Posts by Mark Taylor
123: C.H.A.M.P.S. Mentoring with Vondale Singleton
Today we start to combine our 2 podcasts into 1. This is a bonus episode previously released on the Learning on Fire Podcast to show how education is not about being taught in silos. Schools, parents and community can work in harmony to create the whole picture for our children.
Vondale Eugene Singleton Sr. was born on the Southside of Chicago. After overcoming the death of his mother due to crack-cocaine, an incarcerated father throughout high-school, and the negative influences of the Ida B. Wells Housing projects he beat the odds becoming a first-generation college student earning his Bachelors of Science Degree in Elementary Education and his Master’s Degree in Marital and Family Therapy from Oral Roberts University in Tulsa, OK. He credits his mentor, Steven Robertson as the person who invested sacrificially his time and resources to help him become the man he is today.
The last 16 years he has worked as an advocate in primary, secondary, and higher education, as both a teacher and administrator. He believes that “salvation plus education is an unbeatable combination.” He started C.H.A.M.P.S. for young men in an effort to mentor young men with similar circumstances. He helped organize the Award Winning Music Video at the White House Film Festival, which landed the C.H.A.M.P.S. a visit to the White House with President Obama.
Vondale has won numerous awards and received many recognitions for his work with C.H.A.M.P.S. He was recently named the “Father of the Year” for the State of Illinois by the Illinois Fatherhood Initiative, a Walmart Community Playmaker through the coveted Chicago Blackhawks as well aa MLK Community Champion. He is married to his College sweetheart, Dr. Patrina Singleton. They reside in Chicago, Il with their two beautiful children, Promise Singleton (9), and Vondale E. Singleton, Jr, (4).
Questions asked on the Learning on Fire Podcast Interview
- Who are you?
- What does your life look like now and how is it different from when you were growing up?
- What was valuable about your school experience?
- Which teachers do you remember and why?
- Who did you admire when you were young?
- What was it about that person that had such an impact?
- What was the best piece of advice you have ever been given and who gave it to you?
- What advice would you give your younger self?
- What does your future look like?
- What podcast, book, video, film, song or other resource has had the biggest impact on your life and why?
Resources mentioned
The Bible
Believe to Achieve by Howard H White
Contact information
Social Media – @champsmentoring
Show Sponsor
National Association for Primary Education
Our aim is to achieve a higher priority for the education of children from birth to 13. High quality learning in the early years of life is vitally important to the creation of an educated society. Young children are not simply preparing for the future, they are living a never to be repeated time of life and the best way to learn is to live.
122: Fan the Flames
We continue our journey in creating an Education on Fire community. On todays show Mark gives details of how he will share the wisdom from the Learning on Fire Podcast as we start to merge both shows.
We continue our journey in creating an Education on Fire community.
On todays show I give details of how I will share the wisdom from the Learning on Fire Podcast as we start to merge both shows.
Our focus is joining together to support children to live their best authentic lives. Understanding who we are and how we see the world around us is very important.
Therefore surrounding ourselves with people who can be a positive influence is very important and yet we must realise that schools are part of a system that – like it or hate it – can be less than positive for many children who have to be part of it.
Navigating this and being true to ourselves is the key to the future of a thriving planet.
‘Education is not the filling of a pail but the lighting of a fire’.
Join us around the campfire and help guide Education on Fire to positively affect the way children feel about life, learning and their future.
The Social Growth of Young Children – NAPE 044
Welcome to National Association for Primary Education podcast. On todays show you will hear the latest news including our new YouTube Channel and a chapter from our book Christian Schiller – In His Own Words’, read by Peter Cansell – NAPE Information Officer
Christian was appointed HMI in 1924 and then followed a long period of work with the schools in Liverpool where his contact with poor children and their families was a deeply formative experience. He became District Inspector and later filled this role in Worcestershire. In 1946 he became Staff Inspector for Primary Education and his influence, often in partnership with his friend Robin Tanner, HMI. Both strongly felt that as elementary schools developed into primary schools, they should have a distinctive child- centred approach. That approach means teachers drawing on children’s innate creativity so recognising the powerful learning that emerges from direct experience.
‘Christian Schiller in his own words’ was published by the Association from 1979. This invaluable book is still available price £5.00 from the National Office. The book and all its wisdom about teaching young children and how we can help them to learn should find a place on every teacher’s bookshelf.
Links to the book and YouTube Channel can be found directly from our website www.nape.org.uk
The National Association for Primary Education speaks for young children and all who live and work with them. This includes parents, teachers, governors and all those interested in primary education. NAPE is a non-political charity and works tirelessly to support teachers in the classroom. NAPE leads the Primary Umbrella Group of thirty primary subject associations and unions and gives teachers and schools a voice at governmental level at consultative meetings with ministers for schools.
121: A New Spark
Mark explains how this is the dawn of a new era for Education on Fire. We are going to build and connect a community of firelighters who support children to live an authentic life using their talents and passion.
‘Education is not the filling of a pail but the lighting of a fire’.
Join us around the campfire and help guide Education on Fire to positively affect the way children feel about life, learning and their future.
Thank you and Merry Christmas – NAPE 043
Thank you so much for listening during 2019. Have a very Merry Christmas and we look forward to continuing our journey in 2020.