Deborah Martel Rogers' Blog

 About Cognitive Dissonance and Cinco de Mayo,  by Déborah Martel-Rogers, Ed.D.      As we approach Cinco de Mayo, we will experience more commercials, advertisements, and events that generally portray Cinco de Mayo as a celebration around food and music. There is obviously nothing wrong with that. The contributions of the Mexican Americans, Cuban Americans, Puerto Rican Americans, Colombian Americans, Venezuelan Americans, Peruvian Americans, Chilean Americans, Argentinian Americans, Spanish Americans, Ecuatorian Americans, Guatemalan Americans, Salvadorian Americans, Honduran Americans, Costa Rican Americans, Panamanian Americans, Paraguayan Americans, and Uruguayan Americans are significant in the gastronomical and musical spheres, indeed. The question, though, is not so much whether they are important as whether we know their global significance.       Let's travel to the past, for instance, to the original meaning of the Cinco de Mayo, when M...

I Choose to SELebrate -by Déborah Martel-Rogers, Ed.D. Bakersfield City School District     How often have you wondered what would have happened if you had taken a different path? When we were children, we all had friends who regretted not having shared their dream of becoming a teacher, pilot, astronaut, surgeon, or professional dancer with their teachers. They thought they were not good enough or that they would not be able to pull it off. Whichever the reason, they already had the No! Before they even dared to ask.      On the other hand, we also knew those lucky people who dared to follow their dreams and accomplish unimaginable goals that the rest of us might have thought about here and there without really having stopped to ponder the real work it would take. Probably because, precisely, it would have taken a lot of effort.      What about if we reveal these secrets to our students and their parents? Are they secrets, or are we talking about...

Excellence by Design, by Deborah Martel Rogers, Ed.D.     Excellence is not an accident waiting to happen, but a carefully designed and planned journey. Although some might see it as a destination, it is really a process taking place daily. I prefer excellence in the face of adversity to perfection which is lacking in its humanity.