In this episode Terence introduces himself and looks at the current situation of school openings through the filter of the PIECE process.
There are lots of questions we should be asking and not fighting over who's right. We can be safe and provide education and socialization for our kids.
In this episode Terence introduces himself and looks at the current situation of school openings through the filter of the PIECE process.
There are lots of questions we should be asking and not fighting over who's right. We can be safe and provide education and socialization for our kids.
The current debate is over whether public schools should open all over the country, or here in California, they have decided not to at the beginning of the school year, at least, to open schools fully. So today we will take a dive into how to attack this issue and does have this discussion and to come up with solutions by using the peace process of the peace project.
Unknown Speaker :I'm not afraid of the moment. I'm not afraid
Unknown Speaker :to get up in the morning.
Unknown Speaker :I know I'm going to take your
Unknown Speaker :opponents
Terence Shigg :Welcome to the peace project with Terence l. Shigg. And that's me. I am figuring that now I should actually introduce myself I was so guess excited to introduce you to the concept of the peace project. I never really gave you a formal A formal explanation of my background. So my name is Terence Shigg. The Ellis for liberally and I have been our I recently retired last year from my job with Border Patrol. I was a federal law enforcement officer for 27 years. So for 23 years I worked with the Border Patrol. For four years I worked with the Bureau of Prisons. I am also a marriage and family therapist, which I have been practicing for 11 years now. I have my own practice, which is in California. I'm also an entrepreneur. So I have an LLC with my partner, Billy Moore, and it is more in shade consulting services. We have several different items. So one of the items that we sell is mongoose water. It's a pH balanced water with 9.5. It comes in a fully recyclable aluminum can so it is very unique and neutral. To the market, think we are one of only a few other companies that actually provide an aluminum can. So I'm an entrepreneur, I'm a marriage and family therapist. I'm gonna rely retired federal law enforcement officer. And I'm also the chief operating officer of a nonprofit organization by the name of anybody can Youth Foundation. It was started in 1957 by the former light heavyweight champion of the world, Archie Moore, and is currently run by his son, Billy Moore, and you'll recognize that name that is also my business partner. So that's my background and I wanted to make sure I said I got a little excited and ahead of myself, I want to make sure I got out the tenants of the peace project and I never really gave you an explanation of who I am and why I do what I do. So that's my background, my why. And that's something that I think everyone should explore in really find out what is your wife, my wife, and it's on my board, I see it every day. And I'm reminded of it every moment is to give people the opportunity to master the art of being love. I'll say that one more time. It's to give people the opportunity to master the art of being love. And so to me, that that permeates everything that I do everything that I think, and that's the standard that I hold myself to. So that is where that comes from in a good book to try and get an idea of where the Y comes from is start with why by Simon Sinek and he has several different books. He's one of my, one of my favorite offered authors. I had a chance to actually speak to him once at a conference and really enjoyed the conversation with him. He's a very down to earth and intelligent young man. And so he also has a book out called the infinite game and that's something else I think, would be beneficial to everyone to read. So that's my background. So now we've talked about, you have the idea of what the piece project is, you have what all of the things stand for now I'll give you a reminder. So the pieces spelled as in the pieces of a puzzle so that P as in Papa eyes in India is in echo C as in Charlie and then e as an echo. So peace and each letter of peace stands for a particular area that we will highlight that we will focus on. So the P stands for politics, the AI stands for individual as an individual responsibility or individual action. The first E stands for education, the C stands for community and the last E stands for economics. So what I really want to get across to you is this piece project is not just a standalone theory. radical idea, it is actually something that is a it's something that you it's an active and functional process. So the peace project is an active and functional process. So what I've decided to do is I'm going to do this for at least one year. And so this experiment that I want you to come along with me on, and hopefully start your own experiment and participate on is going to be, we're going to take a topic, and we're going to take an issue, and we're going to put it through the peace process. And when I say put it through the peace process, meaning we're going to attack it from each one of those angles, so from the political angle, from the individual angle as an individual responsibility, from the educational angle, from the community angle, and from an economic angle. So every issue that we have We'll go at it from those particular angles and figure out what can be done, what should we do. And then I will report back to you on what, what my findings were. So what I've picked is I've chosen 12 different topics. And while I will introduce you to a topic, I will give you my game plan for that topic. And then four weeks later, I will come back and report to you tell you what the game plan was, what was accomplished, what wasn't accomplished, what worked, what didn't work, and then I will give you my next steps. And I will do that every month, or every week with a new topic. So I'll give you one topic this week. And then I will come back to that topic. About four weeks later. So it may be a little bit longer, maybe a little bit, maybe a little bit less. It just depends on how how it works out because I'll be putting in other topics as we go. So the gold To, to attack 12 different issues and put them through this, this project, this process and be able to report back to you and see what works and what doesn't. So with that said, the first topic that I was really concerned about is right now we are. So the first topic is right now we are discussing whether or not to open the schools or not. It is August 9. And we're, at least here in California debating on what is the whether schools should open fully, partially, a little bit at a time and how they should do that. I have a younger daughter, I have a six year old who's going to be in first grade, who completed her kindergarten in homeschooling. And so I thought this would be a nice test for this process. So since schools aren't opening the discussion, the debate discussion In the debate is on, when do they open? Should they open, and when they do open, what precautions or what safety measures are going to be taken so that the schools can be open safely. Now, that's the the debate. So now the questions and the things that I think we should attack first. So we're going to come at this, again through the peace process. And the first P is politics. So we have to attack it from a political standpoint, and the governing body of the schools is the school board. So what I will have to do is I will have to reach out to the school board. And interesting enough, that is, there's an election in November for the school board. So I will be reaching out not only to the current members of the school board, but I will be reaching out to those members that are running for the school board and one to ask them what their particular thoughts are on these issues, as well as sharing my thoughts on what these issues and what should be done. I want to know what precautions are being taken. I want to know Are they going to be testing for the students for the parents will there be knotek notifications of the results for the students and the parents and teachers? We should have universal precautions in each school no matter what. And those universal precautions are everything from mass to means to sanitize the shoes of the students and teachers and administration, air filters and air purifiers to filter the air and a means to do classes outdoors, if possible, as much time as possible to do them outdoors. And the great thing about being here in California is we have the weather to do that. So we can do it under tarps. We can do it under canopies, however, we need to do that. I will also be reaching out to politicians to lobby for payments. For those parents who do not feel it's safe to send their kids to school. Even with these precautions. If they have to miss work and Stay home and homeschool them. Or if they have to have a family member come and take care of their child while they're at work, then I believe that there should be some type of supplemental payment given to these families to pay for that child care to pay for that parent to stay home and provide that, that service that is normally provided by the state, which is school. And it is a responsibility of the state to to supply that. So therefore, I believe that state that should pay for that. So we'll be lobbying for payments for family members, to be caregivers for those who will come and provide childcare, be it a neighbor, be at a family member and then also want to start designating and finding ways to get grants for pods and educational pods if parents want to create them on their own. Now, the educational pods are the idea of getting three or four families together. So it'll be better Basically a small classroom, those would be the only kids that they'd be in contact with. And you have a teacher that you hire, to provide the instructions for those to school those students. So you have a teacher that you hire, that will provide instruction for those students while they are being homeschooled. Or you provide payment to the parent who was providing that homeschooling either way, again, being it as it is the state's responsibility to provide the education for the for our children. And if this is being done at home, because the parent for personal reasons, whatever reasons believes that it's safer for them to for their child to be at home, then we should find a way to supplement their income so that they can get the same level of education that they would be getting in the school. So those are the things that we'd be pushing for, and then also smaller classes, of course in the schools. So for the individual standpoint, one of the things that I will be doing is I will be because my six year old daughter will be going into first grade. They here in the area that I live, they are not having, at least at the beginning of the school year, it will be all in home online instruction. We're blessed enough that we have access to internet and we have all the things that we need. But I will also like to have her have some interaction. I don't want her to be isolated this entire time. So I'll be looking into forming a pod for her and for several of her classmates. So that's something from an individual level that I will be doing. And then also, I mentioned that I work for a nonprofit organization called anybody can Youth Foundation. So what we will be doing is we will be trying to help least two or three families from Our community that where the gym is located, and provide a pod for them. So we will, we will actually supplement and find a grant to supplement the income for the teacher. For the childcare workers that will need to be on staff to provide this, we will provide the internet, the computers, anything that they need school supplies, we will provide meals for them. So I'm going to look into getting the funding and the resources to do that at our nonprofit organization in the community in which that gym is. So that's going to be the things that we're going to do from the individual levels and continue to research ways to improve the education system from a standpoint of as a parent for my daughter, and then from the standpoint of out in the community, because there's lots of things that I believe that our schools can improve, especially in the community in which my nonprofit is situated. And that will be everything from fiscal responsibility. to ensuring that the resources that that that the schools have that are failing, are improved, and that there is some accountability to where the funds are going, and what is being done for these students that are failing. Because I do not believe that in this day and age, we should have kids going from elementary school to middle school that can't read. They should that is a basic thing that they should they must provide not sure they must provide in our public schools. And if they're not providing that, I do not want to hear the excuse that uh, well, it's the parents fault because they're not, I don't care. That child is not being taught by whoever whomever and he should he or she must have the ability to function in this society and part of that is being able to read so I don't care whose whose fault it is. We just need to fix it. So if that happens too often, in our schools, we need to start having those discussions, those hard discussions of what's working, what's not working, and then let's fix it. So from an individual level, that is something that I will be reaching out to as again, I said that I'll speak to the current school board member, the current school board members, as well as those running for office. And then we will endorse the one that is going to promise to do what needs to be done and not sit on and give me excuses about what is and what they can't do. Because I really believe that part of this is an attitude problem of this is something that is just going to continue rather than Okay, this is something that we're going to solve and I want to know how you're going to solve it and when it's going to be solved, reaching out to school professionals and administrators to find out what their plan is for these and also So getting the statistics as far as literacy rates, graduation rates in our communities will be something else that I will personally take responsibility for finding out. So the education piece is I think we need I think we need more data. So I'm going to put together some surveys, and I'm going to survey the surveys the families, survey the students and figure out what are their needs? What are the things that these students need? Do they need tutors? Do they need individual teaching methods? Do they need different methods that are being provided in the public schools? So what what is it that are failing students are not getting and if it's something is it may be something as simple as a mentor, and that is something that we can reach out and we can provide from the nonprofit standpoint and from other nonprofits, we can put together a resource, a group of resources, so that we can provide this type of structure for our students if that is what they need. From a community standpoint, there are some of the things that we can do is we have created a community library, what are the free libraries, in front of our facility, in the in the community where our our foundation sits, we'll look into providing more of those, we'll look into finding ways to ensure that those who want to get books can get books, I know what the pandemic and not being able to come in and check out books the same as they as we used to, is an issue and I know that some people don't have the ability to get online and to order the books and then to come and pick them up. So we'll be looking at ways to facilitate use of our current public libraries for those who don't have the means to access them in any other ways. And that's something Else that digital gap is another thing that we that we will be pursuing and looking into is how to bridge that gap. So looking for partners that will provide Internet service for those who can't afford it, as well as finding ways to get internet service for those that are falling through the gaps who may not qualify for these programs, but still have students and still need that type of assistance. So that's something else. And then I think we need to have a conversation about school safety, be that bullying, assaults, suspensions, all those things hinder the educational experience of our children, and it decreases their abilities to succeed. That is something that we will that from a community standpoint I will be pursuing and reaching out to again, these administrators, these students, these teachers and finding out what's needed to to decrease that to eliminate that, I would say because The one place that our students should feel safe is in the school setting. And I do not feel that that is the case at this moment. So going to the last piece of the process, which is the economics. So again, this first one is very broad, because a lot of the things that I'll have to do is I'm going to have to take responsibility for gathering this research and this information, as well as taking these action steps. And I think the data that comes from that will be something that I can use going forward. One of the things that I want to also do is put together, put together resources that have trade schools that have unions that have programs that can bring people in and teach them to trade and let them progress up internships, and all those things. We need a centralized location are not even a centralized location, but we need a way of getting that information out to those who need it. We will be working on getting a database, put that stuff together, reaching out to schools, reaching out to charter schools, extensions, whatever it may be, and let them know, okay, this is the resource that we have. If you have somebody that needs it, let's connect them with it. Let's make sure they have a mentor, let's find them an internship. Let's find them a scholarship if they want to get into college, those types of things. I also think that we should do some type of financial planning classes, be it for our kids that are in middle school, high school, or be it for adults, so that we know what a budget looks like. We know how to balance a checkbook. We know how to invest in stock, we know how to save money, and increase our credit score so that we can purchase homes. So part of this, this piece, and again, this is extended from the the original idea that we're talking about is schools and whether or not They should open in order for them to open what to do. But I believe this economic peace and uplifting the economics and the income of those in the community will increase the tax base, which then increases the resources that these schools have, and therefore improves the school. So I think it's a fundamental piece that gets overlooked a lot of the times, but the economic piece is just as important, because that is where that funding is coming from. That's the tax base. So if we can increase the tax base in these communities, then we have more money for our schools. I also think that we're going to have to be able to balance our charter schools, our private schools and our public schools. So one of the things I will be looking into is creating a charter school for art that will be located on the location where our nonprofit sits, so we'll be something that we can use in the future, as well. Way to help our community and help those students who need either specialized teaching, or they just aren't thriving in the public school atmosphere, whatever it is, we want to be able to provide that resource. So creating a charter school, I'm going to go through that process. And that's something that I'll report back on and give the information to see if somebody else has that idea. And they want to try and do that. It'll be something that'll be out there. Oh, and then the other piece of the economic is we're going to start looking at getting loans for entrepreneurs, for business startups, for home ownerships and for increasing credit scores. So the bank loans will be for the entrepreneurial and the business side and then the financial part of how does someone increase or improve their, their finances so that their credit score can be improved and therefore they can have access to more cash. Capital, because access to capital is a big piece of being able to start that business being able to invest in the community. So that's something that we want to definitely encourage, then that is something that I will also touch on. And like I said, that ties right back into the finances tie back into the tax base, which ties back into the schools. That's what I'm going to take as my assignment for, for this topic. So as far as the schools opening, and how to open them safely. And I guess I'd want to end it with this just talking about the whole debate. And I really don't think it really, to me, it shouldn't be a debate. It should really be a discussion amongst adults about what is best for their children. And, yes, we need our children need to be socialized. They need schools. They need to be around their friends and to learn how to communicate with one another and to problem solve. And that's not something that you have to do in a means that it's all important and you can't concentrate on their safety also, it's almost as if we have these discussions as if these things are mutually exclusive. It's okay, we have to do this and open the schools and let them back in and do it like we've always done it before. And that is not that is not the wise decision that we should be making with our children and the administrators that work with our children, the teachers and the nurses and all those, those essential workers, which is what teachers are because they are a critical part of this piece. Shouldn't be secondary, and there's a way to do this. We are smart enough to do this in a way that is safe for everyone. And I think if we We sit down, and we take the recommendations of the CDC we talk to our parents and brief them. We communicate with the administrators and the teachers in the schools. And we figure out how do we do this with what we have. And then what do the schools that don't have the basic things, the basic things, meaning the ability to cut down your classroom size in half, because you can't have 30 kids in a classroom for six hours a day and not expect this virus to spread. So you have to find a way to go, okay, we can cut this down to 10 people in the class, keep them in the classroom for two hours at a time. Make sure that our teachers have the peepee that they need. Make sure that we have air purifiers, proper ventilation, outdoor classes we can, all of these things are the conversations that we should be having, rather than the all or nothing. We're going to do it the way We always did it because there is no doing it and going back to the way things were in my mind, we're not just going to full bore go back in because we have the right to do it. We also have an obligation to protect our citizens. Our citizens have rights, we we have an obligation to protect each and every one of them. every child, every parent, every teacher, every grandparent, every administrator, every nurse, every, every janitor, every security person, we have an obligation to protect them just as well. And if these little things that we can do, why not do them, and if we need if it's a, if it's a financial thing, then that's what we need to focus on. We need to say, Okay, this is what we need to do, but we don't have the money and if our schools don't have the money, then it's our obligation as a society to get them the money that they need to properly ensure The safe, functioning and safe process of running a school. And I that makes sense to me. That's just common sense to me. But I think the problem is just like everything else right now everybody's on such a heightened alert, looking for a reason to be offended that we're not paying attention to what our goal is. Our goal is to educate our children and provide a safe environment for them to learn in the provide a safe environment as well for the teachers and administrators, and staff of these schools. And that's everybody from the bus driver, to the janitor to the office worker, all of them, we have an obligation to make sure that their job is safe, just as well as our children are safe. So that's that should be the conversation that we're having. Not what we must do. But how Do we do it to the best of our ability, ensuring the safety of everybody involved? And that's what, that's what we're going to work on. And that's the conversations I'm going to be having with my school board. And I suggest you have those conversations with your school board. And not just the school board, but your city. Councilman, your county supervisors, your mayor's have those conversations, right, those letters, call those offices and say, hey, look, what are you going to do to help us make sure that our schools are safe? If you're saying that we should open them and some are saying that we should open schools, then what are you going to guarantee? What resources are you going to provide? How are you going to help us make sure that our schools are safe, and then you run down a list of the things that you want to make sure that they provide and that the minimum things that you think should be there? And that's that's your right to do that. And that's how As a society as a democratic republic, that's how we function. And that's how we should function. So I'll get off my soapbox, and let you think about the things that I've talked about. I have my assignment. And like I said, it'll be at least four weeks before I get back to you with this one. And next week, I'll give myself another assignment because there'll be another topic, and it'll get busy. But I will continue to come back and report to you and let you know, how I progressed, how I haven't what stumbling blocks that I've come up upon via procrastination or buisiness or whatever it is, because life does not stop just because we are working to improve it. So we're going to I'm going to keep moving forward, and I will keep coming back to you. So thank you once again for tuning in and listening to the peace project. My name is Terence Shigg. I have been blessed by God to do this and I have been assigned this task I will complete it. Be well, and be blessed. If you'd like to contact me contact me at original peace project@gmail.com that's original peace project. All one word@gmail.com I look forward to hearing from you.
Unknown Speaker :Long Way
Unknown Speaker :to do all
Unknown Speaker :the talk today.
Dwayne E. Shigg :Anybody can use foundation teaches our youth to step off into life with their best foot forward without cowardice but with courage and dignity. ABC was founded by legendary life Heavyweight Champion Archie Moore in 1957. He had a heart and passion for helping the youth. He believed if we went into the business of prevention, we could save billions of dollars and millions of lives. He started ABC to teach us the basic ABC of life. Are you concerned about the world today? Do you want to help train our youth to be that change needed in the world? Join us in the fight for equality in the fight for justice in the fight for our youth. If you would like to help, go to www dot ABC youth foundation.org. That's www dot ABC use foundation.org be well and be blessed. Transcribed by https://otter.ai