Education for a Better World by Olubayi Olubayi -- Amazon

318 Pages·2016·1.85 MB·English

EDUCATION
FOR A BETTER WORLD

SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT AND SERVICE
LEARNING

Olubayi Olubayi

Copyright © 2011
SECOND EDITION ©2015

AMAZON.COM
PUBLISHER

5
Copyright ©2011 Olubayi Olubayi
All rights reserved

Second Edition ©2015

No part of this publication may be reproduced,
stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in
any form or by any means (electronic,
mechanical, photocopying, recording or
otherwise) without the express permission of
the author. Requests for permission should be
directed to [email protected]

This book is available on Amazon.com and at
other booksellers.

ISBN 9781461076865

i
Contents
Dedication ........................................................ iv
Acknowledgments ............................................ v

Section 1 ........................................................... 1
Education and knowing what you own ............. 1
The Man in the White Suit: The Idea of Starting
with What You Have ......................................... 2
Advice for Cash-Poor Landowners …………..9
Thinking about Money at School……………16
Slant: Positive Interpersonal Behaviors …….39

Section 2 ......................................................... 45
Education, Service, wealth.............................. 45
Service Learning ……………………………46
The Global Literacy Project ............................ 57
Groups that are Highly Educated Do Not Live
in Poverty for a Long Time ............................. 60
Courage and Risk are Prerequisites …………66
Why Excel at School? ..................................... 80
Schooling is Not the Same as Education ........ 91
Don’t Go to School for Degrees Only ............ 91
The Self-Education Method of Malcolm X .. 100

Section 3 ....................................................... 107
Education and Our Intelligences .................. 107
Teachers and Childs Intelligences………….108
Kaizen: Continuous Improvement………….128
What is Critical Thinking? ............................ 134

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The Six Levels of Knowledge Acquisition…149

Formula for Writing Good Paragraphs……..155
Developing the Habit of Reading…………..158
Identify Your Talents and Use Them……….175
Questions for identifying your talents .......... 177
Ranking School Children is a Bad Idea ........ 181
African American Fraternities and Sororities190
Education for a Better World. ....................... 197
Section 4 …………………………………...206
Science, Truth, Africa and Traditions .......... 206
Science and Truth.......................................... 207
The Place of Science in Africana Studies….218
Thinking of Race in the Age of DNA ……..269

iii
Dedication for first edition
This book is dedicated to the generation of the
children of the children of:

My nephews and nieces: Ian & Akoto; Apese &
Chief; Nyongesa & Asya; Songi & Olubayi;
Kanana & Olubayi; Weke; Robert & Moses.
And of: Mpho Motaung, Realeboga Itumeleng,
Pabalelo Itumeleng and Lebo Setsiba.
And of: Selvan Ramsamy, Zivia Berkowitz, Ross
Berkowitz, Emma Carver, Chloe Carver, Sean
Carver, Reave Carver, Gabriella Thomas,
Sydney Thomas, Zack Epelu, Alexa Epelu,
Allison Brug Panton, Matthew Brug Panton,
Ramsey AbdelJaber, Adam AbdelJaber, Edward
Akaezuwa, Ben Akaezuwa, Veronica
Akaezuwa, Chiamaka Okafor, Madukaife
Okafor, Chimdinma Okafor, Obi Okafor, Lina
Odondo, Hawi Odondo, Lilly Steele, Frances
Steele, Charlotte Steele, Ali Steele, Ross Steele,
Nicky Vanech and Christina Vanech.
And of: Michelle Mishi Mmbone.

This Second Edition is Dedicated to:
Zuri Apoma Olubayi: Dear Apoma, as your
Papa, I have only two gifts for you and your
siblings and your descendants: the ideas in this
book and the land in Kenya. With these two
gifts you must succeed and be happy and
dedicate yourselves to making Africa great
again.
iv
Acknowledgments

The ideas in this book come from just a few
fragments of the thousands of discussions that
I have had with several hundred people in the
last 30 years in Kenya, the United States, the
United Kingdom, the Bahamas, Barbados,
Spain, Italy, France, Belgium, Uganda, Egypt,
Tanzania, Nigeria, Zimbabwe, Swaziland and
South Africa. I ask for forgiveness for any
names left out. I will only mention a few names
that quickly come to mind:

My grandmother, Echuma-ko-O’polo who
taught me by word and personal example the
meanings of hard work, integrity, cooperation,
love and sustainable living; and introduced me
to science—my grandmother, though unable to
read books, read nature carefully and was an
expert on medicinal plants, seed selection and
preservation, grain-stone-milling, alcohol-
brewing and distillation, meat preservation,
yogurt- and butter-making, animal husbandry
and organic farming.

My parents, Christina Eng’ong’o Olubayi and
Samson Nyongesa Olubayi who gave me life
and a lifelong commitment to learning and
service. My mother continues to be a mother
to hundreds of children in the village. My
father has built four schools with his own
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hands and is currently building Kakemer
Secondary School.

My siblings, who always help me and share in
my confusions of being born into three non-
sequential centuries—stone-age, industrial,
and information (15th, 20th and 21st), two
geographies (the village and the city) and two
continents (Africa and North America): Inyaa,
Eng’ong’o, Omanyala, Amai, Ajaa, Amweno,
Amusolo and Omonya. My new siblings by
marriage: Violet, Evelyn, Florence, Nyawira,
Mary, Goddy, Maina and Agnes. My siblings
have held onto the “education for a better
world” that was taught to all of us in African
villages in which “ubuntu” is still everything—
“mtu ni watu.”

My friends, in many countries and from many
countries who always provided books,
companionship, ideas, food, “flow” and
intellectual excitement: Yosef Habte (may God
rest his soul in peace), Johnny Okafor, Jasmin
Leslie, F-man Humberto Garces B., Claudine Ho
Kang You, Stephen Ithili, Vince Bemmel, Susan
Dervain, Pamela Brewster, Mohammed Jarra,
Moez Adatia, Sunil, Anita, Anne Marie, Carole,
Sam Agbo, Sandra Deal, David Papa, Emongor
Ekisa, Esau Achia, Jakait Idachi, all the
Omulepus, Karimu, Edward Ramsamy, Kavitha
Ramachandran, Emeka Akaezuwa, Naaman,
Samina, Wendel Thomas, Denniston Bonadie,
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David Hollander, Lucy O'Reilly, Tracy Young,
Pat Palanker, Marion Rothstein, Wanjira Ngugi,
Josephine Lamella, Janet Baker, Lucy Tillotson,
George Allen, Erin Christensen, Anne Bellizio,
Barbara Bogner, Bob Colbert, Donna Gardner,
Virender Kanwal, Will Keinelp, Sivan Yosef, Eva
Sas, Jaymie Stein, Shamim Dean, Rehema
Gogo, Joan Ngugi, Anitha Ramachandran, Sybil
James, Ella Brown, Camille Mahon, Eric Akoto,
Peter Mwashimba, Josphat Masangir, Isaac
Baraza, Maluki Ndetei, Uma Narayanan, Doris
Mayner, Patricia Payne, Wudene, Elly Ndire,
Maria Kioko, Phillip Hill, Shirley Hill, Peace
Osangir, Sheran Oradu, Charity Wayua, Monica
Kimei, Jones Muruga, Irene Okada, Mumbi, Ife
Osaga, Ochieng Odondo, Faith Atte, Anne
Mbui, Anushuya Gounden, Sylvia Gounden,
Asma Sadiq, Ben Osapir, Bernadette Eloff,
Jeanette Goodson, Joe Goodson, Loko
Kisaingu, Nancy Wamahiu, Judy Mukuria,
Nancy Kimaru, Skyller Walkes, Roselyn Kiragu,
Shem Ongoro, Simone Bingham, Jackie
Kerubo Osoro, Stacy Jones, Catherine Muyodi,
Edward Wangamati, Charney Robinson, Kaia
Shivers, Kendall Hall, Chrispine Odeke, Claire
Kidiiga, Susan Adhiambo, Charles Malala,
Douglas Murunga, Gesare Bonuke, Nyorita
Bonuke, Kim Butler, Glen Wilkofsky, Sybil
James, Emmanuel Hove, Jade Berry, Patrick
Lumumba, Saade Ogingo, Alan Berkowitz, Ken
Simbiri, Margaret Kilibwa, Donna Greco, Lynne
Rathgeber, Molly Madziva, Omer Makoubi,
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Major Parapara, Pauline Kakuku, Siamanda
Chege, Osman Sadiq, Danielle Gougon,
Lindsey Corcoran, Pamela Brug, Althea
Dyer, Rose Wadenya, Arnold Hurtault, Luis
Perez, Michael Rodriquez, Jade Berry, Mabel
Epelu, Xavier Oaks, Mark of Harlem, Pauline
Omukubwa, Musimbi Jami, Liz Kisilu, Phillip
Koitee, Akaco Ekirapa, Emukule Ekirapa, Prof.
Michael Omunyin, Ipomai Oradu, Enock
Omonya, Ken Murunga, Jairus Okiring, Peter
Ojala, Moses Imagoro, Phil Imo, Chris Okwi,
Oku Kaunya, Akinyi Kaunya, Susan Kapule,
Doris Akinyi Onyango, Dr. Charles Jakait, Dr.
Ikol Adungo, Bishop Zac Epusi, Isogol, Florence
Amoit, Nicodemus Ojuma, Monica Kimei,
Bonny Kisaingu, Zeph Mhlongo, Sipho
Handula, Siphiwe Vilakazi, Benjamin Vinger,
Principal Chela, Meryl Ironson, Kendall Hall,
Chief Masai, Adrianne Omusugu, Laureen
Obbayi, Tebogo Itumeleng, Gogie Itumeleng,
Mpho Nawa, Simon Molefe, Morakabe Raks
Seakhoa, Caroline Setsiba, Shehnaz
AbdelJaber, Sheema Syed, Karira Waweru,
Isaac Amke, Charles Muyodi, Bekiwe Peppetta,
Mustafa Engin, Ishmael Masake, Janaky
Ramaswamy, Chandi, Prosper Godonoo, Anne
DeLaney, Chip Carver, Jane Steele, Mike Steele,
Denise Vanech and Dean Vanech.

My teachers: Dr. Wilson Bradshaw, Dr. Daniel
Austin, Dr. William W. Ward, Dr. Barbara
Zilinskas, Dr. Carlos Neyra, Dr. Rodulio
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Caudales, Dr. Chi kok Chin, Dr. Noel Palmer, Dr.
Samuel DeWitt Proctor, Rev. Dr. J. Michael
Sanders, Dr. Gayle Tate, Rev. Zacharia
Motaung, Mr. Opa Bila, Mrs. Diana Dade,
Mr. Bill Dade, Mr. Andrew Peppetta, Mrs. Laura
Peppetta, Hon. Albert Ekirapa, Mr. Alex Tuko,
Mr. Daniele Nturuma, Bishop Zak Epusi, Prof.
Richard Okafor, Mr. H.O. Emurgat, Mr. Henry
Lebea, Dr. Leonard Bethel, Dr. Robert
Ginsberg, Ms. Ellen Ginsberg, Rev. Moses
Williams, Mrs. Margaret L. Thomas, Mwalimu
Livingston Ojala, Mwalimu Eliakim Masangir,
Sulimani Sentumbwe, Dr. Thelma Tate, Madam
Sella Omanyala, Papa Nyongesa, Prof. Getinet
Belay, Mrs. Sonia Omulepu, Mr. Otwane
Omulepu, Prof. Kofi Afriyie, Prof. Margaret
Przygoda, Prof. Trace Gerow, Ms. Mikkey
Minney, Dr. Matthew Sadiku and Prof. Ngugi
Wa Thiong’o.

Many other relatives, friends and students, too
many to mention in this single book—I have
been blessed in this life with many wonderful
friends and relatives.

And many other teachers whose lessons were
passed to me only through their articles and
books—I have spent over 50,000 hours reading
books in complete silence; and because of this
love of books which I got from my parents in
Kakemer village, I always have tears in my eyes
whenever I give a book to a child as part of my
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