ABOUT OUR EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR:
Hey Village,
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I grew up a kid in Prince George's County public schools. I remember what it was like to have to run to a classroom to be one of the firsts just so you'd have a seat. I knew what it was like to talk my teacher out of a failing grade and promote without mastery. I knew what it was like to show up wanting more, just never knowing what was missing. And I knew what it was like to have parents that cared, but didn't know what questions to ask when my grades came home.
Now, as a career educator with over 15 years of experience working in urban education and as a member of foundational cohorts of progressive education models in Washington, D.C, each day my practice in student -learning through field-trips, mind-body connection, strengths- based (instead of deficit-based) interventions, and a teaching approach that I coin as "framework phrenology" becomes more, more crucial. I teach to students who may feel what I felt-- we need more. So I gave it my all. First car in the parking lot, last car to leave. Certifications,Master's degree, education conferences- I did it all, ya'll.
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But something was still missing.No matter what I did, I felt that the public school system set up was a "set up". It burned me out before the light could truly shine and if this was happening to me, I KNEW it was happening to my students. Meanwhile, parents were doing their best to support their children, but again, much to our dismay, there were just too many lapses of knowledge and communication.
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These questions eventually culminated into Lead the Seed Academic Engagement Solutions. It's a community think-tank, training platform, parent empowerment tool and student brain boost camp all in one. Regularly, I meet with, research and read up on some of the most forward thinking minds in education. There is something to be shared about best practices in almost every arena of academics: from programming, to classroom set up, to wrap-around services, and even effective homework practices.
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My dedication to creating spaces to develop and learn from community minds is inspired by what my grandmother used to say, "A seed grows not because of what you do TO it, but what you do FOR it. Sun, rain, and soil aren't tools of force they are tools of love." What we are doing for children is creating fertile ground so that wherever they go, they can grow. This village work is for all of us. Thanks for joining me.
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Love Always,
Cortnie
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