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Youth Development

Students, do you know how intelligent you are?

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BY PAUL JUNOR

There are different understandings of intelligence that are prevalent among cultures in our world. Parents, guardians, caregivers and teachers who work directly with children have specific ideas about what it means. According to the Macmillan Dictionary it is defined as, “the ability to understand and think about things and use knowledge.” The Collins English Dictionary defines it as, “the ability to think, reason and understand instead of doing things automatically or by instinct.”  Wikipedia emphasizes, “more generally, it can be described as the ability to perceive or infer information and to retain it as knowledge to be applied towards adaptive behaviour.” Whichever definition one accepts has implications on how they understand the potential of young people to: learn, grow, evolve, develop and mature: cognitively, intellectually, socially, psychologically and mentally.

In the past it was believed that the brain was divided into a right and left hemisphere, and this had an influence on your type of intelligence. The right hemisphere was believed to be involved in processing information in a simultaneous manner that contributed to the development of creativity, while the left hemisphere’s function was to processes information in a linear, and sequential manner. There are others who believe that the brain is divided into three separate parts such that develop sequentially as one acquires more critical thinking skills.

Many teachers have been influenced by the verbal/linguistic or logical/mathematical methods of teaching influenced by this understanding of right/left brain learning. This narrow conception of intelligences has been challenged by the work of Howard Gardner, who showed that there are more than two types of intelligences, with at least eight (and possibly more). This development is important because it has implications for helping students to learn better by integrating their natural intelligences with their learning styles.

The eight types of intelligences that have been identified by Gardner in the forward of David Lazear’s Seven Ways of Knowing published in 1991 include the following:

(1) Verbal/ Linguistic deals with areas relating to the production of language, reading, writing and humour.

(2) Logical/ Mathematical deals with the scientific thinking, recognition of patterns, and abstract symbol.

(3) Visual/Spatial deals with the visual arts, architecture, sense of sight, and a strong ability to form mental images.

(4) Bodily/ Kinesthetic uses the body to express emotion and learn by doing; sensitive to sounds.

(5) Musical/ Rhythmic recognizes rhythmic and tonal patterns and is sensitive to sounds.

(6) Interpersonal has a strong ability to work co-operatively with others, is able to communicate verbally and non-verbally with others and is sensitive to the moods of others and responds accordingly.

(7) Intrapersonal deals with those who have a strong knowledge of self and feelings, and sense of intuition.

(8) Naturalist deals with connections to the earth/nature.

It is important that educators seek to identify and know the natural intelligences of each student so that they can maximize their potential by providing opportunities for these intelligences to be developed. This ensures that students develop to their full potential in all subject areas by taking advantage of their strengths, assets and abilities.

In Carol Dweck’s book, “Mindset’ The Psychology of Success,” she explains that people have a belief about their intelligence. She distinguishes between those who have a fixed mindset believing that they are either smart or dumb. Most basic abilities can be developed through dedication and hard work; brains and talent are just the starting point. The implications of her research show that intelligence is not fixed, but can be enhanced depending on the mindset that the students have with respect to motivation and learning.

With a last name that means “Faithful and loyal,” it is no wonder that Paul Junor has become a welcomed addition to the Toronto Caribbean Newspaper Team. Since 1992, Paul has dedicated his life to become what you call a great teacher. Throughout the years, he has formed strong relationships with his students and continues to show them that he cares about them as people. Paul is a warm, accessible, enthusiastic and caring individual who not only makes himself available for his students, but for his community as well.

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Youth Development

Understanding the multiple layers involved in navigating education spaces Parents of Black Children launch Navigating the Education System

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BY PAUL JUNOR

The work of the advocacy group Parents of Black Children (PoBC) has made a significant and revolutionary difference by bringing issues to the forefront that help Black families at all levels.

For over two years now, it has organized events, workshops and initiatives that have provided important information to the Black community to bring empowerment, knowledge and deep understanding of the multiple layers of the complex dynamics involved in navigating education spaces.

There are five core principles that underlie PoBC understanding of racism:

  1. Racialization
  2. Racism is about power
  3. Critical racial theory
  4. Our stories matter
  5. Racism is founded on White supremacy

On Tuesday, November 23rd, 2021, they launched the document Navigating the Education System,” which was a very empowering, enriching and inspiring tool for diverse Black families. Kearie Daniels, one of the cofounders of PoBC and author of the document, moderated the launch. Furthermore, Claudette Rutherford, one of the cofounders of PoBC and author gave an extensive presentation of the details of the document, sharing useful insights, practical knowledge and interesting information.

PoBC shared a pdf document subsequent to the launch, which provided additional details in a fifty-three-page package. It contained relevant, contextual and vital resources. PoBC’s Advocacy Team supported the document, which includes Charline Grant and Xavier McLaughin.

In the introduction to the document the mission of PoBC is to “Provide support to parents of Black children across Canada and the United States. We advocate and work towards change and concrete action in our education system and adjacent systems such child welfare and the justice system.”

The launch of this vital document is a culmination of all the advocacy and activist work that PoBC has been extensively involved in. It serves to remind members of the Black community that there are resources, tools and supports available to ensure that Black children are able to thrive academically, excel mentally and flourish intellectually in spaces that may not be welcoming to their presence.

The document states that the navigate guide is “Geared towards families in Ontario, but the information can be applied to any jurisdiction where there are Black children and families.”

The document “Table of Contents” is useful and helpful. There is vital information on:

  • School board terms you need to know
  • Education organization you need to know in Ontario
  • Black families and the Child Welfare System
  • Black families and the education system
  • Black students and Individual Education Plans (IEPs)
  • Black students in High School.
  • Developmental delays in learning exceptionalities
  • Supporting students with learning exceptionalities
  • Selecting a school system
  • System abuse

PoBC presented a webinar on “System Abuse”. The document states,

“The system is not neutral. These systems were designed as part of a colonial framework that must be dismantled.” Furthermore, the document “Serves as a means to demystify the pitfalls within the education system and light a path towards a decolonized education system.”

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Youth Development

Toronto prepares families for COVID-19 vaccination of children

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Photo by Charles Deluvio Library on Unsplash

BY PAUL JUNOR

There have been concerns, fears and anxieties as parents, caregivers and guardians anticipate the possibility of having their children under twelve vaccinated.

The Boston Globe reported on Friday, October 29th, 2021, that the FDA approved the administration of Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine to children between the ages of five to eleven. These children will receive one-third of the dose administered to teens and adults.

The Centres for Disease Control and Prevention met on Tuesday, November 2nd, 2021, in order to finalize details with respect to which children should be vaccinated first. In anticipation of these developments, Team Toronto has initiated a series of outreach and education sessions, as well as town halls in order to inform the Toronto community.

Parents of children between the ages of five to eleven who attend public schools will be receiving an email and an invitation to respond to a survey to “Support vaccine planning.”  This invitation will also be extended to parents whose children attend private independent schools as well. The survey will be administered by Toronto Public Health (TPH) and the City of Toronto VaxTO in order to “Better understand parents’ intent to vaccinate their children, how they would prefer to have their children receive their COVID-19 vaccine, and to obtain critical information on socio-demographic factors such as race and income.”

John Tory, Mayor of Toronto, is optimistic and positive about this development. He states in the press release, “While our work to get 90% of eligible residents vaccinated is continuing, we are also readying for when the vaccine will be available to protect kids five to eleven. We want to hear from parents, so we made sure we designed a vaccination program that works for kids and their families. This is just one more example of the outreach we are doing to prepare for this effort. This work is so important and will help us get kids vaccinated so they have the best protection against COVID-19 and so our schools can be as safe and as open as possible.”

Councillor Joe Cressy, Chair of Toronto’s Board of Health who has been at the forefront of advocating for the vaccination of margnizalied and at-risk communities is supportive of this campaign. He states, “At every stage of our immunization campaign, connecting with people on the ground has been critical to our success. Now, as we prepare for the rollout of vaccines to children aged five to eleven, we’re committed to engaging directly with parents, families, and community leaders to have active conversations about vaccinations for kids.”

In addition, Dr Eileen De Villa, Toronto’s Medical Officer of Health is a strong proponent of this campaign. She states,” When vaccines are approved for use and when we have supply we will ensure that we bring every resource to bear on this critical component of the vaccination campaign.”

The survey will be available as of Sunday, November 7th, 2021. It consists of fifteen questions that will be available online at s.tphsurvey.chkmkt.com in multiple languages. Parents and guardians will receive them from their children’s public school boards. In addition, there will be town halls for specified multilingual communities as well as neighbourhood-based telephone halls to ensure that the public has access to timely, necessary and relevant information for informed decision-making.

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Youth Development

Act as if what you do makes a difference. IT DOES

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BY SABRINA S. – 12 YEARS OLD

The school year is coming to an end, I’m sure that this year was hectic for everyone. Last year, we had a pandemic strike in the middle of the year and the world was sent into lockdown.

We didn’t get to go to school for the rest of the year.

Many students got to choose if they wanted to do school in-person or online, I chose online since I didn’t feel safe.

First day of school was very weird, most people don’t turn their cameras on, don’t even get me started on the wifi issues. I would lag out of the google meet many times and miss most of the instructions on the assignment. That is when friends come in handy, though I don’t get to see my friends that often, we still connect with some online games and phone calls through snap chat.

I don’t know where the time went, it just flew by. Last month was September and suddenly, I feel like we skipped eight months. I only have a week of school left! Because it is the last week of school, I have a lot of homework and final assignments to do but I know I’ll get through them and finish the school year.

I haven’t had time to go outside as well, I’ve been too busy with my assignments.

If my school year was this hectic, imagine the teacher’s year. I’m very grateful for everything my teachers have done for me and my classmates this year, they definitely deserve the three-month summer break. I’m sure my teachers doubted teaching online, but everything went okay and I learned lots.

“No matter how hard it is, or how hard it gets. I’m going to make it!”

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