Perseverance-   

Don't be afraid to give your best to what seemingly are small jobs.  Every time you conquer one it makes you that much stronger.  If you do the little jobs well, the big ones will tend to take care of themselves.  ~Dale Carnegie

Edison failed 10,000 times before he made the electric light. Aren’t we glad he decided to persevere! Michael Jordan said, “I have failed over and over again, and that is why I succeed. Jordan was not afraid of failure, and that made him arguably the best basketball player to ever play the game.

After graduating from college Willie spent two years working for Disney; the number one entertainment company in the world. Disney’s founder, Walt Disney took his proposal to 301 different banks before getting a loan to build Disney Land. It seems that the most successful people are the ones who persevere.

In this presentation Mr. Spears discuss’ his attempts to find a publisher, past failures on standardized test, and the art of enjoying rejection.

SEX EDUCATION-

Sex education may be a good idea in the schools, but I don't believe the kids should be given homework”. ~Bill Cosby

           
Willie taught sex education for four years. Many educators don’t feel comfortable talking about this topic, and most students don’t feel comfortable sharing with a group. Mr. Spears finds a way to make students comfortable by being comfortable himself.

           
Topics covered by the author may included but are not limited to: disease prevention, sexually transmitted diseases, sexual myths, the power of a women, and abstinence.

THE EFFECTS OF POVERTY ON EDUCATION-

Poverty is the extent to which an individual does without resources. ~Ruby Payne

           
When most people think of poverty the first thing that comes to mind is a lack of finances. Mr. Spears read a book by Ruby Payne, A Framework for Understanding Poverty, and this literary work helped him understand why many students have trouble learning.

           
This topic will include personal examples as well as a discussion of the characteristics that help define educational poverty.

Well rounded-

Definition- fully or broadly developed; or having a broad educational background.

           
Having an education and being educated are two different things. The truth is: we don’t know what we don’t know. With that said- it is important to “be well-rounded”. Willie believes that all young people (ages 13-25) should explore many different activities, while they are trying to find themselves. It makes an individual more marketable, and ultimately more valuable.

           
Willie has played professional football, worked as a comedian, deejay, teacher, coach, minister, and now author. He is an example of being well rounded.

During this presentation the author explains the importance of not being type cast by friends, family, or society. He encourages students to get involved with extra curricular activities, and college students to find time to explore other avenues besides their decided major (and partying).

Keisha’s dilemma-

You can and should shape your own future, because if you don’t someone else surely will.        ~Joel Barker

           
The underlining theme of the book is “the decision’s you make today will determine your life tomorrow.” Willie believes that we are not born winners or losers, but choosers- and everyday we are making choices that will shape our tomorrow.

           
During this presentation, the author empowers the audience with information that will prompt them to take notice of their current actions- and make a change to better their future.

WHY ARE TEENAGERS SO STRESSED OUT?-

Stress- the way the body and mind responds to life changes. Teenagers go through significant change, including physical, emotional, social, and academic changes, teens feel that they are under more stress than every person on the earth.

           
Willie believes that the stresses of teenagers are brought on by low self-esteem, and undefined values. He finds a way to help adolescents realize that nothing is really a big deal, and it’s okay to fail- but not okay to not try. The students are put through different exercises to help them develop high self-esteem, and a develop strong sense of self. To reach what theorist Abraham Maslow said was almost impossible: self-actualization.

music-
"Music make you loose control."
-Missy Elliot, award winning song writer and performer

Willie believes music is one of the most powerful influences in the world. Our brain records music without our permission, and it affects our actions without our knowledge. Spears believes the music listened to by teenagers promote evil themes, which cause problems in the adolescent life:
Country music- promotes alcohol use and abuse
Hip Hop music- promotes drug use and abuse
R&B music- promotes sex outside of marriage
Pop music- promotes a vanity and greed
In this presentation Spears proves that music is dangerous, and can hinders teenagers positive contribution to society.




HOW DO YOU GO ABOUT WRITING A BOOK?-

If there's a book you really want to read, but it hasn't been written yet, then you must write it.  ~Toni Morrison

The Noble Prize winning author Toni Morrison sums up the reason Willie wrote Keisha’s Dilemma. He really wanted young people to read about the effects of bad decisions, but it seemed as if that book wasn’t written…so he wrote it. He wrote a book in the language of teenagers today, with issues relevant to their everyday situation- unlike the top selling young adult books on the market.

In this presentation Mr. Spears goes over the basic steps to writing a book and finding a publisher. He believes that his strength is not the writing process, but marketing.

The Dating Paradigm 
A paradigm is a set of assumptions, concepts, values, and practices that constitutes a way of viewing reality for the community that shares them. 
Willie is in the process of writing a book titled The dating paradigm. The divorce rate is a well known statistic. One definition of stupidity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. We continue dating and dating and dating, trying to figure out what type of person we want to marry. Willie believes that dating doesn't work, if it did so many marriages wouldn't end. These marriages are unsuccessful because the individuals have already participated in some many different "mock" marriages. Nothing is fresh and new, everything is old. Each spouse has also invested so many emotions into others that it is hard to give their all in the marriage. 
Willie belives dating should take place at age twenty-two when a person has matured enough and is independent enough to choose a suitable partner. This topic is very intriguing.