We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Jocelyn Howard a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Jocelyn, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Let’s kick things off with a hypothetical question – if it were up to you, what would you change about the school or education system to better prepare students for a more fulfilling life and career?
One area of the education system that I would change would be working with those who create curriculum for inner city students. As most experts in this area would agree that most of the text that is presented in classroom instruction, is not always relatable to the students. In fact, most of the texts may be written by individuals who don’t have shared experiences, or know how to interface with students who are in underprivileged areas, or students who may not be motivated in a traditional learning model. We must be aware that in a social media environment, where the pace of information is given to students rapidly, if the curriculum is not relatable, the student will not be able to connect the lesson with his current experience. please note I am not suggesting that we water down any essential lesson. Rather, I’m suggesting that while we teach substantive lessons, we need to ensure that we are using relatable examples to convey the point of the lesson.
For example, it is difficult to teach a lesson on distance using the term acre in the inner city without conveying the importance of the distance of a neighborhood block. If students don’t have a relatability to an acre, but they may understand how many blocks it would take to create an acre . This additional step would assist if they were taught in this format.
Jocelyn, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?
I am a turnaround school specialist, which means that our company helps school administration and students excel in deficient areas. We initially specialized a lot of our work in Fortune 500 companies, however, we found that there were needs in K-12 and post high school education that needed our support.
For over twenty years, Citadel of Perpetual Learning, LLC (COPL) has been at the forefront of developing and implementing programs that address urgent educational needs across various sectors. From automotive industries to school districts, COPL has earned a reputation for providing quality educational and training resources and delivering tailored solutions to meet the unique challenges of each industry.
Our Focus and Expertise
COPL is committed to creating innovative training modules that are specifically designed to educate both adult learners and students. Our team has extensive experience in urban education, and we offer a range of services, including:
• Administrator support
• Afterschool programming
• Classroom Instruction
• Professional development training
• Principal Coaching
• Mentoring and academic support
• Climate and culture improvement
• Behavioral intervention strategies
• Parenting workshops
Our extensive track record of success positions us as a leading candidate to handle large-scale projects and deliver exceptional results. We understand that every child deserves a quality education, especially in urban and rural areas. This belief drives our work, and it is the foundation of our mission.
Can you open up about a time when you had a really close call with the business?
Running a small business is everyone’s dream, but it can also be a nightmare. Early on in our business, we had great contracts that initiated payments bi-weekly, which was a dream for us in keeping a positive cash flow. Well, six months into the contract, the funding for the project dried up, and another funding source was scheduled to pick up the balance of the contract. We proceeded to continue our services for 4 additional months without payment. In each conversation, the contact personnel felt that the contract funding would happen soon, but it did not.
This was a very difficult time because our staff was still expecting their bi-weekly check (we never missed a payday). So, I borrowed from my personal savings to make payroll, and then after that, I took out a personal loan to cover payroll and expenses. At this time, I knew that our company would just crash and burn, but we we so committed to the work! We eventually told the client that it was fiscally and mentally unsustainable for us to continue this work. We were so disappointed, but within 2 weeks, a new contract emerged that was our lifeline, and it turned out to be one of our most lucrative contracts.
I honestly believe that if you are convinced that your company has purpose and your work in for the betterment of mankind, resources and money will eventually find you.
We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?
The work that we do impacts the daily lives of people for their long-term success. My mentor gave me this piece of wisdom: “Never meet the prepared unprepared.” Early on in my career, I entered into rooms wanting the outcome without the prep work upfront. Trust me, it doesn’t work. Prepare daily for success, and it will happen. Lack of preparation will lead to complete failure and disappointment.
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