Education

Ramona Thomas Nickens and Yvetta Doll Franklin, two Hayward area women with a fond appreciation of words, have combined their creative talents by the publication of their children’s chapter book, The Code Switch. In the process, the authors tackled a sensitive topic in many communities, that of “code-switching,” speaking in colloquialisms (slang, casual language) versus using Standard English.

The collaboration between Nickens and Franklin first began when they met at a mutual hair salon. Franklin teaches 2nd grade at Tyrrell Elementary School in Hayward while Nickens, retired from Xerox Corporation, went back to school to obtain her Masters of Education degree. ...
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At the June 27 Fremont Unified School District (FUSD) Board meeting, the agenda item on “Supplemental [classroom reading] Materials,” had to wait to be addressed until past 12:30 a.m., almost six hours after the 6:30 p.m. Board meeting had originally begun. A few hearty individuals remained to voice their opinions to the Board on the issue. In question was the adoption of several works of literature, at the Secondary grade level. The books are for the supplemental list, not required reading, and primarily for 12th grade AP Literature, which is an elective, not a required course. ...
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