A Vidal Change in NYC

I'm sure by now that many people have heard of Humans of New York, a photography series with its very own Facebook page where Brandon roams the streets of New York City taking pictures people and telling their stories. The stories that make up the enormous textbook of life, that are the very pulse of one of the greatest cities in the world.

Many of those people have moved us, motivated us, and brought us together for the same cause! Through HONY people all over the country encourage and support each other, sometimes even financially.

Such is the story of a young man named Vidal.

It all started with this picture and this quote.

"Who’s influenced you the most in your life?"
“My principal, Ms. Lopez.”
“How has she influenced you?”
“When we get in trouble, she doesn’t suspend us. She calls us to her office and explains to us how society was built down around us. And she tells us that each time somebody fails out of school, a new jail cell gets built. And one time she made every student stand up, one at a time, and she told each one of us that we matter.”

From there Vidal's story took an interesting turn. Brandon was intrigued, and inspired to go to Vidal's school to meet the famous Ms. Lopez. What he discovered was that she was every bit as amazing as the young student made her out to be.

“This is a neighborhood that doesn’t necessarily expect much from our children, so at Mott Hall Bridges Academy we set our expectations very high. We don’t call the children ‘students,’ we call them ‘scholars.’ Our color is purple. Our scholars wear purple and so do our staff. Because purple is the color of royalty. I want my scholars to know that even if they live in a housing project, they are part of a royal lineage going back to great African kings and queens. They belong to a group of individuals who invented astronomy and math. And they belong to a group of individuals who have endured so much history and still overcome. When you tell people you’re from Brownsville, their face cringes up. But there are children here that need to know that they are expected to succeed.”

Soon, people started to notice how much a caring principal could impact the lives of students who otherwise would not have much hope. Strangers came together and realized that she needed help to enrich the lives of the future of New York. A fund raiser was started and people from across the country sent money to support her goals and the dreams she had for her students.

I was visiting Vidal today when we remembered that he was going to be making his big newspaper debut in the Daily News. So we ran across the street to the corner store, and sure enough, there we were! Right under the naked women.

The school now has enough money for an annual trip to Harvard University for the next ten years, a summer program for the next ten years, and they have enough left over to start a scholarship fund for outstanding students. 

The first student to receive it will be Vidal. 

If we as a community have the power to do that for a school in New York, it is completely possible to turn around schools everywhere. 

Especially in places like Puerto Rico. The public school system on the island is absolutely pitiful. 

SAN JUAN – Puerto Rico is investigating the suspicious wave of robberies and vandalism in its public schools that began after the government announced its intention to cancel its multimillion-dollar contract with a private company that guards the schools at night

The best thing that these schools have to offer is the free breakfast and lunch program, 

but is food really enough? 

Every student deserves to feel like adults are doing everything possible to make sure they receive a good education. That is simply not the case here. Public schools have high drop out rates, and students are generalized. They feel that no one believes in them, which in part is true, and it shows.

How long will it take before people take notice here and start to make the necessary changes?

If every school in PR could be like Mott Hall Bridges Academy the island would witness a remarkable turn around.

Bible Coming To LIFE!

For those of you who are unfamiliar with the story of the great flood, it is a very old story about a man named Noah who was the only person on Earth, literally, who did what was good in the eyes of God. God was displeased with the world He created and the evil people who lived there, so He told Noah to build an ark, a GIANT boat, in preparation for a big storm that was coming. 

God was going to make it rain! 

Not only that, but He was planning on flooding the entire planet. God simply told him that He loved him and that Noah would need to prepare. 

Unlike many of us, Noah got straight to work building the ark with his sons. Though the task at hand seemed ridiculous and impossible he was obedient. Noah didn't wait for a sign, he didn't doubt that it would rain so profusely, he didn't try to convince others that he was right; bottom line is that Noah did not WASTE TIME!

 

When God asks us to do something, we tend to procrastinate, or ignore the task all together. We think, "God would never talk to me." or "Why in the world would He tell me to do that?" The truth is, He talks to all of us everyday. We should open our ears to listen, not just hear, and once He reveals our destiny to us, we need to get started! 

A few amazing people are doing just that in Williamstown, Kentucky. The makers of the Creation Museum are working on constructing a life size Noah's ark! Their goal is for the Ark to stand as a reminder of the biblical story of Noah. Soon, we will be able to know how hard Noah and his family worked to do the same thing thousands of years ago with the guidance of God. 

Finally, we will be able to witness what happens when we fully commit to our calling from God!

Prologue of my NEW BOOK!! **COMING SOON**

This year my New Year's Resolution is to finish writing and to publish my newest literary child! It remains currently untitled, but you will not want to miss this one! 

PROLOGUE

I could see Mom’s lips moving, but it was impossible to focus on what she was saying. Her voice was direct and almost melodic, it was the same voice that read to me before I fell asleep as a child.

Starting today I was not a child anymore. If I could prove myself, I would no longer be forced to spend long hours with Trena in the Knowledge Hall, consuming massive amounts of history and information. I would be assigned a Guide, and I would study a map of the Outside. Today, I would begin the most important journey of my life; I would begin my official training to become a guardian of The City and the citizens who reside here. To be a Protector of the Pure Ones-

“Mea!”

I jumped dramatically as the sound of my name shocked me out of my trance.

“Could you at least feign interest in the Battle of Blood Valley?” Implored Trena.

“I am interested, Mom.” I yawned unconvincingly, and stretched in my hard wooden chair.

            Trena stiffened at the mention of the word ‘mom’.  Her full pink lips drew into a thin line and her thick, dark eyebrows scrunched together in irritation. It had always made her uncomfortable when I acknowledged her as my mother.

The City is all about choices.

My Father chose to be a single parent, and my mother, Trena, claims to have been humbled and honored when he came to her to make the Conception Agreement. Father was convinced that he was the only person who could raise the perfect Protectors to keep peace in The City for years to come. According to the Agreement, he and Trena would have sexual intercourse 3 times. The first time everything went as planned, and Trena provided him with my perfect oldest brother, Jax. The following birth, she delivered twin boys. It was a rare unexpected surprise; Father had his three Protectors, but since the Agreement had been signed, they had sexual intercourse once more, and Trena gave birth to me.

I was the disappointment.

Trena said that she never had any desire to be a mother; her dream was to become Master of the Knowledge Hall. How could she achieve that with children to take care of?

But Father was displeased that I was a girl. Girls could not be Protectors. He had made that law himself.

“I apologize, Tutor. I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable.” I stated honestly.

            Trena had been responsible for taking care of us until we were four years old; some days, Father came to play with us, but we lived with and were taught by her. She warned us never to call her mom, especially not in front of Father.

He took my brothers to live with him at the appointed time, but he left me with Mom until I was seven. After leaving her tender care, the only contact we were to have with her was during our mandatory Education Hours in the morning, then the boys would leave for the rest of the day to the Junior Training Facility, and I would not see them again until meal time. I was not allowed to enter the Junior Training Facility under any circumstances, so Father assigned me extended Education Hours with my tutor, like most of the girls my age. The other girls loved it and often studied together, but I found it difficult to identify with them; I had always wanted more, while they were content with being invisible bookworms. Trena had come to mean everything to me because I spent most of my time with her. On day, shortly after I had gone to live with him and my brothers, Father came personally to test me on the recent knowledge I learned. His presence made me nervous. The exam went well, I passed flawlessly and I ran over to Trena to celebrate, I remember calling out to her loudly saying, “Mom,” instead of Tutor. The look on Father’s face transformed in to outrage. The slap he delivered to my cheek sent me crashing to the floor; I spat out my lose tooth. I touched the spot where he had struck me, instinctively, feeling the sting, but I didn’t cry in front of Trena. I did not want her to see me cry.

“Never mind that. Plagner is sending a Knowledge Bearer to test you on this information tomorrow and you will not be ready if you do not try harder.” She insisted. “Now, pay attention.”

Trena closed the book in front of us and pulled an even larger book from one of the many stacks surrounding us on the desk. She began to spit out more facts about a battle in which thousands of people were killed in the name of preserving peace.  

It didn’t seem to make a difference to her that today was my 19^th birthday.

Why would it?

For a girl, this was just like any other day. Maybe I would get a special dessert tonight with my evening meal. Maybe Mom had a special surprise art lesson planned for later; she knows how much I love to paint.

But it I were a boy, today I would be preparing for a demonstration of my physical abilities and a test of the skills I acquired in training. They Board of Select would decide if I would be given a Guide, or if I would be dismissed from any further training, free to live life as I choose. If I were to be given a Guide, I would then begin to prepare for my journey on the Outside. In order to complete their training, every Junior Protector had to leave the City with a Guide from the Outside, and return with a Shiner.

The sooner they came back, the more impressive it was to the Board, and to Father. Jax returned in only three days, a record unheard of since Father’s. Poniah, the eldest of the twins, returned in a week; but Ponesh took three weeks before he finally returned with a Shiner.

Ponesh was the only one who knew how important today would turn out to be for me, for the both of us.

            “Mea!” Barked Trena, desperate for my attention.

            I jumped again, startled. “You scared me Tutor.” I complained, “There is no reason to shout.” I took a deep breath and closed the book before me.

            “I think that I know everything I need to know about the Battle of Blood Valley, Tutor, and it happens to be my birthday.” I smiled up at Mom sweetly, and batted my thick eyelashes.

            “Yes, I know. What do you want?” She probed staring at me suspiciously.

            “I was wondering if I could take the rest of the day off to finish a book that I just can’t seem to tear myself out of. You understand, don’t you?”

            Trena smiled slightly. I assumed she was picturing me curled up in some tree reading the ancient collection of short stories she had given me as a little girl.

            “I understand.” She nodded. “A young woman has every right to celebrate a special day. Do not let your father find out.”

            I flashed her a grateful grin and dashed towards the door before she could rethink such a “careless decision”.

To Trena any moment not spent acquiring knowledge was a moment wasted.

To me, it was a chance to prepare for my destiny.

 

Rough sketch of one of the main characters, Mea.

ISIS Recruiting Teens

For those of us praying for peace in Syria, things have not improved by much, if anything they have worsened. The city is now a completely inhabitable ruin, and the fighting continues to rage on each day. 

The problem is that most of us are unaware of what ISIS even is. 

It stands for Islamic State in Iraq and Syria. Their goal is to create an Islamic state across Sunni areas of Iraq and in Syria. ISIS is the group of Islamic terrorists that have taken over much of Syria, forcing thousands of innocent people from their homes and murdering hundreds more.

What is worse is that they are beginning to recruit teenagers and young adults all around the world. They have propaganda in an estimated 23 languages so far, and the CIA has detained 15 teenagers in airports who were on their way to Syria to their "rightful place" with ISIS.

This group in KNOWN for being ruthless. They posted the graphic beheading of American captives publicly online, expressing no remorse. 

So, how are they getting youth to join?

Through effective social-media campaigns that promise devout Jihad spouses, and a home in a true Islamic State where they are free to devote their lives entirely to their religion and their God. 

The video looks a little something like this:

Let's not be so naive. 

Spread the word to everyone you can and inform them of the evils that ISIS has committed so that NO MORE youths are encouraged to join such a horrible group! 

Ignorance can infect an entire generation if we are not careful, knowledge is the only cure. 

It's Getting Hot In Here!

 

No, it's not just you, it is really getting warmer, and the United States is not the only country being affected. The World Meteorological Organisation reported that the global average land and sea surface temperatures for the first 10 months of 2014 had soared higher than ever recorded. WMO also reported that 14 of the 15 hottest years were recorded in the 21st century. 

Global Warming is no longer a crazy, extreme theory, as once believed by many!

Now that people have finally accepted it, what are people doing about it? 

The United Nations weather agency gathered in Lima to discuss climate change negotiations in attempts to prevent the temperatures from rising to dangerous levels. 

While that is a very good thing, we have to remember that it is NOT only up to them! 

It is up to humans to collectively realize this dangerous problem and work together on the solution. 

The best part is that the things we can do to help are so simple!

Tips on bringing downs the heat:

- Change your light bulbs in your home to Energy Star qualified products.

- Carpool to work with your coworkers. Make it fun by sharing breakfast pastries and coffee!

- And one that I hope we all know, REDUCE, REUSE, and RECYCLE!

 

All Hallows: Christians and Halloween

I had a great time yesterday during Halloween, and I am sure many of you did as well! However, there is always more than one side of the celebration. Unfortunately, many people use October 31 as an excuse to do evil and scary things to others. For that reason, many Christians believe that Halloween is the devil's holiday. 

Ironically, Halloween started as a Christian holiday. November 1, or All Hallows Day, is a holiday where we recognize the Saints and Martyrs of Christ, and traditionally, All Hallows Eve was a feast in preparation for a day of remembrance. This is only one of the origins of Halloween, as there are many, but this one proves that it was never meant to be an evil day, at least to some people. 

  

Though I agree that it can be a day dedicated to mischief and terror, I also believe that it can be a day dedicated to love, fun, and thanking the Lord for raining down blessings upon our lives! 

To me, the act of receiving candy symbolizes the kindness of humanity, and the abundance of our lives. We are privileged enough to live in a country where it is safe to dress up and go door to door receiving FREE treats during one night out of the whole year! 

1 Corinthians 10:31 states: Whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God. 

On Halloween, instead of dressing scary, we can dress as something funny, or cool. Instead of "worshiping the devil" we can have family devotionals and prayer time, to thank God for His protection, provision, and general goodness! 

Remember that as Christians, we are ambassadors for Christ! Do you think that Jesus would cower in fear condemning all those who take part in "evil", or do you think he would join in the festivities and use it to preach the Gospel? 

On this All Hallows Day, as we commemorate the Martyrs and Saints remember that all things work together for His good!

Whimsical World News: What's for Lunch?

The one thing most people will never be able to forget about their school days it is the food they served in the cafeteria. Depending on what school you attended, there are different variation to the generally uniform bland preservatives being passed off as food.

I did not look forward to these meals at all and would fantasize about deliciously packed lunches from home.   

When I moved to Puerto Rico, though I did not appreciate the public school system, I was incredibly impressed with their lunches! Each public school offered students free home made breakfast and lunch. The meals include rice and some sort of bean, meat, vegetables, a baggie (yes, bag) of milk, and a fruity dessert. 

 

This made me curious as to what children eat for lunch around the world and here is what I found:

France

 

Kenya

 Brazil

 

Japan

 

Israel

 

Finland

 

 

Sweden

Germany

White Rhinos

In case you have not heard, there are now only 6 White Rhinos left in existence since the death of a 34 year old male rhino on October 17. Once those 6 rhinos die, the African White Rhino will be extinct, meaning that there will be no more rhinos in the entire world. 

This means that Nico will only hear the stories of how there was once an animal called a rhino. 

This means that he will see them in pictures and be told that they aren't any more rhinos left.

This means that when he visits the zoo with his class, there will be no rhino exhibit. 

How many more species are we going to kill off before we realize that soon there will be no animals for the future generations to learn about or discover? 

How long before we learn to coexist with the animal kingdom for their benefit? 

Good bye White Rhinos! 

Let's not let this happen again.

The Learning Box: Teaching Baby!

 

Over the week I began to notice how fast Nico is growing! It seems like he learns something new everyday and I usually am not the one to teach it to him. These early years are when babies learn the most, this is the time when their brains are still forming important connections. I read that in one private learning preschool, 12 - 18 month old's were already peeling their own fruit and throwing away their trash!

The problem is teaching materials and preschools these days are kind of expensive! A few board books can cost as much as 40 dollars. 

As an alternative to fancy schools and simple books, I decided to try it myself.

 

After doing some research, I learned that toddlers who are 12 months and older can learn a multitude of things! They can identify shapes, numbers, letters, colors, and they can even distinguish between different emotions! 

It only took me and hour and a hand full of materials to put together this Learning Box for Nico. If you have older kids, you can even have them help you create this and make it a family project. After I drew and cut out all of the figures (obviously not perfect) I took everything to be laminated at Office Depot ($20)

The result; he loves it! 

Each day we spend 30 minutes in the morning and 30 minutes after nap time learning new things! 

He knows where to get his Learning Box and he knows how to put it away! 

His favorite thing to do is pull things out, put them in, and open and close the lid of the box. Through this he has also learned to throw things away, though we are still trying to teach him the difference between trash and toys! 

 

Over all I think that both parents and children will enjoy the time spent together using the Learning Box!

World News Wednesday: Ebola

First of all, for those of you who don't know, Ebola is an infectious and generally fatal disease marked by fever and severe internal bleeding, spread through contact with infected body fluids by an Ebola virus, whose normal host species is unknown.

The disease has been a problem in West Africa for decades, but now that it has spread to our soil, it seems like we are finally giving this crisis the attention that it deserves. The US Government donated $750 million dollars to fund a 6 month mission to fight Ebola at a known source; coincidentally, West Africa. 

That's reassuring. 

Meanwhile, as the world continues its struggle to contain the epidemic, the CDC warns us that we have 60 days to get this under control. Read More. And if we don't, we are faced with a challenge that we are not prepared to handle.  

This was not meant to scare anyone!!

I just feel that it is important to stay informed in ordered calmly prepare ourselves, and as a reminder to be careful. I always recommend that if you are really paranoid about something, do some research about it. Fear can sometimes stem from not knowing what you are up against. 

Personally, I don't think we have anything to worry about. I know that we can get this under control, and I am grateful that people are taking it seriously. 

However, history is being made, yet again, during our life time.

We should be aware of that.

5 Rules of Resolving Conflicts

The most important thing to remember, is that they would not call it a problem if it didn't have a solution. Always be willing to try to fix it by talking about it together, with in the relationship and try to do it quickly. The longer you take to work it out, the more an issue escalates, the more likely you will be to bring an outside opinion in to a personal matter. 

Most problems within a relationship usually stems from selfishness, on one or both parts. Christians have an advantage because we are taught to be selfless, as everyone should be. Marriage is about dying to yourself to be able to focus solely on the needs of your spouse. When someone steps away from that, and starts looking at what they want that they are not getting, that is when conflict arises. We are able to ask God to intervene, to help us internally and externally remove any selfish thoughts, feelings, and actions. By praying together as a couple, we can listen to each other in a kind of "safe zone" where no ones is judgmental or hurtful, and we can expect that he will come to the rescue. 

But not everyone has that benefit because not everyone believes in God. 

The good news is that there are 4 simple rules to follow that almost guarantees a fair "battle"

1. Restrain Your Anger - Most people find this the most difficult, however it is the most important rule. Remember that anger is only a symptom of your underlying feelings; try to figure out what those might be. You could be feeling fearful, frustrated, tired/fatigued, or rejected; get to the root of that emotion and talk about why you might be feeling that way together. 

2. Take "Time-outs"- Even boxers get a few moments of rest between rounds, why should it be any different for you and your spouse? If you feel that uncontrollable anger rising inside you again, respectfully tell your opponent that you need to take a break. Set the problem aside for a couple of hours, but ALWAYS be ready to pick up right where you left off. Never leave a conflict unresolved. 

3. Do Not Curse & No Name Calling - There are times when you would swear that they said or did something just to push your buttons, which makes you want to throw things at them, or maybe "love tap" them with your car, and shout a colorful variety of obscenities. You know what I'm talking about. No matter what they did, never resort to using mean words because words hurt. They can cause your spouse to close themselves off to you emotionally with out even realizing it, or they can make you want to give up and abandon any further attempts of repair. When you use hurtful language, you are disrespecting your better half. Would you talk to your mother like that? I didn't think so. 

4. Resolve it Privately - By this I mean, don't argue in front of other people, especially your children. Kids have no way of knowing how serious an argument is, that makes them worry and sometimes, act out. When you argue in front of other adults, you are bound to receive advise that you neither want or need. Or worse, that other adult might take sides! Talk about an unfair fight. Keep it behind closed doors, unless you have reached a point where you absolutely need an outside, unbiased opinion.

5. Leave The Past Behind You - Though it is tempting to throw old problems and mistakes in the other person's face, it is important not to. I am not saying that you should forget about what they did and how it affected the relationship, but don't bring it up during a fresh new fight. It counts as hitting bellow the belt. If you solved it once, don't make it a problem again.

If you are still having trouble after following these rules, these bible verses might bring you some clarity, whether you are Christian or not: Isaiah 1:19 & 20, Romans 15:1-4, James 3:1 & 2, James 3:16, Isaiah 41: 1-4, Ephesians 4:31 & 32, and 1 Thessalonians 4:1-8

Good luck! Never give up!

What "They" Don't Want YOU to Know

Today's pop culture has a problem of perspective. The world is trying to convince us to live for ourselves. Messages like "Do what makes you happy." Are accepted and shared and encouraged over and over again. 

But what happens when "what make you happy" is destructive to yourself or others? What if you like to cut yourself? What if you like to shoot BB pellets at animals?
If the message is, "do what makes you happy" then what makes those things wrong? Who then gets to decide what is acceptable and what is not?

Paul's first letter to the Corinthians shows us that the Corinthian society had the same problem. (Follow the link to find out what made Corinth like us) 

They were all about gaining knowledge and wisdom, but they were not focusing on the right kind of philosophy. They had no idea how to fulfill their needs, so they looked for pleasure in all the wrong places. In 1 Corinthians 2:8 we see that even most leaders of the ancient world were lost.

If you continue reading 1 Corinthians 2 you will find the key to the fulfillment that we have all been looking for. The greatest thing about God is not heaven or all of the blessing that he can give you. It is the fact that he chose to reveal himself through Jesus. He could have left us to our sin. If he had this world would be a much darker place. But because he didn't, ALL things work together for good. 

Even things that we don't/can't/won't understand. 

We can see evidence of Him and his love for all livings things all around us through nature and we can see examples of His greatness and power through the Universe and laws of science.

The fact is that God wants all of us to know Him like He knows us. He wants us to accept the gift of salvation and be filled spiritually. 

He wants us all to experience the peace and rest that we can ONLY find through Jesus. 

Because He loves us, He gave us free will. He wants us to come to Him because we want to out of love, not because we have to. He gave each and every person on Earth the freedom to make a choice.

Now that you know the truth, what will you do about it?

Beautiful Revolution: Hong Kong

ITS TIME FOR A REVOLUTION!! 

At least some people have the courage to stand together peacefully and demand to be given rights they deserve! 

Isn't it a beautiful thing when youth comes together to do something positive to help their country!

  

I just can't believe that we are living in a time of monumental and radical historic events such as this one. 

  

Yes, this is history in the making, this is what we will tell our grandchildren, this is our world NOW!

When Parents Turn to Murder: Issy

When I began to read the article on The Daily Beast about a mother, Kelli Stapleton, who tried to kill her autistic daughter, Issy, my first thought was, how could any mom feel such strong feelings against their own child? Strong enough to want to murder them? Even in the most extreme case, I feel that the love that a mother has for her child is strong enough to overcome any desire to murder anyone for risk of losing that child. 

In this case, people were upset because Kelli was being understood by Dr. Phil as he interviewed her trying to gain perspective and insight. 

Issy Stapleton has autism, and her mother was feeling overwhelmed. She was at the end of her rope, but does that really excuse what she tried to do? No. 

I do not know what it is like to have a child with autism, because I have never gone through the experience. But I have know many people with autism. 

My first encounter was when I was in the 6th grade. There was a red headed boy named Carl, who was a little different from the other kids. I noticed that he did things differently, and he interacted differently. A lot of my friend made fun of him, or tried to avoid him, but I was curios and sympathetic. I talked to him and often sat at his table in class. As a result of that, my teacher would often place him with me during group activities because I was more sensitive to his condition (which I was unaware of at the time). It was not until we were doing a science experiment that involved a golf ball that I truly understood that he had a disability. We had a disagreement regarding the next steps that should be followed and he ended up throwing the golf ball at my hand. I was upset, but more than anything I was confused. Finally, the teacher pulled me aside and explained to me that Carl has autism and that he thinks differently than everyone else, because of that he dealt with things differently and sometimes irrationally when he did not know how to express himself. 

Later on in middle school, I met another kid with autism. Him name was Brandon. I was interested in him because he was cute and funny. Sure he was a little different, but the curious thing about Brandon was that I had no idea that he had autism until he actually told me. Which didn't really change how I felt about him. Of course I never said anything about my little crush because I was a shy kid, but we remained friends and still talk occasionally on Facebook to this day. 

My point is, the solution to autism is awareness. People fear and reject what they do not understand. I am not saying that Kelli was not doing the best that she could, but there is always another way to deal with a person in that situation. Sometimes, instead of trying to pull them into our world, we should try to step into theirs.

Also, don't try to kill your child! Never ever! If you feel overwhelmed, like you don't want to deal with them anymore, there are plenty of other things you can do. Adoption, foster care, leaving them with a responsible loving family member. All are much more SANE alternatives than trying to kill yourself and your kid.

You can watch part of the episode below and decide for yourself. 

How Students REALLY Feel About Group Presentations

 

For the love of GOD, if you are a professor and you are reading this, please please please please please STOP giving your students group projects. PLEASE!

Okay, maybe that is a little unreasonable. But it seems like for the past 4 years I have been forced to work with irresponsible and selfish people who either leave everything for the last minute, or who skip out on their part of the project only to leave me to finish all of the work. The funny thing, is that most professors do not care, and insist on making it a group grade anyway. 

First of all, if you are professor know this, WE PREFER TESTS!!!!! 

I understand that you get tired of lecturing the class. Sometimes you want to just sit back and watch a nice presentation, but it is NOT our job to teach our fellow classmates. Nor do they care about what one another has to say. They only care about their grade and how they are going to do when they stand up to present. If they are paying attention, 9 times out of 10 its due to common courtesy.

Now, because teachers and professors are probably NEVER going to stop with this, no matter how much we INSIST that we hate it, if you are in a group to do a presentation or project,  BE CONSIDERATE! 

Do not procrastinate of the your portion of the work. Why? Because, something could go wrong, you won't have time to fix it, and someone will have to fix it for you because they don't want you to drag their grade down. Do what you have to do, as soon as possible. We all are busy, we all have priorities and things that we need to get done. That being said, respect the time of your group members. It is not fair to thrust your responsibilities on someone who has responsibilities of their own.

When you leave your group hanging, they get stressed, overwhelmed, frustrated and angry. Which is completely understandable. We ALL know how hard it is because we are ALL going through it. Let's work TOGETHER, instead of for ourselves. 

People are counting on you.  

DO NOT LET THEM DOWN! 

Welcome to the Grind

We don't need any more reasons to hit the snooze button in the morning.

 If this video doesn't convince you of the power that lies within you, I don't know what will!

WELCOME TO THE GRIND!

Fun Fact

Did you  KNOW?!

Goldfish can see both infrared and ultraviolet light!

Don't tap the glass!

 

 Arm yourselves with knowledge, no matter how trivial.