"WTH" Moment of the Day...CVS Employee Chokes Man to Death for trying to Steal Toothpaste and Crayons!!!!

Say it ain't so LT!!!!!! by Ronald Carthen

Lawrence Taylor you can't be serious right now? Did you really take a 16-year old girl in a hotel room in New York and rape her? Consensual or not you have no business having sex with a girl that is under age. Come on man you are 51 years old you are better then that.  LT could be charged with statutory rape that carries a four-year term, it should be much longer in my opinion. 

This poor girl was taken from Taylor's hotel room by her pimp, Rasheed Davis, and both drove back to New York City. Then she texted her uncle about the situation and then he called the NYPD. Then the police went to LT's hotel room and arrested him.

I'm happy to hear that Davis is arrested on charges of unlawful imprisonment, assault and endangering the welfare of a child. That poor girl stayed with him in the Bronx for a few weeks. He beat her, and told her to have sex with LT for $300 at the Holiday Inn. The money was given to him when it was all over.    

I can't believe LT put himself in this situation. This man had many run-ins with the law in the past, which makes it more dump that he made this mistake. In 1996 and 1997, he was arrested in South Carolina and Florida on drug charges and admitted his guilt or go to a prevention program. In 2000, he received five years of federal probation for filing false tax returns and for tax evasion. In 2001, he was convicted of possesion of drug paraphernalia in New Jersey, which stemmed in 1998 when police found a butane torch and other materials used to smoke crack. Then this past November, he was arrested in Miami for leaving a scene of an accident.

LT you were my top 10 favorite NFL players that I've ever seen when you played with the New York Giants. Now you are fallen out of my list for good and I hope you get what's coming to you. How dumb can you be a 16-year old? You have no business bringing a strange child with you in public, you know nothing but bad things happen. I don't care if you thought she looked like she was 21 years old you don't touch her period. 

Here's another question, why is this 16-year old girl a lost soul in this country? I blame that on her uncle and parents for not protecting this child and not teaching her any values of life. It's terrible what has happened to this girl and I hope she will turn her life around. Who knows how many men she had sex with but I'm glad she finally said something. I hope the NYPD find those other sick men who took advantage of her.  

If he's guilty I'm done with him for the rest of my life. I don't understand how you can put yourself in these situations and think you can get away with it. How about getting some help and start acting your age.        

Black-Eye on Virginia Athletics!!!!! by Ronald Carthen

22-year old Men's Lacrosse player George Huguely was charged for murdering 22-year old Women's Lacrosse player Yeardley Love. I can't believe we still have crazy stories like this in our country.

Both of these guys are seniors and it's sad that both of these people's college lives ended like this.

Yeardley's body was discovered in her apartment by one of her two roomates. When the police came in, they noticed she suffered physical trauma but the cause of death is yet to be determined. The death was obviously ruled as a homicide.

Witnesses say that both of them were involved in a past relationship. I don't care what she or he did, love should never drive you this crazy to kill them. If that person is not for you accept it and just move on. I don't know why he would kill her but that makes no sense. I'm tired of people dying over nonsense and hurting many family members and friends who cared for them their whole lives.

If this basterd did this to her I hope he stays in prison forever with no chance of parole. I mean seriously you had your whole life ahead of you and you let your sick love for her come down to this. It doesn't make any sense of taking a life just because she doesn't want to be with you.

People please life is too short don't let anybody get to you to the point you want to kill them.

THANK YOU for saving the UNITED STATES!!!!!!! by Ronald Carthen

Thank you Lance Orton and Duane Jackson for preventing another attack on New York City, one of the best city's in the world.

Lance, a T-Shirt vendor, told 46-year old officer Wayne Rhatigan  that something was strange about a Nissan Pathfinder parked off Broadway on the south side of 45th street. Duane also noticed something was wrong with the vehicle and waved some officiers. Then when everyone heard a few pops, everyone began to run away and once again the whole city was living in fear.

Rhatigan evacuated everyone around the area to make sure everyone was going to make it out alive. Then firefighters and police officers began to handle the situation and noticed the bombs in the car. The situation was handled and the city thankfully lived to see another day.

Mayor Michael Bloomberg declared officer Rhatigan a hero and took him to a great steak restaurant. What ever happened to Orton and Jackson's invite to a steak dinner. If it wasn't for these two vendors and Vietnam War veterans, this city would have been a mess and many lives would have been lost. The last thing this country needs is another attack at NYC, especially when times are hard enough as it is.

I was glad to see Orton on the "Today Show" and recognized for his efforts. He doesn't want any special treatment but he was just doing his job. He and Jackson have no choice but to become special to this country. Since they both served their country, they didn't have to say a word and kept moving. Thankfully they found the courage to make one more brave act of this country and prevented another US disaster.

So thank you guys for everything you have done for us and your decision to save this country to live our lives will never be forgotten.                    

KOBE with the #1 selling jersey!!!!! by Ronald Carthen

For the second year in a row, Kobe Bryant is the NBA's best-selling jersey, based on sales at the NBA Store at New York City and NBAStore.com. How amazing that one of the most-hated player in the league is still selling jerseys like crazy. His team, the Los Angeles Lakers, top the list for the league's most popular team merchandise. Lakers merchandise have top the list in seven of the last eight years. It's great to hear that sales are up 20% from last year. Check out who else made the Top 15 selling jerseys, including Kevin Durant making his top 10 debut, and the Top 10 team merchandise.

Top 14 Selling Jerseys      
1) Kobe Bryant, Lakers
2) LeBron James, Cavaliers
3) Kevin Garnett, Celtics
4) Derrick Rose, Bulls
5) Dwight Howard, Magic
6) Dwyane Wade, Heat
7) Chris Paul, Hornets
8) Paul Pierce, Celtics
9) Kevin Durant, Thunder
10) Carmelo Anthony, Nuggets
11) Nate Robinson, Celtics
12) David Lee, Knicks
13) Brandon Roy, Blazers
14) Pau Gasol, Lakers

Top 10 Team Merchandise
1) Lakers
2) Celtics
3) Cavaliers
4) Bulls
5) Knicks
6) Nuggets
7) Magic
8) Heat
9) Spurs
10) Suns

Malcom X Killer goes free....Should he be free or still in jail????!!!!! by Ronald Carthen

Do you know who Thomas Hagan is? He's the man who killed 39-year old Malcom X during a speech at New York's Audubon Ballroom on February 21, 1965. Hagan, now 69 years old, was paroled today.

Hagan was released on a few conditions. He was required to seek, obtain and maintain a job, support his children and abide by a curfew. He has been working at a fast-food restaurant for the past seven years.

Hagan had been in a full-time work-release program since March 1992. The program allowed him to live with his family in Brooklyn five days a week and stay in prison for two days. He was sentenced to 20 years to life in prison for the assassination of Malcom X and in 1992 he gets to be semi-free? I find that very interesting. When you kill someone you go to jail for life that's all I'm saying.

Thomas Hagan and two other men were involved in the assassination of Malcom X for their anger towards Malcom leaving the Nation of Islam to orthodox Islam. He and the Nation called all whites "blue-eyed devils," but he later changed his views on whites which led to the Nation's anger.   

I know some African-Americans who supported Malcom from his amazing era are upset that this is happening today. I guarantee you there's someone asking the question "What if they had killed a great white leader?" I think he would have been in prison for life if he killed a white leader in that particular era. He would have no chance of getting parole and we all know that. I do believe in today's era, that this man would have been in prison for life if the leader was white or black.

I'm too young to remember the death of Malcom X but I'm very upset to see good people die for silly or no reasons at all. I'm very angry when our own black people kill one another, especially how much we preach on sticking together. I'm very disappointed that this men go free for killing one of our biggest black leaders ever.

This death should teach us that we should stick with one another and talk things out with differences with one another, instead of taking somebody away from this earth for having different beliefs.            

Tribute to Dorothy Height!!!! by Antonio McKoy

“Greatness is not measured by what a man or woman accomplishes, but by the opposition he or she has overcome to reach his goals.”

“We have to improve life, not just for those who have the most skills and those who know how to manipulate the system. But also for and with those who often have so much to give but never get the opportunity.”

~ Dorothy Height                                                                            

On April 20, 2010 we lost one of the principle players of the Civil Rights Movement.  And while it is easy to look back at her accomplishments and all that she fought for in order for us to be in the position we are in today, more importantly we should draw inspiration from her work and why she carried the torch.

Personally, when I see those who have long carried the torch for the African American community I can’t help but pause and reflect.  Not on their accomplishments, or my own accomplishments or desires but I often ask myself do I have the same strength and determination to work and fight to overcome as they have in their life, do I have what it takes to give of myself entirely, looking for nothing in return but to see my community improved, to see the road paved for those who have yet to come? I can only hope and pray that when my time on the earth has come to an end I can inspire such questions by the next generation, but not only that, I hope that I can inspire someone to pick up that torch just as Dorothy Height and all of those who have gone on before her have inspired me.

ABC's NIGHTLINE Faceoff "WHY CAN'T A SUCCESSFUL BLACK WOMAN FIND A GOOD MAN?"

Steve Harvey, Sheri Sheppard, Hill Harper, and Jacque Reid joined a panel discussion on why successful woman can't find a good man on ABC's Nightline. Trust me you will enjoy it. Part 3 had to be a link due to some issues with the video. It's a great conversation.

Pt 1 My Standards are Too High"





Pt 2 "Black Folks Aren't Communicating"


Pt 3 "Ladies Stop Choosing Bums"....http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hH2WW_xcSQ0 

Pt 4 "Who's Been Cheated On?"


Pt 5 "Real Men Aren't Intimidated By Women"


Pt 6 "Dating Other Races"


Pt 7 "No Scrubs"


Pt 8 "Oops He Forgot To Get Married"

The New $100 Bill with High-Tech 3-D Ribbon.... By Nicholas Carthen

The U.S. Treasury will be issuing a new $100 on February 10, 2011 with a 3-D security ribbon.  The security ribbon on the bill called Motion, will contain 650,000 micro-lenses embedded on each bill that will allow the underlying  image to shift when the bill is moved.  The new bill will also feature color shifting "100", security thread, a bell in the inkwell that will change from copper to green when the bill shifts, and a portrait watermark on the side of the bill.

I personally think that the new bill is different and unique; they will eventually changes all the other bills to this kind a style in the coming years.  The main reason for the new $100 bill is to make it extremely hard to create a counterfeit $100 bill and to cut down on the ones that are still floating around the nation.

Take a look at the video and tell me what you think.

Guru: Rest in Peace my brother by Chris Wallace

As a huge fan of hip-hop music and it's rightful place amongst society, I was honestly absolutely saddened by the death of one-half of my fave hip-hop duos of all time. Guru, the sole founder of Gang Starr and forever linked to D.J. Premier, succumbed to cancer on Monday at age 43 and shortly thereafter, the tributes were running rampant. Guru, who helped pioneer hip-hop and merge jazz and hip-hop music, brought a different sound and flair to hip-hop that had not been matched during his time. Hits such as "You Know my Steez, Mass Appeal, Full Clip, Moment of Truth and Discipline" are just a few of the pieces that this musical genius helped put together.

Guru partnered with D.J. Premier to form the duo Gang Starr in the late 80's and released "No More Mr. Nice Guy" and "Step in the Arena," classic albums in their own right. In 1993, Guru released his first solo album, Jazzmatazz Vol. 1 and it featured collaborations with notable jazz musicians as Donald Byrd and Roy Ayers. After reuniting with D.J. Premier to release several more albums, with the last being released in 2003, Guru and D.J. Premier had a falling out that led to a farewell letter before his death that sadly and oddly asked that he NOT be linked to D.J. Premier in any way.

Despite the request, its hard for any fan of Gang Starr not to link the two together. It's almost like asking brothers not to be linked together..sort of like Brett Favre asking not to be linked to the Green Bay Packers or Karl Malone asking not to be linked to John Stockton. I don't know what beef actually went down. Quite honestly, no one probably really knows the TRUE story but I DO know that Guru will be missed in the world of hip-hop and D.J. Premier was fortunate to partner with such a crafty cat. Rest in peace Guru.

The New York-Boston Rivalry...Jay-Z vs David Ortiz!!!! by David Wynn

Jay-Z Suing Big Papi For Biting?

“Hey Papi”

As Jay-Z’s number one fan on Earth, I have a strong inclination that his 1999 hit song “Hey Papi” did not have David Ortiz bka “Big Papi” in mind. Although, here in 2010, he may very well may. As in, hey Papi, give me my sh!t back. According to the lawsuit documents, Mr. Ortiz decided to bless the name of his new sports club in the Dominican Republic with the same name as Jay-Z’s popular line of hotspots, the 40/40 Club. Unfortunately for Mr. Ortiz, that’s illegal (maybe baseball should institute a “one and done” policy, because I’m sure Ortiz would have learned that in Business Law 101, but anyways). So the Jiggaman took exception and decided to file suit and make things difficult for David Ortiz’s thieving ways. I knew Big Papi struggles early in the season, but this is taking it to another level. Left handed pitching, performance enhancing drugs, the Yankees……and now Jay-Z? Its gonna be a long year for ya boy.

Eliminate homework from being computed into the final grade by Chris Wallace

Homework Homework Homework! It's such a dreaded term that often creeps into the vocabulary of school-aged students who have every bit of the desire to do it as they do to doing chores around the home. It's a term that once uttered, children often fret or use negative body language to show just how much they "appreciate" doing the homework. And while I was never really the biggest fan of homework in school, I am a humongous advocate of requiring homework of students in school. It reinforces learned behaviors in teachings that were taught during that day, week, month or year. Additionally, it provides teachers and educators with snapshots of whether the child is actually capable of learning the work. However, in being an educator and an advocate for the empowerment of today's children, I think the immense value which is placed on homework has actually been misplaced. Homework should NEVER be computed into a child's final grade, particularly in subjects such as reading and math.

Placing emphasis on such often times misleads teachers, educators, students and parents about the capability of the students in those particular subject areas for a number of reasons. One of which includes situations where parents actually complete homework for the students. How fair is that? How do we know that the students are actually doing their OWN homework? And how do we measure a student's academic performance by failing them for not completing and submitting homework? What kind of sense does THAT make?

When Little Johnny brings home that report card that has a "C" on it in reading but he has aced all of his tests/exams/assessments but has yet to complete a homework assignment, what do we do? We look at that "C" and say "well little johnny is a average reading student so how can we help him?" Or better yet, we look and make excuses for why Johnny has a "C" in reading but eliminate the fact that Johnny is probably reading well above grade level. On the flip side, if Little Johnny has a "C" in reading but completes ALL homework with flying colors but fails most or all of his tests/exams/assessments, are we sending Johnny and his parents a false message that he is actually a "C" student in reading?

It's probably not "educationally ethical" to eliminate homework being computed into a student's final grade, but perhaps add a category that says "Homework Completion" and go from there. If we're continuing to mislead ourselves into thinking that the grade on the report card is ALWAYS the actual capability of the student, then we're in for quite a ride.

The Personal Joy of Fatherhood blog by Chris Wallace

Often times, we as people go into the malls, stores or restaurants and see others with loud or "annoying" kids and say to ourselves "dang they can't control their own kids." Yea I'm guilty of doing such in the past as well but have come to the realization that kids are just gonna be kids. And now being a father of a two year old son, I see more (now than ever) the value of being a responsible father and leader to the lil fella who looks up to me. When my son Ren was born on Feb. 14, 2008 in the EARLY morning hours, I didn't have a clue what da heck I was gonna do, how I was gonna do it and all that other stuff. In fact, for the first time in my life, I felt like I had absolutely no answer for this challenge. Then I had to revert back to some past conversations I had with one of the greatest brothers of Alpha Phi Alpha I've ever met (Laurence) and my dad. They both basically said that parenting is "instinctive" and provided me tips on how to carry on and be effective. Two years and some change later, I have never in my life been so thrilled and fulfilled by such a happening. I have a healthy, energetic, handsome, smart and growing son who absolutely loves his father to pieces and I love it! For all the late night and early morning wake-ups, diaper changes, being spit up on, hurting ya back to carry the car seat, stroller and all that other baby stuff, having food and drink spilled on the floor, the sometimes unneccessary whining, the bad habits picked up from daycare and the constant worry about whether your child is ok or not, I would not trade it for anything in the world! Simply put, fatherhood is one of the most gratifying experiences ever! Often times, nothing else in the world really even matters when I think of my son and that's being truthful. I have watched him grow and develop over the last two years and its just an amazing thing to watch. Just keep watering and they'll keep growing..keep watering and they'll keep growing. I could NEVER EVER imagine leaving my son to be parented by a single mom, not giving a damn about his whereabouts/happenings, not being an active participant in his life, abusing him or anything of the horrible stories that we hear on a regular basis.

Man let me tell u..I work 8-10 hours a day in the office, I think about my family all day long and when I return home from work, I can hear my son in the room shouting "Dayeeeeeeeeee" and he sprints to the door with anticipation and as soon as that door opens up, he's there to greet me with a big ol smile and open arms ready to show daddy some love! And for the next several hours until his bedtime, he follows me around like he's my shadow. Then when it's time for bed, lil fella whines a lil and doesn't want to go to bed so I allow him to stay up (sometimes) and watch ESPN with me or read to him until he doses off on my chest. And as I watch him sleep, all I can think of are the endless possibilities for the lil fella.....the potential to be a future president, the opportunity to attend whatever college he wants to attend, the ability to be a leader in his community and his family, etc. Then I realize that at age 2, he still has a ways to go. But I'm a long-term thinker and want to prepare my son for what's next in his life. So while he's dibbling in play-doe and crayons, I'm dibbling in the books and using my "inner circle" figuring out a way to be a better leader and educate/empower my son effectively. After all, he will represent our family and we want him to do it well. And for the record, it's HE that will be making the decisions..not US. We, as parents, want to allow our son the freedom to choose what HE wants to do and not live through him but instead FOR him. Sometimes, people are so stuck in "workmode" or trying to "prove themselves" as leaders in their careers and in their communities and some don't even realize that their leadership in the household should be most important. It also helps to have a mommy that is absolutely on-point and brilliant and I'm so fortunate to have such. This woman has really taught me how to become a much better parent.

But all in all, raising my son is THE experience of a lifetime. It has taught me more about myself than I could have ever imagined and as a father, I am certainly still a work-in-progress. I have no shame in admitting such. I never thought in a million years, however, that I would feel so gratified being a father. I always looked at it as a JOB but as people say, "If you love what you do, you'll never work a day in your life." Thank you son for allowing daddy to never work a day in his life at home.

HEALTH CARE REFORM...IS IT GOOD FOR AMERICA???? written by Antonio Mckoy

So now we have Healthcare Reform and there are strong feelings on both sides of the political spectrum. First off, let’s get beyond the political speak of “States’ Rights”, “Big Government”, “Death Panels” (which is just ludicrous, the term Death Panels itself sounds like something straight out of “Star Wars”) and all the other rhetoric that has been thrown around with this current debate over healthcare and let’s get back to what really matters and should have mattered all along, people.

Having worked in the Health Insurance Industry for a number of years (for one of the industry leaders who shall remain nameless for obvious reasons) I remember initially entering the industry with the desire of not only learning how insurance worked for myself, but also I wanted to be able to help my family and friends not only understand how their health insurance worked but also the importance of having it. As I moved up in the company I became the quintessential “Company Man”. Whenever I would hear people talk about either having bad coverage or not liking their health insurance company my first response would always be, “Blame your company, they’re the ones’ who set up your plans, we just administer them.” The more I advanced and became known as a rising star within the company I became privy to more and more information as to how the health insurance industry REALLY worked and that the people I sought to help actually were taking a backseat to PROFITS.

I can attest to the horror stories which have been talked about on television during the healthcare debate, the denying of insurance claims for any reason whatsoever from late filings to not receiving information from patient that was “supposedly” requested, but often times wasn’t. I have seen people denied coverage for pre-existing conditions as common as migraines, menstrual cramps, and back pain. I have seen life saving surgeries denied authorization because we didn’t have medical records on file to determine “Medical Necessity”. I’m not going to even get into the issues with the actually paying of claims which were many times held up with delay tactics or short payments in order to teach medical providers a lesson or the number of refund checks to members that would just end up sitting on someone’s desk because they’re on vacation.

I’ve said all that to say that my opinions on Health Care Reform aren’t simply made just because I may or may not have voted for President Obama, or because I’m looking for a hand out as was suggested by one “brilliant” interviewee I saw on the morning segment on one of the cable news networks. The truth of the matter is my family and I have always had our own health insurance, but as I stated in the beginning this isn’t about me, this is about the people. There are millions of people who for whatever reason do not have coverage either because they feel they can pay out of pocket or they can’t afford it. I would venture to say that the majority fall in the latter category. Either way when those without insurance seek care, either at the doctor’s office, hospital or in most cases the emergency room, the costs that they either don’t pay or can’t pay are passed along to those of us who do have insurance, either through increased premiums or cost of care at the place of service.

I can remember being taught the concept that government was suppose to protect its citizens. That’s exactly what this Healthcare Reform aims to do. I could completely understand the opposition’s point of view if we were a country largely composed of Mr. and Ms. Olympias who exercised and ate healthy regularly. Realistically that is not the case. We are a country composed largely of out of shape, unhealthy eating people, suffering from a plethora of medical conditions ranging from asthma to diabetes to hypertension. Without Healthcare Reform there would continue to be millions of uninsured who utilize emergency rooms as their Primary Care or worse yet go without seeking medical help due to a lack of money. I can only imagine the number of people who suffer in silence or who ultimately die all because they cannot afford to seek the medical help they so desperately need and quite honestly is so readily available.

ATHLETES and their SO-CALLED SEX ADDICTIONS!!!!!...written by David Wynn

First let me submit this one:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SD_4oRbBfTo

Ok, I have had it. If I hear one more person talk about "sex addiction", I'm going to go crazy. According to the American Psychological Association, there is no such thing as "sex addiction". Just like there is no such thing as food addiction. Its called a lack of moderation and constraint. Its also called being a man. If you have a penis and a heartbeat (or just one), you are more than likely going to have the desire to have sex several times a day. That does not give you the right to actually go do it. Our society seems to be so bent on making an excuse for everything or giving everything a disease name, that personal responsibility has flown out the window. Does there ever come a point where people stand up and say I f***** up? No disease, no childhood happening, but purely an imperfection on my part. Until that happens, instances like Winston Bennett and Tiger Woods will be a microcosm of the cancer that really plagues society: irresponsibility. Instead of "Hello, my name is Tiger Woods and I am sex addict", how about "Hello my name is Tiger Woods and I f***** up"....food for thought, I'll let you do the dishes.

A FEMALE FOOTBALL COACH!!!!!!.....written by Antonio Mckoy

In the spirit of transparency and honesty let me first say that upon first hearing that Natalie Randolph was going to be introduced as Coolidge High School’s head football coach, in the Washington D.C. area, I laughed to myself as visions of Goldie Hawn’s character coaching in that 1986 sports classic Wildcats came to mind (still trying to keep a straight face). And while I acknowledge that this is Women’s History Month and all, to me the thought of a woman coaching men’s anything always seemed gimmicky. However, in this case I am going to resign myself to hold judgment.

When I think back to the many male coaches I have had in my athletic career, (12+ years of YMCA and Campus Rec Leagues), while it’s easy to want to say that they helped make me the man I am today, and “If it wasn’t for Coach ‘X’ I don’t know where I would be,” the truth of the matter is that all they really taught me was to how to play ball based off of their knowledge of the game I was playing at the time, be it basketball, football, baseball, or even soccer (yes soccer, I was trying to win athlete of the year in middle school). Above all else a coach should be a teacher of the game in question.

While it remains to be seen Coach Randolph’s ability to be a head coach, she has playing experience as a wide receiver with the D.C. Divas women’s pro team. The title of Coach also isn’t a new one as she has served as an assistant coach of another Washington High School for several years. At this point her football resume looks way better than anything I or the majority of Saturday and Sunday afternoon recliner coaches could put together, so I say let her have the same opportunity we would give Joe Blow off the street. But, with that said I also feel she should be completely treated like any other coach. Meaning if she sucks then she should get the same hot seat treatment and scrutiny any other coach would get with no excuses. Or in the words of Chris Rock equality isn’t about being able to be the best like everyone else but really being able to suck like everyone else and get the same treatment.

Saving our communities' children-by Chris Wallace

As an educated African-American male and an advocate for educating and empowering youth, I tend to sometimes forget that not everyone possesses the same passion for educating and empowering youth as myself or several of my closest friends and colleagues. In 2008, I also started a reading program, which was created in response to a report which indicated a significant academic achievement gap in reading scores for students from grades three to eight. It is a community-driven system of support which aims to increase reading and comprehension skills in children along with bolstering self-esteem. It goes without saying, however, that parents stand as the BIGGEST and most influential advocates for educating and empowering their youth, equipping them with the skills necessary to succeed in life. Second to parents are teachers, with whom we trust our young minds to be taught by. So what do we do when we read that a teacher writes the following sentiments about a 10-year-old boy, who has a little trouble paying attention in class but is young enough to have his mind and actions crafted:

"This students lacks the necessary skills available to succeed in life."

This is an actual statement from a teacher about a student, who just happens to be a young, 10-year-old African-American male student. And to that, I wondered aloud "If this one teacher is making such a statement about a student, what are OTHER teachers saying about students?" Does this type of statement ultimately "mislead" us into believing that our children are actual under-achievers and trouble-makers instead of high achieving scholars? Does this type of sentiment become the beginning of the student's "downfall" because no one believes in them?When looking at student report cards, is it taken into consideration that completed homework and conduct ACTUALLY factor into a student's final numerical grade, thus misleading us once again or is this just a figment of imagination?

As much a numbers person as I may be, I've always been strong enough to realize that achievement levels are much more than that of what "letter" is written or typed onto a report that's sent home every nine weeks. And I speak from experience, being a child who was sent out of class occassionally due to lack of focus or being "unchallenged" by the work that was provided. Furthermore, having come from a poverty-stricken environment where meals and money were hard to come by, it became increasingly difficult to focus in class in particular when you were being picked on or focused solely on eating the school lunches. And somewhere along the way, those factors are being lost in determining the specific needs for the students we, as educators, serve.

There are a number of factors that are deemed "uncontrollable" in the school systems, which often includes urging the parents to reinforce to their children what they've learned in school at home. But that, in itself, should become second nature to parents, guardians and others alike who have the time to work with their children and reinforce positive learned behaviors. True there are parents who work 2 or 3 jobs to support their family and parents who really aren't prepared to work with their children because they didn't complete high school or don't necessarily know how to complete the work themselves. However, in saying all that, if we are not figuring out ways to educate our youth and bridge the gap with parents, we're dooming ourselves for the future...bottom line. As someone once told me, the community USED to act as a village but now that village appears to be a bunch of individual dwellings.

Part of the issue may come from the way our children learn in this generation and some educators' unwillingness to make adjustments, which may essentially serve as a disservice to both the students and the educators. There comes a time when if something isn't necessarily working, it's ok to roll the dice and try it a different way. What's the worse that can actually happen? Another part of the issue may be the fundamental differences between the children and educators themselves, which may include race, religion and socioeconomic status amongst other things. But there's certainly no quick fix or forseeable fix to that particular situation. The onus HAS to be on the educators and parents to encourage, empower and educate these students effectively, whether that means digging deep to find that passion and desire to do so or whether that means finding an inner challenge with which to motivate self. Ultimately, however, parents and educators MUST find a way to work together, and if that can't happen, it could signify the beginning of yet another recession. This time, however, it would affect more than just the wallet.