Blog Posts - Lindamichellebaron

April 28th, 2023

4/28/2023

Dear Friends, Family, and Fans,
I wrote Just Push in the 1980's and yet still, in 2023 there are those who hold children down with their low expectations. We must ensure that our children capitalize on their strengths, resilience and cultural capital. Let's do as Gholdy Muhammad's book exhorts us to do and cultivate their genius.
Day 28: Just Push
By Dr. Lindamichellebaron
One day the teacher walked us to the room.
The door was closed, the keys inside
The teacher tried the door,
but it didn't open. We waited until he got another key. That's when he realized it was open all along. All he had to do was push.
Sometimes,
I think he does us the same way.
Has us waiting, while he looks for the key of knowledge, to let us in, when really, all he has to do is give us a little push by just thinking...
we can.
Just Push is one of my favorite poems from my book "The Sun is On." For more of my poems, please get your own copy of my book "The Sun is On" on my website at:
https://www.mylindamichellebaron.com/store/p8/THE_SUN_IS_ON_Poetry_%26_Idea_Book.html
Hope you enjoyed Day 28. Would you like me to light a spark at your school, college, house-of-worship, conference or organization? If your answer is yes, please click on this link to book me:
https://www.mylindamichellebaron.com/book-dr-lindamichelle.html
Love and realness,
#Lindamichellebaron
www.mylindamichellebaron.com

April 27th, 2023

4/27/2023

Dear Friends, Family, and Fans,
Day 27: They Are Our Children
Copyright Lindamichellebaron 2018
Prelude to They are Our Children...
please, when we look at children... not looking as we want them to look... love, regard and respect them anyway. There is more to them then what you see and if times more than they even know. If not by blood, then by our collective responsibility... they are our children.

Day 27: They Are Our Children
By Dr. Lindamichellebaron
Pants below their rear
Their eyes wear a blank stare
They don’t seem to care
So why should we?
It’s our job…not just a job…they are our children.
The language they use is crude
Their behavior is beyond rude
The girls come to school half nude
They do not seem to care
So why should we?
It’s our job…not just a job…they are our children.
They refuse to pay attention.
They don’t seem to fear suspension
They don’t even care about retention
They just don’t seem to care,
So why should we?
It’s our job…not just a job…they are our children.
They are perpetually mad
They are always ready to “jump bad”
Where is their mom or dad?
They’re not here; if they don’t care
Then why should we?
It’s our job… not just a job…they are our children.
Together, the collective we, you and me…
Lift up our children
Lift them beyond their hard façade
Beyond the mask they wear to hide their fear
Lift them up with our collective care.
It’s our job…not just a job…they are our children
It’s our job… not just a job…they are our children.
They Are Our Children is one of my favorite poems from my treasure trove of poems. Hope you enjoyed Day 27. Would you like me to light a spark at your school, college, house-of-worship, conference or organization? If your answer is yes, please click on this link to book me:
https://www.mylindamichellebaron.com/book-dr-lindamichelle.html
Love and realness,
#Lindamichellebaron
www.mylindamichellebaron.com

April 26th, 2023

4/26/2023

Dear Friends, Family, and Fans,

This is a more recent poem I wrote trying to help my pre-service educators understand the concept of having and cultivating a "Growth Mindset.

Day 26: The Power of Yet
Copyright: Lindamichellebaron, 2021

I’m not as good as I can get
I’m not perfect
At least, not yet.

I’m not born smart, but you can bet
I can be a scholar,
I’m just not yet

I can’t see my gifts, but I don’t fret
I got this
I just don’t “got it” yet.

What I can be has not been set
Its up to me
And I’ll get it yet!

It may take time and a little sweat
But it soon come.
I believe in “yet.”

Hope you enjoyed Day 26. Would you like me to light a spark at your school, college, house-of-worship, conference or organization? If your answer is yes, please click on this link to book me: https://www.mylindamichellebaron.com/book-dr-lindamichelle.html

Love and realness,
#Lindamichellebaron
www.mylindamichellebaron.com

April 24th, 2023

4/24/2023

Dear Friends, Family, and Fans,
Today's poem Is a favorite poem of mine.
Day 24:
YES I'M TALKING TO YOU
Yes, I'm talking to you. I hear your brags, and I see your name-brand rags. You're obviously money obsessed, but I'm not impressed. Yes, I'm talking to you.
It's clear to me, you're a serious dude. I can hear your attitude. I have absolutely no doubt that you can take me out. But yes, I'm talking to you.
I know you never raise your voice. Weapons are your words of choice... a gun, machete, your fist, a knife, or one of your "dawgs" could take my life. But-yes, I'm talking to you.
I'm taking the risk because it's possible that I am partially responsible. might have missed the beat
that could have kept you off the street. Maybe you needed a different interaction, and I was present but missing in action. I don't know what has occurred.
I know I spoke, but who knows what So, yes, I'm talking to you. you heard?
Yes, I'm talking to you.
But I don't know what to say.
Can we talk?
YES, I'M TALKING TO YOU is one of my favorite poems from my book,"For The Love of Life" available on my website at:
https://www.mylindamichellebaron.com/store/p9/FOR_THE_LOVE_OF_LIFE_Life_Lyrics_from_an_Oral_Tradition_Third_Edition__NEW_EXPANDED_EDITION.html
Hope you enjoyed Day 24. Would you like me to light a spark at your school, college, house-of-worship, conference or organization? If your answer is yes, please click on this link to book me: https://www.mylindamichellebaron.com/book-dr-lindamichelle.html
Love and realness,
#Lindamichellebaron
www.mylindamichellebaron.com

April 22nd, 2023

4/22/2023

Dear Friends, Family, and Fans,
Happy Earth Day!!!!
I have no idea how long ago I wrote this poem. I remember one night the rain woke me up and this poem literally popped into my head. I think I shared it once. It was so different from anything I had written, I had no idea where it would fit. Well, now that I’ve found it again, I don’t care if it fits anywhere. I just want to enjoy the fun of it. I think this is the best day to revive it. Earth Day. When we honor nature, “Mother Earth”, “Mother Nature”…we have to take care of her or we are all lost…unlike this poem…never to be found again.

Happy Earth Day and
Day 22:Tattle Tale By Dr.Lindamichellebaron

Sometimes rain falls when the sky unzips
Millions of drops and millions of drips
You know exactly when each one fell
Because they land so loud they tattle tell.
Even before you get out of bed,
You can hear exactly what each one said,
Each drip tells on the other drop
Each drop tells on the other fella
And if someone is listening they all yell,
“Don’t forget your boots and umbrella”
Sometimes a few squeeze from a piece of sky
Like a few little tears, but not quite a cry.
Maybe only a couple of droplets drip,
But you can still hear each one puddle skip.
You know exactly when each one fell
Because they still land loud and they tattle tell
But if you’re not looking, no one will ever know
Exactly when it starts to snow.
They can keep a secret. What a surprise
When you walk out into vanilla skies.
Tattle Tale is one of my favorite poems from my personal treasure trove of poems.
Hope you enjoyed Day 22 and my Earth Day post. Would you like me to light a spark at your school, college, house-of-worship, conference or organization? If your answer is yes, please click on this link to book me:
https://www.mylindamichellebaron.com/book-dr-lindamichelle.html
Love and realness,
#Lindamichellebaron
www.mylindamichellebaron.com

April 21st, 2023

4/21/2023

Dear Friends, Family and Fans,
Tomorrow is another day that many of us wear masks and make-up to become someone else for the day. I am thinking of Paul Laurence Dunbar’s poem, “We Wear the Mask” that reads:
We wear the mask that grins and lies,
It hides our cheeks and shades our eyes,
This debt we pay to human guile;
With torn and bleeding hearts we smile…
The poem speaks of a time when people of African descent pretended to be less capable, less smart…wore the mask of a stereotype. But they knew they were wearing a mask for the purpose of survival…and the mask was not who they were. Many of our children wear a mask that is based on a belief system that gives credibility to the stereotype, because some of them believe the stereotype defines them. This is not new. I wrote a poem in the 70’s that spoke to the issue of us mindlessly believing we had to be someone else’s definition of us. It was called, “I Wish I Knew How it Would Feel to be Black.“ Provocative title. We need to think about it. We may be complicit in what our children believe it means to be black. Today we wear a physical mask because of the pandemic. This inspired a favorite poem of mine that I wrote recently called Just One Favor

Day 21:Just One Favor
Copyright 2020 Lindamichelle Baron

There is just one favor I’d like to ask,
Could you please wear a smile under your mask?

Yes, there is a virus we have to fight,
But we still need our eyes to reflect the light.
We are acting as if we have been defeated
Like the toilet paper aisle, we’ve been depleted.
Do some of the things you needed to get done.
Rediscover ways to make life fun.
You need to remember what you already know
There is a spirit inside. Recapture that glow.
We are made in the likeness of God
So giving each other love shouldn’t be hard. There is just one favor I’d like to ask. Could you please wear a smile under your mask

Hope you enjoyed Day 21. Would you like me to light a spark at your school, college, house-of-worship, conference or organization? If your answer is yes, please click on this link to book me: https://www.mylindamichellebaron.com/book-dr-lindamichelle.html

Love and realness,
#Lindamichellebaron
www.mylindamichellebaron.co

April 20th, 2023

4/20/2023

Dear Friends, Family and Fans,

This is my 90th Blog. I'm celebrating on this 20th day of Poetry Month, by resurrecting my spirit....changing the channel. Garbage in, garbage out. I even more selectively listen to or read the news. Not all news all the time. And not all is fit to read or listen to. It’s too much. It doesn’t stop. I have felt totally overwhelmed…until I remembered that where we are isn’t where we’ll be. I had to remind myself, not only that there is a Higher Authority, but that He doesn’t move on our time…but on His. We are not the boss of Him. But He is the boss of us. With that in mind, I decided this was a good time to repost this poem. Let's keep in mind the Good News we just celebrated.

90th Blog Post & Day 20, You Go, God!
by Lindamichellebaron
When I think of what I haven’t done, I get depressed,
In spite of what some others call “success.”
I revisit every move I’ve made. Then I second-guess
Suppose? What if? Perhaps?
I confess,
I wind up labeling myself a “hot mess.”
But like you, I am so wonderfully blessed
God takes me off my self-imposed shelf.
Looks at the label I’ve assigned to myself.
He checks all of the ingredients. He knows what He created.
And He approves each one of the ingredients I have berated…
He takes me, His creation, and handles me with such care,
He reminds me that everything I need is in-there.
Right inside of me, where He placed it.
None of my issues or self-doubts can erase it.
Remember He is the Head Chef. He is the Source.
Where do I get off thinking “I’m the boss!”
If I want to fulfill the work that He has assigned,
I need to get out of His way and get aligned.
I’m not in charge… Let go and let God!
It’s the devil trying to make the work seem too hard.
The devil tries to make a slam dunk.
You could almost see him smile,
When all my money shrunk,
And hear him ridicule every thought I had ever “thunk,”
Like he was sending my dreams out to drive drunk,
Just to make me feel as if all hope had sunk.
You ever been there?
Filled with despair?
Bemoaning the fact that life isn’t fair?
Thinking your situation is beyond repair?
Measuring your problems as too BIG for prayer?
Well, get thee behind me, Satan.
Remember this and Do Not Discard.
It may be too much for us, but nothing is too hard for God!

You Go God! is one of my favorite poems from my personal treasure trove of poems.Hope you enjoyed Day 20 and my 90th Blog post. Would you like me to light a spark at your school, college, house-of-worship, conference or organization? If your answer is yes, please click on this link to book me:
https://www.mylindamichellebaron.com/book-dr-lindamichelle.html

Love and realness,
#Lindamichellebaron
www.mylindamichellebaron.com

April 19th, 2023

4/19/2023

Dear Friends, Family and Fans,
The one thing I've always wanted to be was a teacher. I was blessed to teach in one of the best schools under the leadership of the awesome Principal Adelaide Sanford and Assistant Principals extraordinaire, Alice Uzoaga, and Renee Hanson (Young). It was their deep passion, powerful vision, amazing intellect, and tenacious belief in the unrecognized genius of our children...that informed me in my process of becoming an educator.
I am no longer a teacher in childhood education. But I teach preservice educators at York college. This poem is my ode to educators who believe in all that it means to be a teacher.
One of my favorite poems
Day 19: What About the Teacher, and What About Us?
Copyright © 2012 by Lindamichelle Baron.

What about the teacher who touched our lives?

What about the teacher who deserves high fives?

What about the teacher who’d never say, “I’m gonna get paid, anyway!” What about the teacher who won’t let us fail?

The one who refuses to lose us—to caskets or jail?

The gifted educator forced to teach from a script,

Emotionally whipped and labeled “less than equipped”… The one who knows from whence we started…

Given no respect even if the Red Sea had been parted?
What about the teacher who touched our lives?

What about the teacher who deserves high fives?

What about the teacher who’d never say, “I’m gonna get paid, anyway!” Our teachers and principals are being abused.

Treated like stuff on the bottom of shoes.

Excuses for shutting our schools abound,

Even when the school and our lives have turned around.

They open and close schools like musical chairs,

And the soundtrack they play is stuck on “nobody cares.” What about the teacher who touched our lives?

What about the teacher who deserves high fives?

What about the teacher who’d never say, “I’m gonna get paid, anyway

Some politicians remain clueless about teaching for lifelong success.

They only value the learning measured on standardized tests.

They believe that everything that counts can be counted.

If it’s not captured by “multiple choice,” it’s thrown out and discounted.

They don’t see us or know us, so they can’t see our soul, body or mind.

They claim to have all the answers, yet they keep leaving us behind.

What about the teacher who touched our lives?

What about the teacher who deserves high fives?

What about the teacher who’d never say, “I’m gonna get paid, anyway!” What about the teacher? What about us?

What About the Teacher, and What About Us? is one of my favorite poems from my personal treasure trove of poems

Hope you enjoyed Day 19. Would you like me to light a spark at your school, college, house-of-worship, conference or organization? If your answer is yes, please click on this link to book me: https://www.mylindamichellebaron.com/book-dr-lindamichelle.html

Love and realness,
#Lindamichellebaron
www.mylindamichellebaron.com

April 18th, 2023

4/18/2023

Dear Friends, Family and Fans,
Each day is an opportunity to renew your spirit. I wrote this poem to renew our children's spirit and resurrect our own. They/we can get drawn into belief systems that deny our genius, our beauty, our strength and power. Let our lives defy the lie!
Day 18: Don’t Drink the Kool Aid
Copyright 2014, Lindamichelle Baron
Don’t drink the Kool Aid
Don’t buy the lie
Haters belittle everything you try
They want you to give up
They want you to quit
It’s just that their world is too small
For your dreams to fit.
Don’t drink the Kool Aid
Don’t buy the lie
They’re trying to sell you pie in the sky.
You won’t win if you give in.
Who are they, anyway?
Why believe what they have to say?
They are not even a minute in your life’s hours.
Don’t place your life in their make-believe powers.
They’re like the Wizard of Oz
Pretending to be large and in charge
Don’t drink the Kool Aid
Don’t buy their lie.
Revoke the “okey doke”
Reveal the self you never knew
Be the self inside that is true
Be the self to make your dreams renew
Step up to the power inside of you.
Make your own Kool Aid
Create your own sky
Put the real you in place of the lie.
Live your choice
Be your own unique voice
Make your plan, take your stand
Its up to you to do what you gotta do
The time is now. The place is here
The decision is yours. Make it…take it…
If you dare.
Don't Drink The Kool Aid is one of my favorite poems from my personal treasure trove of poems
Hope you enjoyed Day 18. Would you like me to light a spark at your school, college, house of worship, conference or organization? If your answer is yes, please click on this link to book me: https://www.mylindamichellebaron.com/book-dr-lindamichelle.html
Love and realness,
#Lindamichellebaron
www.mylindamichellebaron.com

April 17th, 2023

4/17/2023

Dear Friends, Family, and Fans,
Day 17: IT HURTS
By Dr. Lindamichellebaron

Sometimes their words smash my brain like rain beating cement and that's why I cry. Even though I know that only sticks and stones crack bones, sometimes their words smash rain through cracks to my brain, and I can feel it all seep deep inside... and it hurts.
That's why I cry.

IT HURTS is one of my favorite poems from my book,"The Sun is On." For more of my poems, please get your own copy of my book "The Sun is On" on my website at:
https://www.mylindamichellebaron.com/store/p8/THE_SUN_IS_ON_Poetry_&_Idea_Book.html

Hope you enjoyed Day 17. Would you like me to light a spark at your school, college, house-of-worship, conference or organization? If your answer is yes, please click on this link to book me:
https://www.mylindamichellebaron.com/book-dr-lindamichelle.html

Love and realness,
#Lindamichellebaron
www.mylindamichellebaron.com