Meet Our Founder!

Tiffany Gillis Brown is the Founder and CEO of Gillis Education LLC. She was born in Washington, DC and grew up in neighboring Prince George’s County, Maryland. She studied Biology at Duke University and has worked in health care for almost a decade. After completing her undergraduate studies, Tiffany started Gillis Education as a way to give back to her community in a meaningful way. Being the daughter of an educator, she has always had a passion for education and mentoring. She saw a need for in-home assistance with schooling, whether it was consistent tutoring, building a homeschooling program tailored to a student and their family, or providing effective special education advocacy. Since founding the company in 2011, it has grown tremendously and continues to evolve to meet the immediate needs of its clients.

Tiffany recently earned her Juris Doctor from The George Washington University Law School and is using her degree to fight for the civil rights of marginalized communities, including quality education and health care for all.

Teaching About Trauma

As we close out another week of isolation due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we are now confronted with the senseless deaths of three African-Americans: Ahmaud Arbery, George Floyd, and Breonna Taylor. Riots have erupted. Activists are once again organizing public protests.

As we mourn their lives and try to make sense of America’s shortcomings, many of us are also questioning how we should present these events, and the history that fueled their occurrence, to our children. Gillis Education is specifically grappling with the following question: How do we boldly and accurately teach the traumatic history of African-Americans while inspiring the next generation to ambitiously explore the world and live freely in their own skin? How do we create space for our students to mourn, but celebrate the lives of their ancestors in a healthy way?

Recognizing that May is Mental Health Awareness Month, as we discussed in our last post, we must continue to check in with ourselves, our children, and our community. We need to allow ourselves time away from the news and media to reset, but it is critical that we educate our children on issues of racism, sexism, and other forms of bigotry so that they will be inspired to impact and contribute to the world in a positive and productive way. Our educators, consultants, curriculum team, and product development staff are mindful of this duty.

Do you have ideas about how current events such as these can be responsibly incorporated into lesson plans in a sensitive yet powerful way? Let’s continue the conversation. Reach out to us on social media or send an email to info@gilliseducation.org.

Let's Check In: How are you doing?

The COVID-19 pandemic has taken a toll on all of us, especially on students who have been suddenly ripped from the safeguards of normalcy. Feelings of anxiety have accosted adults and children alike, isolation has proven more and more burdensome as time passes, and the uncertainty of the future adds to an already stressful situation. So, let’s check in. How are you doing?

A recent study found that 13.2% of adolescents (approximately 3 million adolescents) received some sort of mental health services within a school setting. Therefore, there are severe implications for school closures apart from lulls in academic growth. Many students who are used to receiving mental health services are having to cope with lacking full access to these services.

May is Mental Health Month and this year’s theme is “Tools 2 Thrive.” All month long mental health organizations, such as Mental Health America, are sharing tools for you to thrive during this challenging period. Their advice includes going outside for walks or bike rides, taking breaks from mundane tasks to reflect on your purpose, writing down things you are grateful for, and connecting with others virtually.

Our advice — pause and take time to check in. First, check in with yourself. How do you feel? What thoughts and emotions are surfacing? Then, check in on your family. Parents should be sure to sit with their children on a regular basis and ask, “how are you doing?” This simple, yet oftentimes complicated question can create a space for transparency and much-needed connection.

Outside of the home, educators should take steps to check in with students and do everything they can to establish consistency over the next several weeks, though this is much easier said than done, particularly with “the digital divide.”. Administrators and policy makers should implement uniform plans that mitigate the broader disruption COVID-19 has caused.

Bottom line: We are in this together and we can all play a role in encouraging the mental well-being of others, especially our youth.

Source: CDC

COVID-19 Shines Light on Racial and Socioeconomic Disparities; What’s Needed, Now

In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, two American stories have emerged:

1. One tale describes a family who will come out of this crisis unscathed by losing a job or worse, a loved one.

2. The other story details the life of a person who will have to pick up the pieces; perhaps they will not have a job to return to when this is all over, or they have been deemed “essential” and have had to leave their family and risk their life to go to work each day, emotionally and physically drained.

(See Caroline Nyce’s recent article in The Atlantic for a more in-depth look into these “two Americas”)

And in both stories are children who have had to cope with suddenly being away from their teachers and friends, while maintaining their studies online. But, the child of the person in the second story will have more challenges to overcome and statistically speaking, is probably a student of color.

Communities of color have been and will likely continue to be hardest hit (Ibram X. Kendi explains why here). They face increased financial and health risks associated with COVID-19 due to strained economic and social circumstances.

• For example, in the District of Columbia, Blacks make up 45% of the total population. While they accounted for 29% of confirmed coronavirus cases, they comprised the majority in related deaths at 59% as of April 6, 2020. In Louisiana, Blacks make up 32% of the total state population, but accounted for over 70% of COVID-19 deaths as of April 6, 2020. (Source: Kaiser Family Foundation).

How will this reality affect students of color in the long run? What can school districts and community organizations do to minimize the impact?

• The coronavirus pandemic is another obstacle that will unfortunately set some minority students and their families back, and one that must be overcome with thoughtful, strategic action on the part off government and private organizations. We must continue to address the interrelated list of disparities that infiltrate communities of color, namely health care, housing, air quality, and job opportunities that promote economic mobility. 

• Then, considering all of these factors, customized education planning to fit the needs of students post-crisis must be a priority. For instance, a student dealing with COVID-19-related challenges may need to complete or turn in assignments in a non-traditional way, though these accommodations will not be connected to a formal Individual Education Plan (IEP) or “504 Plan.” Or, maybe a mix of online and in-person teaching should become the norm so that students are given flexibility with where and how they learn.

Join the conversation. In what ways will the coronavirus pandemic affect communities of color in the short-term and in the months and years to come? How will students of color be particularly impacted and what should be done to mitigate these effects?

Best Practices for Homeschooling

All of a sudden, parents across the country, and world, are adding another hat to their wardrobe: homeschool teacher. Fortunately for some, lessons will be provided by the school district, with set times for online learning and a structured curriculum for the remainder of the school year. For others, things are still being figured out. For those who already homeschool, it may be business as usual. Whichever category you fall into -- whether you're homeschooling now due to the COVID-19 crisis or you're a veteran homeschooler, or perhaps somewhere in between -- we’re providing you with some helpful tips and tricks for creating an environment and atmosphere ripe for learning.

But remember, each situation is unique and some practices won't actually work for some children and their families. Education is NOT a one size fits all experience. Number one piece of advice: Learn about and consider your child's individual needs, and go from there!

Click here to download a pdf copy of these best practices. Need help implementing a homeschool set up that works for your family? Schedule a free consulting session.

Coronavirus and The Future of Virtual Learning

We’ve Hit the “Reset” Button

The world has come to a dramatic halt amid the coronavirus pandemic. Cities across the U.S. have implemented unprecedented shut downs reminiscent of war-time measures; San Francisco recently ordered a mandatory “shelter in place,” a response similar to Italy, France, and Spain.

As millions of people are forced to stay home and forgo life’s regularities, such as work, school, sporting events, and social gatherings, conversations around the future of remote or virtual learning have been thrust to the forefront. Will school systems need to establish virtual learning systems for the remainder of the school year, and if so, are they prepared to do so? How will those with limited internet access be affected? Perhaps school will simply be cancelled just like everything else.

Only time will tell, but one thing is certain: digital learning will need to be incorporated into the traditional school model even more than it is today to ensure consistency in learning. School systems need to create solid infrastructures that provide a seamless transition from in-classroom learning to virtual learning, and that properly take into account those with special needs. Additionally, parents may need to be more equipped to switch to “homeschooling mode” when necessary.

Sign Up for Gillis Education’s Virtual Tutoring and Homeschooling Services

Under these somber circumstances, your children will need to be educated at home, at least for the immediate future, which is a daunting task for many parents. Gillis Education offers virtual tutoring and homeschooling services. We can assist your family in making the most of this difficult time by creating a customized digital curriculum for your child and meeting for online lessons and activities.

Call 301-917-7684 or send us an email to get started: info@gilliseducation.org.

And Most Importantly, Please Take Precautions!

New Year, New President... Now What?

The heated presidential race leading up to the election of Donald Trump in November of 2016 has revealed a starkly divisive America. Of course, this is not to say that we weren't a divided country prior to Trump's campaign, but the campaign's rhetoric added fuel to the already existing polarization. As Trump continues to settle in, what does this new presidency mean for our education system? 

Meet Betsy DeVos, Trump's pick for Secretary of Education. She is a proponent of "school choice" and "voucher-system schooling." This perspective encourages competition among schools, allowing parents to choose "for profit" private or charter schools for their students to attend, instead of investing in the public school system. It mimics "the market" in that the worse products, i.e. schools, are weeded out while the best ones survive market forces (theoretically). However, market choices in this sense typically favor those who are actually empowered to choose -- the wealthy -- while being hardest on the poor and marginalized who don't have the benefit of choosing. 

Read more about the potential "marketization" of our domestic school system in this article published by The Atlantic.