Who is NeosoulMama?

My name is Christine Lowe Woolard and have been a teacher, in one form or another, for nearly the past 20 years. I am a graduate of Yale University, with a BA in Economics as well as a MA in Curriculum and Instruction from University of Phoenix (national). I actually began working with children in the Dixwell Avenue Community Center in New Haven, Connecticut, while I was still in college. Upon graduation, I was accepted as a charter member of the Teach for America organization and was fortunate enough to teach in New Orleans, Louisiana for two years. As a person who grew up north of the Mason/Dixon line, that was quite an experience.

Although New Orleans was lovely and had great coffee and beignets, I fulfilled my true Jersey girl calling and came back to the Garden State, home of the Boss, Bon Jovi and the Chairman of the Board. I taught 4/5 grade in a small suburban/urban community and eventually became a staff developer for mathematics, which basically means I created/taught workshops and staff development sessions for middle school math teachers. The position also included working in the classroom, so I have had experience working with grades 6-8.

So, I’ve had quite bit of experience working with the so-called underserved population. And may I be so blunt as to say the key component that I found missing is parental involvement. Certainly, experts say ‘parents must become involved with their children’s education”. Yes, that is true, but as I thought about it….perhaps some of these parents don’t KNOW how to work with their children. Perhaps they think it’s too difficult or will cost too much money.

The purpose of this blog is to let those parents know that the only thing they really need is time and effort. I hope that this blog will give them the resources and the knowledge to work with their children, and stop the funneling of black males and females into the dead end life of the prison system. If you know of someone who could use this blog, or would like to be a guest blogger on the topic of black children and education, please feel free to drop me a comment.

I’m a semi-crunchy mom too. I make my own bath and body products, which you can find at http://sheaproducts.info. If you want to learn more about my day to day life with my little ones, check out my blog at http://black-domestic-goddess.

Enjoy and drop me a comment!

Thank you for reading!