The 2011 Year End Review

As I sit back in my little apartment in historic Bowling Green, Ohio, I am starting to reflect on this year and how much I have learned. I have lived in Ypsilanti, Detroit, and now Bowling Green---> all this year! Upon graduating from Grad. School at EMU, I had no idea where I would start my career at. I wanted to go down south.....but clearly that didn't happen. However, I did go SOUTH of Detroit :-) I am back at my alma mater Bowling Green State University working as a Multicultural Admissions Counselor. I love my job because I am able to interact with students and educate them on all the opportunities Bowling Green State University has to offer! From September to late November, I did ALOT of traveling, recruiting students. We call this Travel Season. Travel Season went very quickly and I really enjoyed going to different high schools & college fairs across Ohio and in Detroit! Alright, thats enough about my job and me kicking off my career.

I just want to touch on a few topics below and bare with me and my "randomness"

Friendships

I have started to evaluate alot of my friendships this year, and not that I am about to start cutting people out of my life but I have realized people change. If you have saw the movie "Bridesmaid's", you would understand the humor in my statement, "people change." Sometimes people change for the better and/or worse. Sometimes people don't even realize they change.

I am the type of person to maintain relationships with friends via text messages, phone calls, emails, twitter, facebook, etc. I am also a firm believer that communication works two ways. It is a two way street. Enough said. 

Also I have realized friedships change once people get involved in relationships. Sometimes they remain constant and sometimes a bridge starts to exist. Some of my friends are REALLY great at balancing their relationships, friendships, and families. However, some people have not been as successful as others.

Lastly, I believe this is all apart of growing up and recognizing people's strengths and weaknesses. I would encourage people to just learn from it and move on.

My famous quote: "I will not be renewing your friendship contract next year"

Family 

You can not chose the family you were born into. Some people really enjoy being around family and others really enjoy being around other people's family (ME). Lol. I always tell people "sometimes you have to love your family members from a distance." This quote can used in alot of situations when an issue or a problem arises but you have to be mature enough to make a decision that YOU feel comfortable with. I don't want to go too deeply into family because it is a very intimate topic and even though I am a family oriented person, I am choosing to just stay outside the box. 

Music 
We need not to address my taste in music but I will highlight that I have broaden my horizon this year by listening to artists I would not normally listen to. For instance, Adele, Marsha Ambrosius, LMFAO, Frank Ocean, Childish Gambino, and others. I would call myself a "music head" and just really enjoy listening to all types of music. Some of my favorite albums this year would have to be:

1. Watch The Throne- Kanye West and JayZ
2. Last Train to Paris- Diddy Dirty Money
3. Nostalgia- Frank Ocean Mixtape
4. Miguel- All I Want is You (This was released in 2010 but I didn't put it into rotation until 2011)
5. Take Care- Drake
6. J Cole- Cole World
7. Lil Wayne- The Carter 4 (I am usually NOT a HUGE Wayne fan but I really like this one for some reason)
8. FAME- Chris Brown 
9. Childish Gambino- Camp

I also had the oppotunity to attend the Watch The Throne Tour in Detroit and sat in the 10th row with one of my best friends, Branden Snyder. I had an AWESOME TIME and definitely a highlight of mine from 2011!


**These are actual pictures I took while at the concert**

Whats Next?
2012 is literally around the corner and I always start to feel some kind of way at the end of a year. It's a mute feeling but I am always ready to embrace the new year. I am really interested in seeing what opportunities may arise for myself and my friends. I am really big on networking with people because you never know what opportunity could present itself. We will all be turning 25 next year so I am sure there will be MANY parties,celebrations, and gatherings to attend. I am promising at least one blog update every 2 weeks next year, if time permits. Lastly, enjoy your holiday, be safe, and HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

What Do Teachers Make?

While preparing for my move to Ohio next week, I was cleaning up and found this note. One of my favorite professors, Barbara Childers, at BGSU gave us this in class (probably is 2006 or 2007) and I have seemed to keep up with it ever since. Even though I am not entering the teaching profession this year, I still wanted to share this with you. 

 

What Do Teachers Make? 

The dinner guests were sitting around the table discussing life. 

One man, a CEO, decided to explain the problem with education. He argued, "What's a kid going to learn from someone who decided his best option i life was to become a teacher?" 

He reminded the other dinner guests what they say about teachers: 

"Those who can, do. Those who can't', teach." 

To stress his point he said to another guest; "You're a teacher, Bonnie. Be honest. What do you make?" 

Bonnie, who had a reputation for honesty and frankness replied, "You want to know what I make? (She paused for a second, then began.....) 

"Well, I make kids work harder than they ever thought they could. 

I make a C+ feel like the Congressional Medal of Honor. 

I make kids sit through 40 minutes of class time when their parents can't make them sit for 5 without an iPod, Video game, or a movie

You want to know what I make?" (She paused again and look at each and every person at the table.)

I make kids wonder. 

I make them question. 

I make them criticize. 

I make them apologize and mean it. 

I make them have respect and take responsibility for their actions. 

I teach them to write and then I make them write. 

I make them read, read, read. 

I make them show all their work in math. 

I make my students from other countries learn everything they need to know in English while preserving their unique cultural identity. 

I make my classroom a place where all my students feel safe. 

I make my students stand to say the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag, because we live in the United States of America. 

Finally, I make them understand that if they use the gifts they were given, work hard, and follow their hearts, they can succeed in life. 

(Bonnie paused one last time and then continued.) 

"Then when people try to judge me by what I make, I can hold my head up high and pay no attention because they are ignorant.....You want to know what I make? 

I MAKE A DIFFERENCE. What do you make?"

When Black Men Dress Up.....

"Why Are You Dressed Up?"

is a popular question that most young black men get asked when they are dressed up and out in public. Why is that? Do we always have to be dressed up in order to be going somewhere? Can I just be dressed up because I want to? We are not trying to boost our ego's by dressing up nor do we have to be going to a job interview, work, church, court hearing, or a funeral.   

I can't speak for all black men but in MY experiences, it seems as if wearing a tie demands respect. If you are at a retail store, the cashier will greet you with the utmost respect. It's like you are a totally different person. As if the clothes on my back have given me a totally new identity.  Why is that? I could be walking down the street in my Rocawear outfit and some gym shoes, and nobody speaks to me as I walk past them, BUT the second I have on a suit and tie and waiting for the elevator, I get a Hello, how are you doing or even some small talk about the weather. Why is that? 

Often times when people see a man in a suit, they believe they are taking care of business or often appears smart, intelligent, and has some wisdom. Why is it that I can't appear to have all those characteristics when wearing my "regular clothes?" Lastly, this is just an observation of mine I have encountered and wanted to share it with YOU. What thoughts run across your mind when you see a black man dressed up? Are they positive or negative? 

Detroit Students Highlighted in A Positive Light

 

I am going to get straight to the point. This is a positive video about Detroit students and showcases them in a positive light. Not only are these kids participating in school, this video took some hard work and countless hours to prepare. There is a lot of choreography in the video and some of Detroit's landmarks are shown such as Comerica Park, Ford Field, The Renaissance Building, and others. We need more positive video's like these about our Detroit students. What we always see in the media about Detroit and its education is not the most heart-warming. Why can't this video be on the news? 

Lastly, I just wanted to share this video with you and hope that you take the time to share it with someone else that will appreciate it.   

The students in the video attend The Detroit Academy of Arts & Sciences which has two locations: 

The Elementary School                                The Middle School

  2985 E. Jefferson                                             2260 Medbury

Detroit, Michigan 48207                               Detroit, Michigan 48211 

For more information, please visit their website www.daask12.com

The Choices I Have Made Stage Play by John Mayes

The Choices I've Made Stage Play was written by John Mayes and Mr. Mitchell.

John Mayes is a fellow classmate of mine from Denby High School, c/o 2005, which is located on the Eastside of Detroit, Michigan. Despite all of the negativity in the media about Detroit Public Schools (DPS) and how the students are under-performing, lets take a look at John for a moment. He wrote and directed this stage play and needless to say, this was not the first one either. He is also a musician and plays the piano mighty well. Even throughout this play, John sat right in front of stage and was on the keyboard the entire time. John is a proud product of DPS and is an exception when it comes to comparing DPS students. I am really proud of John and all of the accomplishments he has done. 

Prior to the show, John was selling tickets out of his own car and was willing to meet you just about anywhere, even with gas prices being over $4 a gallon. Can we say dedication? "Dedication"   

This play was about Malcolm, a 22 year old college student, who has dreams of becoming a successful doctor. As the play progressed, things quickly changed, and especially when he ran into his childhood friend Rodney. Rodney introduces Malcolm to Big Daddy, a BIG time hustler and drug dealer that teaches him the hustling lifestyle that ultimately changes his life. With this being said, this play was well written and was a story dear to John's heart. A lot of times, you see young African American males trying to become successful and somehow, some way, chose to take a wrong path. This was the case with Malcolm. He stayed at home with mom whom had some relationship issues but was supportive of her son finishing college and being admitted into Medical School. 

Lastly, I really enjoyed this play and especially the choir at the end. The implementation of the choir at the end made this play come to life and I liked how they ended on a more spiritual note. All the actors in the play did a phenomenal job with their roles and even some of them learned their roles in less than a month. In conclusion, I just want to say GOOD JOB John and keep up the good work! 

My 1st Blog Post

I have always wanted to start a blog and write about things I encounter that I feel are blog-worthy. I am still very young but believe I have learned a lot in the society we live in today. Without my experiences in college (undergrad and grad.), I would not be the man I am today. So therefore, sit back and enjoy my periodic blog posts and prepare to be entertained, educated, and inspired.