Hear's to every Women. You are all Phenomenal Woman!

Happy International Women's Day World.

All our teachers at our Literacy Center are women this semester. For the past 20-years female teachers have made up 99% of the teachers who have taught in our center. They have delivered millions of dollars of free tutoring to children who struggle with reading during that time.
It is simple without women our Central Connecticut State University Literacy Center would not exist. Tonight at our Literacy Center we are going to walk out to emphasize what a day without women looks like. Then turn around, and walk back in for a Women's History Teach-In. Here is to all you beautiful Phenomenal woman.

Phenomenal Woman: By Maya Angelou

“Pretty women wonder where my secret lies.
I’m not cute or built to suit a fashion model’s size  
But when I start to tell them,
They think I’m telling lies.
I say,
It’s in the reach of my arms,
The span of my hips,  
The stride of my step,  
The curl of my lips.  
I’m a woman
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,  
That’s me.

I walk into a room
Just as cool as you please,  
And to a man,
The fellows stand or
Fall down on their knees.  
Then they swarm around me,
A hive of honey bees.  
I say,
It’s the fire in my eyes,  
And the flash of my teeth,  
The swing in my waist,  
And the joy in my feet.  
I’m a woman
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That’s me.

Men themselves have wondered  
What they see in me.
They try so much
But they can’t touch
My inner mystery.
When I try to show them,  
They say they still can’t see.  
I say,
It’s in the arch of my back,  
The sun of my smile,
The ride of my breasts,
The grace of my style.
I’m a woman
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That’s me.

Now you understand
Just why my head’s not bowed.  
I don’t shout or jump about
Or have to talk real loud.  
When you see me passing,
It ought to make you proud.
I say,
It’s in the click of my heels,  
The bend of my hair,  
the palm of my hand,  
The need for my care.  
’Cause I’m a woman
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That’s me.”

If you want to find this Walking Man Today just look for the guy wearing his pink hat and Women's Day Shirt all day long? If you want to listen to the tune I listened to this morning on my walk it's "I Can't Keep Quiet" by MILCK at the 2017 Women's March. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v_DvGP6Y4jQ

Dear Mr. President Trickle Down Economics does not make America Great!

Dear Mr. President, it appears you and I have a disagreement on what would make America great. Your economic plans appear to be deeply rooted in those failed trickle-down economics. Once again the poor shall be forgotten, refugees shall be persecuted, the sick, windows and orphans shall be told fend for yourselves. While the wealthy, the powerful, and connected shall be put first.

Ha-Joon Chang, the author of 23 Things They Don't Tell You About Capitalism said: “Once you realize that trickle-down economics does not work, you will see the excessive tax cuts for the rich as what they are -- a simple upward redistribution of income, rather than a way to make all of us richer, as we were told.”

For nearly 40 years now the needy have waited on trickle-down economics to lift working people. Once again Washington plans to go back to that tickle-down well of despair and immorality. Wall Street is jumping for joy, reaching new heights daily, and laughing all the way to the banks.

A warning Mr. President, if the poor do not get justice in this world, they will get justice in the next. Scripture states: Deuteronomy 15:7-8, 10-11 “If there is among you a poor man of your brethren, within any of the gates in your land which the Lord your God is giving you, you shall not harden your heart nor shut your hand from your poor brother, but you shall open your hand wide to him and willingly lend him sufficient for his need, whatever he needs…You shall surely give to him, and your heart should not be grieved when you give to him, because for this thing the Lord your God will bless you in all your works and in all to which you put your hand. For the poor, will never cease from the land; therefore, I command you, saying, ‘You shall open your hand wide to your brother, to your poor and your needy, in your land.”

A warning America, trust me on this one thing God sees all, knows all, and will never view the richest nation in the world that favors it's wealthy, it's powerful, and the connected at every turn, while ignoring the poor as great. Every day we mistreat the poor, refugees, widows, orphans, and our sick is another day America is not great. Mr. President, I plea with you make "America Great," lift our poor, embrace refugees, help our widows, our orphans, and our sick. It is simple, we will never be one nation under God until we honor God’s call to lift our brethren, and our poor with open hearts.

Until then may God forgive us,
Jesse The Walking Man Turner

PS A word to all you Legislators, Education Reformers, CEOs, Billionaires, and Policy Makers. You can't improve our public schools in poor urban and rural communities, without improving those communities and the lives of the people who live there. If you like to listen to the song that inspired my morning walk over the mountain today? Its Up To The Mountain by Patty Griffin https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WA6Q5-Ap3o8

In Between the madness, remember this? What we teach in public schools matters

Beyond Close Reading!
Beyond high-stakes testing!
Beyond their Ed Reform scams!
What matters!
In between the madness of appointing Betsy DeVos the United States Secretary of Education. Someone with no experience working in public schools, or even having attended them. Between America's madness of endless high-stakes testing, and school choice scams. Remember this one important point teachers and parents? What we teach in our public schools matters!

Cesar Chavez said: “We need to help students and parents cherish and preserve the ethnic and cultural diversity that nourishes and strengthens this community - and this nation.”

At our CCSU Literacy Center we held our 15 Annual Black History Month Read-A-Thon as part of NCTE's African Read-In this past Monday. We hold Read-A-Thons every month. In March, it's Women's History. In October, we celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month, in November we celebrate Native Americans. In December, we celebrate our Immigrant Roots, Come April we celebrate poetry, and in May we celebrate our veterans and peace.
At Read-A-Thons:
We wear pajamas,
We wear sports gear,
We wear crazy hats,
We wear costumes,
We wear dance outfits,
We bring our pillows,
We bring our stuff animals,
We bring our little brothers and sisters,
We even bring our big brothers and sisters.

No one reads in chairs,
We read on the floor,
We read under tables,
We read on sleeping bags,
We read on beach towels,
We read with flashlights,
We read with buddies,
We read in the hallway,
We read on the stairs,
We read,
We read and we read.

Our Read-A-Thons, promote reading stamina via 90 minutes of continuous reading and talking about reading. They promote reading for pleasure via student choice. Kids pick what they want to read.
Something beautiful and powerful always take place at our Read-A-Thons. Something not written into any of our objectives. Something bigger than close reading!
We come to know each other,
We come to respect each other,
And we come to value each other.

I wonder if in this rush to measure and test close reading, we miss the real power of history?
I wonder if we are turning children away from reading for pleasure?
I wonder if with close reading history becomes a chore?
I wonder if we might be missing the real potential of history?
History  as the power to bring us together!
You know the power to cherish and preserve the ethnic, racial, and cultural diversity that nourishes and strengthens our America that Cesar advised us to teach?
Harmony, respect, and dignity aren't written in our Read-A-Thon objectives, but they are everywhere.
Reading feeds our souls, and our young people's souls are so very hungry for real reading America,
Jesse The Walking Turner

If you are wondering what song this Walking Man was listening to on his walk over the Avon Mountain this windy day...its the version of "Teach Your Children Well" by Play For Change.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P5AuFDHdrrg