Blog Buddy--Author, Activist: Felix Sirls (Part 1)

I had written about my father, one of those school assignments; a thousand words or less. I wrote on how I had lived in foster homes and was forced to run away from home living on the streets and feeling safer on the streets than at home. Well the teacher asked me where I had copied the work from. I wanted to slap her in the mouth. Its like a black kid could not think or write anything. I was called into the counselors office, the counselor read my essay, looked me in the eye and told me to never stop writing. Those words shocked me, I had been ready to act out kick and scream shout out hateful words. I sat there in shock, someone had seen me, felt me, knew I was alive. This man told me he was proud of me as he handed me my paper with an A on it. I did not skip school that day nor for non I can remember after. That counselor had given me back my pride and helped me grow a little by his words.

Welcome from Program Coordinator

Welcome, I am so excited to begin this dialogue with you. As the Program Coordinator this initiative is extremely valuable to me. Education is one of the most vital and fundamental elements to being successful. The value of education has deep roots for me. My parents made sure that I received the best education that they could provide. As it has often been said, “my parents didn’t play when it came to school.” I remember how hard they pushed me to do well and demanded that I brought home good grades. My mom once said, “that it was her job to go to work and take care of me, and the only job that I had was to go to school.” That has stayed with me and has been the source of my success. I faced many challenges that could have disrupted my path. The biggest one was becoming a mother my sophomore year in high school. Nevertheless, I was determined to give my child all that I had and more. I knew I could not do this without an education. Therefore, I completed high school, went to college and will be graduating with a Master’s Degree this August. Many of you will face the same challenges and more but there is always hope. With dedication, inspiration, role models, and motivation you too can be a success.

There is promise in grooming thinkers, innovators, entrepreneurs, and scholars. Education Pays – Get Yours is an initiative that champions that promise. Not only do we want our children to know how imperative an education is to their lives but we also want to send that message to the community at large. We welcome your comments, suggestions, and feedback. We want to know what your challenges are and what inspires you. In addition please check the website, www. policy-bridge.org/educationpays , for more information and activities.
Let’s Talk!!!

Sincerely,
Ashley R. Evans
Program Coordinator
PolicyBridge Inc.

Welcome From Blog Publisher

Welcome to the Education Pays Get Yours blog for Mt. Pleasant  

This is YOUR  blog where you can talk with friends, encourage one another, learn cool stuff,  meet successful people.  

We encourage you to post pictures, video and audio.  If you want to know how to use the various features of this blog just click on the comment link below my blog posts and I  will get right back to you.  We also invite you to help in managing these blogs.  We need writers, artists, camera, sound recorders and video people if you wish to volunteer. 

We would love to hear your comments to any post so you can click comment below a particular post and tell us what think about Education Pays Get Yours.  

Cec

Blog Publisher

Hello, kids. I am a career journalist. My second worst education move was playing around in high school and getting low grades. I remember selling encyclopedias door-to-door one summer (ugh ! ) when I ran into a guy who offered me a paying job as a copyboy for the Kansas City Star Newspaper. It jumped started my career as a reporter and I later went on to teach at some of the top journalism schools in the country. What is the lesson here?