain and the Soviet Union (the Allies), lay in the militaristic ideologies and expansionist policies of Nazi Germany, Italy, and Japan”. We were fighting fascism. That is a lot of people. Americans died fighting so they would not ha...

I learned something deep today: have you ever heard of “Collateral Consequences” in regard to the justice system? We all think we know how it affects people, but we mostly only know just the surface. “Collateral consequences are legal and regulatory sanctions and restrictions that limit or prohibit people with criminal records from accessing employment, occupational licensing, housing, voting, education, and other opportunities. Collateral consequences most frequently affect people who have been convicted of a crime, though in some states an arrest alone—even an arrest that doesn't result in a conviction—may trigger a collateral consequence”. “Some collateral consequences serve a legitimate public safety or regulatory function, such as keeping firearms out of the hands of people convicted of domestic violence offenses, prohibiting people convicted of abuse from working with children or the elderly, or barring people convicted of fraud from positions of public trust. Ot...

Education is one of the most regulated industries in the United States, but I have always said that educators are big gossips, no matter what the level. People get judged on popularity, seniority, and by whispers. I recently attended what I thought was a professional conversation about teaching, and one of the opening statements was “well I heard …about you”. You heard?! We are supposed to be objective with our students, use rubrics, have learning goals, etc. How can we truly claim this if we cannot be objective with each other? Do you realize so many performance evaluations in education are based upon how the supervisor is feeling about you at that time, not about your performance for the year? Unfortunately, we often treat our students this way as well. We judge them based upon student records, but we do not look closely at the records, just the juicy gossip. The teachers lounge in K12 is often full of negative student gossip. Educators, we must do better if we a...

Worth looking at... https://jeanmarciyeliakerele.wordpress.com/

What is a for profit company? “ A business or other organization whose primary goal is making money (a profit), as opposed to a non profit organization which focuses a goal such as helping the community and is concerned with money only as much as necessary to keep the organization operating” So, if this company is not selling its services or product, it goes out of business. But what if it product is prisoners? That means in order to make money it would need its jails to be full; all the time. Remember, the number one goal of a company is to maximize profits for its owners. “The Corrections Corporation of America launched  the era of private prisons in 1983, when it opened an immigration detention center in an former motel in Houston, Texas. Today the Nashville-based company houses more than 66,000 inmates, making it the country’s second-largest private prison company. In 2015, it reported $1.9 billion in revenue and made more than $221 million in net income—more th...

The 4 th of July has just passed. So, the lingering of fireworks, flags, and people shouting “freedom” is still in the air. The 4 th of July is a day when people’s patriotism comes out full force, but like Mother’s Day, it soon fades back into the closet until the next year. Why do you say that? I am glad you asked. True patriotism does not take a day off, true patriotism is also not just loving “your” version of America but embracing everyone’s America. It means acknowledging the diversities of religion, culture, skin color, etc. It means accepting the fact that the country is far from perfect but you are going to try and make it better. There are people who struggle on daily basis just trying to make it, so perhaps they might not feel like celebrating. Does this make them less American? Absolutely not! The beauty of the freedom the country is supposed to have means one size does not fit all, but we are all in the same big box. So as you sing your patriotic songs,...

'I don't know how to lead for equity, that was not part of my program' Equity took center stage in the day two conversations at the Education Commission of the States National Forum on Education Policy Thursday. One resonant statement reflected how principal preparation programs didn't include equity components, meaning that now leaders are struggling to approach their work through an equity lens. Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education President Joe Garcia — who shared with the audience that his school counselors never once mentioned to him the idea of his going to college— said working harder to close achievement gaps from early education on through to higher ed is everyone’s work. Read the rest here: http://www.educationdive.com/news/i-dont-know-how-to-lead-for-equity-that-was-not-part-of-my-program/446094/ Dr Flavius A B Akerele III The ETeam

Truth: ·          Most crime happens between people familiar with each other. So, FYI, the so called “black on black crime’ is bullshit. If black people committed more crimes outside of their segregated zone they would be extinct. We know this because it is near impossible to convict LE or anyone for killing black folks. ·          “White on white crime’ is almost as high as any crime ·          Skin color is not a race or culture ·          Most crime happens in poor neighborhoods ·          Most black neighborhoods are poor ·          The United States is still a segregated society. There are black, white, Asian, Latino, and, etc. neighborhoods, true fact. ·          The crime ra...

Most jobs today are going to come from connections and networking; who you know really does matter. However, that does not mean you do not have a shot at an open position, and that is where recommendations come in handy. Specifically, timely and relevant recommendation. I cannot count the number of times I have been asked to write a letter of reference, and my rules on this are simple: 1.       Please give me a template on what they are looking for so I can properly frame the recommendation 2.       Try and avoid asking me for a last-minute letter of references/recommendations 3.       If I say yes, I will do it almost immediately. The last part is important because someone’s application could be getting held up because of that one letter of reference, especially when computers are tallying up everything nowadays. Having experienced that particular phenomenon, I can tell you it is not a ple...

Summary Strong leadership is the cornerstone for a successful institution, and strength comes from training as well as experience. It is often the case specific training does not occur before a leadership appointment nor does it occur after a leader is chosen; rather it is often based upon seniority or the “old boys network”, as can be clearly in many companies. The kind of leadership needed for this arena in the 21 st century is different, and requires and upgrade in tools and training. A certificate in leadership/leadership development would give the much needed specific knowledge of four key areas, to leaders. It will give them the training they do not have and will not get, it will provide stability, reduce turnover of positions because leaders are not feeling overwhelmed, and it can build a network between peers and make the atmosphere more collaborative. While there are programs that exist in the industry, most are geared towards specific companies and do not in...

I would love to see this quote proved wrong but I will not hold my breath because nine years later this hasn't changed much...: ""The mistake of most traditional campus-based institutions was to see the potential if online learning in terms of access and serving more students instead of serving current students better" (Garrison & Vaughan, 2008)"

Let us look at this sentence: “I don’t like because of color”. If inserted into the wrong conversation in the right way, all of sudden you have an argument about racism. The whole sentence was really: “I don’t like this couch because the of the color” , a significant difference. When people alter, or omit words from sentences, it can have a profound effect on a conversation, when leaders do this, it can have a devastating effect in general. Leaders who consistently keep their employees in the dark are fostering a culture that thrives on rumors because we all know that information gap will be filled by something. It is even more sad when the information that was withheld was not even vital! If you want “buy-in" from your employees than you need to give them something to buy; if you want to have civil conversations then you need to check your sources before you quote. The standards of using references that are peer reviewed and reliable is not just for academia. A le...

I have been seeing a lot of resume posts recently on whether a resume “passes the 6 second test”, and it disturbs me. Do you mean to stay that my vast professional experience and education is only worth six seconds of your time? You mean to tell me you are not interested in a potentially excellent candidate? A professional’s experience cannot be nor should it be summed up in mere seconds. If you are serious about recruiting the best than you need to act like it; the best deserves more of your time. We all understand that there are many more applications today for a single job, but you owe it to your company and to future employees to do your due diligence and treat them as more than a number. This also extends to returning emails and phone calls by the way, especially if you asked the person to do just that. There are far too many rude employers out there who feel they can just ignore a legitimate communication from someone. How you recruit is what you get, and how...