Dr Flavius Akerele III's The E Team Education blog

These stories I just heard about make me furious, and before I go into my details why, please watch for yourself: ·          http://wtvr.com/2016/05/23/free-milk-theft/ “ The mother of a Virginia middle school student said she was angry, frustrated, and mad after her son was handcuffed, suspended from school, and charged with stealing a 65-cent carton of milk from the cafeteria. As it turned out, Shamise Turk's son Ryan was on the school's free lunch program and the milk -- was free. ” ·          http://countercurrentnews.com/2015/02/her-water-bottle-exploded-at-school-they-thought-it-was-a-weapon-so-they-cuffed-and-arrested-her/   “ Honor student Kiera Wilmot was   arrested and expelled from her high school  when her water bottle exploded unexpectedly on school property. ” ·          https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Hch6vQm...

If academics did not have egos, we would not be able to reach the heights we have achieved, we would not be interested in lofty goals, excellence, and things that make us stand out. Sure, we need to keep our egos in check from time to time, but our egos are part of what makes us who we are. Do not forget this when decisions are made that affect us, no matter how trivial, do not forget the perception others outside your organization might have as well. It is ego that has made me the 7 th generation of college educated in my family, it was ego that allowed my grandfather to hood my father when he received his MD, and my father to hood me when I received my doctorate. Ego can breed excellence if used correctly. I have earned my ego, and will use it to achieve even more. Dr Flavius A B Akerele III The ETeam

The first thing a lot of people think of when they hear the word fanatic is Islamic extremism. Well this article has nothing to do with that, and everything to do with the everyday issues that cause major breakdowns in how we communicate with each other daily. It is a political year, so we see it in how we elect our leaders, how we conduct political debate (or what passes for it), how bills pass through congress loaded with pork and personal requests. We do have separation of church and state, and we have it for real historical reasons, so please do not try and impose your religious views on my life (it does not mean I am disrespecting your religion by the way). And we wonder why our youth are disgusted with politics? Even more poignant, we have the rise of the “Google Experts”, the people who know everything because they read it on the internet and therefore it is true. The people who go to the doctor having done a self-diagnosis and then proceed to tell the doctor, who ...

Last week I wrote a piece on the disparities that do exist, and when I look at what is happening in Chicago, I see the gap growing ever larger. “Fear of a long hot summer as Chicago racks up a deadly record” http://www.cnn.com/2016/03/31/us/chicago-shootings-homicides-summer/ Ask yourself and be truthful: would this be happening in affluent neighborhoods? The answer is no. Policing is not equal because the most vulnerable populations are often treated like criminals. When law enforcement agencies need to make their stats, they hunt in those neighborhoods: http://www.nytimes.com/2016/02/21/magazine/a-black-police-officers-fight-against-the-nypd.html Serial killers are often not caught for years if they hunt in poor  under-served  populations, the victims are often not considered victims, especially if they are for example prostitutes. My point is this, more American are being killed in one of our major cities than American in our current war zone...

We like to say there is no difference with people, that we are a melting pot, or that we are post racial and color-blind. I wish this were true. There is an issue of discrimination between people of color those who are not. We see the unequal treatment of minorities by law enforcement: “ Investigation of the Ferguson Police Department”  Ferguson Report Really the report is no shocker, the evidence was always right there plain to see. What really needs to be revealed is how many places all over the country have similar statistics; that would be a shocker because no one wants to hear that. We see the disparities of prison sentences or just the court system in general. We have 17 year old boys of color getting sentenced to life sentences with no hope of parole; basically we are raising prisoners not men.  Racial Disparities Or the case of Kalief Browder, held at Rikers Island for three years without trial at the age of 16, accused of a crime he did not commit....

Answering machines, the precursor to voicemail, were useful tools because you controlled them completely. They were not subject to automatic erasure after 30 days, you could screen calls, keep the voices of loved ones alive, and most importantly, people would actually leave you a message. I miss this era of technology! How many people leave voicemails nowadays? How many people check their voicemails regularly? Not enough it seems, because the amount of times I have heard “oh I do not ever check my voicemail” or “well I did not leave a message because you did not pick up” is killing me! How do you run your business without checking messages and how do you expect people to know you called if you do not leave a message? I personally am not looking for missed calls; I am looking for voicemail messages. Text messages will never replace voice communication, and nor should they. Text messages are impersonal, easy to misconstrue, and you have no clue who is really sending the ...

I have had a couple of interesting experiences recently which has prompted me to throw a couple of pointers when dealing with potential new clients: PICK UP THE PHONE. More often than not, if you do not pick up, I am going to go to the next name on the list, and if I must leave a message, do not make me wait too long before I hear back from you. SARCASM IS NEVER APPRECIATED. I am calling because I am researching information about whether your business can help me or not, so do not assume I researched you at this point or even know where you are located. PLEASE KNOW WHAT YOUR COMPETITORS ARE CHARGING SO YOU CAN COMPETE. Also, do not try and leave me with open ended prices after I have given you specifics because that will immediately rule you out. BE POLITE! You are trying to earn my business, so at least talk to me like you are interested in hearing what I have to say, try to pronounce my name correctly (ask if you cannot); just act like you care. Seems funny that someone ...