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Thoughtful Thursday: Celebrating Black Women Poets

Yesterday we said bye to February's Black History Month, and today we say hey to Women's History Month. While we at GCP are not the biggest fans of the designation of just one month out of the year to focus on the great contributions Black people and women have made to our nation's history, for now we'll take the [...]

Thoughtful Thursday: Love Poems

In honor of Valentine's Day next week, today's Thoughtful Thursday features love poetry from an array of poets. We begin with a couple of love poems from Langston Hughes, whom poet Elizabeth Alexander rightly calls “'our' poet laureate, our'Shakespeare in Harlem.'" Then on a poem from Nikki Giovanni, one of the world's best known African American poets, who speaks [...]

Thoughtful Thursday: Happy Birthday Langston Hughes!

Today begins Black History Month! Actually, we like to think of every month as Black History Month here at GCP, as we want our children to learn about their history all year long. Today is also Langston Hughes' birthday, so on this Thoughtful Thursday we honor him by featuring a few of this great poet's works. We begin with [...]

Thoughtful Thursday: Veteran’s Day

Saturday is Veteran's Day. Today's Thoughtful Thursday offers three poems by Yusef Komunyakaa (b. 1947), a celebrated poet who is a veteran and writes about his experiences in and after his service in the Vietnam War. Komunyakaa served in the United States Army from 1969 to 1970 as a correspondent and as managing editor of the Southern Cross during [...]

Checking In on the School Front

The school year is in full swing now. Children have settled into the work, and there are still a few solid weeks left before the holidays hit. In case you've been on autopilot, it is time to check in and see how things are going at school. Here are some tips and advice on how to check in: Connect [...]

Use Success Academy Secrets to Help Your Child Read

Success Academy Charter Schools in New York City have had an impressive track record of helping students achieve impressive results on statewide reading tests. Their website boasts that this year 84% of their students (their "scholars") passed the mandatory English Language Arts (ELA) tests and 95% passed the math tests, making them the #1 school system in New York [...]

Thoughtful Thursday: Celebrating Fall

With the wind kicking up here in New York City today, it finally is beginning to feel like fall. It is only fitting then that today's Thoughtful Thursday offers up some poems to celebrate the season. In "Merry Autumn" the great African American poet Paul Laurence Dunbar notes how the festive fall colors brighten up the year. Pulitzer prize [...]

Thoughtful Thursday: Back-to-school

Today's Thoughtful Thursday offers quotes to help our children and ourselves with the transition to a new school year. Here are some quotes to remind us of the value of the educational journey, and some to encourage them as they return to the classroom. Share with your sons, and enjoy. “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can [...]

GCP Back to School Checklist: To Do’s and Don’t Do’s

It's September, time to head Back to School with GCP! Here is our Checklist of To-Do's and Don't Do's for all of you busy parents: CLASSROOM TO-DO's: • Meet the Teachers: If your son is in a single classroom all day, have you met his teacher(s)? If he is a middle or high schooler, do you know what he [...]

Show Your Sons: Dante Pearson, Wharton MBA’17 Student Speaker

Last weekend Wharton MBA's graduates heard an amazing speech from their fellow student Dante Pearson '17 at their graduation ceremony. And now you can too. Click here and listen to this thoughtful and insightful speech from this young brother. Such a level head, commanding presence and great thinking from such a young man. Look out for him--we will hear [...]