The Blueprint

The Path and Destination are Inside Every Student

The Power Choices:

The key to a child’s development is the tools and training necessary to make good decisions. Because, after all, life is a series of choices. To educate the mind, heart and to build the skill of hand is to train each to work in harmony with the others. To lead, they must learn to discipline themselves because nothing of significance is attained without discipline. They must understand the fight of discipline will be with them their entire life. The body will want to rule, so will their emotions, but the spirit, heart, and mind, must lead and the body must follow.

“A fight is going on inside me,” said an old man to his son. “It is a terrible fight between two wolves. One wolf is evil. He is anger, envy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, and ego. The other wolf is good. He is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion, and faith. The same fight is going on inside you.”

The son thought about it for a minute and then asked, “Which wolf will win?” The old man replied simply, “The one you feed.”

Which will you feed?

We must teach them not to focus on those things or people who may have ill will or negative thoughts concerning me, but focus on the task at hand. We must assist them in feeding their faith and starving their doubts.

Some years ago, my teammates and I were preparing to catch a flight from Israel to Egypt for an exhibition game. At that time, I had never been to Egypt, so I prepared myself for another long trip in my ignorance. As usual, I carefully packed my carry-on. I made sure I had music and a book to read. Once we were on the plane, I settled in, putting on my headphones and enjoying my book. To my surprise, as soon as we took off, it seemed we were landing. I glanced at my watch, only to find that we had been in the air for about 30 to 35 minutes; there was no way we had arrived, I thought. I was astonished to discover that we had indeed landed in Egypt. I couldn’t help but laugh at myself for thinking that something so close was so far away, much like the Israelites in their journey from Egypt to the Promised Land. I have always been intrigued by the story of the Israelites chronicled in the Bible and how it took a previously enslaved people 40 years to make an 11-day journey from Egypt to Israel. So, for me to witness how close the two countries are, were quite revealing.

Exodus’s story became the catalyst in my discovery that we are never as far away from our dreams as it may seem. Our goals are forever present and within our reach, even when they appear a great distance elsewhere. However, what we carry on the inside of us matters. We see in the story of the exodus that the Israelites physically left the land of the Egyptians. However, they brought Egypt within them, all of those twisted beliefs, customs, and the Egyptian way of life. God could take them physically out of Egypt, but He couldn’t take Egypt out of them. No matter how powerful you are, you can’t change someone. They must decide to improve themselves. God has given us all the power of choice. He has put before us blessings and curses, and we must choose.

As the story goes, a generation died in the wilderness. The Israelites continued to grumble and complain, some even wishing that they could go back. Others accused Moses of bringing them into the wilderness to die. They spent 40 years going in circles. God had given them riches to take with them on their journey, where they couldn’t spend one penny of it. even in slavery, they had become people of consumption, people who would spend when there was nothing to buy. So they took much of the silver, gold, diamonds, and gems and built a calf. They desired to worship something they created with their hands and could see with their eyes; they bowed their knees to natural riches. The Israelites wanted an idol over the mighty God, and because of this, they sealed their fate. That generation would never see the Promised Land.

Many of us hate the wilderness, as the Israelites did. And we do many of the same things; we murmur, complain, take our last and build idols. However, the wilderness is a place of testing, development, and transformation. Please don’t allow it to become your place of rest. Remember, your dreams are closer than you think. But, it would be best if you did what the early Israelites failed to do, change. They were unable to leave Egypt in Egypt. You must understand that where you’re going will not be where you’ve been. It will require a new and improved you. It will require faith and patience, which will challenge you, but that’s ok. God does not want you to recreate the hell you left in a new place. We all build from the inside out.

What we put inside of our students ultimately will matter. If we feed them the elements of developing a successful life, at some future moment, it will bear fruit. Join, The New Tenth Foundation as we empower our young people to take control over their future.

Blackucation

What our school system fails to teach.

Our school systems are lagging behind the rest of the world when, at one time, they all measured themselves by us. As COVID 19 wreaks havoc throughout our communities, it seems our safety is constantly under attack by foreign terrorist organizations, internet hackers, hate- groups, local gangs, criminals, and thugs. Our black and brown students are under constant threat, seen by police as super-predators instead of their kids. While our politicians promise one thing and do another, we see our democratic process failing. While many Americans struggle to make ends meet, corporate entities pay a lower tax rate than many middle-class families.

Our current situations prove a new set of difficulties that lie before us. We must meet these challenges with optimism and a renewed hope in our possibilities as a people. We find ourselves getting further away from our lives and the life we have dreamed possible. Fear has set in on us all. It appears that each of us has climbed into the shell of me and mine. There is seldom any effort to reach across lines of division, see and understand the sameness in our struggle, and recognize that my enemy is fearful. This conundrum lays before us a tremendous opportunity that we have at our doorstep. All of us must re-evaluate what we value and what type of individual we desire to be, what kind of neighborhood we want to be a part of, and what kind of country we wish to call our own. All parents must revisit what kind of future they desire for their kids and what we teach them to value. I am confident that we all can conclude that the status quo is not the answer.

Where do we go from here?

I am intrigued by the elements of leadership and how an individual ascends to favor and power. Many are born into it, and others adhere to the call, while a few are destined. Some lie, or manipulate, kill, and steal for power. However, these individuals struggle to find their footing because authentic power comes from within. Through my own life, I began to understand that the person who is most likely to lead is the person who knows who they are, whose they are, and why they were born. In reality, leadership is an endowment, an impartation, a crowning of sorts given to those that exceed expectations through adversity. As they say, it's not what happens to you but how you respond that is paramount to lasting success. Through these victories, the endowment takes a hold, granting us the ability to lead others to success. The engagement of the next generation is paramount to all future successes. We must find agile methods of educating the mind, the hand, and the heart.

How can we accomplish this?

Here are a few areas that New Tenth Foundation has discovered that are paramount to a student's development, the current education system is failing to address.

• Identity: Who are you? We believe the person who can answer that question has a clear advantage. Many of us have spent our lives trying to discover this answer but haven't yet uncovered it. However, there are a few methods to help facilitate that process. The key is to get the student to start asking the right question sooner rather than later. From where did I originate? Who were my ancestors? Why am I here, and What would I like to be or accomplish?

• Purpose: Purpose adds direction as well as clarity. Life can be complicated and full of distractions. Therefore, we must help students understand the value of priorities and the dangers of not living up to them. The essential things in our lives deserve our attention, and our goals must first have focus.

• Character: We believe that character is the number one indicator of future success. If one is unwilling to put in the work and stand behind the work, then true success cannot occur. Ultimately, the character is what one does when no one is looking. Poor character leaves one unfulfilled and produces poor long-term results.

• Problem Solving and Conflict Resolution: Life is a collage of experiences and adversities; how you handle both will significantly affect your outcome.

• Spiritual Inclinations: We are both spiritual and physical beings; to neglect one for the other causes one to be unbalanced, and to put the physical before the spiritual creates disorder and confusion. Our thoughts, ideas, visions, and dreams are all spiritual things that require corresponding physical actions to bring them to fruition.

We believe these five things are paramount in developing strong conscientious men and women who will significantly impact their generation.