I have a Youtube playlist where I read aloud from 19th Century American literary texts, and I thought I’d share those here. In addition to reading the texts, I add my own commentary and analysis. I hope you enjoy them.
Category: critical engagement
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Reimagining Education
I spend a lot of time reimagining education. I love education and have been blessed with an amazing one, but as a system, education can be better. By better, I don’t mean test scores and numbers (although those have their place). By better, I mean education can better serve its learners, educators, and communities.
I lay no blame (at least I try not to, but I find the highest level of US education leadership aggravating). From what I see, everyone is doing their best, and especially now during the pandemic, doing your best is a herculean task. Even amid everyone’s best, I still see room for reimagining education. So I do.
I’m certainly not an education outsider. I’ve worked professionally in K-12 (English teachers – woot woot) and in post-secondary in the following areas: residence life, student support, student success, academic support, diversity and inclusion, faculty development, academic integrity, and writing. Plus, I’m a mom of two kids who attend a public magnet school. My kids have also attended traditional public, transfer public, charter public, and private religious schools. Despite spending my entire life in education, I often feel my ideas of reimagining education fall way outside of the norm.
But I also feel like I can’t be alone in my reimagining. I feel others, like me, have all kinds of education ideas. And I believe education reimagining shouldn’t only concern educators and policymakers. Artists, ministers, scientists, mathematicians, entrepreneurs, nonprofits – everyone in our communities – should play a role in how we reimagine education. Some of our ideas will resonate, and some will clash. But I’d love to open a conversation about all the ways we are already reimagining education.
I will post weekly about some of my reimagining, and I’d love to hear about yours.
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Writing Coaching with Robert
Check out the next episode of Real & Raw with Roshaunda where I do a bit of writing coaching. My friend and fellow life coach, Robert Hughes, wanted some help in the prewriting stage of the writing process, and what resulted was an impromptu coaching session. Take a look to see what writing coaching can look like, and comment below with any questions or “Aha!” moments you may have.
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Our Nig by Harriet Wilson – Ch 2, Video 2
I have a Youtube playlist where I read aloud from 19th Century American literary texts, and I thought I’d share those here. In addition to reading the texts, I add my own commentary and analysis. I hope you enjoy them.
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Jesus and Journaling
Check out the next episode of Real & Raw with Roshaunda where I discuss how Jesus and journaling have helped me discover my next steps in life.
NOTE – During this episode, I mention that one of my goals is to revolutionize education. It’s weird for me to say that, because I recognize how preposterous that sounds and what a gargantuan endeavor that is. Then while I was praying today, God revealed to me that I am already revolutionizing education, and so are all of the other educators out there.
I’ve certainly revolutionized education for some of my students. Some of them now believe they can, so they will. Helping people move into their possibility and potential is revolutionary. And educators of all sorts do that. All day every day.
Now, that wasn’t what I had in mind, when I said I want to revolutionize education, and I don’t think that’s everything God has in mind, either. He can do more than I can ask or think, and I’m pretty good at asking and thinking, so what He has in store is way beyond what I can even comprehend. So I’m glad God let me see that even while I’m on the path, I’m accomplishing the goal step by step. It’s such a blessing to help people become who God created them to be!
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Journaling for Transformation Course Opens Thursday 9/10/20
I’m launching a new course: Journaling for Transformation – 31 Days to Discover Your Next Step!
I know 31 days sounds like a long time to discover your next step in life. You could very well discover your next step tomorrow. Discovery, however, is a journey, and this course will teach you the skills to incorporate journaling as a daily habit to propel you toward discovery. This course will help you not only discover your next step, but the next one, and the next one, and the next one – all through creating a journaling habit. We’re in this for the long game, not a quick fix.
Did you know it takes on average 66 days to form a habit? I recently learned that, and honestly, I felt sort of bamboozled that it’s not 21 days, like I had heard before. Sixty-six days feels like such a long time!
Even though the course itself is a 31-day journey to self discovery and transformation, I’ve got you covered for the remaining 35 days it takes to form a habit.
Course bonuses include 14 additional journal prompts, Journaling for Self Care and Self Discovery (a pdf/flipbook), and the Journaling for Self Care and Self Discovery Workbook. These bonus items will get you journaling for the 66 days most of us need to form a habit. Plus you’ll get access to the LELA House journaling prompt archives!
And if you purchase the course before 9/17/20, you get one free hour of coaching with me! I’m excited to partner with you to kickstart your next step and the transformation that will inevitably follow.
The course will open on Thursday, September 10, 2020, and that’s no accident. If you begin the course as soon as it opens, you will have created your daily journaling habit before the start of the holiday season. The holiday season can stress people out, and a journaling habit is a great way to deal with that stress. You won’t have to worry about creating a strategy to cope with stress as it comes to you, because you will have already established your journaling habit!
Why did I even create a course to help people form a journaling habit? It’s simple, really. My journaling habit has been transformative in my life, but I stumbled and bumbled my way into it. I didn’t really understand why journaling was important, nor did I understand how to do it with any regularity. I want to help other people to position themselves for their own transformations, and I don’t want them to waste years trying to form a habit (like I did), when they could do it in 31-66 days.
Just for signing up to receive advanced information about the Journaling for Transformation course, you get access to all sorts of goodies!
- You’ll get same-day access to LELA Care Journaling Pages. This 2-page spread of journaling pages offers insightful prompts to help you reflect on your day. You can download and print the pdf to make as many physical copies as you like. You can also type directly into the fillable pdf. These journaling pages will help you jumpstart your journaling habit today!
- Plus over the next week, you’ll gain access to 3 journaling jumpstart activities I use with my coaching clients.
I’m super excited to help you start and maintain a journaling habit!
Click to learn more about Journaling for Transformation!
And let me know in the comments what has you most excited about Journaling for Transformation!
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Our Nig by Harriet Wilson – Ch 1, Video 1
I have a Youtube playlist where I read aloud from 19th Century American literary texts, and I thought I’d share those here. In addition to reading the texts, I add my own commentary and analysis. I hope you enjoy them.
-
Journaling for Transformation Course Coming in 1 Week!
I’m launching a new course: Journaling for Transformation – 31 Days to Discover Your Next Step!
I know 31 days sounds like a long time to discover your next step in life. You could very well discover your next step tomorrow. Discovery, however, is a journey, and this course will teach you the skills to incorporate journaling as a daily habit to propel you toward discovery. This course will help you not only discover your next step, but the next one, and the next one, and the next one – all through creating a journaling habit. We’re in this for the long game, not a quick fix.
Did you know it takes on average 66 days to form a habit? I recently learned that, and honestly, I felt sort of bamboozled that it’s not 21 days, like I had heard before. Sixty-six days feels like such a long time!
Even though the course itself is a 31-day journey to self discovery and transformation, I’ve got you covered for the remaining 35 days it takes to form a habit.
Course bonuses include 14 additional journal prompts, Journaling for Self Care and Self Discovery (a pdf/flipbook), and the Journaling for Self Care and Self Discovery Workbook. These bonus items will get you journaling for the 66 days most of us need to form a habit. Plus you’ll get access to the LELA House journaling prompt archives!
The course will open on Thursday, September 10, 2020, and that’s no accident. If you begin the course as soon as it opens, you will have created your daily journaling habit before the start of the holiday season. The holiday season can stress people out, and a journaling habit is a great way to deal with that stress. You won’t have to worry about creating a strategy to cope with stress as it comes to you, because you will have already established your journaling habit!
Why did I even create a course to help people form a journaling habit? It’s simple, really. My journaling habit has been transformative in my life, but I stumbled and bumbled my way into it. I didn’t really understand why journaling was important, nor did I understand how to do it with any regularity. I want to help other people to position themselves for their own transformations, and I don’t want them to waste years trying to form a habit (like I did), when they could do it in 31-66 days.
Just for signing up to receive advanced information about the Journaling for Transformation course, you get access to all sorts of goodies!
- You’ll get same-day access to LELA Care Journaling Pages. This 2-page spread of journaling pages offers insightful prompts to help you reflect on your day. You can download and print the pdf to make as many physical copies as you like. You can also type directly into the fillable pdf. These journaling pages will help you jumpstart your journaling habit today!
- Plus over the next week, you’ll gain access to 3 journaling jumpstart activities I use with my coaching clients.
I’m super excited to help you start and maintain a journaling habit!
Click to learn more about Journaling for Transformation!
And let me know in the comments what has you most excited about Journaling for Transformation!
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How Do You Center Yourself to Create?
Check out the next episode of Real & Raw with Roshaunda where I talk about how I center myself to create. Please comment below to share your tools and tips.
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New Habit Accountability and City Hall
Our first house wasn’t in the nicest neighborhood. We had frequent gang activity, with the main gang hangout just a few doors up the street. Most residents rented their homes, and most homes (including ours) suffered from delayed maintenance. We loved our neighborhood, though, and did what we could to help it thrive.
One day I came home from work to find the patch of grass between the street and sidewalk pulled up from in front of each house up and down the entire street. Perplexed, I called City Hall to inquire into what was going on. They told me they were replanting grass for our entire street. I thanked them for the beautification effort, but I told them they should inform residents before embarking on any work. They told me they informed all the owners, and since I was a renter, I should talk with my landlord. I responded that I was an owner and was not informed, and I further said that the people who live in the houses should be notified of upcoming work, even if they don’t own their homes.
The work eventually ended. But you know those little sidewalks that go from the street to the path leading to your front door? (I learned they’re called carriage walkways.) No one had replaced those. Everyone on the street had had theirs removed for the grass project, and not a single one was replaced. So I called City Hall. I was told that carriage walkways are personal property and that it’s the owners’ responsibility to replace them. I asked why it was my responsibility to replace something that was removed without my consent, something that was, in essence, stolen from me. I was met with silence, quickly followed by vehemence. I was told the city had the right to remove the carriage walkways, but I persisted. How did the city have the right to remove my property without my consent? Either it wasn’t my property and the city could do with it as it pleased, or it was my property and the city needed to answer for its removal. I also pointed out that no one would consider carriage walkways as their property, especially if the city absconded with them. This conversation lasted for at least 2 weeks. Eventually they asked what I wanted to happen. I told them I wanted all the carriage walkways replaced on the entire street. And they did.
Sometimes government entities need people to hold them responsible for their actions. They need accountability. Regular people trying to create a habit of reading and journaling need accountability, too.
When you begin a new habit, tell people who care about you. They will be excited for you, and they will check in on you. Loved ones are great accountability partners.
Another avenue of accountability is participating in groups. Join a book club. Get together with friends for an hour of dedicated reading time. Join a writing group. Get together with friends for an hour of dedicated writing time.
What other ideas do you have? How have you held yourself accountable in the past? How did that work for you? Please share in the comments!
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Roshaunda D. Cade, Ph.D. is an educator, writer, and creator. She lives in St. Louis, MO with her husband and teenage children and enjoys reading, writing, dancing, and pushing her creative boundaries. Jumpstart your self care journaling habit with one of her free downloadable journal pages.