CAPA Civic Engagement Seminar Series (1)

CAPA Civic Engagement Seminar Series (1)

Introduction of Howard County Citizens Association and The People’s Voice

Guest Speakers: Stu Kohn and Lisa Markovitz

Howard Community College, DH100 (Duncan Hall)

Sunday, October 29 2017, 12 – 2 pm

Our speakers for the inaugural CAPA Civic Engagement Seminar are Howard County Citizens Association (HCCA) President Stu Kohn, and the President of The People’s Voice (TPA), HCCA Vice President Lisa Markovitz.  Both HCCA (http://howardcountyhcca.org/us/citizens-in-action/) and TPA (http://www.peoplesvoicellc.org/board-members) are well recognized and well respected community organizations that have made positive impact on lives of Howard county residents, by bringing residents together to express views, take joint actions, and encourage participations in County affairs.

Stu and Lisa will introduce the HCCA and TPV respectively. They will show and discuss an HCCA Film “Columbia at 50 – A Bridge to the Future” (Note:  this is about All of Howard County).  They will also specifically talk about the ongoing school redistricting (now in the Board of Education) process as well as Adequate Public Facility Ordinance (APFO) in the County Council, followed by open questions and concerns from the audiences.

This is a great opportunity for you to learn local issues which closely affect your lives and your children’s education. It also will help you to know how and when to participate in our community affairs.

In Chinese

大家有没有最近为学区重划而烦恼和忧虑?大家有没有考虑我们郡,怎么发展到今天以及将来怎么发展?CAPA请来了我们郡两位非常资深人士跟大家一起探讨:Howard County Citizens Association(HCCA)的主席,Stu Kohn,和HCCA的副主席兼人民之声 (The People’s Voice)的主席Lisa Markovitz。我们希望通过他们的讲座,帮助大家了解怎么参与我们郡公共事务的讨论,怎么能够为我们郡的发展出谋划策,或者如果你觉得哪个发展不对的时候,该怎么抗争。

Stu 跟 Lisa 首先会播放一部三十分钟的纪录片“Columbia at 50 – A Bridge to the Future”。这个纪录片讨论了我们郡,特别是哥伦比亚市近五十年的发展历史和今天面临的难题。接着他们会讨论正在进行中的BOE的学区重划,County Council的APFO立法等等大家关心的议题。

欢迎参加。周日 10/29/2017, 12:00-14:00 Howard Community College, DH100 (Duncan Hall)

Parenting with EQ

Reflections on Dr Bing Liao’s talk on 2016-12-18:

hosted by Grace Chinese Christian Fellowship and Chinese American Paraent Association (CAPA)

Dr. Liao (http://lawrenceville.languageandleadership.org/index.php/home-e/speakers.html) devoted to children’s education after her children began to go to school 13 years ago. In the past some parents used to think about “never losing from the start”, which was wrong. Now we must think about differently on how to raise our children. It is not like to solve a Newton physics problem.

Some talking points:

Need know how to set priority for the family and for the children. She proposed three suggestions about raising a happy children:

1) have a good relationship with your children.

2) help building the inner passion , motivation for your children.

3) accept your children who they are, not a perfect one.

Race to nowhere is a must watch. https://www.amazon.com/Race-Nowhere/dp/B004WCSMG6/ref=sr_1_sc_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1482119212&sr=8-1-spell&keywords=race+to+no+where%2C+eucation

Challenges:

Middle class worry about their children’s education such that parents push some pressure onto their children. Free time for children is really important, not the parents designed free time.  Street smart is important for a happy

Other early blossom children challenge our own patience.  We need patience and love for our children.

Parent effective training is another must read. https://www.amazon.com/Parent-Effectiveness-Training-Responsible-Children/dp/0609806939/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1482119401&sr=8-1&keywords=Parent+effective+training

Young kids rebellion is an indicator of parent failure. Every child has their own destination and it is usually not following their parents expectation.

Emotion Bank Account

Emotion bank account for your kids need your deposits frequently. How to make a deposit:

1) constant affirmation to love them. Don’t praise your children to be smart, instead praise their work. Don’t criticize your child using Chinese, and praise them in English. You should stay in the same battleground as your children.

Critical thinking your child learn from school will first applied to the you, the parents. When children challenges you, sometime they are not challenging you, but the authority you represent.

You need learn to understand their feelings and needs. There should be no power resolution between you and your children. Need learn how to approach your child at the right time.

2) Learn to give small gifts, even a note for the child. That is hard for Chinese Americans since the culture is not good at it.

3) Find quality time with kids. Need to name the emotion, confirm it and seek consolidation. Don’t judge the first.

4) Service for the kids. This is always well done by the Chinese American parents.

5) Have body contact.  It is difficult for first generation Chinese parents, but we really need learn it. Show your love and care for your kids by kissing them, hugging them.

When to withdraw the bank account?

What is EQ?

 know your emotion and  manage your emotion,

Two must reads: Boys adrift, https://www.amazon.com/Boys-Adrift-Epidemic-Unmotivated-Underachieving/dp/0465072100/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1482120288&sr=8-1&keywords=boy+adrift

Girls on the edge, https://www.amazon.com/Girls-Edge-Girls-Sexual-Cyberbubble-Environmental/dp/0465022065/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1482120336&sr=8-1&keywords=girls+on+edge

Should not use plastic bottles.

How to handle social median problem and computer related problem.

Need figure out whether it is your problem or your children’s problem or joint problem. Pick your battles right.

Peer parent pressure is a problem. So don’t ask your friends, your neighbors which college their children get admitted.

CAPA School Start Time Committee

Dear all,

CAPA is looking for members to join CAPA School Start Time Committee. We will discuss the four models proposed by HCPSS. We will work out a response. If the response is approved by majority of CAPA senior members and CAPA board, the committee will testify at BOE meeting on behalf of CAPA in Feb. 2017.

Please email me at superbwu at gmail.com if you are interested in joining the committee. You don’t need be a senior member to join the committee, but you need be a senior member to vote on the resolution.

CAPA board member Hongling Zhou and myself will lead the committee.

Thanks for your interest.

We were interviewed by Baltimore Sun

We were interviewed by Baltimore Sun at

http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/howard/columbia/ph-ho-cf-chinese-parent-association-1105-20151102-story.html

Asian students make up almost 20 percent of enrollment in Howard County’s public schools. But Jean Xu, a Howard County parent who immigrated from China two decades ago, does not believe that this demographic is appropriately reflected in the county school system’s central office, on the school board, among principals and teachers and in parent-teacher associations.

xxxxx.

CAPA_team_with_BaltimoreSun