Above & Beyond: Strategically Teaching Outside the Ordinary

By Rashida V. Frank

This book is written to every parent, teacher, and powerful influence in every childs life who desires to see and experience a change in our children and their lives as well. Throughout my life, I experienced true passion and ingenuity when it came to my education. I had great teachers who cared and a wonderful support system at home with my parents, who emphasized the importance of education. Learning was desired by both the children and the educator. We would like to see this passion and desire revived again so that we can create new avenues and lifestyles for our children and our future. Our children can and will achieve greatness with our help.

• Language: English
• Publisher: AuthorHouse
• Release date: Jun 10, 2009
• ISBN: 9781467856904

Rashida V. Frank

Rashida Frank is an educator, tutor, and an Educational Consultant who has taught for about 7 yearsbut has worked with children for about 10 years. She is a graduate of Florida A&M University and has received a Bachelors of Science Degree in Biology, as well as a teachers certificate as a teachers coach. Rashidahas beena SECME (Science Engineering Communication Math Excellence)Coordinator for twoyears. Sheformed an after school SECME club which incorporates SECME activities into an existing curriculum, prepared students for competitions,obtained role models to serve as mentors for students, in addition to providing opportunities for students to learnaboutcareersina few of the most important fields; science,mathematics, engineering, and technologies.She provided opportunities for parent involvement, monitor students as well as academic achievement. In the midst of being aSECME Coordinator, Rashida created the Young Entrepreneurs Interactive Program which is designed to inspire our students to see the vast possibilities connected to developing their own business from concept development to product fulfillment. Rashida Frank has experienced the accomplishment of about twentythreestudents essays, poems, and other writings beingpublished, receiving awards,or recognitionfor literary merit. These competitions included "A Celebration of Young Poets", "Celebration of What is Important", "Black History Essay Competition","Everybody's Fund Raising and Edutainment Guide", "SECMEEssay Competition", and "The Martin Luther KingJr. Essay Contest". As an Educational Consultant, Rashidaassists students, engage in academicactivities with selected students one on one, assessing and developing an individualized program that meets the needs of specific students, and assist students with the successful passing and preparation for standardized testing. As an educator, Rashida is dedicated to reaching each and everyone one of our students through productive and effective strategies and approaches.

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© 2009 Rashida V. Frank. All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means without the written permission of the author.

First published by AuthorHouse 6/1/2009

ISBN: 978-1-4389-7604-4 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4678-5690-4 (ebk)

Printed in the United States of America

Bloomington, Indiana

Contents

Acknowledgements

Above the Ordinary Life

Above and Beyond

Getting Started with Your Child

Teaching with Passion

Building Solid Relationships

Classroom Management

Purpose-Driven Lesson Plans

Ways to Create an Atmosphere of Learning in a Challenging Environment

Twelve Steps to a Successful Working Environment

Above and Beyond the Ordinary Assignments

Out-of-the-Ordinary Games to Play With Your Class or Child

Positive Affirmations for a Productive and Successful Student

Remarks

Bibliography

Our experiences have taught us many things, and through each lesson, we have learned a great deal, whether it is concerning our children or life in general. There are various components to teaching outside the ordinary. Teamwork is vital for parents, teachers, and powerful influences. It is an important component for the success of our endeavors with our children. The more we band and work together, the more successes we will see and experience. It is also vital that we are strategic in our approaches and how we address our children’s needs and positive desires. Teaching outside the ordinary truly gets accomplished when we ourselves become selfless and begin to turn our attention toward our children so that we can begin to create changes in their lives and ours as well. The ideas that are expressed in this book are only a few things that we can do to aid in our children’s learning processes. We are all important pieces of the puzzle. When we work and put our ideas together, the picture becomes clearer and ultimately becomes complete. It is time for us to change our approaches. Yes, the time is now!

Acknowledgements 

It was a wonderful opportunity for me to be able to share some insights and ideas that can be used to help our children become the best that they can be. I would first like to thank God for the ability to accomplish this goal, my parents, Lennox Frank, Herbert Lee Sr., Pauline Lee, and my family, Francine, Krystal, Herbert Jr., and Faith Lee for their wonderful love and support, and Pastors Harold and Brenda Ray for their words of encouragement and the opportunity to become one of the teachers at Redemptive Life Academy. I would also like to thank my best friend Christina for her support, all the students I have had the opportunity to work with, and last but definitely not least, the special people in my life (I love you always): Gary, thanks for just believing in me, for being patient, and for your encouragement.

This book is written to every parent, teacher, and powerful influence in every child’s life who desires to see and experience a change in our children and their lives as well. Throughout my life, I experienced true passion and ingenuity when it came to my education. I had great teachers who cared and a wonderful support system at home with my parents, who emphasized the importance of education. Learning was desired by both the children and the educator. We would like to see this passion and desire revived again so that we can create new avenues and lifestyles for our children and our future. Our children can and will achieve greatness with our help.

Above the Ordinary Life 

Growing up, I undeniably experienced the above-the-ordinary life. At a young age, despite not knowing the overall effects of hard work and dedication, I was always encouraged by my parents to use the resources that were available to me to build up various skills to enhance my academic and social development. Even though I participated in many social and physiological activities, whether it was ballet, choir, piano, or swimming, nothing was more important than getting the best education possible. They expressed that without a good education, life would be much more difficult for us. My parents would often use their very last to make sure that we received the finest assistance, whether through extra lessons with a skilled professional, one-on-one help from a tutor, or one-on-one help from them personally. My parents were very devoted individuals who used conventional materials and ideas to help assist me in my understanding of written and oral information. They dedicated their lives to the enrichment of our abilities, which made my siblings and I very privileged to have great parents who cared enough about us to teach us how important it was for us to have the best education life has to offer.

Life for me was definitely out of the ordinary, being the firstborn of five children. Being the oldest meant I experienced life a little more structured and disciplined than the norm. I can clearly remember coming home from school, changing clothes, getting a snack, and taking a seat at the table with my homework and any other work that had to be completed for that day. During those days, there were expectations for me and I knew what those expectations were. I knew it because it was constantly reiterated by my parents, teachers, and other powerful influences I had in my life. One specific expectation that was more important than anything was getting a good education, which I understood would empower me to do great things. It was very crucial for me to understand at that point in my life that a good education is very important to achieve if I was to really pursue a successful future. My parents, teachers, and powerful influences emphasized that it was surely not the only thing, but it was and will always be an important piece of the puzzle. Throughout the years, I have learned that in order for this to be accomplished, we must have strong parental support, teachers who take teaching as an assignment with passion, personal safety for our children, and being able to enhance our children’s academics as well as their everyday lives.

Having strong parental support gives our children the confidence they need to achieve their goals as well as the discipline to get the job done. It is a good feeling to have when you know that you have a good support group with high expectations for you. My parents gave me that great support, and their level of expectations for me started high and continued to rise. Even though I began my earlier years at a private school and later transferred to a public school, from start to finish, my parents’ level of expectations remained consistent. They taught me that it doesn’t matter where you are in life, but that it is what you make of it. Because of their determination for me to excel, my parents played a key role and made a vast impact in my life both academically and emotionally.

My parents are a big part of who I am today. I am not perfect in any way, shape, size, or form, but two things I know that I am are dedicated and persistent: dedicated