About Me
- Neal Christian
- Neal graduated from The Georgia Institute of Technology with a Bachelor’s Degree in Mechanical Engineering and minor in Spanish, a Master’s Degree of Mathematics Education from Georgia State University, and a Specialist's Degree in Educational Leadership from Liberty University. He has taught mathematics on the high school and college level and served as the Academic Support Partner for the Office of Minority Educational Development (OMED) at Georgia Tech. As a former Mathematics Implementation Specialist with the Georgia Department of Education (GADOE), Neal traveled to high schools within the state to assist teachers with the transition from the Quality Core Curriculum to the Georgia Performance Standards Frameworks. Neal has also trained mathematics teachers in several districts throughout Georgia. In 2007, Neal presented on Implementing Mathematical Tasks at the European Teacher Education Network Conference in Liverpool, England. In 2010, Neal was the founding assistant principal of Fulton Leadership Academy. Currently, Mr. Christian is the founding director of Genesis Innovation of Academy for Boys and is pursuing his Doctorate's Degree in Educational Leadership.
I am not sure if I will ever understand the concept of preparing for college correctly. I mean education should be continuous process, just like learning, it does not stop at one place and says you have reached your destination. First, we are prepared for college and then they say college will prepare you for real world or real life. This is SO NOT true. (What you learn in four years of College does not always apply to real world.) Source: My self. :) Parents should be involved in children's academic and everyday life at least till they are mature enough (yes being 18 does not make a child mature enough know everything) to make decisions for themselves. If they are involved from day one then no one needs to tell them where their child is standing academically. It is very important that parents are involved in child's education. Gadhi once said - "There is no school equal to a decent home and no teacher equal to a virtuous parent." SO SCHOOL SHOULD BE MORE FOCUSED ON GIVING PROPER EDUCATION than preparing for college. Proper and necessary education would be more than enough to be "prepared" for college.
ReplyDeleteIf the question is: "Should every student be given a chance to attend college/University?"... then Yes. Every student should be given the opportunity to attend university/college and it should be FREE. To use a students’ performance during middle or high school as in indicator for his or her capacity to attend a college/university is wrong. In many cases our schools and society have given up on their students. In some schools only 2-5% of their students continue on to a college or university. Does this mean only 2% were good enough? Of course not! They were just never given the chance to explore their full potential. When schools are increasingly dumbing down their students and the environment these kids live in could care less about education, are we not taking away their chances to succeed in life and contribute to our economy? I am sure we have potential “Edisons” in this country, which were never given the chance to attend a college and are now picking up trash instead of creating new products which would put USA back on the map. If universities had been free he might have given it a chance… take a few classes and see if it would work out. But in today’s world, he/she never gets that chance.
ReplyDeleteHOWEVER, I do not agree with to bring down the level of education (as so everybody can complete it). The only way we can produce innovators is by pushing our students to be their best. Failing students because of poor performance shouldn't be an issue. Today, it seems as if A’s and B’s are given to moderately ambitious students and a C if you simply attend. Mediocre expectations are the problem. Our universities should increase expectations and standards. Students which live up to the new standards should be reimbursed for their tuition and some expenses. This would create conditions at which only the capable stays and every capable person is given a chance.
I believe that there is a cloud of bureaucracy that floats above our educational system. school systems are doing their job in teaching kids about english and history and math and science... But will we all use those tools when we leave school and are thrown out in the real world? As a teacher it is your job to prepare children and young adolecents for the world they will soon enter, so why not incorporate classes focused on personal financial management where students will be taught about the importance of savings and have acces to basic knowlegde of finances, as this is proven to be one of the most significant benefactors in someones life, if your parents don't teach you to be fiscally responsible, and school does not make the effort to imply the same then you are more likely to fail regardless of whether or not you choose to go to college.
ReplyDeleteincreasing productivity in the classroom is also a great necessity, just like there is home ec. and computer class there should be other classes with a focus on certain professions, even if its something of broad aspect the students will either be sucked into it with interest, or make the decision to move on to something else. I think more students would be more willing to learn if what was taught in schools was more relatable to real life rather then just book knowlegde.
at the end of the day it is also the parent's job to bring about the importance of an education to their children. any influence at all is better than no influence at all.
This is a bitter sweet subject. I believe everyone should be prepared for the college experience. However the question remains is the child going to make it to college or not. Everyone isn’t made for college. We have millionaires that have never gone to college and there is also a person that has a college degree and still isn’t doing anything with their degree. I also think that no one should have to tell the parents that their children aren’t college material. All parents should know what their child is capable of. The educators have a hard enough job trying to teach the kids I don’t think that they should have the responsibility of telling the parents that their child isn’t college material.
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I believe that God blessed each and every one of us with a gift and a divine purpose to fulfill in life. As we grow older, we sometimes lose sight of our reason for being here. My parents did not attend college, therefore, they could not advise me on whether I was college material or not. My parents have always acknowledged that I was smart, which means that they were aware that I was capable of doing whatever my heart desired to do. Parents and teachers are role models, whether they realize it or not. The impact that our parents and teachers have on our lives could be either a positive or negative.
ReplyDeleteIn the words of Robert Fulghum, “All I needed to know, I learned in Kindergarten.” I entered kindergarten in 1980, at Paul Lawrence Dunbar Elementary School in Atlanta, Georgia. It has been over thirty years, and I can still remember how the Principal, Mrs. Stovall ministered to the students through song. Yes, I believe that teaching not only helps prepare students for life, but, teaching is a ministry. Whenever I lose sight of my divine purpose that God has for me, I remember how the school played inspirational songs in the morning and in the evening over the intercom. Some of my favorites were: “One in a Million” by Larry Graham, this song let me know that I was special, I was called to be set aside from others, and that I had purpose and that I was a person of substance. “Endless Love” by Diana Ross and Lionel Richie, when I came to school I knew that I was loved and cared for, we were a family. And last by certainly not least, “The Greatest Love of All” by the late Whitney Houston, this song helped me to believe that whatever I wanted to do or to achieve, the power to accomplish my goals was already within me. I truly thank God for my parents, teachers and the principal at P.L. Dunbar for letting me know that I have what it takes to be great, all I have to do is believe it. Therefore, whether it is to go to college, or use your talents to become successful, the ultimate choice is up to the students to believe in themselves.
"Greatest Love of All"
I believe the children are our future
Teach them well and let them lead the way
Show them all the beauty they possess inside
Give them a sense of pride to make it easier
Let the children's laughter remind us how we used to be
Everybody's searching for a hero
People need someone to look up to
I never found anyone who fulfilled my needs
A lonely place to be
And so I learned to depend on me
I decided long ago, never to walk in anyone's shadows
If I fail, if I succeed
At least I'll live as I believe
No matter what they take from me
They can't take away my dignity
Because the greatest love of all
Is happening to me
I found the greatest love of all
Inside of me
The greatest love of all
Is easy to achieve
Learning to love yourself
It is the greatest love of all
I would like to pay Homage to my high school favorite Principal, Mr. Charles N. Hawk, Jr. from Southside Comprehensive High (1990-1993) (Maynard Jackson High), in East Atlanta, Georgia. Mr. Hawk worked tirelessly to instill greatness in his students. One of his teaching philosophies was, “An Empty Hand Equals an Empty Head”. He loathes of the fact that some girls just walked around with purses in their hands and some boys walked around with just a baseball or fitted cap in their hands. Mr. Hawk promoted literacy; he believed that we should always have a book or some books in our hands at all times. He would go as far as getting on the school buses to make sure that each student had a book in his or her hand. And if they didn’t have one, he made the students get off the bus, or even miss the school bus or Marta bus, to go get a book. I never had a problem with complying with this policy, however, I thank, Mr. Hawk, so much for encouraging us to read and study. Books opened our hearts and minds to things way beyond our imagination. Mr. Hawk was truly heaven sent.
ReplyDeleteWho was your favorite principal?
“Education is the key to unlocking the world, a passport to freedom.”
― Oprah Winfrey
I was start by saying that getting a college education is very important. It can be used to be successful in this life, FOR SOME PEOPLE. There are many millionaire and billionaire business owners that never approached school past high school. A college education is also not a guaranteed route to success. In American culture, it is believed by many to be "the way to go" in terms of your career. In a sense it is, but it doesn't guarantee anyone success. As a college student, I do believe in it, however. The problem in our society is fatherlessness, bad money management, consumer debt, and a lack of life skills. Schools are teaching high school kids about managing their money or being great human beings. Therefore, many people skip over the foundation of being a good human and strive for success. This order can not be obscured! Don't get me wrong, parents have this responsibility, but in most schools 75 % of the material that is being taught will never be used again! So this is something to think about.
ReplyDeleteNo! schools should not focus on preparing all kids for college because all jobs don't require college degrees, for example, auto mechanics, home improvement and the majority of service positions don't require degrees, obtaining a college degree has become more commercialized. There's no need to inform parents that their child isn't college material because our main focus should be to ensure that a solid academic foundation be established along with basic life skills, for example , how to manage and budget accounts.
ReplyDeleteYes, I believe that Schools should prepare students for education for colleges. With a struggling economy I think everyone should want to have a plan B. Especially when you have billion dollar corporations like Walmart and Mcdonalds who wants to pay you 7.25 and no heath insurance. It's time America wake up. You need education to make it in this society,and even sometimes education won't grant you a comfortable living.
ReplyDeleteStudents have more choices than ever before and that's a wonderful thing. The reason why schools in Georgia should prepare students for college is not only that we are on 44 on the highest dropout rate ,but this society changes and you always need a backup plan. Most children mind changes from ages 14 from 17 so you may never know what the future holds. I believe that schools should at least incorporate some college basics to everyone,so that everyone can have a fair shot in their careers. If a child decides that it doesn't want to attend college and never prepare themselves they may not find their talent. I think that no one never knows what anybody is capable of doing, so it's better to engage in something new and prepare them than not know anything at all .
Wake Up People
Ps Mr Okoye Walters !
Not all kids are college prepetory and the system that the United States is running, for "No child Left behind" is very unrealistic and degoratory. The system that i am facintated with is in UNited Kingdom. They have a very understand system over there because they go to 11th grade and so their senior year is going to college and by college i mean its just a prepartory phase. Students them selves will be able decide wheter they are preped or not and the best part about the 1 year prep college is that they have so many different faculty personal who can alwyas help and guide these students to the right path. yes schools should help students with preparing them with college and the people who need to decide is the students themselves with the help of parents and advisors. it should never be a force or disregard.
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