INVITE THE SPIRIT OF THE LATE DR. MARTIN LUTHER KING TO HEAL OUR TROUBLED SCHOOL DISTRICT.

By Marie Simmons

ENGAGE THE SCHOOL DISTRICT IN THE PRACTICE OF PRINCIPLES DEMONSTRATED BY THE LATE DR. MARTIN LUTHER KING. COMMITTED TO THE PRACTICE OF MUTUAL RESPECT, SELF- AWARENESS, SELFCONTROL, AND PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY, WE CAN HEAL OURSELVES AND OUR CHILDREN, WHILE WORKING TOGETHER TO CREATE A SCHOOL DISTRICT THAT IS SAFE, DYNAMIC, EFFECTIVE, RESPONSIVE, FUN AND ESTEEMED BY STUDENTS, PARENTS, TEACHERS, AND THE COMMUNITIES OF SAUSALITO AND MARIN CITY.

Dr. King's dream was that " ONE DAY, ALL PEOPLE WOULD WAKE-UP TO THIS TRUTH AND WALK TOGETHER, IN LOVE, HAND IN HAND; WITH MUTUAL RESPECT AND ACCEPTANCE OF EACH OTHER AS, INDIVIDUAL AND UNIQUE EXPRESSIONS OF LOVE. LOVE HAS GIVEN EACH OF US THE RIGHT AND THE RESPONSIBILITY TO BE WHO WE ARE. LOVE REQUIRES THAT WE GIVE EACH OTHER FREEDOM TO EXPRESS IN ITS INDIVIDUAL FORMS

THE TIME OF THE DREAM IS NOW

You are hereby invited to join The Royal Family of Kings and Queens, united IN THE PRACTICE OF, Mutual respect, self-awareness, self- control, personal responsibility, and commitment to working together to create a school district that is dynamic, effective, Receptive, fun and, highly esteemed by the people it serves.

THE AGREEMENT

OBJECTIVE

Spirituality- we are all Human -Beings. We all have bodies, minds, and spirits. Our Human part is our body: physical sensations, feelings and emotions. The BE- IS- BEING IN THE SPIRIT OF LOVE NOW. " To Be or not To Be ". ..that IS the question. LOVE IS our True Essence. IT can be found in the still, quiet place deep inside of our own hearts. Love IS, always PRESENT, IT IS Everywhere, IN Ever thing, and Every body. I think of our minds as mental impulses, thoughts, the ING, or EGO. Our minds try to make Sense of our feelings, emotions and experiences, to guide the body along life's journey.

Spirituality is the awareness of, the identification with, and the expression of Love as One's Ownself.

Parents, schools, and societies have taught many of us, to identify only with our bodies and minds, to exclude our Spirits. To believe that we are small, incomplete, and less than we should be. Unaware of our True Natrue, some of us have accepted this UN - truth about ourselves, which subsequently, has been reinforced by our life experiences.

BIRDWINGS

EXPECTING THE WORSE, YOU LOOK, AND INSTEAD, HERE'S THE JOYFUL FACE YOU'VE BEEN WANTING TO SEE.

YOUR HAND OPENS AND CLOSED AND OPENS AND CLOSES.

IF IT WERE AKWAYS A FIST OR ALWAYS STRETCHED OPEN,

YOUR DEEPEST PRESENCE IS ON VERY SMALL CONTRACTING AND EXPANDING,

THE TWO AS BEAUTIFULLY BALANCED AND COORDINATED AS BIRDWINGS.

RUMI

The African-American culture is by necessity, an affective culture, Based On religion and the need to survive in an unfriendly country. Our African roots are in wholeness. Our native culture does not separateTruth by politics, it relates to people as whole human beings, participate in various activities along life's journey. Historically, the survival of African-Arnericans in this country has depended on the ability to trust our feelings. From the black experience, white America is not a friendly place, and is often unsafe. The American culture seems to separate Truth according to politics with ease, and politics always favors whites. In the process of trying to intergrate this conflict, the AfricanAmerican ego, ING, tends to spiritualize politics and AngloAmerican egos tend to politesse the Spirit. IT is not uncommon for African- American students to be injured by white teachers who are unaware of their cultural differences and racial biases. One of my children was confused by her teacher's protracted inquiry about her absence from school, due to a death in the family. The child did not understand why the teacher didn't know that "All relatives are close". She experienced the teacher as suspicious and unsympathetic.

In college, I develop ped a split-level of awareness when I realized the discrepancies between black families I read about in textbooks and real families I knew and loved. I thought white authors made up the things they wrote about black people because they didn't like them. In graduate school I became aware of the possibility that white authors may not have intentionally made up stories about black people, perhaps they simply did not know what they did not know.

I can still recall, with great clarity, early in professional career, listening to a colleague explain to a group how he had structured the Truth. I was the only African-American present, and much to my surprise, mine was the only voice of objection. Fortunately, My split-level awareness has developed into a multi- cultural orientation in life and an understanding of social systems. Some African-Americans are better prepared than others to cope with the challenges of racism. On balance, for some obvious, and other not so obvious reasons, African-American man encounters the most difficulty. This difficulty is due primarily to the threat he poses to the American white man, the symbol of power and control. During slavery, African-American mothers were forced to repress normal assertive drives and need for self-expression by their sons for the boy's own survival. Men and boys were frequently separated from the family and sold in the slave market. After the Reconstruction, the government continued the practice of separating black men from their families,with their restrictive welfare laws. To cope successfully with the challenges of racism, every African-American child needs at least one caring, adult who believes in him or her. This adult becomes the reality testing board for the child to explore and practice Truth. I was extremely fortunate to have a mother who never lied to me. The many challenges I encountered in the world were made easier because I knew she held the Truth about who I Am. I was always comforted by her reassurance that, no matter how difficult things appeared, the present would eventually become the past, and the future would be better if I trusted in myself and fbIlowed my own heart.

SPIRITUAL EDUCATION

MARIE SIMMONS-M. S.

M= MIND OVER MATTER

REQUIRED BY HATTIE TO HAVE WHAT YOU WANT

1 ACCEPT LIFE AS YOU FIND IT. FIND THE STRENGHT TO CHANGE THE THINGS YOU DON'T LIKE AND CAN CHANGE; THE WISDOM AND FLEXIBILITY TO KNOW WHEN IT IS YOUR MIND OR DIRECTION THAT NEED CHANGING.

B. THINK ABOUT WHAT YOU ARE DOING AND ASK YOURSELF IF YOUR BEHAVIOR IS GETTING YOU WHAT YOU WANT OR BLOCKING WHAT YOU WANT.

1. TITHE SOME OF TOUR TIME AND WORLDLY GOODS TO INCREASE LOVE IN THE WORLD. (heal the sick, feed the hungry, provide shelter to the homeless, etc. )

2. INVEST SOME OF YOUR TIME AND WORLDLY GOODS TO PROVIDE FOR YOURSEL NOWAND IN THE FUTURE.

3. ENJOY SOME OF YOUR TIME AND WORLDLY GOODS NOW. IT IS THE ONLY TIME THERE IS.

PROCESS FOR ACHIEVEMENT ASSESSMENT OF INDIVIDUAL TALENTS, POTENTIAL, AND INTERESTS

2. STUDENTS WILL WRITE AUTOBIOGRAPHY INCLUDING STATEMENTS OF THE KIND OF ADULT HE OR SHE WOULD LIKE TO BECOME AND WHAT KIND OF WORK HE OR SHE WOULD LIKE TO DO FOR SELF SUPPORT. STATEMENTS WILL IDENTIFY WHO AND WHAT THE STUDENT NEEDS TO PREPARE FOR THE WORK HE OR SHE WANTS TO DO AND BECOME THE TH E KIND OF ADULT HE OR SHE WANTS TO BE,

2. A VARIETY OF ART FORMS WILL BE PROVIDED FOR I INDIVIDUAL SELECTION OF HIS OR HER PERSOONAL EXPRESSION OF LOVE.

ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE

2. STUDENTS WILL BE GUIDED IN TRANSFERRING PERSONAL EXPRESSIONS OF LOVE DEMONSTRATED IN ART FORM, SELECTED ABOVE TO: A. CLASSROOM ASSIGNMENTS B. RELATIONSHIPS WITH TEACHERS AND PEERS. C. FAMILY AND COMMUNITY RELATIONSHIPS

SAFE ENVIIRONMENT FOR STUDENTS OT LEARN AND GROW

a. Students will be taught tools for self- control: self-awareness and personal responsibility.

b. Students will be taught {Civics For Democracy), developed by Ralph Nader.

c. Students will participate in Conflict Resolution Curriculum developed by Community Board Program, Inc.

d. College Behavior Science students, and Marshall Art teachers will staff detention areas to help students take personal responsibility for aggressive behavior.