September Gathering- "After the Dress Comes Off"

Mark Your Calendars Girlfriends

September BOND Gathering

 

Topic: “After the Dress Comes Off” – The real “stuff” no one prepares you for in marriage. Join us for an all women panel discussion on marriage and all the stuff (good and bad) that comes with it(family, finances, romance, career, submission etc.)  The subject has already created quite a stir within our network. I can assure you that this Gathering won’t be for the faint at heart. So brace yourselves now for impact. If you’re ready to dig in, get raw, real and open, clear your calendar, grab your girlfriends and be there on Friday, September 18^th.

$7 for BOND Members/ $15 for General Public

To avoid the extra cost at the door, pay in advance here

Have you checked out BOND's President Commentary? You are in for a real treat? Check it out here

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- Gatherings are strictly for women over the age of 25

- Energy is high and atmosphere is inviting

- Discussion will be nonstop

- RSVP is a must so please be sure your name is on the list

*** A Grand Time, Will be Had for Sure***

If you never attended a BOND Gathering, it’s an absolute must. There is never a dull moment when you're in the company of a BOND Sister. Browse our site to read the reviews. If you have questions be sure to email us at iambondinc@gmail.com or phone us at 443-924-6292

Haven't read our summer edition newsletter, do it here.

This Week's Spotlight~ Samantha Codes: "Reach One, Teach One"

Meet Samantha Codes. She’s been an educator both domestically and internationally for the past 11 years. Her interest in the science behind how individuals learn and her love for interacting with each learner on an individual basis has led her to teach in classrooms from Baltimore Maryland to Guinea, West Africa. Samantha has been blessed to both teach and learn from students who range in age from 6 weeks old to eighty-two. During her teaching career, she has taught pre-kindergarten/kindergarten, 3^rd-8^th grade, ESL and GED.  Samantha is also the creative brains behind Kindezi Care Early Learning Program located in Baltimore, Maryland.

My Greatest Accomplishment to Date Has Been:

When I think of my greatest accomplishment, I think back to teaching in Guinea, West Africa. I was selected to teach English in Guinea when I was 23 years old. I jumped at the once in a lifetime chance to live, teach and learn on the continent of my ancestors and endured my year long tenure despite not knowing a lick of French (the national language), often being without electricity or running water (we lived in a “rural” area) and not understanding many of the local customs. That year was a rough one, but despite doubts and feelings of sometimes wanting to turn back, I excelled in the classroom and was able to learn French from my students as I taught English. When my year of teaching was over and I was on a  two-month bus tour of many countries in West Africa (Senegal, Ghana, Mali, Burkina Faso, Benin, Togo and Morocco) my eyes misted to receive emails from former students letting me know that 97% of the 400+ who were in my English class that year passed their national exam. That accomplishment was theirs. The fact that I decided to stick it out that year, and in the process, make friends and have experiences that could never be replaced -- that accomplishment is mine.

The Most Challenging Thing I Ever Experienced:

The most challenging thing I have ever experienced (and I am still experiencing on a daily basis) is homeschooling my first (and only) child. We had no idea what we were getting into when we decided to take turns staying home and homeschooling our daughter. She is currently 4 years old and reads on a 3^rd grade level, writes poetry, knows how to use a dictionary, can add, subtract and multiply and can swim 200 meters (front or back stroke). We (my partner and I) always agreed that with our combined teaching background (he is an aquatics, mathematics and martial arts instructor); we would homeschool and nurture our child’s innate talent. What we were not prepared for was just how much she would be able to absorb, analyze and make viable connections about her world at such a young age! She keeps us on our toes more than we ever expected – and we love the challenge!

Most Valuable Lesson: 
I think one of the most valuable lessons I’ve ever learned came to me while hiking in the Dogon region of Mali. That was the first time I’d ever been hiking/rock climbing before and I must say that I was somewhat duped into the situation. While clinging to the side of a steep mountain, I internalized the mantra, “You can (and you’d better) do it!” I try to pull that scenario to the forefront of my mind whenever I meet a challenge. It helps me to remember that if I am confronted with an obstacle, it is because I have all of the tools necessary to go up, over, under or around it (even if my tools need a little sharpening).

Final Remarks: 

I am thankful and feel honored to have been invited to tell a little about myself to the BOND, Inc. family. It’s truly beautiful to see all of the effort put forth by the organizers and volunteers of the organization with the sole purpose of uplifting and educating women. I love being an educator and I appreciate having a forum in which to promote my business and talents. I look forward to learning more about the many women doing beautiful and positive things in and around Baltimore.

Kindezi Care Early Learning Program serves families who have children between the ages of 6 weeks and 5 years. Kindezi Car Early Learning Program also service families who homeschool and need additional care options. For more information visit them at www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Kindezi-Care-Early-Learning-Community/150989288318958 .

BOND Inc Spotlight features ordinary African American women from all over who are doing extra-ordinary things.  If you or anyone you know would like to be featured, send a request for more information to iambondinc@gmail.com.

A Natural Girl Living In A Synthetic World: A 14 Year Old Speaks About “Going Natural

When I walk into a room, I get stares. Not because of my friendly smile, my confident stride, or even the crazy outfit I may be wearing. At the age of 14, I get attention from both children & adults because of my hair. My long, sun-streaked locs, sprouting from my head like a waterfall. They attract attention everywhere I go, either leaving a trail of compliments from people who appreciate their beauty, or insensitive comments from those who don’t understand. The ones who appreciate my hair are usually African American adults.  They compliment my locs and constantly ask me questions about how long I’ve had my locs and who does my hair. Then there’s the other side of the spectrum; the side full of uninformed and insensitive people. These people find my hair to be strange and dirty instead of exotic and beautiful. They’re usually parents of my Caucasian friends who don’t understand the culture or the style of locs. I try not to take it personal though because I know that it’s only their lack of understanding that makes them judgmental.

Speaking of judgment, adults aren’t the only ones who are cruel. I am also misunderstood, teased or criticized by my peers, for my hair.  A common misconception people have about me is that my “afro centric “ look means that I have mostly Black friends at school and in my neighborhood. The exact opposite is true though. In fact, most of my good friends are from other ethnicities, because the Black kids are the ones usually teasing me. My friends from other ethnic groups tend to be a bit more respectful when it comes to my hair and will ask any questions they may have in a polite manner. However, the Black kids at my school tease me about my locs and call me names like “Bob Marley” and “Cheeto head.” They also tell me to cut my locks and get a perm, weave, or extensions to look “normal” and fit in with everyone else. It’s tragic that the world has brainwashed these children to disrespect their own culture, and not appreciate the beauty of their own natural hair.

It hurts when people tell me to “get rid of my hair”, meaning that I should perm it or get a weave. Well that’s not going to happen because I love my hair and it’s a huge part of me. Not only does my hair extend down my back, but it extends back many years into my heritage as an African-American lady. During slavery, the name of the style “dread locks” originated from slave masters using the term “dreadful locks.” There’s nothing “dreadful’ about it to me, so I wear my hair locked proudly.

By: Briana Powell

Briana Powell is a student in the Born For Greatness Youth Writers class: www.BFG-youth.com

The Top 3 Ways To Help Your Child Have A Successful School Year

Be A Proactive Parent: Children with proactive parents are more likely to excel academically. So what does it mean to be a proactive parent? Well, you are either a proactive or reactive parent. Taking a proactive approach to your child’s education means that you are not waiting until the report card conference to find out how your child is doing. You are actively involved throughout the school year, and you are actively inquiring about your child’s performance in the classroom.

Have you ever experienced a situation when there was a problem at your child’s school and you asked “Why am I just hearing about this?” or “Why didn’t I know this was going on?” If so, then you were reactive in that moment. I’m sure once the issue was brought to your attention, you reacted immediately to resolve the problem. However, by the time you heard about the situation it may have escalated into a major issue.

You don’t want to wait until the report card conference to check up on your child’s performance because the report card conferences are often 3 to 4 months into the school year. So if your child is having some type of problem in school, you definitely don’t want to wait 3 to 4 months to hear about it. It’s best to nip it in the bud as soon as the problem begins.

So how do you become a proactive parent, especially if you have a busy work schedule? Well, simply sending an e-mail to your child’s teacher is a great way to stay in the loop. If the teacher does not send home weekly or bi-weekly reports, I suggest sending an e-mail to your child’s teacher every other week to inquire about your child’s academic performance. You also want to inquire about any behavioral or social concerns.

Create A Goal Plan With Your Child: Let’s say that you are about to take a road trip, but you don’t have a destination in mind. Without a destination who knows where you’ll end up. The same concept applies to academic success. If your child doesn’t have a goal to work towards, who knows what grades your child will receive? This is why I suggest sitting down with your child at the beginning of the school year to discuss goals. Speak with your child about the subjects he/she is taking and ask your child what grades he/she would like to receive in each subject.

So let’s get back to the road trip. Now you have a destination in mind. If you’ve never been there before, how will you know how to reach your destination? Maybe you can use a GPS. So what does the GPS do? It gives you step by step instructions on how to reach your destination. If you want to see your child reach his/her goals you will need to sit down with your child and discuss step by step instructions on how to reach those goals; such as determining how many hours your child needs to study for each subject per week. Anyone can set goals, but not everyone will reach their goals. The ones who reach their goals are the ones who implement the GPS concept and outline the steps needed to reach their destination (goals).

Identify Your Child’s Learning Style: So what is your child learning style? Not all children learn the same way, so knowing your child’s learning style will enable you to help your child excel academically by implementing strategies to support your child’s learning style. There are a variety of learning styles that can be condensed into 3 basic categories: 1) Visual 2) Auditory 3) Kinesthetic.  I encourage you to discuss the 3 learning styles with your child to determine what learning style suits your child best.

Visual learners comprehend and retain information by seeing it. Visual learners remember information by capturing words and pictures in their minds. If your child is a visual learner, you can support your child by getting flash cards, purchasing educational DVD’s, getting highlighters for your child to color code his/her notes, etc.

Auditory learners comprehend and retain information by hearing it. If your child is an auditory learner, you can support him/her by purchasing an audio recorder. Your child can read class notes into the audio recorder and play it back as a study technique. If your child is not too old (or thinks he/she is too cool for this) you can even create songs to help your child remember the information.

Kinesthetic learners are “hands on”. If your child is a kinesthetic learner he/she comprehends and retains information when engaged in physical activity such as science lab. At home you can support your kinesthetic learner by creating teachable moments through every day activities. For example, you can teach your child about measurements while cooking. Supporting your kinesthetic learner will require some creativity.

For more great tips to help your child have a successful school year, visit: www.BFG-youth.com/school

By: Tamara Shirer