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About Katie Patterson

Katie Patterson is a wearer of many “hats” – those figurative hats that represent a myriad of jobs, paid or volunteer, and interests. A brief description of her "hats" include being executive director of the Richardson Adult Literacy Center, mom of 14-year-old twins, active RISD parent, part-time communications coordinator for the Texas Schools Project, tri-chair of the Richardson Chamber of Commerce’s Education and Workforce committee, and active with HASR ("Helping Agencies Serving Richardson"), Greater Dallas Literacy Coalition, and various RISD committees. Katie grew up in the Richardson area , attending RISD schools and graduating from Richardson High School, where she met her husband. After graduating from UT-Austin, she and her husband eventually "came back home" to our community to raise their family. When asked about Richardson, Katie remarks that she's inspired by the different kinds of people who are part of Richardson and feels this diversity creates a unique richness for the community.

Teachers play important role in students’ current, future success

Judge Tonya Parker (center) talked about the difference teachers can make at the Richardson Chamber of Commerce's New Teachers Luncheon in August.

School is underway, as is one of the back-to-school traditions — Meet the Teacher Night. As I put this event on my calendar, it reminded me of an amazing speech I heard in August at the Richardson Chamber of Commerce’s New Teachers Luncheon — one about how teachers can make a difference.

Judge Tonya Parker, 116th Civil District Judge in Dallas County, began her remarks by talking in generalities about the importance of teacher quality. She posed that teachers — not merely access to education — may be the key to providing students who come from many backgrounds the greatest opportunity for success. She pointed to research that demonstrates how effective teachers help students achieve a year’s growth academically, versus ineffective teachers who don’t. As an education advocate, I could listen to this type of talk for hours. Effective teachers are a critical element to students’ success. But then Judge Parker took her remarks to another level . . .

She talked about her own experience, in Richardson ISD. Come to find out, she attended Dobie Elementary, Northwood Junior High and Richardson High schools. She shared how her family moved to Dallas from Chicago when she was young, in hopes of a better life. Despite the move, her father continued to find trouble, which had an influence on her own self-esteem. She talked about her family issues as “noise” between her ears — a distraction to her learning — and noted that many RISD students also struggle with this same “noise.”

For Judge Parker, it was specific teachers who helped quiet this “noise” and allow her to achieve success. She spoke about an elementary school physical education teacher who signed her up for her first track meet and the influence his belief in her had on her confidence. She spoke about a junior high teacher who helped her see herself as not just an athlete, but also a scholar. There was also a high school coach that taught her to never think anyone is better than her, despite their address or material possessions.

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North Texas Giving Day: Will you click and give for Richardson?

Disclosure: The author is the executive director of the Richardson Adult Literacy Center.

Thursday is North Texas Giving Day. If you’re involved with a local nonprofit — or are on an email list of a local nonprofit  — this is old news to you. Organizers have been blasting, posting and tweeting about this day in full force for the past week. If you’re “out of the loop,” let me fill you in on the details. It really is a great way to support nonprofits in Richardson and the Dallas Fort Worth area.

Five years ago, Communities Foundation of Texas introduced North Texas Giving Day as a way to connect community supporters with the important work of local nonprofits. In this short time, more than $60 million has been donated to North Texas nonprofits through this one annual day of giving. In 2013 alone, more than 75,000 gifts were made, totaling $25.2 million and benefiting more than 1,350 nonprofits.

Which Richardson nonprofits participate? Just about every one you’ve heard of — and a number you haven’t. My nonprofit, the Richardson Adult Literacy Center participates. Other participating nonprofits include the Arts Incubator of Richardson, RISD Excellence in Education Foundation,  Richardson Humane Society, Richardson Symphony Orchestra, The Counseling Place and Methodist Richardson Medical Center Foundation. I could go on and on. In total, 1,600 nonprofits are participating this year. To find out if your favorite nonprofits are participating, simply go to NorthTexasGivingDay.org and type their name in the search box.

Donations can only be made Thursday from 6 a.m. to midnight via NorthTexasGivingDay.org. Donations of $25 or more will be amplified by $2 million in bonus funds and prizes.

So what are you waiting for? Click and give! It’s a quick and easy way to make a difference for Richardson.

Katie Patterson is the executive director of the Richardson Adult Literacy Center. She’s also an active Richardson ISD parent, part-time communications coordinator for the Texas Schools Project, tri-chair of the Richardson Chamber of Commerce’s Education and Workforce committee, and active with HASR, Greater Dallas Literacy Coalition, and various RISD committees.

Richardson YMCA pool serves our community swimmingly

YMCA day-camper Caleb who couldn't swim two feet when he started summer camp, now proudly displays his green wristband, showing he can swim the full length of the YMCA pool.

I was talking with my friend, Jeff Thomas, executive director of the Richardson YMCA, and discovered some neat things about the Y’s swim program.

Did you know that, in 1910, the YMCA invented the “crawl” stroke?

That stroke — and many others — are still alive and well at our local Y. This year, the Richardson YMCA will teach more than 900 swim lessons to children and adults in our community. Some will be coming to the pool for the first time, a little unsure about the whole swimming thing, and others will be coming to perfect their backstroke, butterfly — and even “crawl” stroke.

“If you know how to swim, and are comfortable around the aquatic environment, it opens up a whole new world for kids and their parents,” YMCA Aquatic Director Dustin Davis said.

That’s why, three years ago, the Y even started giving free swim lessons to any YMCA day camper who couldn’t pass the swim test. To date, the Y has given more than 100 free swim lessons to children who can’t swim the length of the pool. (This program is funded by their Annual Campaign. Visit the Richardson YMCA website for more details: www.richardsonymca.org.)

In addition to swim lessons, the Y also has a strong swim team — the Richardson Rapids.

Word is that they’re four-time defending state champions. They also host outside programs such as the HEROES program and Richardson Roadrunners Special Olympic swim team. If that’s not enough, more than 100 kids from the Y day camp program cool off in the pool each day.

If you or your kids are looking to learn or improve your swim skills, give the Richardson Y a call.

Starting in Richardson, summer fun can be a bus ride away

Several years ago, I was out of town and my mom needed a way to get to the Amtrak station downtown. She didn’t want to drive there, so she parked at my house, walked to the bus stop down the street, rode the bus down Arapaho Road to the DART light rail station and took the light rail to Union Station.

I was immediately intrigued.

Living in the suburbs and owning a car, I hadn’t thought about using our public transportation system that way.

Fast forward to this summer … I have teenagers who aren’t yet of driving age and I work. As I was thinking of ways to get my kids out from behind their screen of choice and into summer activities, it hit me that they, too, could use DART buses to get around our community when I’m at work.

Today was the first step of this plan. I introduced my son to our local bus stop, guided him through paying for a bus pass, reminded him to press the strip to request a stop and — what do you know? — we were at Heights Recreation Center in less than 15 minutes, ready for summer fun.

A few things I learned along the way:

• Knowing the bus schedule is critical and can be determined from DART’s website, www.dart.org.
• It can be up to an hour between buses, so be sure to check the schedule before you head out to the bus stop.
• Buses don’t give change and most fares involve change. (My son’s pass was $1.25, mine was $2.50.) So, bring your quarters or just know you’re not receiving change.
• Bus drivers are happy to help. We weren’t sure of the closest bus stop to Heights Recreation Center, so we asked the bus driver and he nicely let us know when our stop was coming up. Next time, we’ll know when to request the stop.
• There’s generally an east-west and a north-south bus route along every major street in Richardson.

If you’re looking for a family adventure, check out the DART light rail map. This is a fun way to get to the Dallas Zoo, Fair Park, NorthPark Center, and many, many other places. In fact,  you can even get to the McKinney Avenue trolleys (which are free) by taking the DART light rail south to the CityPlace/Uptown stop. The trolleys are at street level, above this stop. Adding the trolley route opens up even more possibilities for family summer fun, including Dallas’ Klyde Warren Park.

Reflections on integration in RISD, 60 years after Brown vs. Board of Education

An Associated Press file photo shows Linda Brown Smith, who was a third-grader when her father started a class-action suit against the Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, Kan., which led to the U.S. Supreme Court's 1954 landmark decision against school segregation.

Last month, we celebrated the 60th anniversary of Brown vs. Board of Education, the 1954 Supreme Court school desegregation order.

In a Washington Post blog, Emily Badger questioned how far our country has progressed along this path. She pointed to research conducted by Dr. Paul Jargowsky, a former UT Dallas professor who’s now at Rutgers. Dr. Jargowsky’s research demonstrates that segregation is still alive in communities around our country because of existing residential segregation. He and others commented on how changes to housing policies could impact school integration.

After reading this, I began to reflect on our community. How does Richardson measure up when it comes to school integration?

It just takes a quick look at RISD demographics to see that our district as a whole is highly integrated, educating an increasingly diverse group of students: 40 percent Hispanic, 28 percent white, 22 percent black, 7 percent Asian; 25 percent are classified as Limited English Proficient; 58 percent are classified as economically disadvantaged; well over 50 languages are spoken by students and their families. And, RISD clearly provides an outstanding, high-quality education to all of its students, the primary goal of Brown.

Although access to a high-quality education is the priority for integrated schools, it seems other benefits are less obvious, such as the opportunity to prepare our students to work with and get to know others from different backgrounds.

So, what do individual RISD school populations look like? I went to greatschools.org and found that a majority of our schools have very diverse student populations: Jess Harben, MST, Arapaho Classical Magnet, Terrace, Richland, Springridge, many other elementaries and all of our junior high and high schools. But some of our elementary schools aren’t very diverse. Schools such as Prairie Creek and Mohawk are 79+ percent white. Schools such as Dover and Bukhair are 89+ percent Hispanic. While these students are all receiving a high-quality academic education, they might be missing out on an important social education.

Going back to Badger’s blog, residential planning might provide an opportunity to further integrate some of our neighborhoods and schools. Although there’s virtually no land in Richardson for new residential building, there are a few pockets of opportunity.

The decision by the Richardson City Council to move forward with multiunit housing in the Palisades area is one example. While some voiced opposition to this decision, it was the right choice for Richardson and the right decision for students who attend and will get the opportunity to attend Prairie Creek.

Teacher diversity is another area of opportunity. A 2012 report shows that more than 75 ercent of RISD teachers were white. While the district has made progress in increasing the diversity of its teachers, we’re not there yet. A continued focus in this area will benefit all students in many ways.

My kids had the opportunity to attend a highly diverse RISD elementary school — Prestonwood Elementary. I’ve seen first-hand the positive impact going to school with kids of different backgrounds can have on our children. I’m proud of the young adults my twins have become and I give a great deal of credit to their experiences — social and academic — at Prestonwood. I hope we can find ways to provide this experience to even more RISD students.

The solutions aren’t easy ones but, in the end, they’ll have long-term benefits for our children and our community.

Adult English language learners celebrate their accomplishments

 

Last week, more than 100 adult English language learners celebrated their accomplishments at an end-of-semester party.

Some celebrated completing their first English as a Second Language class, others celebrated “graduating” from the program and learning about transitions to Richland College. All were proud that they made it to the end of a 60-hour semester that required as much time devoted to studying outside the classroom as they spent attending classes.

The ESL classes, offered at eight levels from beginner to advanced, are virtually free to any adult English language learner who lives or works in Richardson or the RISD area ($25 registration fee; books and classes are free) and are offered by the Richardson Adult Literacy Center. (Full disclosure: I’m the executive director of this local nonprofit.) Trained volunteers from the community serve as the ESL teachers.

Some reading this might wonder what type of interest there is for adult ESL classes in our community. This is a question I’m asked regularly. Folks are surprised when I share that 30% of Richardson residents speak a language other than English at home and more than 13,000 don’t speak English well (U.S. Census). RALC’s ESL classes serve more than 600 adults annually — a significant increase in recent years. And, there are more who would like to take classes but aren’t able to because of capacity and funding challenges. (January’s sign-up included 50-plus folks who were turned away.)

When I talk with folks in the community about our work, I suggest they imagine what it would be like to move to a new country and not speak, read or write the language. The challenges abound, and in every facet of life. Adults taking ESL classes through the RALC know that by improving their English, they’ll be able to communicate in everyday life, get better jobs, become more engaged in their children’s education and become more involved in their community.  It’s a long road, but one that has significant benefits for the individual and his or her family. It was nice to see these adults take a short break from their journeys last week and celebrate how far they’ve come.

By stepping up to serve RISD, it’s a win for everyone

Five candidates —  two for Place 6 and three for Place 7 — recently stepped up to run for Richardson ISD School Board. Longtime board trustees Kim Quirk and Karen Ellis stepped down this year, leaving two vacant spots.

And, while the elections recently ended with Justin Bono being elected to Place 6 and Kristin Kuhne to Place 7, I’d suggest that all five candidates achieved success and that it was a win for all who live in the RISD.

Deciding to run for public office brings on a whole new level of community engagement and personal exposure. Rarely does a person have to answer strangers’ random questions that delve deeply into their views and beliefs or share their opinions in front of hundreds of others to be immediately judged as competent or not.

Then, make it an active campaign with opponents, and the level of intensity and time commitment increases signficantly. It takes literally hundreds of hours of answering questionnaires, attending various events, meeting community members,  responding to questions, creating and producing signs and other awareness-building materials, strategizing with campaign volunteers, walking blocks, greeting voters at the polls, and on and on to campaign for office. I had no idea, until I became intimately involved. (I helped with one of the candidate’s campaigns.) Making it to the end of this marathon, in and of itself, is a success for each candidate.

But the true success of each candidate comes when you look back and see how their involvement in this process has made a difference in our community. Each candidate demonstrated their passion for serving RISD, each brought a unique perspective and each had a vision for where they wanted RISD to head in the coming years. They each shared these pieces of themselves with us, which ignited conversation in our community about education.

Whether I was at a Chamber of Commerce meeting or a school event for my kids or just getting together with friends, the conversations typically included school-board elections, sharing perspectives on our current education system and hopes for the future of RISD.

Some folks learned something new about RISD through these conversations. Others came to appreciate a different perspective. Even others became motivated to get more involved. This is where the win for all came, thanks to five folks who stepped up and said, “RISD is important to me — I’m willing to serve.”

If you run into any of these candidates — Rachel Chumney, Justin Bono, Kristin Kuhne, Judy Yarbrough or Bonnie Abadie — at the Wildflower Arts Festival this weekend or another community event, be sure to thank them for stepping up to offer their service to RISD — and to thank them for the service they’ve already provided by igniting conversations about education in our community and encouraging others to get involved in RISD.

Meet Katie Patterson, wearer of many ‘hats’

Anyone who knows me knows that I wear lots of different “hats” – those figurative hats that represent a myriad of jobs, paid or volunteer, and interests.

My husband laughs at my rack of “hats,” as there’s usually one hat on top of another, with several different meetings and activities each day, involving different organizations or initiatives. When I comment about my hectic day, he’s quick to point out that I should have a serious talk with my scheduler. (I’m not much into talking to myself, so that never happens.) When it comes down to it, there are just so many ways to get involved in Richardson that I, like lots of other folks I know, end up wearing lots of different hats.

A brief description of my many hats would include executive director of the Richardson Adult Literacy Center, mom of 14-year-old twins, active RISD parent, part-time communications coordinator for the Texas Schools Project, tri-chair of the Richardson Chamber of Commerce’s Education and Workforce committee, and active with HASR, Greater Dallas Literacy Coalition, and various RISD committees.

My passion for the Richardson area comes, in part, from the fact that I grew up here, attending Prestonwood Elementary, Westwood Junior High and Richardson High School. I’m also inspired by all the different kinds of people who are part of our community. This diversity creates a richness that’s unique to Richardson. Then, there are all the other involved folks you run into regularly. Richardson is kind of a magnet for those who are civic-minded. If you ask most any Richardson resident, odds are they’re involved in at least two local organizations that are making a positive difference for our community. Who can sit on the sidelines when just about everyone else is playing in the game? Not me!

I’m excited about this new opportunity to share my take on Richardson goings-on with you. While I’ve never been a blogger, writing has been part of my personal and professional life for many years. To me, it’s a way to share experiences, educate and inform.

And, I now have a  new “hat” to don from time-to-time.