Adra Young's Blog, page 6

When the going get tough the tough get going!

Hello everyone.  It’s your favorite tween and teens author wishing everyone a Happy Hump day.  On May 1st, I along with other teachers from our school took our students on a field trip. Concerned about the pain I was having in my left foot, I decided to take myself to the emergency room at the end of the school day.  Shockingly, the results indicated that I had a fracture in my left foot. Two days later after seeing a podiatrist, I was informed that I had two small inflamed bones in my left foot and not a fracture.  Doing my best to see the brighter side of every situation, I am thankful that I there are no broken bones in my foot. 

The first few days of not being able to be on my feet sort of made me sad. It didn’t take long before an epiphany struck.  I simply started completing the task that didn’t require me standing on my feet. For some people this is easier said than done.  Especially individuals such as myself who are  labeled as ”High Energy Folk”.   In addition, I am now trying to finish several books that I started reading several months ago.

Detroit Artist make the world go round!

Hello everyone.   It's your favorite tween and teens author wishing everyone a terrific day.   Today my school held its annual career day. Many individuals with various backgrounds attended.  From doctors, to well-known Prosecuting Attorney Kim Worthy, our students were exposed to many talented individuals willing to speak with them about all the amazing choices they have in life.

Nothing stood out more than the Detroit artist that attended and volunteered their time.  A shout out to the Focus One Entertainment Team (Lenderick Jones, Patrick Jones,and Melody), Marshalle Montgomery of  the Trinity Film coalition, Make-Up Artist  & Author Sandra Epps, Creator of Motown Writers Network (Sylvia Hubbard) and Community Activist & Author Shaka Senghor.  You guys rock and the children most certainly enjoyed you.

Never give up!

Hello everyone. Just  like the season of  fall, the winter months seem to pass us all by at a very rapid and drastic pace.  Residing in Michigan, I'd prefer all the winter months pass by quickly as possible.    As most of you all know, I wrote my first book, The Everyday Living of Children and Teens Monologues Volume I in 2005.   Brainstorming on how to get my book sales up, someone recommended that I create a curriculum for facilitator's and educators to utilize while implementing the book.  The curriculum, also wrote in 2005  was not used  the first two years of its existence.

Finally in 2008 several afterschool programs requested my acting/socialization skills program along with the curriculum.  In the Fall of 2009, another after school provider serving the south-eastern  region  of  Michigan requested my services and shortly decline on my entire program February of 2010.  Due to my program and curriculum not given the opportunity to display the impact it would have on the youth, this resulted to me becoming quiet discouraged.

My  products help tweens, teens, and young adults solve their social maladjustment issues appropriately.  My dilemma was  that I needed either a youth based facility company or organization who would give the program a real chance.  This did not happen until I was introduced to Calvin Colbert of the Detroit Impact Center in 2010.

To my surprise after examining my products, Mr Colbert  indicated to me that he had been searching for content like mines for years and had no luck in finding it.   For the summer of 2010 and 2011, I  was requested to come into the DIC  to provide my expertise as a socialization skills provider and implement my program.

February of 2012, the Detroit Impact Center contracted my program and services to be implemented at Detroit's Henry Ford High School every Monday and Wednesday.  Super duper team members and film makers Lenderick Jones and Patrick Jones serve as the facilitator's for the program.  So everyone please never give up on whatever it is you're trying to accomplished.  It may take some time to get it exposed but if it happened for me it can definitely happen for you.

Please take young black males to see Red Tails the movie based upon the Tuskegee Airmen financed by Lucas Films.

Hello and Happy New Year to everyone.  I hope that everyone is off to a great start in 2012.  This past December, I had the opportunity to see one amazing and inspiring movie titled, Red Tails.  This film is based upon the Tuskegee Airmen and sheds light on the perseverance they endured simply trying to gain the same opportunities as pilots as their white male counterparts. 

Although this is a movie that everyone should see, it's even more important that young black males see this film.  Young black males in my opinion do not have enough opportunities that allow them to see or to be exposed to their heritage and history in a positive light.  This movie provides exactly that.  The cast consists of Hollywood's best A List Black Male Actors. The theme, delivery, and content of this film teach many vital and pivotal lessons in regards to African-American males succeeding despite of all odds.

Lucas, the astounding creator of Star Wars financed this film project with 70 million dollars of his own money. Hollywood would not back him on this movie due to not believing in his mission  to shed light on the Tuskegee Airmen Struggle.  I am encouraging parents, mentors, guardians, uncles, Big Brothers, and educators to take all young black males to see this true masterpiece.  Listed below is the link to the article on film maker George Lucas and his belief and reasoning for the lack of support from Holly Wood.

http://digitaljournal.com/article/317904

Sugar and learning don’t mix!

Greetings everyone.  It’s your favorite educator and tweens author wishing all students and instructors a safe winter break.  This morning I made a huge mistake.  Normally, I never allow my students to have anything containing  high incidences of sugar for breakfast.  Rushing and  trying to get the school day started, I allowed the students to eat  a very popular treat containing nine grams of sugar per serving.   Believe  me when I tell you that my morning was challenging.

Even as veteran teacher of over 16 years, it took me quite sometime to get my class calm, and acclimated  for learning today.  I had to repeat simple questions over and over.   Having challenges with focusing and remaining on task, my babies went from being very hyper to sluggish  within a 60 minute time frame.  They experienced the side effects of  a sugar rush which unfortunatley made them all crash.   Believe me everyone when I say that  I learned my lesson the hard way. 

 

Sugar and learning don't mix!

Greetings everyone.  It's your favorite educator and tweens author wishing all students and instructors a safe winter break.  This morning I made a huge mistake.  Normally, I never allow my students to have anything containing  high incidences of sugar for breakfast.  Rushing and  trying to get the school day started, I allowed the students to eat  a very popular treat containing nine grams of sugar per serving.   Believe  me when I tell you that my morning was challenging.

Even as veteran teacher of over 16 years, it took me quite sometime to get my class calm, and acclimated  for learning today.  I had to repeat simple questions over and over.   Having challenges with focusing and remaining on task, my babies went from being very hyper to sluggish  within a 60 minute time frame.  They experienced the side effects of  a sugar rush which unfortunatley made them all crash.   Believe me everyone when I say that  I learned my lesson the hard way. 

 

How quickly the cough drops vanished.

Hello everyone.  It's your favorite educator and tweens author reaching out to everyone this wonderful day.  Isn't it funny no matter how things change the more they seem to stay the same.  Once again I have been fooled the mindset of a tween.

 Having a frequent cough due to the weather, I purchased honey lemon  cough drops.   Picking my young ladies up from lunch yesterday, I asked the young ladies to help themselves to a cough drop if needed.  To my surprise, all of these imaginary coughs started taking place and every tween girl claim to have a sore throat.   Within 10 minute time frame.  The cough drop bag was totally depleted.   Oh well, I guess I set myself up for that one.  To educators residing within the south-east region of  Michigan, hang in there.  Christmas vacation is on the way.

The Importance of Reading to Tweens.

Greetings, everyone.  It's your favorite tweens and teens author wishing everyone a great weekend.  Who say's that story time is just for kids under 10?  Just this past Friday I made a discovery.  Kids over the age of 10 still love story time.  

Our school principal invited all the fifth and sixth grade students to hear him read a modern-day version of  Little Red Riding Hood.  He was very animated and the students ranging from ages  11 through 12 absolutely ate it up.  By the time he was done, the fifth and sixth graders wanted him to read another book aloud.  Parents, just give it a try.  Read a story to your 11 and 12 year old youngsters.  I'm willing to bet they will enjoy it.

Stand Up…Stand Out! A play based upon bullying wrote by Kirsten Byrd.

Hello everyone.  It's your favorite tweens and teens author Adra Young.  Can you believe that the month of November is just one day away.  Having a background in acting, I've been preparing myself  to play the role of Principal Wilson, one of the several characters in Kirsten Byrd's play titled, "Stand Up…Stand Out.  This amazing  production is based upon students voicing their personal view points on the issue of  bullying.  The debut of Stand Up…Stand Out took place this past Saturday at the Charles H Wright Museum in Detroit Michigan.

Students from various school settings within the state of Michigan attended.  The youngsters in attendance were provided the option to eat lunch and watch the play at the same time.  Ms Byrd allowed the audience to ask the cast members questions directly after the show.  Byrd's goal for 2012 is to make the play available at Wayne State University for interested schools within the south-east region of  Michigan.

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When youngsters act out it’s usually due to an personal unexpected occurrence

 

Hello everyone.  I hope that everyone is having a spectacular Sunday.  The weekend is just about over for us all.

Last Friday on my way to lunch, several of the young ladies that I teach in the afternoon said hello.  During the interim of me speaking back, one of the young ladies said, “Ms Young, I’m going to be bad in your class today.”  Taking it as a sign of disrespect,  my immediate response was that I was going to send her to the office in the event that she did.

After lunch, I picked my all female class up from the cafeteria and escorted them to class.   While preparing my students for the spelling and reading assessments for the afternoon, this  same student followed through on her statement.  She acted out and  I had to implement some consequences.

Towards the end of the day, she finally admitted to me what was going on with her.  Turns out this poor baby and her family were victims of a house fire that resulted to her entire family loosing everything.  The fire had taken place on Thursday which resulted to this young lady bringing all of her stress with her to school on Friday. Thank God no one was injured.

After she explain to me what had taken place, I gave her a hug.   Reassuring her that I would report the incidence to the school counselor, I explained to her the importance of  appropriately expressing concerns verses acting out.  After our discussion, this young lady left school that Friday knowing that she could rely, and talk to me about unexpected occurrences verses acting out negatively in the future.

Sometimes, kids don’t know how to address these specific kind of issues with their teachers.   Due to not knowing how to  express what’s going on appropriately, it comes out negatively.  Educators, be sure to let your students know in  the beginning of  the school year that they can talk to you about unfortunate occurrences so you will not have  to go through what I went through on last Friday.

Assuring your kids from the get go may not eliminate all cases of students acting out due to tragic occurrences but, it most definitely will make your job easier as  a teacher in the 21st. century.

 

 

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