Help an Educator Keep Educating… Many of you know me as a musician, but my day job is as an Instructional Assistant or General Education Tutor in the Berkeley Unified School District. One of the things I do is teach very young children how to sound out letters and words and how to pronounce them correctly. Having a mouth full of teeth helps me to do this because it gives children visual cues for how to pronounce letters and words, and the opportunity to mimic me, which helps the children develop strong fundamental reading skills. During the Covid pandemic, I lost teeth, with several effects of course, but one (aside from mortifying embarrassment), is loss of clarity in general enunciation. I continue to wear a mask since I have a history of asthma, but I have to admit that the sad appearance of my teeth is a factor too. I have dental insurance, but coverage is limited to optimize profits of course, which means that wind-up dentures and Elmer’s glue are about all I will be able to afford. Seriously though, dentures are not recommended in my case because they typically result in bone loss over time. My oral surgeon says this is likely to result in the exposure of a particular nerve in my lower jaw, which will subject me, initially, to intermittent sharp pain, and eventually, the consistent pressure and friction from the dentures will make them far too painful to wear. If I have no teeth to show children how to pronounce words correctly, my students will lose an ally dedicated to their education. And I will lose my source of income. My Request The bottom line is that I will soon need oral surgery because all of the teeth I have left need to come out. I am fortunately a good candidate for implants because I have enough bone mass to make the surgery likely to have good long-term results. Delta Dental and Medicare, my plans, consider implants cosmetic surgery. The cost of this surgery--including the implants, sedation, anesthesia, and follow up prosthodontic care--is about $64,000.00. The process will take somewhere between 6 months to a year to complete. My oral surgeon plans to closely monitor me for possible infections and to make sure I heal properly between procedures. My prosthodontist will as well. In case anyone wonders, dental tourism is not a medically safe option for me, especially because of the necessary follow-up. I am asking for your help to raise the $64,000.00 by November of this year. I can return to school in the meantime in a limited role as a Noon Supervisor which will not require me to teach children to read. Final Thoughts I love reading to children, and I love to hear them read to me. I also have an active imagination and love to tell made up, outlandish stories, for example, about a dock-side cat named “Tuna Boat,” or a very skinny snake who tries to eat a pumpkin. Wearing a mask makes a lot of this spontaneity much more difficult. Children love stories and it’s a great way to infuse the day with humor. I love to see the looks of incredulity on their faces, respond to their technical questions and skepticism, and listen to their arguments for plausibility with each other. These stories are part of my pedagogical style, allowing me to spend less time saying “No” or “Stop.” This kind of engagement helps redirect some of the kids’ less than helpful impulses, such as screaming, shoving, swinging their coats, insisting that they were “first in line” and the like. Help me to be able to be the educator that I naturally am, but have felt a need to put a lid on due to embarrassment, and an increasing sense of ineffectiveness as a speaker/teacher at school. Children matter to me a great deal and I feel that I have a great deal to offer them, especially children of LGBT households, Black families, and families of color, because of my own identity with such families, as well as my own history of learning challenges. Speaking publicly on behalf of my band, Melba’s Kitchen, is important as well, and I have shied away from talking with interested strangers, fans, community supporters, our band’s consultants, and especially on stage to the audience because of these issues. Our band recently won an award for promoting women’s culture, since we focus on performing the works of ignored Black women jazz composers and arranger greats such as Mary Lou Williams, and our band’s namesake, Melba Liston. I hope you can help out. Thank you for making the time to read this request and for considering a donation if you can. Just as importantly, thank you for sharing this link with people who value education and music, and who have the means to make a contribution. Please feel free to reach out to meif you have questions, suggestions, or just want to offer moral support. Sincerely, Renaye L. Brown
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