{"id":22,"date":"2014-12-17T13:53:28","date_gmt":"2014-12-17T13:53:28","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.educatorpoet.com\/?page_id=22"},"modified":"2021-04-17T23:54:50","modified_gmt":"2021-04-17T23:54:50","slug":"biographical-sketch","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"http:\/\/educatorpoet.com\/?page_id=22","title":{"rendered":"Biographical Sketch"},"content":{"rendered":"

Melodye Mic\u00ebre Van Putten, <\/em><\/strong><\/b>M.A.<\/em><\/strong><\/b><\/p>\n

Africalogist, Education Consultant, Lecturer, Poet<\/em><\/strong><\/b><\/p>\n

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Africalogist Mwalimu Melodye Mic\u00ebre Van Putten<\/em> has been an education consultant, writer and lecturer for over\u00a0thirty years.\u00a0 Educated at Temple University in Philadelphia, Mwalimu\u00a0was a Presidential Fellow.\u00a0 She received a B.A. and M.A., and completed course work for a doctorate in Africology and African American Studies.\u00a0 She is also certified in Multicultural Training and Education from Temple\u2019s School of Social Work.<\/p>\n

A dynamic speaker and workshop presenter, Mwalimu\u00a0has lectured in universities, consulted to school districts, conducted professional development for teachers and parent workshops.\u00a0 She has also designed and implemented Rites of Passage programs and community education programs for churches and civic organizations. \u00a0Mwalimu has researched and written three comprehensive teacher manuals and over two-dozen workbooks for children and adults.\u00a0 She has worked as a talk radio commentator and a nationally syndicated columnist, and has been featured on numerous radio and television broadcasts.\u00a0 Additionally, she is a published, award-winning poet.<\/p>\n

As President and CEO of Black History Works, Inc.,<\/em>\u00a0Mwalimu Van Putten is the creator and founder of a number of programs that promote knowledge of Black history and culture.\u00a0 Black History Workshops for Children<\/em> (BHWC)<\/em>, known in Bermuda as Ashay: Rites of Passage<\/em>, is a character education program designed to expose children, ages 5-16, to the history and culture of global African peoples with the goal of developing self-esteem, motivation and pride. \u00a0The program was recently redesigned to be independently implemented as Ashay Clubs<\/em>.\u00a0 Four separate Ashay Clubs<\/em> were initiated by parents and summer camps in Bermuda in 2014.\u00a0 The Ashay Teen Summer Institute <\/em>for teenagers encourages self-examination with a focus on values, goals and plans towards achievement.\u00a0 Ashay University <\/em>provides university-level adult education classes for busy professionals and is held at North Village Community Centre with special programs held at the Bermuda National Library.<\/p>\n

Mwalimu Van Putten\u00a0served as curriculum specialist with Khepera Charter School in Philadelphia, PA, from 2010 to 2012.\u00a0 In consultation with teachers, she created an African-centered social studies curriculum for grades K-6, meeting the Pennsylvania Curriculum Standards while establishing African-Centered Curriculum Standards.\u00a0 She also provided a series of teacher professional development sessions via her Ashay Training Manual for Teachers of African Centered Education<\/em>.\u00a0 Written to fill the gaps in teacher training, the manual facilitates effective teacher implementation of a culturally-relevant curriculum.<\/p>\n

Black History Workshops for Children<\/em> and Mwalimu\u00a0have been nationally recognized with various academic and civic awards and citations.\u00a0 In 1989 TIME Magazine named her a \u201cRising Star.\u201d\u00a0 Other honors include Outstanding Young Woman of America (1990), The National Council of Black Studies(1991), and the NAACP Meritorious Service Award (1991).\u00a0 Citations include the Pennsylvania House of Representatives (1989, 2001, 2006), the Pennsylvania Senate (1989), and The City Council of Philadelphia (1996, 2001, 2006).\u00a0 In 1996 and 2001, the Mayor of Philadelphia honored her work by decreeing, \u201cBlack History Workshops for Children Day in the City of Philadelphia.\u201d\u00a0 In 2014 Mwalimu\u00a0was honored with having her image placed on the Bermuda National Library\u2019s READ poster series.\u00a0 She has been featured on numerous television and radio programs, most recently on Bermuda’s Public Television (CITV) conducting her Global African Inventions Program (2018).\u00a0 The Bermuda National Library featured her on their BNL Social internet program in 2016:<\/p>\n