Mentoring-A Guiding Hand in a Time of Need

‘We all get where we’re going with a push from someone else’

–Denzel Washington, actor, director, & philanthropist, A Hand to Guide Me

January is National Mentoring Month. The word MENTOR means: ‘a wise and trusted counselor or guide’.  Everyone has had a mentor at some time in their lives. Think about the life of President Barack Obama -the first African American to serve in the highest office in the land and what  his life would have been like without very special people who helped him at the most critical times of his experience. As we celebrate President Obama’s second term in office, this is a great time to think about how mentors help young people to fulfill their potential. Even a person as great and fulfilled as Dr. Martin Luther King, whose birthday we also celebrate this week, attributed his peaceful resistance strategy and other success in the civil rights movement to the guidance of great mentors- Mahatma Ghandhi, his family, and colleagues in the civil rights movement. 

Most of us can remember individuals who had a positive impact our lives. I remember the ‘guiding hands’ of my favorite elementary teachers, high school counselor, my family, and later, my mentors in graduate school: Dr. James M. Patton and Dr. Joyce VanTassel-Baska. It was Jim who deepened my commitment to working for Equity in Education for culturally diverse students and Joyce’s firm hand and wise counsel that led me to my passion for  Gifted Education.

Mentors for high ability & gifted children are just as critical as they are for all children, especially for those students who have missed out on early and sustained access to rigorous classroom experiences. Having high intellectual ability does not mean that a young person will not need guidance, encouragement, and assistance to help them fulfill their potential. No matter how bright a student may be, a good mentor can be critical to their future success- just when they may need it the most.

I invited Torie Weiston, Executive Director of the Youth Mentoring Action Network in Southern California to write about the importance of mentoring for this blog. Below is an excerpt from one of her articles, entitled: THE  POWER OF MENTORING .

I often think of what my life would be like if I didn’t have great mentors all along my journey….

‘The Power of Mentoring’

By Torie Weiston

  

We know that the potential of African-American youth is unlimited, and often untapped. However, in much of the literature and in educational conversation, we often hear more focus on the ‘achievement gap’ when referring to African American students, rather than their untapped potential. The achievement gap must be addressed in honest and thoughtful ways as we approach a new era in American education.  While many researchers have discussed strategies for closing the achievement gap over the years, very few have looked specifically at the power of mentoring for an answer.

Mentoring is a successful strategy for youth, in general (Allen, 2007; Keller, 2010; Rhodes, 2002; 2010), but few have related mentoring to the academic achievement gap.  Some studies have demonstrated that mentoring has  a positive correlation to academic achievement (Jekielek, Moore, Hair, & Scarupa, 2002).

Research on mentoring highlights several positive effects:

Ø  First, mentoring has been documented to help increase the academic progress of youth, including an increase in grade point averages, in school attendance, and in college acceptance and attendance.

Ø  Second, mentoring is helpful to youth regardless of the race of the mentor. Cross-race matches are as valuable as other mentoring matches, and

Ø  Third, mentoring has an immense effect on the resiliency of youth. Resiliency has been identified as a key factor for the success of African American youth.

The Youth Mentoring Action Network, a grassroots non-profit in Southern California, has established a school and community based mentoring programming, based on a synthesis of research and evidence-based practices. Working with African-American high school students from various backgrounds the Youth Mentoring Action Network has become a change agent. Through direct work with mentors and specifically designed programming, last year the organization celebrated a 95% college acceptance rate among its graduating seniors.

Providing long-term guidance from mentors, academic support, establishing a college- going culture, and teaching vital “real-world” skills are the basis for the Youth Mentoring Action Network. We believe that these strategies over time will be instrumental in closing the achievement gap.  We highly recommend the development of mentoring programs in every neighborhood, every school and every community across the nation. To find out more about the Youth Mentoring Action Network please visit us at: http://prezi.com/qhnsjgl9yftl/youth-mentoring-action-network/?kw=view-qhnsjgl9yftl&rc=ref-4729692.

Will you lend a hand and devote some time to a budding scientist, journalist, educator, politician, artist today?  Somewhere a student is waiting for a ‘nudge’ or a ‘hand to guide’ them closer to accomplishing their dreams.  Just think about it! Your encouragement could be the difference between a dream realized  or a dream deferred. Become a Mentor Today!!

References

Allen, T. D., & Eby, L. T. (Eds.). (2007). The Blackwell handbook of mentoring: a multiple perspective approach. Malden, MA: Blackweel Publishing Ltd.

Jekielek, S. M., Moore, K. A., Hair, E. C., & Scarupa, H. J. (2002). Mentoring: a promising strategy for youth development: Child Trends Research Brief.

Keller, T. E. (2010). Youth mentoring: Theoretical and methodological issues. In T. D. E. Allen, L.T. (Ed.), The Blackweel Handbook of Mentoring: A Multiple Perspectives Approach (pp. 23-47): Blackwell Publishing.

Rhodes, J. E. (2002). Stand by me: the risks and rewards of mentoring today's youth. Cambridge: Harvard University Press.

Rhodes, J. E., & Spencer, R. (2010). Structuring mentoring relationships for competence, character, and purpose. New directions for youth development, 2010(126), 149-152. doi: 10.1002/yd.356

Other highly recommended readings

http://freespiritpublishingblog.com/2013/01/10/guest-post-effective-mentoring-programs/

Edelman, M.W.(1999) Lanterns: A memoir of Mentors. Boston:Beacon Press

Washington, D. (2006). A Hand to Guide Me: Legends and Leaders Celebrate the People who Shaped their Lives. Des Moines, IA: Meredith Books

A TRIBUTE TO TUPAC SHAKUR-THE GENIUS WITHIN

Several years ago, I discovered an original copy of Tupac Shakur’s book ‘The Rose that Grew From Concrete’ in one of my daughters' personal library. I was amazed when I saw the name of the author and awestruck  when I began reading the poetry and seeing the  illustrations. This book was published post-humously. The book is very unique in that it has pictures of the author's hand written version of the poem, some with drawings, juxtaposed with the typed version. It is a collection of some of the most sensitive and thought-provoking poems ever written (at least in my opinion), especially given that Shakur was just a teen when he wrote this collection. A young black teen growing up in urban America, trying to make sense of the world around him.

Recently, I’ve seen a revival of  his work and a number of tributes in different forms  and in particular, heard mention in different venues of the title poem ‘The Rose that Grew From Concrete’. On nationwide television you can hear a narrator sharing this poem as part of a marketing campaign.  Interesting...

Let me make one thing clear. I do not condone violence of any kind. Nor do I condone the popular media’s tendency to perpetuate negativity in their portrayal of the lives and experiences of African American males. This young man had a tumultuous life, no doubt. This tribute is an effort to focus attention to the ‘genius within’ - the young person who was overshadowed during his life. It’s an effort to help more parents, educators and other advocates to look more closely at young people everywhere and work harder to discover and develop their gifts.

The Rose that Grew from Concrete

Autobiographical

Did u hear about a rose that grew from a crack

in the concrete

Proving nature’s laws wrong it learned 2 walk

without having feet

Funny it seems but by keeping its dreams

it learned to breathe fresh air

Long live the rose that grew from concrete

When no one even cared!

-Tupac Shakur, 1999

Like Tupac, so many very gifted, very thoughtful, very sensitive young people are seated in classrooms everywhere with little thought by the adults around them of how bright they really are.  As a matter of fact, the popular media perpetuated the myth around Tupac life’s that he was a ‘gangsta rapper’ and little else. Until now. People who have ‘discovered’ this book are now beginning to take a closer look at the life and mind of Tupac Shakur- the genius within. The problem is that he is no longer with us.  

However, I believe that Tupac wrote his poetry so that his legacy could live on and this very inspirational title poem is the one that provokes us to understand that even through the dark, tough, seemingly insurmountable odds against them…a rose with beautiful petals, heavenly fragrance, and great dreams can grow.  Even without ‘feet’…Tupac suggests that the rose can also walk..carrying its aura with it wherever it goes. As you read through this uniquely insightful book, you will also discover the heart of a young man who envisioned a better world, but who understood more than anyone his age should..that there were numerous inequities facing his people.

We make far too many assumptions about young people based on historical biases, popular media, stereotyping, and all of the negativity surrounding so many of our communities and in our assumptions we become caught up. Caught up and every now and then—someone or something ‘amazes’ us with their insight, their ideas, their imaginations. Like Tupac, I believe there are more ‘roses’ with the capability of growing but need a fertile soil in the form of a helping hand, an advocate, someone who looks more closely, listens and does something to help these young people live out their dreams.

In my undergrad diversity education class, one of the assignments is for my students to write a book review from a list of books with multicultural themes. This book has been on my class list since the Spring of 2010. Each semester at least 1-2 students select it and write a review. This is an excerpt of a review written by one student (a preservice teacher):

TuPac was not only a gangsta rapper he was also a sensitive soul.  In the collection of poems …he references the idea that he is making it through a life that has all odds against him.  In his first poem The Rose That Grew From Concrete, he is comparing himself to the rose.  Typically it would be impossible for a rose to grow where there is no good soil to help it along the way, but that rose grew even still.  It (meaning the book) gave me insight into another side of the youth that I will face in my classroom.  All students are to be nurtured and encouraged to express themselves.  ..Children go through some of the same struggles today that TuPac had to deal with when he was young.  It is crucial for us as teacher not to stereotype our children based on the color of their skin, how they dress, or their economic status.  Children like TuPac are probably passed over or ignored all the time because they come with a little baggage, and the sad part about it is that they could be just as brilliant... 

As we end this year and begin anew in 2013, I encourage each of you to look closer wherever children may be found and consider that among the group there may well be an insightful genius with great potential, who like the rose,  is seeking a way to 'break through' the concrete to share their beautiful mind with the world.

References-

Shakur, T. A. (1999) The Rose that Grew from Concrete. New York, NY: Simon & Schuster. 

ATTENTION: WRITERS ARE NEEDED. IF YOU HAVE A STORY, IDEA OR A SUCCESSFUL PROGRAM THAT YOU WOULD LIKE TO SHARE HERE THAT IS RELEVANT TO INCREASING EQUITY AND EXCELLENCE IN OUR NATION’S SCHOOLS, PLEASE CONTACT ME! 

PLEASE TAKE THE OPPORTUNITY ALSO TO SHARE THIS BLOG WITH OTHERS AND DO YOUR PART TO ADVOCATE FOR IMPROVED SERVICES FOR ALL GIFTED STUDENTS!!

TOGETHER WE CAN DO THIS!!

HAPPY HOLIDAYS TO ALL!!

Several years ago as I discovered an original copy of Tupac Shakur’s ‘A Rose that Grew From Concrete’ in my daughter’s library. I was amazed when I saw the name of the author and awestruck  when I began reading. The poetry and illustrations are creative, insightful and so thought-provoking. This book was published post-humously. It is a collection of some of the most sensitive and profound poetry ever written (at least in my opinion), and it was written while Tupac was just a teen, a young man, trying to make sense of the world around him.  The book definitely demonstrates that Shakur was a very gifted writer, thinker, and humanist.

Recently, I’ve seen a revival of  his work and a number of tributes in different forms  and in particular heard mention in different venues of the title ‘A Rose that Grew From Concrete’. On nationwide television you can hear a narrator sharing this poem as part of a marketing campaign.  Interesting...

Let me make one thing clear. I do not condone violence of any kind. Nor do I condone the popular media’s tendency to perpetuate negativity in their portrayal of the lives and experiences of African American males. This young man had a tumultuous life, no doubt. This tribute is an effort to focus attention on the ‘genius within’ the young person who was overshadowed during his life. It’s an effort to help more parents, educators and other advocates to look more closely at the young people around you and work hard to discover and develop their gifts.

The Rose that Grew from Concrete

Autobiographical

Did u hear about a rose that grew from a crack

in the concrete

Proving nature’s laws wrong it learned 2 walk

without having feet

Funny it seems but by keeping its dreams

it learned to breathe fresh air

Long live the rose that grew from concrete

When no one even cared!

Tupac Shakur, 1999

Like Tupac, so many very gifted, very thoughtful, very sensitive young people are seated in our classrooms everywhere. Unfortunately, many adults in their environments ever give any though  to  how bright they really are.  As a matter of fact, the popular media perpetuated the myth around Tupac life’s that he was a ‘gangsta rapper’ and little else. Until now. People who have ‘discovered’ this book are now beginning to take a closer look at the life and mind of Tupac Shakur. The problem is that he is no longer with us.  

However, I believe that Tupac wrote his poetry so that his legacy could live on and this very inspirational title poem is the one that provokes us to understand that even through the dark, tough, seemingly insurmountable odds against them…a rose with beautiful petals, heavenly fragrance, and great dreams can grow.  Even without ‘feet’…Tupac suggests that the rose can also walk..carrying its aura with it wherever it goes. As you read through this uniquely insightful book, you will also discover the heart of a young man who envisioned a better world, but who understood more than anyone his age should..that there were numerous inequities facing his people.

We make far too many assumptions about young people based on historical biases, popular media, stereotyping, and all of the negativity surrounding so many of our communities and in our assumptions we become caught up. Caught up and every now and then—someone or something ‘amazes’ us with their insight, their ideas, their imaginations. Like Tupac, I believe there are more ‘roses’ with the capability of growing but need a fertile soil in the form of a helping hand, an advocate, someone who looks more closely, listens and does something to help these young people live out their dreams.

In my undergrad diversity education class, one of the assignments is for my students to write a book review of a book selected from a list of books with multicultural themes. This book has been on my class list since the Spring of 2010. Each semester 1-2 students select it from the list, read it, and write a review. This is an excerpt from one student’s review:

TuPac was not only a gangsta rapper he was also a sensitive soul.  In the collection of poems …he references the idea that he is making it through a life that has all odds against him.  In his first poem The Rose That Grew From Concrete, he is comparing himself to the rose.  Typically it would be impossible for a rose to grow where there is no good soil to help it along the way, but that rose grew even still.  It (meaning the book) gave me insight into another side of the youth that I will face in my classroom.  All students are to be nurtured and encouraged to express themselves.  ..Children go through some of the same struggles today that TuPac had to deal with when he was young.  It is crucial for us as teacher not to stereotype our children based on the color of their skin, how they dress, or their economic status.  Children like TuPac are probably passed over or ignored all the time because they come with a little baggage, and the sad part about it is that they could be just as brilliant . 

I encourage each of us as we end this year and begin anew in 2013, to look closer and consider among the children and youth in our environments..how many ‘roses’ there truly are that are simply craving a way to ‘break through’ the concrete and share their ‘beautiful minds’ with the world.

References-

Shakur, T. A. (1999) The Rose that Grew from Concrete. New York, NY: Simon & Schuster. 

ATTENTION:  IF YOU HAVE A STORY, IDEA OR A SUCCESSFUL PROGRAM THAT YOU WOULD LIKE TO SHARE HERE THAT IS RELEVANT TO INCREASING EQUITY AND EXCELLENCE IN OUR NATION’S SCHOOLS, PLEASE CONTACT ME! 

PLEASE TAKE THE OPPORTUNITY ALSO TO SHARE THIS BLOG WITH OTHERS AND DO YOUR PART TO ADVOCATE FOR IMPROVED SERVICES FOR ALL GIFTED STUDENTS!!

TOGETHER WE CAN DO THIS!!

HAPPY HOLIDAYS TO ALL!!

THE POWER OF PARENT ADVOCACY

Research and practice in child development and family involvement has generally indicated that parents know their children best (Epstein, 2001). Parents are the child’s first teacher, and the one set of individuals who stand the best chance of honestly engaging with educators to help nurture their children’s intellectual, academic, creative abilities.

Research on parenting gifted children is the same (Jolly & Matthews, 2012; Webb, Gore, Amend & DeVries, 2007). What we know is that parents and families can identify traits of giftedness early and can clearly describe when a their gifted child first spoke in full sentences, the kind of quirky humor they express, how they surprised them by reading on their own for the first time,  and ALL of the other indications that their child is uniquely different.

The parent is the one who experienced a child crying when a tree was cut down in the woods, a parent was the one who first saw their child’s reaction to homelessness, and a parent is the one who helped their gifted child deal with the inconsistent messages heard in the adult world. Extended family members are also important to gifted children (Davis, 2010).  Grandparents, aunts, older siblings, all share a role in listening to and nurturing gifted children. In some communities, the extended family is a very important part of their tradition and cultural legacy.

You understand..parents and other family members see, interact with, and experience the exceptional nature of gifted children early and on an intimate level every day. Parents then send their children to school only to have some schools disregard any notion that their child is highly intelligent, or has any potential beyond that of the ‘norm’.  Some families become frustrated with schools, some withdraw their children to home school (thus, the increasing number of Black parents who are homeschooling nationwide), and others may send their children to private schools. Many families, however, don’t have these choices OR believe firmly that the public system has a duty to provide the best for ALL children.

For families of color, African American, Hispanic/Latino, Native American, Biracial- these disappointments and frustrations are accentuated because many schools are less likely to recognize and identify the gifts and talents their children demonstrate because of long-held biases and expectations that these children are not as intelligent as others (Castellano & Frazier, 2007; Davis, 2010; Ford, 2011).

I have had the good fortune of meeting many parents across the country throughout my career. Most recently, through workshops and a national study, (resulting in interviews and narratives from parents) many families have shared their stories of having to literally and figuratively ‘fight’ for their child to access gifted identification and advanced learner classrooms (Davis, Fears & Bianco, in progress).

Here are a few excerpts from their stories:

v  There’s the Latino family from the far Southwest with five, that’s right, five identified gifted children. The mother of this family has spent a great deal of her time advocating for her children (and for others) to ensure that they would be identified. School personnel, she reports, didn’t believe in her children as she did. In one case, a son was misdiagnosed as having a behavior problem. Later, when placed in a new school (that mom advocated for) with trained teachers who understood giftedness- this same child is now flourishing!

v  A rural area African American mother of three girls in a mid-Atlantic state had challenges in both the former and a new district getting her oldest daughter (who by all accounts was quite exceptional) identified as gifted. After moving to a new district, the mother provided evidence of exceptional school performance and test scores from the previous district (where the girl was eventually identified as gifted)- and the new school district personnel were still slow to respond. This mother was a strong advocate and continuously asked questions to ensure that decisions about her daughter’s placement would be made swiftly and fairly. She simply wanted to make her daughter’s transition to a new school, classmates, and new environment as smooth as possible. Any parent wants that for their child.

v  Out west,  there is a Native American mother whose twice exceptional son attended a regular school where educators focused more on his weaknesses and refused to recognize the gifts that her son demonstrated. As with other 2E (twice exceptional) students, this young man, was challenged in a school setting where teachers felt bound by law to serve him for his disability, but felt no such obligation to nurture his strengths. The teachers’ lack of understanding of the Native American culture also posed a challenge in identification of her sons’ gifts. The ‘cultural mismatch’ between students and teachers has been recognized in research literature as a systemic form of discrimination that leads to low performance (Davis, 2010).

In all of these cases, it was the POWERFUL ADVOCACY of parents that made the difference for these gifted students from culturally diverse families. Parents, you know your children best! Be make sure that educators understand your child’s intellectual abilities, social-emotional, and academic needs. Take advantage of expert resources (some are noted below) to support your belief in your child’s unique and exceptional abilities!!  

Improved family advocacy nationwide can make a strong impact on addressing under-representation of students of color in gifted education programs.

 

References

Castellano, J.A. & Frazier, A.D. (2010). Special Populations in Gifted Education: Understanding our Most Able Students from Diverse Backgrounds. Waco, TX: Prufrock Press

Davis, J.L., Fears, N.S., & Bianco, M.M. (in progress). Multicultural Families Raising Gifted Children: A National Perspective.

Davis, J.L. (2010). Bright, Talented & Black: A guide for Families of African American Gifted Learners. Scottsdale, AZ: Great Potential Press

Epstein, J.L. (2001). School, Family & Community Partnerships: Preparing Educators and Improving Schools. Boulder, CO: Westview Press.

Ford, D.Y. (2011). Multicultural Gifted Education, 2^nd Ed. Waco, TX: Prufrock Press

Jolly, J.L. & Matthews, M.S. (2012). A critique of the literature on parenting gifted learners. Journal for Education of the Gifted, 35(3), 258-290.

Webb, J.T., Gore, J.L., Amend, E.R., & DeVries, A.R. (2007). A Parent’s Guide to Gifted Children. Scottsdale, AZ: Great Potential Press.

For more Gifted PARENT/FAMILY ADVOCACY resources, go to:

www.hoagiesgifted.org/ – Resources, links, articles, programming for gifted learners. Largest online link re: gifted education, in general  

http://nagc.org/php.aspx Parenting for High Potential , A Publication of the National Association for Gifted Children.

http://www.sengifted.org/ Supporting Emotional Needs of the Gifted- National organization providing membership, scholarship, parent training, articles, resources, expert advice.

Upcoming SENGinars: http://www.sengifted.org/programs/senginars

Check the listing for the SENGinar on Feb, 2013- Title: ‘Addressing the Unique Challenges of Culturally Diverse learners: Issues & Solutions’. Go to the website for more information.

http://scottbarrykaufmann.com : Articles, studies of interest re: intelligence, assessment, and gifted education, in general.

Also, check your state organization's website, and other parent support groups.

A CALL TO ACTION TO: Show UP! Stand UP! and Speak UP! to ERADICATE UNDER-REPRESENTATION IN GIFTED EDUCATION PROGRAMS NATIONWIDE!!

African American, Hispanic, Native American, first generation immigrant, and other culturally diverse children and youth are under-represented in gifted education and advanced learner programs nationwide!! These young people are highly intelligent, creative, resilient, hard-working, and possess all of the traits required to enable them to be identified and served in publicly-funded programs in schools that are labeled gifted education and advanced learner classes. Almost every state has mandated that gifted children be identified and provided an appropriate education that meets their intellectual, leadership, arts, and academic potential. While it is recognized that funding for gifted education programs is suffering in school districts everywhere, we also realize that there are places where services are being provided and that gifted education, advanced learner, academic competition programs do not represent the demographics of the district and the schools in their communities at large.

Like 3,000 other educators and advocates for gifted children, I attended the 59^th Annual Convention of the National Association for Gifted Children in Denver, Colorado last month. The convention was exciting! More diverse educators there than I’ve seen in my decade or more of attending NAGC conventions.  More attention to the needs of culturally and linguistically diverse students is definitely needed. But the lack of attention to diverse students at NAGC is a reflection of what is happening nationwide. The NAGC represents a small closely knit group of scholars, educators and advocates who spend a great deal of their time focusing on gifted learners, how they can be identified and how schools should attend to their unique and complex needs. One of our goals at the national level over the next few years is to grow a new group of scholars, practitioners, members, and leaders in the organization to address the needs of a growingly diverse student population across the U.S.!

The support of more educators and policymakers (even if gifted education is not your ‘priority’ or the first task on your list of ‘to dos’), is needed to ensure that more children and youth with intellectual and creative potential are challenged and provided access to appropriate educational opportunities. This is a plea to you to ‘join us’ in this effort. It’s a win-win situation for everyone. The students benefit most initially, but in the long-term, we all benefit!

The brilliant minds of these young people are going to waste. They are floundering in our classrooms, some very bored and underachieving. Some of these students are simply overlooked because of the color of their skin and stereotypical notions that educators have about their potential for high level achievement in academics, arts, and leadership.

Action is needed immediately to correct this monumental problem!! While these students represent  as many as  40-50% of the school-aged population, in some parts of the nation they represent less than 10% of those students identified and served in gifted education and advanced learner programs. In some districts, African American, Hispanic, first generation immigrant, and other children of color may represent even higher numbers of students in school yet are relegated to remedial programs, special education classroom, general education classes where they are NOT intellectually and creatively challenged. This limitation keeps these brilliant youth from being adequately prepared to meet the academic rigor of advanced coursework in high school and thus, they are ill-prepared for college and careers for which they have natural gifts and talents!!

Families and community members, this challenge is yours as well. We need you to become stronger advocates for our children and insist that schools fairly and equitably provide highly skilled, culturally sensitive teachers for ALL children & youth and that they target their identification and services to those children and youth who have not been served in the past and who should be provided specialized coursework, access to academic competitions, mentors, internships and engagement w/ professionals across all disciplines to better prepare them for the future!!

Join me and my colleagues in fighting for this cause and ERADICATING UNDER-REPRESENTATION IN GIFTED EDUCATION AND THE SCOURGE OF UNDER-PERFORMANCE of culturally diverse students across this nation. If you have ideas to share, please write in the comment box or email me so that I can share them in an upcoming blogpost.

The children & youth are counting on us to SHOW UP!! STAND UP!! AND SPEAK UP!! They DESERVE ACCESS TO EQUITY AND EXCELLENCE IN EDUCATION, TO HAVE THEIR GIFTS RECOGNIZED, AND THEIR FUTURES MADE BRIGHTER!!

We’re all in this TOGETHER!!

Please comment below or email me @ profjoy1022@gmail.com

REFLECTIONS ON 'A WRITER'S LIFE'

Throughout our nation's history, racially and ethnically diverse people have shared their gifts through writing prose, poetry, fiction, nonfiction, that captured their thoughts and often, the experiences of their people. For this post, I wanted to take our discussion deeper into the actual life of a contemporary African American writer. I came across this young man a month or so ago, checked out his blog and thought he'd be a great one to talk about 'his life as a writer'. His children's chapter books are catching on like wildfire across the country and his career is just picking up speed. I anticipate that we will hear more from him in years to come. Marquin is what many may call a 'late bloomer'...early or late- I believe that his story is of interest as we continue to encourage and nurture the gifts of all young people around the world.

‘As I think about my writing life, sometimes I feel like I stepped back, looked at my talents, and chose to be a writer in order to share my gift with the world’

– marquin parks, 2012

A Writer’s Life by Marquin Parks

An early morning following a sleepless night

All from loving to write

Watching and reflecting on life’s moments of darkness and light

All from loving to write

Setbacks and triumphs on an unpredictable plight

All from loving to write

Hermit life, road trips, and cross country flights

All from loving to write

Sacrifice, lazy days, carefree, and trying with all my might

All from loving to write

Building relationships, providing experiences that motivate, while sharing insight

All from loving to write

Wrinkles Wallace, Shark Knuckle Omelets, and a massive food fight

All from loving to write

The lows of rejection and losing, to red carpet and tuxedo heights

All from loving to write

Self-doubt and seeing readers smile with delight

All from loving to write

I can see with my eyes closed. I hear voices. I hear words. I hear phrases that make people laugh, learn, argue and get frustrated. I hear full conversations. They take place in hallways as small groups of people walk past in blobs or lines. They talk in grocery stores as kids look like zombies when it is close to midnight. I hear them in classrooms, in the form of teacher voices, echoing instructions off bulletin boards. I listen to them on the radio, through podcasts, and television shows. Artists write about them and speak them over instrumentals. I admit, I’m nosey at times, so I overhear them in restaurants and coffee shops when people are whispering and have the volume turned up a little too loud on their phones. Obviously, some of these conversations are going on in the world in which I live. However, the majority of the conversations I use for my writing occur inside my head. That’s where I can see with my eyes closed. And, it is my job to see these events. It is my job to remember conversations, add to them, and write portions of them down to share with people. I’m a writer, and I love my job.

Two of the most important factors in my writing are my ability to notice and to negotiate. My ability to notice little things like movements, sayings, patterns, and nuances of people helps me to recreate those types of events in my mind with the characters I’m bringing to life. I have to notice what people are doing in the real world in order to help with the personalities and customs of my characters. My ability to negotiate is what brings the story from my mind, to the computer, and later, to the rest of the world. I must know if the audience will believe in and become attached to my characters. Part of the negotiation process involves listening to my characters and comparing their actions to events that I’ve noticed in the real world. And, I have to present real-world obstacles to my characters in order to determine how they would handle these situations. It is through that negotiation that I find the voice of each character and the events that will shape the book.

Writing, for me, is the easy part. Finding sacred writing time and focusing on writing in one book was always difficult for me. Up until 2011, I would usually write when I was frustrated or happy. While participating in the Eastern Michigan Writing Project, I learned how to set aside time (usually late at night) to write. In addition, at the EMWP, I began to understand that working on multiple books at the same time allowed me to use my writing moods more effectively because I could use the realness of my emotions to help convey those portions of the book from an authentic perspective.

As I think about my writing life, sometimes I feel like I stepped back, looked at my talents, and chose to be a writer in order to share my gift with the world. At other times, I feel like the words, characters, and stories chose me because they felt I could get to know them and share them with the world. While I am not sure which of the two is more accurate, I have fully accepted the fact that I’m a writer, and I love my job.

-Marquin Parks Author/Teacher

Marquin Parks (MA) is an educator in Farmington, Michigan.  After his participation in the Eastern Michigan Writing Project, he became a Teacher Consultant of the National Writing Project.  Marquin has provided articles, consultation and public speaking services to classrooms ranging from elementary schools and major universities to independent non-traditional learning environments.  His first children's chapter book, Wrinkles Wallace: Knights of Night School, finished in the top four in the 2009 Michigan Elementary Middle School Principals Association's Authors contest and has recently been published.  You can find the latest information on his writing at WrinklesWallace.blogspot.com  Marquin lives with his wife, son, and dog in Southeastern Michigan. 

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