Level Us Up ft. Latasha Marchand [EP 90]

A man.

We are.

We are, y'all.

We are joined for our Level Us Up segment by Latasha mar Sean and Latasha. I came across natashaw on the interwebs, okay, because she has an organization called Jump Up Books. It's all about children's literacy and when we find ourselves in a nation that is championing ignorance, not just in culture but in policy. For instance, the Department of Education, as we know, has now been dismantled.

And children K through twelve.

Education has now been moved to the Labor Department. And I'm just gonna read what it says, just to lead us into your segment. I'm just gonna read with the Labor Department says that they're gonna do.

This is from the White House. This is from the government's website.

The Labor Department is committed to working with the Department of Education to ensure our K through twelve and post secondary education programs prepare students for today and tomorrow's workforce demands. I don't even need to read the rest because that is a very thinly veiled language for We're just gonna teach you how to be used.

That's all.

We're teaching you, and we know that literacy is a key component to being able to move outside of the realms of control. So hello, Ms Marsham, thank you for joining us, and so talk to us about Jump Up Books. What made you start Jump Up Books, how you got involved in children's literacy, all the things.

Okay, all right, So lots to unpack because this administration.

Oh my god, oh my god.

Yes, but I've been basically a community organizer, I would say, but I throw my own events.

You know, I where are you based?

I'm based in I'm in Inland Empire, Sanburgadino.

Okay, yeah, but I've lived in Redlands before.

It's kind of adjacent to here, but it's basically in London Empire, that whole thing.

And there's a lot of for those who don't know.

California, Yeah, California and the I e all day shout out to all of us.

Lord knows, you know, we get forgotten. They only about.

LA and yeah, it's real here. We basically move here for all different reasons. But point is, we'll get there. But I have been doing community organization pretty much on my own here in San Bernardino for over I mean, I was doing things back with the public Access channel and that had to be like that was like two thousand and nine.

So yeah, And I would my own money.

You know, go out and give backpacks and books and I would just you know, I would talk to the you know how people say, oh, you don't know your you know your who your mayor is or who your you know the coroner or whoever.

I'm in their office. I was in the co partner's office.

I've been writing for the newspaper, trying to ring the alarm, like, hey, guys, something bad is happening. And then you know, I find out certain things about them as well.

Been to the city council meetings.

I can tell you guys, it's it's a mess.

You know how you're dismissed.

And not only I know that there is yes, absolutely being black, yes, but they dismiss anybody that's not going with it. You really get dismissed, you know, of course if you're a black person. But I'm saying like, if you're not going with whatever the agenda is, no, they don't have no time for you. And then a lot of the organizations you have to be very careful, very clique ish for whatever reason, just being honest, that's from

That's a lot, you know.

I I've done things, try to, you know, help, But I do feel like, in my opinion, you're an activist.

Are for me.

I feel like I'm a person that just wants to help, but I really want to genuinely help.

Yeah, the term activist makes it seem like there's a job for it makes it seem like.

That is true. It's supposed to be a part of your walk. Yeah, I get that.

Yeah, Okay, Okay, they're not You're okay, the activists.

And that's what I've really been saying, like and honestly, I don't and I will get the jump.

I'm sorry you guys.

I'm talking all over the place, but I wanted to just land this really quickly. I think that that's the problem that we do think that it is something big or huge that everybody you know, But also I don't understand, even before all the drama and the mess that we are in, how people cannot care. There's lots of people sleeping outside, but anyway.

We'll we'll, we'll get there.

But how I came up with jump Up for School, Actually it was inspired by my daughter.

I have. I have two daughters.

My oldest daughter she was really struggling and just wasn't finding her place. And then my younger daughter just full speed head right, it's always and I was and I was wondering, like what is going on? And they said that there's a few types of kids, but you either have a really good test taker or you have a child that's really afraid to you.

Know, just.

They don't really know where they're going wrong.

But something's missing foundationally, and so we had to get to the bottom of that. Found out really quickly, like a lot of people get a little offended about how.

They get offended about.

Things that they feel that they should know, especially and you can be talking to anyone of any age.

I'll and I'll just give you guys some stats.

So they according to the National Education it's like a report card that comes out, it's the National Educational Literacy Program, and they tell you of fourth graders are not reading they're reading on.

Like a uh, they're not reading on.

Level right, and then the proficient children they're reading on like a they're not proficient. It's just they they've lowered the bar so low that proficiency.

Actually isn't what it's supposed to be.

And the crisis that we're all in that they keep calling a literary crisis, we're all in it, and this is a very few people.

It takes critical thinking, memory and.

Those foundational skills to build a really strong reader, right and practice. You have to read all the time. Many people we just don't, and a lot of.

It is time. But yeah, that's that's what's going on.

So tell us about how jump Up, Jump Up Bose works.

Yes, okay, so so jump up for school. It basically is a book club. But the difference between our book club and everybody else's is you have to unlock the next class for our book club, and you do that by reading and we in within the text. You will get different keywords and different clues and it will tell you, but you have to read the whole text and then you unlock the next.

Class to go to the book club.

And it just keeps going on, and it takes a child from where they are, you know, wherever they are when it comes to like their learning. You know, I'm sorry I'm getting, but yeah, where they are with reading and understanding, comprehension all those things.

And I do partner with other educators and things like.

That because for me, you know, I'm coming more from a space of I know that we need this program.

I know we need good teachers.

I know tons of teachers and tutors and everything, and I was so I bring them together and they will come up with different prompts and they'll come in and talk about whatever their favorite book is when they were kids, when they were their ages, different things like that, and then they'll just you know, present it to the child and when the kids read it and things like that, they basically are able to unlock the next course.

They can move on.

But we all move on as a course together, so no child is like, you know, sitting back there.

So who do you feel is utilizing Jump up for School Book Club the most?

Is it homeschool parents?

Is it just parents in general who are trying to supplement the literacy teaching that school is not necessarily providing.

Usually it's kind of an array of all those parents.

We really do try to focus on the homeschool parents though, because they need it the most, and they especially need the engagement because a lot of kids they lack social skills. And I know probably listen this, you'll think I do too. Mine is more of I'm out of my comfort zone because I plan on being at home.

Well, you're definitely in a car and you're holding a phone, so that doesn't make this easy.

And now you have no service, So there's that. The service.

Does not.

I don't know why what.

Happened, but just so y'all know, I really don't like any of you inn folk when they sit in their car, just so y'all know, because it's too many distractions.

It looks crazy. I don't know what's going on.

And then this happens because we're on the freaking cell These cell phones they're not you know, they're not it.

I I wait for her to come back.

But you know this, this is so necessary because I don't think enough of you all. Understable Brandon, I could not find that word. I was looking for stable, and it was just eluding.

Me what I think.

Y'all also need to understand parents who may not and I know you might be like you're not a parent, don't say anything.

I'm gonna say what I want.

School is not enough school is not doing enough. That's not a shade to the parents, that's not a shade to the teachers. The school is literally not designed to do enough. So you end up having to actually have a curriculum mind around the child. That's not just an extracurricular activities. That's also in how you exist, how like you're raising your home. I will say that I was raised in a home that had a curriculum.

I wasn't just going to school when I was home.

There was always education present in my zeitgeist.

My room always had books.

I was always given toys that had.

Education aspects to them.

I always had Sesame Street or picture pages. No, I mean shade, but I always had Zubalie Zoo. There was always educational programming present for me. And I was also given access to listen to adults speak. So I was also not simply just around students or kids, right, So I was able to also hear like adult conversation and not adult conversation like you know, things that are that are inappropriate, but simply just mature learned like learned people talking.

And I you know. And then I was also.

Along with being read to every single name, I was also tested. I don't know test is the right word, but my mom had this book called The Student's Companion, and so you know, she made the concept of learning interesting. So whether it was about learning like types of geography and names of animals, et cetera, et cetera, like that was always present in my zeitgeist. And then I was always reading at a higher level than the class I was in because my mom was also always doing additional reading.

If you got to bribe your children, then bribe your children.

Do this work.

But and I'm gonna give you some ice cream. Fine, people be acting like, no, they have to want to do it. No they don't, No, they don't. You don't want to go to work.

You go to work because there's a check on.

The other side.

Now, Latasha, why.

Are you in the car?

I am in the car because I have a husky that is seventy pounds and it's the holidays, so usually super quiet, right, but my neighbors are having people over and he's flipping out. So and look, and I went to the library. I tried to get a private room. It's booked, and I'm like.

This is what it's gonna get me, Like, this is what we're doing.

Why? And then what's worse is I stayed up like for days.

I know exactly. You know how Jumble for school works.

We help kids write their own books, that's the goal, and basically they unlock chapters as we go. Okay, so we write all together, all in the same room. Even the parents get involved with this.

So this is not simply about reading. It's the fact that literacy is also about writing.

Yes, that's what I do.

I wrote my first book in twenty ten, self published, and I learned very quickly that writing is rewriting. You have to like, no matter how much you think you're paying attention to detail, get those extra people in the room, have focused groups, all that stuff, and we do all of that with the kids, all of that editing, writing. They go through the whole process, and we partner with local book clubs take the kids so they can get you know, sign books and do all get the whole author experience.

Yeah, that's that's the goal.

I mean, I think it's so necessary to point out that, y'all, literacy is also writing because that's the element I think so much in the US people are missing right that you can read, but you can't write, so you can't even understand what you're reading.

And that's what it's about.

It's the comprehension part and and and also memory with because you can read all day, but if you're not retaining that, that memory has to be sharped. So the more you do it, it's like a muscle, you exercise it. That's the main thing. And having educators in the room with the kids helping them step by step like, you know, whatever they're uh, whatever they're missing. And then there's also kids.

And did you you know?

And she's on it and she's and she's like, you know, I really I don't mind helping other kids, but hey, you know, basically I do this. So and she ran her own book club in her school, so you have to meet and and and her parents. Her mom's watching, So hi, Jazzy and Josie.

Are you do you have the criteria? Yeah? Yeah, for real.

And I tell everybody that her. And then we have a little two year old. He's not in the book club yet, he's two years old. But this little boy is so smart. His name is Oakland. Shout out to him and his mom, so sweet, super smart. This his well, his mom is an educator and so. But but I also want people to know we have kids that struggle to so don't think that you know, oh my gosh, because I just don't put a lot on Oh my kid is so smart.

It's like, are they a good test taker.

Or you know, are they really enjoying what they're doing, because you know that's the main thing.

I mean, I was a good short answer test taker. However, once you give me multiple choices, I'm like, what.

Are we doing?

What are we doing?

If you can see and getting out of there?

Yeah, let me write an essay now, look that's me.

That's me all day. If I can write an essay and another thing.

I know you may not think that today, but you know usually if I get an interview, I got it.

No matter what it is, no matter what it is you're sitting in.

We're fascinating that you're sitting in a car that's not moving, but you have a seatbelt on.

That's what we're fascinating about.

Of course, you know what. I love it and listen you up every day.

If that is to hold you right, like the seatbelt is just to hold you like a weighted blanket, we respect it.

Let me tell you.

Let me tell you.

Okay, I have a friend and she was in a park car and somebody just came by and hit her, and the guy flew through the window, but her window but not her I'm telling you keep.

Your seatbelt on. What are saying?

It's the law and it's a good idea, yo.

Like I'm my g I re mm, I'm completely.

Tanked on the mask. But that was allays gonna happen. But I got it perfect on.

The essay, right, And you know what, I rarely meet people that are great at both.

Rarely it's either one or the other.

But I think and another thing that we do, we talk about our toolbox.

You reading is not just I read this type.

Of book, I read this thing, I you know, whatever it is. It is literally everything that you're put in your toolkit like anything else. If you want to lose weight, if you want to whatever it may be, whatever your goal is, you're gonna have a toolkit. Even in therapy, when I went through therapy, my therapist was like, Uh, you're gonna need your toolkit. You know, are you doing all the things? Are you drinking the water or you you know, all of those things.

So what would you say are some of the toolkits that you're putting together for the kids in terms of literacy.

That we do.

The first thing that I do is I tell them that this is a living, moving organism, right, because I think that you gotta try. It is a multi pronged undertaking. Okay, so you got to try a lot of things because everything does not work on the same child. Everybody's going to get a syllabus of course and just kind of tell them, you know, these are some of the topics that I would like to get to and talk about.

So I do a lot of unlearning with my program.

It's a whole lot of unlearning because if you come in there with an attitude of well, I already know this, so why am I doing this. I do have an exercise where I have them tie their shoe, no matter who they are, even if they're learning to do it, and the reason that I do that. And then after I have them ti a shoe, I teach them something new that they don't know. They will have the same reaction,

Where we are.

So and even oh and I wanted to share this as well, also all of us depending because there's a few types of learning systems that they tried. The first one was it's called structural or standard right, And that's the one that is where they'll show you the first letter of every word and the last letter of every word and in a text, right, and then they want you to look at the look at the picture and assume what that word is. Don't worry about the middle.

Right.

And they taught people to read based on that, and that's insane to me. That's like teaching on vibes. In my opinions, that's not helpful. And they did, and they instead of teaching phonics you know how we learned to read.

There you go. They they don't.

They stopped teaching phonics and started teaching that way because the guy said, oh, the kids just need to be around reading and they'll pick it up and they'll get it. And so when you're looking around and I'm not talking about in a few cities or states, I'm sorry, a few states.

No, no, no, this was done.

Now.

I we had phonics and we had all that.

But I do know.

When my when my uh my daughter was was young, they were talking about site works and I was like, what, I.

Don't do that, not a fan, No, I don't do that.

They were reading Cat in the Hattan. They were like, you know two and four, you know what I mean? And and I do think that, yeah, I mean, I can't even say I think they did a disservice to so many people, so many.

I'm learning Arabic right now on dual lingo, and I do need to advance to like an actual teacher. However, I can absolutely say that the reason I'm picking it up is because it's a phonetic language, and I.

Learned how to read via phonetics pnics.

There you go, there you go, And that's the thing like, you're not you're not messing with those building blocks.

Phonics is just.

To not learn phonics, That's.

What I'm saying.

And words are just just the fact that he said that that you can basically just be around books and.

People that read and don't worry about.

The words in the middle. It'll just put whatever word you want in there and it's done some detriment. And also just sharing same statistics, same you know, same studies. They're saying that people that are in college getting masters degrees and beyond, they're saying that they don't they can't read either.

They're not proficient either.

And I'm like, what, let me tell you what.

Work this is.

Also, you can't write, and now we have texting and chat GBT, et cetera, et cetera, and so, and I think a lot of people are missing about not being able to write is you cannot tell your own story, you cannot speak your own experience. You don't have the language to be able to communicate, right. So, like I was teaching our class at a community center and I was speaking to the one who the little girls next to me, and she was like, you know, I don't like emotions.

I don't like emotions.

And I was like, well, I'm aware of this because someone in the class got emotional and you ridiculed them.

And she was like.

And I was like, so, what is a better way that you could have managed that next time? Where you may feel uncomfortable by someone else being emotional?

And she was like, tell them to stop.

And I know that is not the correct answer. However, I was like, I think the reason why you may be uncomfortable with their emotions is because you can't figure. You can't understand them. You don't have a take for them, have a language for your own emotions. And so I was like, you know, that's something that you have to understand, is that we're losing communication and the ability to communicate is so imperative to our capacity to exist in our fullness.

Right, So you're teaching the aduildren. You're giving these.

Children an opportunity to have a full, a full existence by even giving them the ability to communicate. Now, how are the parents to this, because I know they learning at the same time.

You know, I've had so many parents come to me and share some things and I'm like, wait, literacy again about their own literacy about things like I didn't really know how to read, but I pretended. And my mom couldn't read, so she didn't know, and so I would just be saying words and she's like, oh.

Yep, sounds good. And I would get a whooping if.

I didn't read.

So there's that a lot of trauma around reading, a lot of teacher a lot of teacher hurt.

Yeah, and but also.

People that haven't really really yeah.

And that's what that's what I call it, because it took me so long to I always wrote poems and everything. I'm one of those one.

Of those kids, you know, right, really sad, you know, I know.

You see you feel me, and that's why I'm over shared and all this. But yeah, so words are very important to me. And so yeah, when I got in high school, I finally met a teacher and literally she was awesome.

She lived down in the mountains, didn't have a TV, and she was just so and I was like, Okay, I gotta do this.

Yeah that's what I you know, what saying.

I gotta do this.

So yeah, and I and I think that with the parents, I just hate to hear the word and they all say it. I just don't want them to be bored. I don't want them to be bored.

They say that, they'll tell me about oh my god, like I do I do in depth.

Surveys, okay, yeah, And they'll tell me about all the behavioral problems, how they're you know, not paying attention in school, how they're upset or or you know, oh they're so bad or whatever the case may be. And then the men and I tell them, well, I have this great program and this is what we do and literally, you know, we help kids do this.

And they will be like, well are they I'll be bored. Let me tell you something.

My class the other day said he was bored, and I said.

Maybe it's because you're boring.

And you know, and I think, and we got a whole class or our supplies and you guess what, you got it together, got it together, right, And and I do think that that's like that word has been used so much, that word is used back at our day, you know what I mean, like, oh, you know I'm bored or you know, as if it's just this horrible thing. I'm like, you can be bored for a minute, because if you're waiting for somebody else to learn whatever it may be, I'm not saying the whole thing. Like, trust me,

Words, you know, and you're seeing the words.

Yeah, there's so many different ways to teach kids how to read, you guys, like yeah, and so yeah, but I'm bored.

You know what I mean, Like I don't want to.

Like Okay, also like you're not bored, you're just not stimulated right now.

And that's very true, like provides that language.

I mean, kids are also feeling.

You know, these kids are also dealing with a lot more stimulants and distractions, et cetera than us. So what are some ways that you've had to adjust in how to meet those differences?

Okay, So we have a lot of kids that have some some serious things.

Going on at home, right And for me, I make sure that every single time we have any type of meatup, we have food, I do food, and then we talk and we do this thing and it's basically it's called pontificate pontificating.

And it's just a big thing.

You know.

We just sit there and we just think and we think of ideas, and they.

Don't, you know, they don't necessarily want to talk about what's going on at home.

Sometimes sometimes they do, sometimes they don't.

So we do this thing and and I you know, it sounds real and they get all excited, you know, they think, oh, what is that?

And where we're.

Gonna think people need to pontificate.

This is a pontificating.

That. Yeah.

So there's so many ways you can teach kids like get out there, you know. And it's the thing we're called jump up for school, not because we think that we like, I never want to be a school. I don't ever want to be dealing with the rules. And you can't teach this because you're teaching that, or or who you can teach me. That's not what it should be. No, No, you the minute you get caught up in the oh, I'm gonna go whatever, you know what I mean, nonprofit

No matter what.

You guys, So address your questions to Ms Marshan.

You know how we do in this classroom.

You know how we do in this class We say Ms Marshman, et cetera, et cetera.

While you're doing that.

So I'm in the process.

Of developing this character and a project called Radical Readers, and I'm trying to figure out So the idea is that every other know, she'll do a book report about a radical children's book, and she'll always do a song and this is this is.

Oh she's so cute, rah rah.

And so I'm I'm still like figuring it out and what I want yeah to consist of. So my choice you is in a space of literacy.

So I love that you said antificate.

So one, I love that it was just like the kids are thinking.

But two, I have to have every episode a segment we do a word of the week episode segment.

Here, but there always has to be a word of the show segment.

Yes, you know where we're using the word and I mean on Sesame Street. There used to be like the word of the day. I mean, sorry, the letter K or whatever would be filtered the show. So I want to do that with a word. But I want to put together any other tips that you feel like should be included in my little crow that you think is really helpful to kids and parents.

Yes, okay, around literacy. Okay, I'll make it about literacy because I had a tip for them that it was really good that I think and this just goes to this just goes to how kids think. Okay, So if you have a small kid, and I got this from super Nanny years and years ago, Okay, if you have a small child and you take them outside, well before you know, you go outside, it's cold outside whatever, and you.

Want to put on their jacket.

Take that child outside because when they're in the house it's warm, so they don't understand why you're putting a jacket on them. Take them outside, let them feel a little bit of a cold. They'll know they'll need a jacket.

That's the tip.

Because they don't understand why are you putting a jacket on me and I'm warm.

They don't do.

So translate that to me in this context. Okay, I gotta make a kid understand.

I gotta put them.

I got to create the scenario for them to understand the point.

Yes, yes, yes, really curious minds, adults and children. They need to know the why I'm a person. I need to know the why. Some kids they're just do it. Do eman.

Let me tell you.

That's why when I when I wrote under your comment, I said, you need your flowers, girl, you need your flowers, because people don't understand, like I feel like, in a way, we're not the you know, we're not the same, but we have so many similarities in the facts of when I tell you, like I am always the one that's standing up or saying something out of turn.

I'm the person that's always like, no, we can't do that.

Yeah, They're like, oh, here's you come, Oh she gonna tell us that.

I don't.

I don't like the way you do that. I don't know, especially when it comes to kids. I'm the first one to be like, no advocate advocate.

For almost I'm not.

Store over somebody's Yes, why are you talking to a baby like that?

The bad too? You want to make your map?

No, your business is happened in front of my face. If you didn't want it, you wanted me to mind my business, to made.

It my business.

That's a two year old that you're yelling to stop touching things anything it can.

I'm telling you, at my at my at my job I used to be at I'm telling you it would be like I don't know, we would get like fourteen hundred parents a week, every single day.

We would get like tons, tons of people.

And I can count on the on one hand who I would let and not like not to be that Like it's not abuse, it's just it's like they almost something something going on. Yeah, yeah, what were you talking to?

Yeah?

And kids they need, you know, they need to feel.

A sense of respect to and I doesn't it never happens just that sense alone.

People are what are you talking about?

Like, no, they really do you guys, we have to you know, they need their sense of person.

There's still a person.

And I'm going to give a homework assignment at that episode for the parents to do.

With their kids.

A writing assignment because I feel like I forgot about the writing element. That it's not just about I forgotten writing elements.

No, and especially if you get them, especially if you get them to write about something they're interested in, like themselves or whatever, because a lot of time we want.

To shove a book in their faith.

I'm telling you, they want to talk about them most of the time, or they absolutely don't let me say something.

I've had a point in my life where I really just want to tell my mom about what I'm doing, and she wanted to talk about politics. I'm like, I called you to talk about myself.

Oh yeah, yeah, yeah, So I'm not absolutely I feel the same way.

I'm like, I don't want Yeah. Colin Harris, etcetera. Said, I'm talking about that.

What you do all day? No?

Yeah, yeah, I tell.

You to tell you about what I got going on. That's what the conversation. That's kind of yeah, accept it and off.

I'm like, no, I literally I was putting together.

I don't know why I keep saying literally when I said, I need to take that out of my vocabulary.

But here we go. I don't have my crutches. We know we do.

Yeah, Like, oh, my gosh, I'm a value girl. And then she was like and then I was like, and it was like, what is.

That California thing? It's the California It gets to you.

Yeah, but I was gonna tell you.

And then I forget it. No, you just opened up the whole world for me.

Because when I'm gonna talk while you remember because it'll come since you.

Okay.

So when I was looking at when I was researching for this show, I was looking up like book report assignments, right, so just like what they would ask for kids and the book.

Oh my god, my dog is just all the time.

That's why I'm not at home right now because that's what my dog is doing constantly.

I'm like, what is going on?

So I'm like, okay, I'm looking at these book report assignments and they're all super dup basic, right, They're just like setting characters.

Like what happens in the book.

And I'm like, that's.

Not a book report. That's just like the I don't even know what to call that.

But it made me say, like, I want to design one that is actually more involved because what I'm what I really am starting to realize is that so much of our learning in terms of academia and intellectualism is very disaligned and disconnected from morality, from ethics, from principle, yes values right, And we only see that thinking in like religious schools, so to speak.

But even that is just a very very narrow mindset.

It is it is. I think I think I was very more.

Kid to have teachers who would be like, this was the right thing to do, like for a character, right, Like they would actually like attach morality and attach like ethics and life lessons. And so when we're reading these books with our kids, it's not just about being able to read. It's about reading between the lines and also being able to understand the allegory.

Absolutely absolutely, And that's the thing.

They had college professors that were saying, these kids don't know compare and contrast, and you want me to try to teach them, you know, about world history or anything like that. And also he's you know a lot of people they lead they say, oh, well, present the information and let them make the own decision. He says, no, somebody needs to guide them because when they see actual facts, they're like no, because they think that facts are up

Thinking is.

If it's up to their interpretation, and that we have a lot of cracks, a lot of cracks.

This is so you know, like you're you're a blessing in many ways, but me selfishly, I'm gonna say you're a blessing for this project I'm working on because I know.

That I have to approach I have to like fill a gap.

Hmm.

I've decided that I'm gonna save the world, so I have to feel it. So I have to fill a gap with this that that is missing. So like you have like miss Rachel who really gets to the kids.

In terms of yes, like provides a disciplinary.

Element to it, but she also provides like social skills, but she also provides like just like an entry way into understanding what is what right. However, the beautiful thinking aspect is not that's not necessarily like her jam, but that is something that I'm trying to figure out how to implement because I want this show to be multi generational. I want you as a parent who want to watch because you also.

Like, let me hone my little skills.

And so when you talk.

About comparing with crass it's like my character, Rah Rah needs to not just be talking about characters, as this is the character she needs to implement compare and contrasts.

She is the protagonist.

She is the antagonist, right, Like these types of things absolutely her opinion.

Name three facts from this book.

Name an opinion from this book, like the things and these are so these are things that you're pointing out to me that I just do by rote because I'm trained, but that you're right in the breakdown.

It's like, we got to break it down back to fundamentals.

Yes, yes, everything everything, because you will already said it a million times, but it's the fundamentals. Okay, so you tie your shoe. Just always remember the anger and frustration that people feel with very basic things. It's why we have the explosions of the you know, the parents and the magazine, the whole she bang, and even you know, like people in our own lives. You know, some people you can't tell them like, hey, you know you're driving

We all just.

You know, it's it's the I want to call it. I wanted to call it first world, but I've been calling this place.

You know world.

Yeah, we're in a whole different dimension. We're not even in the galaxy right now.

I made a whole other version of wakness, you know, which is really infting for a lot of people, like because they're realizing like, oh it is bad, like I didn't.

Just make it. Yeah yeah, yeah, yeah.

So you have a question from the Great Kagman who says Ms Marshan is teaching who, by the way, is demonstrating to you all exactly how I want questions to be written.

Ms Marshan Comma is teaching.

The story graph, important characters, plot, conflict, climass resolution to help with critical thinking.

I believe it is.

Absolutely even when we're not only just talking about, you know, teaching the to build a story or anything like that. Everything that you do we talk about character building and world building and doesn't make sense. And it has to have a conflict. You have to have a character that you know before it was just like oh you got to have the boy that likes the girl and the whole she bank. But I'm trying to get kids away from that. I think that and don't I'm not like

You.

Well, we got a lot of teaching to do, and we want to get those first through force in there as well, because look at what we're I mean, if this is what's the roots are one of the roots of all this, let's get it out now. I've been one and two for so long and I called so many preschools and if I would have recorded it, you know, like the like the lady who recorded when she was calling the church. If I were have recorded me calling these preschools, schools, all this stuff.

They basically told me we have our own program. No we don't need it.

Heard the whole skill and it wasn't all you know how it's been here, you know, heard the whole thing, and they said, we do our own thing. And I was literally floored. I was like, I'm looking at your statistics. You don't what you're doing is not working, but you want to keep doing it, and then you just have kids to show up. The teachers are bankrupt because they're like depleted because they're trying to teach. Think about all

It's just a lot and you have a lot of challenges. If your damn you.

Don't write, like so you'll have a class and like some of those kids in that class, they may not be as advanced, so you're leaving them behind. But then you have to who are more advanced, and you're also leaving them behind.

You are then you have the kids who.

Are limited by other things, whether it's neurodivergence or ADHD or what's going on at home, et cetera, et cetera. Like everybody gets left behind because there just isn't enough. Yeah, and I find that there's there's like you said that I know is so often attached to capitalism too, right, because it's like if we if we take on another program, then it makes us look like we're not effective, and like, yes, it's like a weird skew ego.

Ego, ego.

I'm telling the best thing I ever did for myself is to drown, like seriously drown the ego. Yeah, we have to because I'm telling you, and yeah, you know, it stems from being highly criticized.

One of the reasons. Of course I'm not a psychologist, but that's what I've.

Heard you guys, stems from being constantly criticized. You get to where you have a hyper like inflated sense because you're protecting yourself. You know, I see you protecting yourself all day, all day, Yes, all day, And that's but it always takes one to know. I get it because I used to. I used to do a radio show and you know, of course I didn't have any type of audience how you do. But I'm saying I used to do a radio show for like ten years I did.

But back in the day.

You gots listen, I mean, but that's bro especial maturation, you know. Like I was talked about that this morning on Patreon, just about how in the past there would be things that I felt that I didn't have the language for, which brings us back to communication, right, And so I would end up still going forth with a red flag because I didn't trust my feeling and I also didn't have language, so I would just doubt that I had a real reason to not go forth. But then the red flag would with blossom.

Yeah, okay, and that's what right was. All right. Let's take another question.

Okay, Olivia says, what are your thoughts with children who are dyslexic?

Are their tool kits for them?

There are toolkits for everybody and all any type of dyslexia, any of those challenges are well, let me not say all to it, because there's there's there's definitely things I don't like.

To make things seem so easy, you need to take a little bit more time with them.

And that's why what I call like the bonus program like mine or something like that is so important because they have to take their time. And also just because you're giving space with as far as the other kids being bored, just because you're giving space to someone who's struggling doesn't mean you have to do nothing. That's that's not what I'm saying, like they're waiting for this person or anything like that.

We have other activities that they can be and give though.

That's what I want to teach, and compassion so much because it's so lacking.

It's so lacked passion and teaches consideration, you.

Know, yeah, like yeah, go ahead, yeah.

And kids are rushed all day.

Keep in mind they said years ago kitchendn't be starting school before like all this up at the crack of dawn at five am. Kids are not wired that way. So a lot of times your kids are tired, you know, like you got them in this and this and they're tired, y'all.

Your girl used to be school.

Yeah, I'm telling you yeah, and and and I'm an insomniac.

I've always been my whole life. So I'm like going.

To and and literally because I have a like it's anybody can tell you guys know, I.

Got you know and like everybody like everybody.

But I'm telling you, like staying up all night and all that stuff, and then you gotta go to school, and you're like, what, I gotta I gotta be a.

Person, right right, you know.

And then on the weekend.

And then if you get a parent that's churched and they want to church, you not churchy, I've they want to church because I told you we're unlearning a lot of things we are.

Do you have another question from at the eighty eight Ms Marshan, Do you have to be in San Bernardino to volunteer or participate with your literacy program?

Absolutely not.

We we actually are virtual right now, so you don't have to be in sam Bernardino at all.

But I do ask that anybody that comes to volunteers.

One thing with everything with me is joy, no matter what's going on. If you have that joy and you love kids and not in you know, the creepy way, because.

You know, we do get there. There's stuff going on. Yeah, please contact me.

And one thing I want to also say before I leave, I really am probably gonna have to do a go fund me because I want to install these cameras that you can watch your child at any time any parent like it's you know, not in the restroom or something like that, but you can watch your child and know that your child is okay and safe. And that's for the people that are going to be in person with anybody that's with Jump Up for School.

Got it that? Yeah, well, miss Marshaon, thank you so much. People.

If you want to get involved with Jump Up for School, you can go to jump Up for School book club dot com.

Is that accurate? You know what?

I want to just tell them go to Jump Up book Club at Gmail because we're redoing our website Jump Up book Club and just and just send me one and you'll you'll have it. Yeah, you'll have it too. So yeah, so Jump Up book Club you guys. My Oh that's another thing. My prices are very affordable. So yeah, And people were mad at me about that because it's not a come up for me.

They were.

So they okay, so where I worked it was out you know, docs and mass.

They had that's what they did.

They actually provide the funding for childcares and things like that. Right, So that's why I was able to survey so many kids and stuff like that and parents.

And so.

They when I came up with my program, they were like, why is it so cheap? And I was like, well, because they were affecting you know, these high end.

High end prices.

And I said, well, I have always everything I've ever made has been for working what I you know, working for or you know under you know what I mean, That's what it's always been about for me.

And they had a huge problem with that.

And I think that's because maybe they thought I was gonna impede on what they had going on. Maybe they thought I should go and compete with higher you know, in places I have no idea.

So they were upset with me.

They you weren't charging anymore?

Yeah, yeah, not my job.

I don't I don't want to say that, but with wh're not interacted with parents?

Not my job. My job was just so happy that it for me pretty much.

Yeah, But no people that I and a lot of the daycare, Yeah, because they think that it should be like six and seven hundred dollars a week like daycare.

And I'm like, we only meet like once a week. It's not it's a it's an hour.

It's already overpriced exactly.

Way overpriced, way overpriced.

Way but you know, it's like all the prices have to come down, like everything, everything, I mean everything, it's just crazy. Yeah, but no, I try to make it super affordable.

Well, we appreciate you. Shout out to your dog. What's your dog's name.

MASKI, his name is Van Helsing, shout report out here killing the deal is doing what.

And thank you for being on a mission not a come up? So you all you know this is but this is what it needs to happen. And it's and I think a lot of people also feel like, oh, like you have to have some big organization to be able to make an impact, to be able to create these programs.

But that's what it's gonna be. This is also a part.

Of community building. It's not just it's not just housing people. We also have to be teaching each other.

Yeah, we gotta we're in charge of the next generation. You guys. So it's just us.

We always got we all, we got well.

So much Latasha and shout out to keeping us a breast, that we should have the seat belt across our breasts even if we are in a vcationary car.

All right, that's right.

Things happen, Say safe, she says. They they got there. Man, that was awesome. Start finding yet,