Giving Back

Sometimes in life we may not understand why we are going through certain experiences. But when we decide to tell our story, individuals that we would least expect can become inspired by it because they find a connection to what they are hearing from us. This is what happened when Char Nicholas and Tyrean Lewis paid a visit to the Mathews-Dickey Boys and Girls Club recently. They generously donated instructional materials to the students and they even gave Mr. Wendell Covington (Mathews-Dickey CEO) a   gift. Char Nicholas explained to Mr. Covington that when a king is in the presence of another king, he brings a gift to show his gratitude. An important component of the ULEAD program is the Blue Chips initiative that emphasizes the significance of cultivating the scholar athlete. Char Nicholas who was also an athlete, touched on his own life experiences and how he was able to learn from them along the way. He modeled for the students how to not only talk about their goals and what they wish to be, but to claim it with confidence and take ownership of what their goals are. Char Nicholas closed the session with making sure that the students understood the importance of not only being disciplined in the area of athletics, but to apply that same level of discipline in  improving their academics as well as their moral character.  In the end, it became quite clear why he and Mr. Lewis came to the facility to share not only resources for the students, but a personal testimony for them as well.  

Culturally Relevant Pedagogy-A Representation

When deciding to enlighten and inspire a group of students, it is  important that your approach comes from a culturally relevant perspective. This is exactly what happened when our guest speaker, Sir Ervin Williams III came to Mathews Dickey Boys and Girls Club recently. In this inquiry based lesson, Mr. Williams opened up the session by asking the students to define what they perceived as a man with a one word description. During this part of the lesson, the adults in the room felt the need to engage in the conversation just as much as the students. This was followed up by a healthy but very productive debate based on a real life situation that involved one of Mr. Williams’s former students which tied into that definition of a man.  The fact that many students could relate to this situation is what made this lesson the epitome of culturally relevant pedagogy. Following this very engaging discussion, Mr. Williams began educating the students on how although we may see ourselves as as smart, honest or intelligent, others may see us as something negative or undesirable. He explained that this is what leads to many of us falling victim to an unjust infrastructure as we are witnessing in the media as of late. He concluded by making sure that we understood the importance of knowing who we are and  having integrity  by not being afraid to stand by the truth even when it is not the most popular  thing to do at the moment.  The big picture that Mr. Williams painted for the students was that in due time, doing the right thing will be the most beneficial.