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    • Mrs. Ram’s Vocabulary Lesson for the Words Asymptomatic, Presymptomatic, and Defund

      Posted at 10:39 am by Mrs. Ram Jam, on June 13, 2020

      Hey! I’m here in a professional capacity today to teach you about Greek and Latin roots and affixes. Breaking down words you don’t know for their parts, a skill I practice with my students daily, helps build vocabulary because 60 percent of the English language is built with those roots and affixes. 

      Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

      I’ve noticed a bit of confusion surrounding three words in particular this week:  asymptomatic, presymptomatic, and defund. Lucky for you, these three words are easily broken down. Are you ready for your vocabulary lesson?

      Vocab Word Number 1:  Asymptomatic (adjective)
      A–a Greek prefix that means without or no
      Symptom—a word from Greek and Latin that means showing signs of illness
      Atic/ic–a Latin and Greek suffix that means characteristic of and makes words adjectives
      Put It All Together and What Do You Get? Showing no signs of illness
      Why does it matter? Because you can test positive for an illness, like COVID-19, but show no symptoms. You should still wear a mask in public because you still could spread the disease. https://www.cnn.com/2020/06/09/health/asymptomatic-presymptomatic-coronavirus-spread-explained-wellness/index.html https://www.cnn.com/2020/06/12/health/coronavirus-mask-wellness-trnd/index.html
      Vocab Word Number 2:  Presymptomatic (adjective)
      Pre–a Latin prefix that means before
      Symptom–a word from Greek and Latin that means showing signs of illness
      Atic/ic–a Latin and Greek suffix that means characteristic of and makes words adjectives
      Put It All Together and What Do You Get? Before signs of illness start
      Why does it matter? Because you can show no signs of being sick before becoming ill with COVID-19. You should still wear a mask in public because you still could spread the disease. 
      https://www.cnn.com/2020/06/09/health/asymptomatic-presymptomatic-coronavirus-spread-explained-wellness/index.html https://www.cnn.com/2020/06/12/health/coronavirus-mask-wellness-trnd/index.html
      Vocab Word Number 3:  Defund (verb)
      De–a Latin prefix that means to take away or to remove or reverse
      Fund–a word from Latin that means to finance 
      Put It All Together and What Do You Get? To take away or remove money
      Why does it matter? Because taking away money doesn’t necessarily mean abolishing the police force or taking away all of the money. Look at education, the government has been defunding education for years–but often, like I saw on the news this morning, instead of using the word defund because of its negative connotation, taking money away from education is often described as the euphemistic  “deep budget cuts.” Choosing to use the word defund instead of a word or phrase with a more positive connotation is divisive, creating even more controversy around rethinking traditional law enforcement.

      If the potential money defunded from the police were redirected to education, maybe there:

       1. Wouldn’t be so much confusion over what words mean or how they can be chosen so carefully to inflame either side of the aisle to react based on their emotions instead of looking at the facts and participating in rational discourse. After all, it’s common knowledge that words are powerful, and often they are loaded with biased emotions. (Sorry for the cliché.) 

      2. Wouldn’t be so much confusion about which news sources are reliable.

      3. Wouldn’t be such a distrust of science.

      4. Wouldn’t be such a stigma surrounding admitting that you were wrong.

      5. Wouldn’t be such a reluctance to rethink our many societal establishments steeped in racism. 

      6. Wouldn’t be so many people who lack empathy. 

      7. Wound’t be . . . . (You fill in the blank. The possibilities are endless because more education and change are the only answers. We need to start SHOVELING money, from all directions–not just rerouted money from police departments, into the public education system instead of continuing to take it away.)

      Posted in teaching, Uncategorized | 0 Comments | Tagged asymptomatic, blacklivesmatter, coronavirus, defund, presymptomatic
    • A Poem: When It’s Time to Kneel

      Posted at 8:09 am by Mrs. Ram Jam, on May 30, 2020

      When it’s time to Kneel, Keep in mind how black men Kneeling in peaceful protest made you feel.

      When it’s time to Kneel, Keep in mind how history Kindles and spins a white, privileged wheel.

      When it’s time to Kneel, Keep in mind how mothers Keening over their murdered black sons’ graves is real.

      Because it’s never time to kneel on a black man’s neck on the asphalt. It’s not their fault.

      Because when are you going to stand up instead of just kneel?

      Because it’s time for you to stand up, Neil.

      Stand up, Neil.

      People, Man, Alone, Praying, Kneel, Down

      (image taken from Pixabay)

      Posted in poems, Uncategorized | 2 Comments | Tagged blacklivesmatter, poems, poetry
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