The Atlanta Formula
Hosted by Zettler Clay, this show explores the city's rich culture, history and vibrant energy of the people.
The Atlanta Formula
3. Variable Edition: Literacy Quest for Atlanta's Youth, New Era in Mercedes-Benz and Salute to Atlanta Icons
Dive into an enlightening conversation with Atlanta-born educators Zettler Clay and Shaka Bailey, who bring their passion for academic excellence to our discussion on educational mastery. Bailey, wielding his 'superpower' as an African American male teacher, shares invaluable strategies for guiding students to 100% mastery in their learning. We tackle the obstacles in achieving grade-level competencies, especially in critical areas like reading and math, and consider how respect, knowledge, and motivational scaffolding can reshape the educational experience.
As we close this episode, the host gives a toast to his late father, whose wisdom and legacy inspire daily. With gratitude for the episode's contributors and a nod to the transformative power of literacy, I invite you to join the mission to nurture a generation of avid readers. From personal practices to fostering direct communication with children, to the simple yet powerful act of book donation, we can all play a role in creating a brighter future.
What's going on? Formula listeners Zettler. Fourth, here with you today with a special episode, the Variable, which I would drop frequent bits between episodes of things that happened during the week that catches our eye. Sometimes it could be something that was mentioned in an episode and then comes manifest later, like Elon Musk X getting, I think, at least $10 million of tax break for coming to Atlanta. Talked about that in episode one. Check it out if you have not. If you have, check it out again. But that's an example of something we would talk about. Production is going to be very straightforward because it is a drop. So if you hear screeches, that's what it is. But hopefully it won't turn out that way, because I do respect your ears and I respect your time, so let's get into it. I will not be here alone, but this conversation will be no less important because of the brevity, first and foremost shout out to Killer.
Speaker 1:Mike Michael Render for taking home three Grammys last night. Yeah, he's been known as an MC that's been slamming folks for years and last night was just a validation to the folks who was not initiated. And obviously we all most of us heard by now. In another strange twist he was carried out in cuffs for, I guess, a security, haha, of sorts. I ain't getting into all that Three Killer Mike, all that happy form.
Speaker 1:We all know it came out. You know the whole world with Outcast and he won a Grammy for that too, I believe. And you know, ever since then he's just been flying his trade and continues to be an inspiration to me for sure, what working at your craft and your passion can do for your life and those around you. Also, curvy Enthusiasts came out first episode of the 12th and final season and the episode's name was Atlanta. Yeah, yeah, and you know it wasn't, I guess, a nod or a, I don't know clowning. You know Trump's behavior and how they reacted to the voter registration or the voter suppression of tactors that was going on in Georgia.
Speaker 1:I do appreciate that and you know anytime we get Larry David on screen it's always a moment for the family. You did Will Cuff soccer's coming to Atlanta now status will and what else we have on. Oh yeah, shout to right him dream. This happened about a week ago, but hey, may talk sense. I'm very thrilled with that hire. I did not want Bill Belichick here. I have mentioned emotional group threads that I was not pleased that author blanket some Atlanta fans was Considering bringing him here.
Speaker 2:But you know it ain't happening.
Speaker 1:I ain't got much of his bill Belichick per se. I mean, you know other no cheat thing that he's got away with. Still a great coach not taking that away from. But anyway, shout to right hand, dream he's here. Um, his name is right. His name is not right, he's right, he was. I was just calling that, but anyway, um, we have a more fresh issue that demands our focus and One that me might overlook, but it's critical, and this is the pervasive problem of illiteracy among our children. This issue, deeply rooted and harmful, affects our students profoundly.
Speaker 1:For transparency, I run a stem lab at school and here we come and I See firsthand this trend taking root. But to maintain objectivity and to avoid letting this my passion override things, I'm going to rely on concrete data. To start off Atlanta's run constitution in the midst of Um World Cup and curve enthusiasm and killer might. This article in the front page of Mondays, february 5th, 2024 paper and it talked about how the Atlanta Club of School is using a literacy program to bridge equity gaps. And A scientific statistic from the Atlanta's agency veils, you know, something like 42% of third graders and APS read below grade level. Um, in some areas this figure is exceeding 50% and you know this is obviously unacceptable and that doesn't be many who read this and just kind of say this group's up and it's kind of shortly showed us and keep the moving. But yeah, the implications of these figures are dire. Studies show that children who were made in literary past third grade have a significantly reduced chance of ever achieving literacy. This problem only deepens age and this is just undiscussed in need for the urgent need for intervention. So why is it so critical? Right, I think I feel like we all kind of know that this is really bad, but I don't Think that we understand that truly.
Speaker 1:It is In literacy page, a smoother path to prison and power. Simply put, it facilitates Disenfranchisement and alienation. And when people feel disenfranchised, alienated, you know, they tend to do real destructive things, real things that is not suitable to long-term interest. You know, tend to be the more dependent on drugs. You know children growing up feel feeling like they're disconnected and it can't be productive members. You know that's, that's not gonna be good for us as a whole and it's. And it manifests in things like, you know, rivalries and heightened crime. And you know, but this is not a speculation Like this, is a reality, this is gravity. You know I mean Mention the first, we'll sit. Last episode, how you know, crime was gonna be the next. Next time we talk knowledge, rest for crime and that episode still coming up.
Speaker 1:However, though this article and you know, just, you know, test prep time, georgia mouse, I was coming up. You know this is this is as good a time as you need to talk about this, but this is just a reflection of a Larger habit in society and, jim, and what I mean when I say that is no, in 2023, they came out at 46% of Americans did not read a single book. No, so, and this behavior is trickling down to the children. These is in nephews, and why some may argue that reading books are not essential. As long as you have, you know you're reading. You know newspapers or newspapers, akana in the same kind of books, but those reading online or digitally, if you give me information, who cares about reading books? But this perspective overlooks the critical issue of the jointly attentions fan among our youth and To me, that is the biggest, biggest alarm that comes about. This Reading online does not counteract this trend of people not reading books.
Speaker 1:In fact, digital consumption often exacerbates it, because Right next to that tab that you're using to read an article, perhaps, or that PDF or that Kindle. You can click easily to YouTube, instagram, tiktok, like this one. Click away the barriers to keep you locked in. On one very minimal March from a clue and stated is years ago. You know, the media missed a message and it rings true here because it's emphasized the unique value of traditional reading in engaging the senses and fostering deep concentration.
Speaker 1:And this is where this crisis calls for immediate action. Short attention spans Threat to undermine us as a community, as a civilization, unless we made a concerted effort to reverse this trend. And to me, there is no better antidote to a short attention span, then reading a book. I Defy anybody, any among you, any among you, rather, to find a better antidote to short attention span, then book. Fuck this arm. Book stand as the soul antidote to this issue, because it's demands more attention and Concentration than any other activity, even if you were to say well, socializing with your family you know us being around each other playing board games, playing cards.
Speaker 1:You know that's good for you know, fostering attention, sure, I'd go for that. But I would also counter with sitting still and having a one-sided conversation with data, with literature, that you're actually turning the page to highlighting that's a can to a meditative state, that's concentrated prayer, if you will, and it sparks internal connections and insights unlike any other activity. Scientific studies consistently affirmed the benefits of regularity, from enhanced concentration to fostering empathy with listen, y'all, that there are no downsides to reading books other than neglecting other critical, important tasks. Sure, you got to eat, got to sleep, got to exercise.
Speaker 2:Got to socialize with your loved ones, absolutely.
Speaker 1:But when you aren't doing those things, what's the excuse then? Because what's happening is reading is becoming an opportunity cause at the expense of scrolling social media screens, passive forms of entertainment, watching movies which listen I get it. They all have positive benefits in its place. I'm not sitting here saying that social media should be eradicated for good, but if there is a choice between eradicating social media or eradicating illiteracy, I take social media every time off the plate. I don't think that urgency exists. For other people and for me, that is a problem.
Speaker 1:We have children going to school in an environment where reading is it's not actively encouraged, it's cool. And when you live in a society like this, if you don't actively encourage reading, you are functionally discouraging it. Because if people aren't at school, because if people aren't at to want to sit still for a period of time anyway, and you don't make a child feel good about it or you don't compliment a child, you don't push it into a child. You just look at a child and read and say, okay, okay, that's good, that's good. You don't make a big deal out of it. The child is not likely going to want to keep doing it because the current isn't against that. They just want to call us to reevaluate our relationship with digital devices To combat illiteracy. Parents, educators, individuals alike, you got to take some decisive action. You see a child with a screen in their hand. Ask them the last book they read. It's okay, it really is, it is, I promise you. I got three. It's fine, I'm a parent too. But only through concerted effort can we hope to reverse this tide of illiteracy. Yeah, yeah, I can talk a lot about how illiteracy is linked to crime, but in the context of this being February and all, there's no one calling me. Oh man, I see how I'm going to call again.
Speaker 1:In the context of this being February, being the month that my man, carter G Woodson, propped up as a month to celebrate and society recognizes it as Black History Month, I would be remiss if I didn't mention how illiteracy and slavery have ties together. Laws once pervade the education of slaves, understanding that literacy was the key to empowerment and autonomy. Frederick Douglass said that once you learn to read, you will be forever free. And yet, centuries later, we find ourselves battling a modern form of budget where illiteracy changed individuals to a life dependency and limited understanding of the world around them, in a society that increasingly undervalues intellectual achievement, we are witnessing the dire consequences of an anti-intellectual culture.
Speaker 1:This mindset is not just dangerous, it is destructive. It is leading our children, our future, toward a precipice. The dismissal of literacy and education as key pillars of success is not just negligent, it is the kin to lead the land to a slaughter. And so the challenge is forced clear we have to confront and reverse this type of anti-intellectualism. Parents, adults, aunties, uncles, cousins, you can't no longer just say I don't like reading, I suppose that was cute once for adults to kind of say, who cares about reading?
Speaker 1:I don't like reading. But if we want to reverse this type of crime and straight to prison pipeline and it's not even just about the kids who don't really know the letters and sounds of an edit, this is as much about the children who are able to read and who have higher reading ability. I literally told a couple students of mine today and they can read, but they don't like to read and they would fit in with other classmates who didn't like to read. Okay, read Right. So I put them aside and say, hey, you can't do that Like y'all can actually read. There is no reason that you should not be reading as much as you can. I gave you an ability to read at an early age. Read well at an early age. Do not dumb yourself down to fit in with these no-wares. Books, books, books, books, books. Push a book on a child today.
Speaker 2:Enjoying the podcast. Well, stay tuned for more. Check out more content by visiting our website, theatlantiformulacom. That's T-H-E-A-T-L-A-N-T-A-F-O-R-M-U-L-Acom. Follow us on social media at theatlantiformula on Instagram and at atlantiformula on X. Now let's get back to the show, hey what's going on?
Speaker 1:Y'all, I'm back. So recently I linked up with one of my friends. He's one of the most brilliant people I know. He comes from legacy His mom's good people, his brother's, his grandfather. He's the late great Asa Hilliard, and this guy is currently crowning himself in education glory, even though he wouldn't tell you that. He would tell you that he's just a guy honing away at his craft. Without further ado, the T-T-O-L-E-A-K-I-P Elementary School to Chaka Baylor.
Speaker 3:Well, I mean, I guess my goal is to always it's 100% master. So I'm trying to figure, and when I say 100% mastery, there's two things. I want my kids to meet their growth goals, but I'm never satisfied because the kids, with the students that I teach, just meeting their growth goals will not prepare them for I want them to master the curriculum.
Speaker 1:So how do you get them to understand that you pushed them to a mastery without overwhelming them?
Speaker 3:I guess part of it is just respecting the process, knowing your students and providing those proper scaffolds to introduce them to the unknown, and understanding how to continue to motivate them to want to learn first and then continue to do that and entangling them with teaching them the concept like motivating them to understand why learning is important.
Speaker 1:What are the challenges? Let me not assume. Do you feel like you face challenges in the space that you're in? You know, as an African American male men will say, that you are rare Me being in this profession with you. I will say that too. You know we are not numerous in these hallways. Do you find that to be a challenge? And if you do, what are the challenges that you deal with in this industry?
Speaker 3:I actually find being a man in this space. I find it as a superpower. I feel like students tend to gravitate towards you because there's an imbalance of energy in schools, so sometimes they need that and a lot of times the males are dealing with behaviors right.
Speaker 3:They're not necessarily content people. In our school, I think, we do hire well where there are a lot of men, but you won't see that anywhere else. I know it's less than 2% of the teachers nationwide. I think Atlanta is a unique place too, where you will find more male teachers.
Speaker 1:I love it. I like what you said about it being a superpower, because that's how I feel too. I mean it's challenges in anything you do. Any walk is going to be a challenge, but I find it definitely to be more of a benefit to them.
Speaker 3:The challenges don't come from that.
Speaker 1:Not that, hey. So Mastery, talk about Mastery. What does Mastery look like at the end of the semester in the May? Is it 100% of the class at a certain level? What looks like Mastery to you? How does that manifest?
Speaker 3:I'm okay with meeting your growth goals. Most standardized tests will tell you what growth goal this student should reach based on their performance at the beginning of the year. Sometimes those tests aren't accurate, but a lot of times you can see based on those tests and when you see your kids you're like, okay, they're pretty accurate for the most part. So, whether or not the content is measuring what we say is measuring, it's still a standardized test where a kid, the same level and the same ability, they usually growth this amount. My goal is to make sure that all my kids meet that goal.
Speaker 1:Every single one.
Speaker 3:And at least that. But the reason why I say that's not enough is because when they meet, our kids are so far, they're starting from the bottom. So they're not just because they make their growth goal they're still not on grade level, they're not reading them grade level, they're not doing math on grade level. So it's like at large percentages, and so just doing that is not enough. So you have to be exceptional. Is that what I'm saying? Like you can't just be good, you have to be great.
Speaker 1:So and I may be putting you on spot this question, but I don't know, maybe not We'll see One specific thing and reading and math that students are struggling with acutely.
Speaker 3:In reading. Students are struggling to keep their eyes on the work on the page. They look at you and they read. They're guessing they're not. It's a phenomenon that I still have not figured out. They keep looking in the air. They don't look at the letters and the symbols that they have to decode, they're just they're looking everywhere else. But the ones that are struggling are looking everywhere else but the letters. They get distracted. So very, very quickly.
Speaker 1:It's almost as if early on in life they've like they're being cultured to be distracted. No, I mean it's like because you're supposed to be a process of you read, you're looking and you get the wrong and you correct it. Okay, you keep going right, but they're looking at us like before they even play, so they're waiting they wanted it for, or they're waiting for an approval or disapproval.
Speaker 3:It is interesting, it's funny to say that because it's the oddest thing, but that's math, understanding word problems and so, as problems become multiple, multiple step, being able to visualize what's happening in a problem because it's just, it's just an operation, and so it's. What's interesting to me is you're only either adding or subtracting. It's just a amount. If you know the amounts in the quantities that you, in theory, it should be pretty simple to add to the track. But they're trying to conceptualize what's happening. You know what I'm saying. Sometimes it's difficult. So, like a specific thing that I know is, my kids struggle most in first grade is how many more than to the language of understanding what that means, how many more than because they hear more.
Speaker 3:So what it makes me understand is they're not really understanding the vocabulary, what each vocabulary is. So, even within the question. So how many more more add?
Speaker 1:no, no, you're not really understanding the question what's the difference between the two?
Speaker 3:And then they might add when you say no, and it takes a lot of repetition and the ones that get it, they'll eventually get it, but it's like even still they don't really get it, because they're not visualizing the problem, because they're just remembering.
Speaker 1:They're just remembering.
Speaker 3:They're not cutting them, hey every single time when it's how many more than you take a bigger amount. That's what I say, I just like this you take the bigger amount, subtract the smaller amount, and then you get your answer. Then you get the difference right, and so they remember that and what they remember.
Speaker 3:they just they're mirror as a process and eventually it's just they just remember to say, ah, some clicks, they do it, but do they get it conceptually? I don't know, but they do it every single time. I got some to do it every single time, and so if you don't understand that, you need to conceptualize it as a picture. Okay, do I know how many each of them have? Yes, blank has this. Blank has this. We know both amounts already. Now we didn't know how many more than you gotta really pay attention to those extra words. How many more than how many more? Like it's, you know it's interesting, and then you confuse it. Or more, when you say how many fewer, you start adding words that like they don't understand language, they don't understand simple words.
Speaker 1:Math is a language. It's a language when you like equations and formulas. It's a language. It's like and like. Once you learn the language, then you understand how to use it. And it's it's really not. I say it's not as complex as we think, but I stand on that because I feel like if you, once you understand that what a language is like, you learn in the French. It's logical.
Speaker 3:It's logical.
Speaker 1:You know it's a natural, that's why kids do better in math.
Speaker 3:Every kid can do math. Reading is not natural. Math is more natural. You know what I'm saying? Because it's just we just put in words on concepts that exist. Right Reading, we are creating our own use for these symbols. These are not. These are arbitrary symbols that we're using.
Speaker 1:Right.
Speaker 3:In math you do a little bit of both, because that's what they do struggle because they can. They can do the math, but then they struggle to meet the symbol with the math. You know what I'm saying. Like math, that's one thing I know is they struggle.
Speaker 1:Math is at the formation of a culture. Reading is more of an emanation, Like you said. You know you have to learn these terms because of what cultures establish, so it's subjective Difference from culture to culture.
Speaker 3:Yeah, sure, that's what we define in the world, yeah.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 3:It's different in language and so it's not, it's not natural. So that's what I talked about with with reading, not just keeping your eyes on the page. The next thing would be the the comprehension struggles, because we're talking about dialects sometimes, so you're reading the words that don't match the way that you speak, and so, if that's a heavy thing, you're not around a lot of standard English then you could really struggle to understand that the words that you're using this exact same word that you know, it's just so you're not incapable of understanding. You just have not spent enough time practicing the standard version of the language.
Speaker 1:You were telling me about a study. I'm not sure. Yeah, you were telling about a study. I believe that talked about how dialect impacts like reading not comprehension, but phonics development?
Speaker 3:Absolutely, dr Julie Washington is actually doing the research on that Okay so she's researching. She goes around the world with a course in America, but she also is looking at Arabic and different dialects of Arabic that affect them the same way, and so yeah so something great.
Speaker 1:So the way that you in tone to a young child while you're teaching matters as much, if not more, than the content itself. Right? What's the what's the implications of when you say dialect impacts? You know phonics retention.
Speaker 3:Specifically? We think about it. There is no. Nobody speaks actual standard English, right, and so anywhere you go in just America, there's all types of different dialects, Right? Well, if, even if I speak a dialect, though, a lot, of, a lot of people can understand the standard form and you're capable of understanding the standard form, but if it's not spoken around from a young age, you're getting nurtured within the stomach and so the are you. Are you hearing? You're hearing these sounds? Language is just sounds, and so you're saying these words and they're not sounding the same. It's the same thing I'm saying don't mofo, you may not know that there's four door more. You know what?
Speaker 1:I'm saying so. I was just going to say, well, how important is Inocying the ending of a word, like because it's standard cross-coach, but every culture is an ending of people don't really the ends of words a lot of times, but a black people I know Some African languages don't end their words with consonants, you know.
Speaker 3:So we don't say that any constant it. But it's not just black people. Most people don't say start about to start the car.
Speaker 1:If you say Atlanta, most time you not gonna pronounce T.
Speaker 3:Yeah, absolutely not, absolutely not. So they any sound like you know, please stop. Please stop. Like you might not even know that you're. There is a P in the end of it. It's just stop. It's just a sound. So you know what it means.
Speaker 1:But so that's a parent is different than saying if every parent of every six year old Just decided to pronounce all their endings to every word they say around them or to them, with that, increase reading levels possibly, possibly.
Speaker 3:I mean it, possibly. I think that, and you know just being spoken to in general, it's spoken to it, oh, so like they're listening, but they're not necessarily Spoken to having communication and having to respond back and forth?
Speaker 2:Yeah, it's not, there's no back and forth.
Speaker 3:So that's a lack of vocabulary knowledge you know, yeah, I try, I try to um.
Speaker 1:When I'm on the phone with people with my kids in the car, most of the time Y'all listening, y'all don't speak, but like if it's like a business call, yeah, or if it's to a family member, out, cuz I thought it's important for them to hear how humans talk, yeah, hey, man, we shot free sets about cutting mics off, and now I.
Speaker 1:Appreciate the shot. Always learn something from that brother. And on the issue of the dearth of reading books and the digital ages affects among our students, there is a brilliant episode on the Ezra Klein show with Mary Ann Wolf. If you are a parent, educator, coach, anybody around kids it is well, well worth the time to listen as they deep dive into the changing Neurochemistry wrought on by our current scroll culture. I also listen, listening. I believe in the power of the individual and I believe being able to read in this world should be a basic human right. It's our best hope at varying toward a significantly less murderous, stealing, financing, scheming society. More readers Leads more smart people. Who's leads the most smart ideas to offset the really bad ones, and only good things can come from offsetting really bad ideas. More importantly, it will lend to more people living with, hopefully, a positive purpose. So a few ideas signals on our way volunteer time, all right, she's provided.
Speaker 1:How to read. Go to help somebody to read around you. Donate books and resources. A lot of us got a lot Of us looking at dusty bookshelves All right. So if we ain't go read them, we should donate them, give them away. That's somebody else read them, perhaps the book that's been sitting on that shelf for the last two years can spark somebody's love for reading.
Speaker 1:All right, advocate for literacy programs. Shout out to the late Mrs Mary Palmer who, like many others, was a community champion for our proper education at Maze high school. All right, if you know a parent or caregiver, encourage and support them by sharing resources. Everybody helps educate yourself and others. That's, you know, self-explanatory. Start a, join a book reading club and hopefully this can lead us more of us to tweak in our screen time to book ratio, because obviously digital data ain't going anywhere, but something gotta give. We consume more information now than ever at least 40 gigabytes of information today. I'm told I'm not going to act like I know what that means, but it has to be a lot, and yet an increasing amount of our kids don't seem to be smarter for it. Obviously this is the trick bag that we got to climb up out of. All right, guys been fun, and this won't be the last time I talk about this either.
Speaker 1:As always, I think the home team for the production of this episode my brother, win on the track for the fire, sonics, shocker Bailey for the gyms truly appreciate you all to coach the collective. You know what it is. We just gonna start it To the Atlanta former listeners. Thank you Y'all. Continue to be great love on each other and Try to be less of a hater tonight before you go to sleep. Then you were when you woke up this morning by your favorite niece, nephew, cousin.
Speaker 1:A book today and check out all our content at the Atlanta former calm. We will have merchandise on the site soon and I will let you know promptly when that happens. Also, we have posted a new video on YouTube and we'll continue to do so. Check it out and before we go, at the date of the release of this episode, february 7th, it will be a national holiday to the clay family.
Speaker 1:So allowed me to give a birthday toast to my father, my bandini brown, the man who believed in me more than I believe in myself, the late Zetla clay, the third known to his family at Skippy, who also shares a birthday with his baby brother, my uncle Doug. I've always thought that was dope. There's not a day that goes by that I don't think about your wit, charisma, smile, intellect, you know, just an uncanny intellect he had, and I I've said this to you when you were here and still feel the same. If I could be a fraction of a father to my kids, as you were to me, I'd be fine. Your legacy lives and, as you would always say, the seed is strong. I love you, I.
