One of my passions in life is entertainment and the industry as a whole. Having worked for different entertainment companies (film, television, books) I had the opportunity to establish relationships with certain industry insiders. After my career change I was looking for a way to bridge the gap between my first passion entertainment and, what has now become my second passion, education. Thus I came up with the idea of establishing an organization that would help students complete their education. 

The mission for L4L is to promote comedy shows across the country, starting with the cities that have the highest dropout rates, and using the proceeds to purchase laptops. The laptops would be given to specific low-income school districts as well as to made available for student use in  wireless classroom kiosks.

It is my hope that if given access and opportunity, many students who, for whatever reason who don’t graduate, to complete their high school education. L4L will work to make students take responsibility for their own education by reducing the many excuses that students have for not completing high school.

The idea of One Laptop Per Child was pioneered by Nicolas Negroponte, founder and MIT professor. However the organization’s focus on developing countries, rather than the US students. My organization will focus on the poorest children and school districts in the US.

One Laptop Per Child Association, Inc. (OLPC) is a U.S. non-profit organization set up to oversee the creation of an affordable educational device for use in the developing world. Its mission is “to create educational opportunities for the world’s poorest children by providing each child with a rugged, low-cost, low-power, connected laptop with content and software designed for collaborative, joyful, self-empowered learning.”^[1] Negroponte states that the mission is to eliminate poverty^[2]. Its current focus is on the development, construction and deployment of the XO-1 laptop. (One Laptop per Child, Wikipedia)

My older brother and I usually set aside our conversations about politics for after holiday dinner discussion. This past Christmas, after the failed attempt to blow up a US plane by a terrorist, he and I got began our discussion about the reaction and actions of the President following this incident. As a Obama supporter, I felt that he would take immediate and appropriate actions to and deal with the individuals that I feel drop the ball in preventing the terrorist from boarding that US plane. My brother, on the other hand, was not so hopeful. He was quick to point out regardless of what President Obama’s persistence to bring change to US politics, he is up against something that is bigger than him and beyond his reach. Although the Barack Obama holds the title of “Leader of the Free World”, he doesn’t have as much power as he and others thinks he has.  

President Obama is quickly coming to the realization that winning the position was the easy part. In just his first year in office Obama has faced stiff opposition and will continue to do so throughout his term(s) in office. It’s been reported that his administration has seen a record number of “filibusters” blocking the changes that President Obama is trying to make. It’s my opinion that despite President Obama’s efforts to bring change the halls of Washington, he is up against a “old regiment” that is reluctant to the “change”.

I’ve known Charles Q. Murphy better know as ‘CHARLIE MURPHY” or “Eddie Murphy’s brother” for over 12 years. When I heard that he had made the decision to try his hand at being a stand-up comedian I, like many, was a bit skeptical. After all Eddie Murphy’s stand-up routines are legendary and launched him into a super stardom film career. I thought to myself, “what on Earth was Charlie thinking about when he came up with this idea?” I wondered how people would respond to him, being the sibling of a very famous comedian and whether or not he would be taken seriously. More importantly, knowing Charlie’s personality, would he get offended by the comparisons to Eddie or the negative responses he may receive from hecklers attending his shows. 

Charlie has been on the road now for over 5 years now doing his stand-up routine all over the country and in overseas on a mini tour this past summer. Needless to say Charlie Murphy has carved a niche for himself as a stand-up comedian and has been very successful at doing so. Having seen more than 20 of his show over the past 3 years, up and down the East Coast, I can attest to how not taking yourself too seriously and living the journey can pay dividends of joy. 

In the clip below Charlie is doing an interview at WRCN in Medford, NY. He was performing at Nokia Theater in New York City, (I was in attendance). During the interview he is asked if Eddie ever gives him advice on stand-up and Charlie’s responds speaks directly to how we should not let certain events in our lives dictate the rest of our lives. Minor setbacks are just that, minor setbacks. 
Yes, it’s important to set goals and plan for the future but its just as important to, not only live in the moment, but embrace and enjoy it!

Having had the opportunity to teach in public school and instruct students for a 180 day school year, gave me insight to how I might be able to make a difference in a young person’s life. A nudge in the right direction, or a bit of advice about career paths or college choices could mean all the difference in the world. I’d like to think I’ve made a difference and led someone down a successful path.

The contributions that the members of this organization have made to the civil rights of not only African Americans but for all people of color. As stated in Art of Possibility in the chapter entitled Being A Contribution. “The contribution game, is never a single individual who is transformed. Transformation overrides the divisions of identity and possession that are the architecture of the measurement model, recasting the tight pattern of scarcity into a widespread array of abundance”. (Zander & Zander 2000)

The NAACP’s principle objective is to ensure the political, educational, social and economic equality of minority group citizens of [the] United States and eliminate race prejudice. Those minority groups and its citizens have made contributions to American history and continue to be recognized today.

Getting an “A” in a class was most often for me related to how much I enjoyed the class. When it became my turn to hand out grades as a teacher in a public high school in Florida, I wanted to take a different approach to giving an “A” grade. Students are not allowed to accept defeat. They are required to “do it over” until its right.

On the first day of class, I told the students in my class that I will be giving only two grades for my class. Students would either receive an “A” or “F”. There would be no “B’s” or “C’s”, it was all or nothing. My rational for doing this was simple, “either you get it or you don’t”, there would be no fence riding.  Since I gave open book test and gave the answers to test and quizzes in the prior class before administering it, each student was given every opportunity to succeed at the highest level. I was much more interested in students showing a clear understanding of the subject matter (HTML, web design) than grading them on an alphabetized grading system. It was more important that students knew how to solve the problems and where to get answers to questions that might arise.

I went into teaching for all the wrong reasons (for the money!) to support myself as an artist. It didn’t take too long to realize that I love teaching; I love the creative, improvisational, and the analytic aspects of it. I love tinkering with my curriculum and methods the way many of my students love puttering under their cars, fine-tuning things that already work. I appreciate, but do not revere, the concept of the आर्टिस्ट-Teacher; that is, someone who teaches, but is an artist first and foremost, I am not ashamed to say that teaching is my art. And viewing my life’s work this way makes it an invigorating, not a depleting, activity.

Every day I perform, interpret and parse part of three to five semester long curricula/texts completely of my own design. I created these carefully sequenced activities and ‘performances’ to exponentially increase the perceptive abilities of my students, transform the paradigms this ‘audience’ has about creating meaning, and imbue them with a sense of personal power and ownership in this world. I do not see how these goals differ from the creation of any tangible or performance art.

My Comment

The idea of standing in front of a classroom and delivering a message to a group of individuals is certainly not something that can be done by just anyone. Being new to the teaching profession I quickly understand the importance of “studying and mastering the craft”. I’ve always had a great respect for teachers having had educators in my family (aunts & uncle) however that respect has been magnified a million times after having taught public high school myself. Teaching has become my art!

Addressing the questions and discoveries made in the research for the thesis I’m required to write in order to complete this program is the primary task at hand. My thesis is based on the increased high school drop out rates in the United States and using e-learning  to help solve the problem.  Media being a vital part of e-learning its important to understand how to create media rich educational material. 

I feel that it’s our people a disservice not to use some of the most sophisticated technology to educate kids and employees. President Obama should appoint a Czar of Education Technology Integration to bring all US schools into the 21 Century; that would also have to include the administration and teachers. Let’s face it, one can create some of the most high tech educational learning tools but if no one ever uses them, you are left with virtual nothing.

On February 6, 1993 Arthur Ashe died of AIDS-related pneumonia in New York at the age of 49. His body was laid in state at the Governor’s Mansion in his hometown of Richmond, VA. He was the first person to lie in state at the mansion since the Confederate general Stonewall Jackson in 1863. More than 5,000 people lined up to walk past the casket. His funeral was attended by nearly 6,000 people including New York City mayor David Dinkins, Virginia governor L. Douglas Wilder, Secretary of Commerce Ron Brown and Rainbow Coalition chairman Jesse Jackson. Andrew Young, the former U.N. ambassador and Atlanta mayor who had married Arthur, delivered the eulogy. 

We miss you Mr. Ashe!