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jtroupe · 7 years ago

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where season 4 went wrong and how season 5 is making it right

season 4 was a trainwreck in writing, characteristion and general enjoyability. enough that i couldnt physically pull myself to finish the series, i just read the summaries and watched smaller clips. taking too many risks to stay relevant, season 4 ultimately ended up falling flat.

the first thing that can be immediately noticed is that the season 4 colour pallet is darker, setting the tone that this is a more gritty series. that sounds great on paper, this is a change for the next step, we’re losing a lot of older characters and this pushing an edgier tns is fitting. although promising at the start, it becomes apparent that the writers havent done their research on interesting dark plot points, and within 10 episodes, there is already 3 relationships going on at once.

we all know that tns has a problem with relationships. when a pair get together, in most cases, the woman loses a great chunk of her personality and all scenes end up with her guy. the main talking point is the james/riley/alfie drama, and let’s be honest, it’s wholly unnessesary and out-of-character. james leaves for england, and after an episode or two, riley starts crushing on prince boy alfie. now i’m not an expert on jiley, nor do i particularly like the pair, but i expected that after all theyve been through, their relationship would be strong enough to withstand a swiss prince. nevertheless, this storyline worked in the producers’ favour as it riled up the fanbase and got them commited. that doesn’t keep it from being badly written and unneded.

noah getting with amanda baffles me to this day. amanda went from being a complex character with an interesting personality and backstory to the complete opposite just because she saw a guys muscles. not to mention that amanda was the dance captain of elite’s A troupe while noah was in J troupe, but thats a story for another day. i can imagine the writers’ reasoning for this relationship is that they didnt have anything else to do with amanda, so they spun a wheel and gave her a boyfriend. another indicator that this storyline was pointless is that they just break up at the end of the series because amanda goes on tour. no one grew from the experience, it ended in nothing. noah is the same girl-obsessed, whiny, unlikable character that he was at the start.

i know very little about what came of sloane/latroy/amy, as i didnt stay to find out. but i can say that it was unnessasary all the same. one of the diamonds in the rough of s4 was the friendship between sloane and latroy, they were fun and likable at the start, their friendship was strong and i wholly enjoyed the scenes they had together. then the curse of the tns writers came in and latroy gained a crush on amy because She Was A Woman He Was In Close Proximity To Once. then after that confusion, in hope of getting fans riled up again, they through sloane in there to be jealous. i dont think i have to further explain why that was dumb.

the writers desperately try to give screentime to the abundance of characters theyve introduced, while still giving spotlight to the relationship drama. this just leaves them with characters who are half-developed and one-sided. michelle gaining a more mature personality was interesting, along with her coming to accept change. but she does little else because there simply wasn’t any time to do anything else with her. cassie is another character that recieved nothing, although being branded as a main character, she got no development or meaningful story and left at the end of the season for an unknown reason. we can compare this to hunter, who although being present for only one season, developed meaningfully and was interesting althroughout the season. unfortunately, as i’ve stated, the writers were biting off too much for them to chew in season 4.

riley becomes studio head in season 4, and i’m certain it was just fanservice. riley wasn’t ready to become studio head and her character proved that. and it didn’t end up being a good learning experience for riley’s character, it made the slowness of their journey to regionals frustrating and a lot of the time i wanted to reach into my screen and slap our new studio head. for a fan-favourite character, she really wasn’t doing herself any favours. losing regionals could have been a shock and an eye-opener of how much the series is changing. but after the mess of the troupe althroughout the series, i actually wanted them to lose regionals.

overall, season 4 was an experiment gone wrong. after that trainwreck, i was extremely reluctant to even bother watching season 5, because i was rightfully afraid that i’d just be dissapointed and bored for a second time. but i persisted as i heard that emily would be returning as studio head, something i wanted for season 4. then apon watching, i was really surprised. everything that made me hate season 4 seemed to be resolving itself right before my eyes.

emily was reintroduced as studio head of the next step, her ruthlessness in the audition reminded me of how much i loved emily, as she was kicking A troupe into shape to make sure they became a winning competitive team. daniel as choreographer also left me with a pleasant feeling. michelle gets angry about how cutthroat emily is being at the audition, and goes off to form her own troupe, setting the story of season 5. the inclusion of two whole teams left me worried that the writers would have trouble giving screentime to everyone, but i was proven wrong.

most of the characters were getting scenes that were interesting, and they each had personality traits that had a lot of room for exploration. 18 episodes in and there’s only one romantic relationship of noah and jacquie. and you know what? its not awful! as we didnt know jacquie prior, only by name, her getting with noah was no problem as it didnt tarnish anything already set in stone. what really shook me was that jacquie was allowed other personality traits outside of noah. now That gives me hope of any future relationships that may happen

the pacing of season 5 feels natural, as there are points that mark progression for both teams. the split, the growing anger between michelle and emily, the dance battle, and the eventual union of both troupes. the series is moving along and its not sacrificing character building to do so. even elliot, a character who showed up for 5 episodes max, got a well-paced, interesting storyline. the only fanservice i can pick up on for season 5 is the nods and paralles towards seasons 1 and 2, which are not to be frowned apon as it leaves a good taste in the mouths of dedicated fans who have been there from the start, not the fans who joined in halfway or fans who watch from time to time.

after erasing the constant drama that seemed to be the mantra of season 4, season 5 blossomed into the well-rounded series reminicant of the earlier seasons. i’d like to applaud whoever took a step back after the previous season and re-evaluated what the core elements of the next step really were and made sure those were woven into season 5.

days are still early and we’re not even at the mid series point, but so far, there is major improvement in season 5 as it cleans the grit and smoothens the edges of season 4. i’m excited to see what it becomes, and that’s coming from someone who’s a stubborn fan of early seasons.

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wellpersonsblog · 6 years ago

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The 7 Supplements I Take, 2019 Edition

Yep, seven. Kind of a lot for a “whole foods” guy, right?

Don’t worry, I’ll explain.

If you’re even a casual NMA reader, you know it’s been a loooong time since I wrote two blog posts in a week. We’re talking years, I think.

Well, I’m here to boldly declare that I’m back. My goal for the year, No Meat Athlete’s 10th anniversary year, is to write a blog post per week, on average. Not because I should, but because I really want to — the time away has renewed my enthusiasm. And after going for so long without writing regularly, I’ve got a lot I’m excited to share.

But writing more is just one of my goals. This year, I gave myself permission to set a bunch of them — not just one or two, like I usually tell people is best — and to make them BIG.

Upgrading the OS

It didn’t take long, though, for me to realize that in order to do more, my “operating system” needs to be better — which means upgrading my daily habits, and to pay particular attention to nutrition, since that affects just about everything else.

For several years now I’ve been careful to cover the bases: vitamin B12, vitamin D, and DHA/EPA, just to safeguard myself against common deficiencies of a vegan diet (and many other diets, too, by the way). But now I’m paying more attention to things like sleep, recovery from workouts, nagging injuries, and even long-term prevention — and because of that, I find myself both more diligent and more experimental with supplements.

Don’t worry, this isn’t the post where Matt turns into a biohacker. In general, my philosophy is still “whole foods first,” and probably always will be. (Not the store — in that case, it’s actually “Whole Foods second,” after we’ve gotten everything we can at a cheaper place!)

In fact, you’ll see that several of what I call “supplements” actually are whole foods; it’s just that I take them like a robot would take fuel. If robots ran on fuel.

So here goes. I’ve listed the daily dose I take next to each.

1. Complement (provides B12, D3, and DHA/EPA) — This one is actually a three-for. I’ve written about Complement at length, since it’s the supplement I created, so I won’t spend long on this one. In a nutshell, here’s why the nutrients it provides are so important:

Vitamin B12 (1000mcg) is just about a no-brainer for vegans. I know there are still a few purists out there who say we can get enough B12 from dirty produce, but I just don’t see the point. Even many non-vegans are deficient in B12, and when I didn’t take it in my first few years of being vegan, I experienced symptoms of deficiency. So I take it, and make sure my kids do too.

Vitamin D3 (2000IU) is the best form of vitamin D, which our bodies make in response to sunlight. Unfortunately, the combination of our modern, indoorsy lifestyles (plus knowledge about the dangers of UV exposure) and a plant-based diet leaves many of us “D-ficient.” Dr. Greger and others recommend supplementing with 2,000 IU of vitamin D daily, so that’s what I take.

Finally, DHA (300mg) and EPA (70mg) are two long-chain omega-3 fatty acids that are important for brain health. We can get ALA, which is another omega-3, from vegan foods like flaxseeds and walnuts, so many vegans assume they’ve got omega-3’s covered. But it turns out that although some people can efficiently convert ALA into DHA and EPA, many cannot. I haven’t done the testing to know whether I or my wife and kids can, so that’s why I take it in supplement form, derived from algae.

You can learn more about Complement here, but see the note at the bottom of this blog post first.

2. Creatine (5g) — This is strictly for building muscle and increasing strength, so I only take creatine when I’m trying to bulk up or doing a strength sport. Creatine is an amino acid that our bodies do make, so it’s not essential. And although we’re completely fine without it, I find it absolutely helps me to build muscle, and the extra motivation that comes from that is reason enough to take it, given that it’s well-studied and appears to be completely safe. (There’s some evidence to suggest creatine helps vegetarians perform better on tests of memory, too.)

3. Magnesium (350mg) — As I mentioned in a recent podcast episode (“Matt’s Quest for Deeper Sleep”), lately I’ve been obsessed with increasing the amount of deep sleep I get each night, as measured by an OURA ring that tells me how much time I spend in each sleep phase.

I get plenty of total sleep, and plenty of REM sleep, but very little deep sleep (which, oddly, is not as “deep” as REM). Deep sleep is very important for tissue repair and recovery. I haven’t figured out whether my body just happens to need less deep sleep than others, or whether it’s something about my diet, lifestyle, and sleep habits that prevents me from getting more of it.

I’ve been experimenting with a lot of small changes, ranging from obvious ones — like eliminating light from my bedroom at night and limiting screen time after about 7pm — to making changes to my diet (especially around caffeine and alcohol) and supplementing.

Magnesium is a mineral that’s associated with improved sleep and helpful in the absorption of iodine (see below), so it’s a natural one to test.

I’ve only been taking magnesium for 10 days or so, but I suspect that it’s responsible for adding roughly 10 minutes of deep sleep each night. Which doesn’t seem like much, but when I typically only get 30 minutes or so, I’ll take whatever I can get!

Once I figure this shiz out, I’ll write a whole blog post about my sleep project.

‘Supplements’ that are Actually Food

4. Brazil nut (1 small one provides ~100mcg selenium) — We don’t need much selenium, but we absolutely need it. Selenium deficiency is linked to certain cancers, Alzheimer’s disease, and Parkinson’s disease. And, thanks to soil depletion, most plant-based diets are low in selenium. Luckily, a single, small Brazil nut each day provides more than enough. So I eat one a day, in my smoothie, and selenium is taken care of.

(Incidentally, one of the reasons I love the daily smoothie is that it’s easy to toss in things like a Brazil nut, flaxseeds, a slice of turmeric… things I want to eat each day but don’t show up in my diet on their own.)

5. Iodized salt (60mcg iodine per quarter-teaspoon salt) — Let’s be clear here, there’s no reason to supplement with salt; in fact we should limit our intake. It’s the iodine that I want; the fortified salt just happens to be a convenient way to get it.

Iodine used to be in our soil, but with modern agriculture, it’s less plentiful in our food than it once was. Which wouldn’t be a big deal, except that iodine deficiency affects two billion people (!) and is the leading preventable cause of intellectual and developmental disabilities.

Which is why they put it in our salt. Except we vegans like to be natural, so many of us choose unrefined sea salt… which usually doesn’t have iodine added to it.

Non-vegans actually get some iodine from the cleaning products used on dairy processing equipment that make their way into the milk, so it’s less a concern for them. Vegans should make sure we have an iodine source, whether supplemental or with fortified salt.

6. Tart cherry juice (1oz concentrate or 8oz juice) — Tart cherry juice has been shown to reduce inflammation and muscle soreness after workouts, which is why I’ve been a fan for a long time.

Most days out of the week now, I do Muay Thai, a form of kickboxing, and get pretty beat up in the process. So I have a renewed interest in the benefits tart cherries provide.

I don’t like to drink any juice on a daily basis; in general whole fruit is much better. But immediately after workouts is one time when juice may be one of the best things we can consume, for its speed in reaching the bloodstream. So that’s when I try to take my tart cherry juice, about an ounce a day.

7. Turmeric (1 tsp ground or a quarter-inch slice fresh) — Faddish, perhaps, but I think turmeric is legit. There’s a lot of research about how it can help with everything from muscle repair to recovering from hospital surgery, not to mention reducing the risks of cancer and heart disease.

Dr. Greger recommends either a quarter-teaspoon of ground turmeric or a quarter-inch slice of the fresh root daily. Fresh and ground actually do different things, so I try to mix them up, and almost always eat it in combination with black pepper to increase bioavailability.

If I don’t use ground turmeric in cooking or don’t add a slice of fresh to my smoothie, then at night I’ll take it in pill form (turmeric, not just curcumin). But I much prefer getting it in whole-food form.

Blurring the Food/Supplement Line

I actually could go further with the “foods I view as supplements” list, but there’s not a clear dividing line between these and the rest of my food.

For example, green tea. I don’t really drink it like tea: in order to extract the most nutrients, I steep it at close to boiling temperature and for much longer than the tea-types recommend, producing a drink far more tannic and bitter than green tea traditionally is. Or I’ll put the tea leaves directly into my smoothie, not for flavor but for nutrition. Similar with flaxseeds — I don’t eat them as snacks like I do other nuts and seeds; instead I just add them to my smoothie because I know how healthy they are.

But I had to draw the line somewhere. So I did.

What’s Missing?

Believe it or not, there are two other supplements I believe I should be taking, but am not, simply because it’s not convenient to take more pills and I’ve been lazy about it. These are zinc and vitamin K2, both of which are likely deficiencies in plant-based diets.

Zinc: Beans provide plenty of zinc; the problem is that the phytates in beans interfere with absorption. Zinc may be especially important for heart health, and given family history, this is important to me.

K2: Vegans can get plenty of K1 from leafy greens, but K2 isn’t found in almost any plant-based foods, especially not in the West. (It is in natto, a Japanese, fermented soy product, but unfortunately not in tempeh, sauerkraut, or other fermented foods in reliable and appreciable amounts.) K2 is important for both bone and heart health, so not something I want to be missing.

To the Rescue…

Good news here, though. This week, an upgraded version of Complement, called Complement Plus, ships for the first time. (Mine is supposed to arrive today!)

It’s in capsule form instead of a spray, and for me will drastically simplify my supplementation routine, not just by filling the zinc and K2 void, but also by providing iodine, selenium, magnesium (all of which I’m currently making the effort to get into my diet), and of course the “Big 3” that are already in Complement.

When I first announced Complement Plus last year as a pre-order, we sold through everything we had allocated for it. But now we’ve got a few hundred bottles from this first shipment that we can sell, so next week I’ll send the details about how to get a special NMA-reader discount on Complement Plus.

If you’re thinking about getting Complement or Complement Plus, I’d join the email list and wait until then.

It feels great to be writing again. Look for a new post from me next week, and every week after that!

The post The 7 Supplements I Take, 2019 Edition appeared first on No Meat Athlete.

First found here: The 7 Supplements I Take, 2019 Edition

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athena29stone · 7 years ago

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Amazing Grace Adkins – my 89 year old learning lab director and the most amazing woman I know

Grace Adkins on episode 191 of the 10-Minute Teacher Podcast

From the Cool Cat Teacher Blog by Vicki Davis

Follow @coolcatteacher on Twitter

Mrs. Grace Adkins is a hero, mentor, and teacher to many. With a 56-year generation-spanning career as an educator, Mrs. Adkins approaches her 90th birthday still teaching, loving kids, and riding over 100 miles on her bike each week. Meet a truly remarkable woman and a personal mentor, Mrs. Grace Adkins.

FlexPath – only at Capella University – lets teachers work at their own pace to earn their MEd in a competency-based learning format. This subscription-based tuition model doesn’t limit the number of courses you can complete during each 12-week period, enrolling in up to two courses at once, for one flat tuition rate. Go to coolcatteacher.com/flexpath to get your free FlexPath guide and see if Capella’s FlexPath option is right for you.

Listen Now

Listen to the show on iTunes or Stitcher

Stream by clicking here.

Below is an enhanced transcript, modified for your reading pleasure. For guests and hyperlinks to resources, scroll down.

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Enhanced Transcript

Amazing Grace Adkins – my 89 year old learning lab director and the most amazing woman I know

Shownotes: www.coolcatteacher.com/e191 Monday, November 13, 2017

Vicki: This week we’re airing some special episodes of interviews of people that I am particularly thankful for in my life.

Now, Ms. Grace Adkins was my fourth-grade teacher and an inspiration to me. She has been teaching for 56 years. She is our Learning Lab Director here at Westwood Schools. I can tell you, in my life, she’s probably the most amazing person that I know.

She inspires me every day. I want to be like her when I grow up. She is just an incredible person.

So, Ms. Adkins, you’ve taught for 56 years, so you’ve taught for quite some time, and you’re not even slowing down yet. You don’t look like it at all, and you’re getting close to that 90th birthday there.

What keeps you in education?

Grace: There’s always another child to help. And you don’t give up on children.

Vicki: Now you have some amazing kids that people had given up on. Tell us some of the things that your students who struggle with learning differences are now doing.

Grace: Well, I have one that is a vascular surgeon. He wrote everything backwards, had ADHD, and we had an educational prescription that we filled – and his parents filled at home – and he didn’t give up. His family didn’t give up. And WE didn’t give up. And so there he is.

And of course, I have many others, too, that you wonder if they’re going to make it. But you keep on working with them every day. And… they make it. Big time! (laughs)

Vicki: Yeah. I mean, two of my children have learning differences. And you just always helped me coach.

What’s your secret for not giving up?

Grace: Well, that gives me a reason to get up every morning! I get up at 3:00, ride my exercise bike 10 miles, drive 18 miles to school. So I’m inspired to meet whatever comes each day.

Vicki: So let’s talk about that routine, because actually, you have some family members who have ended up on the radio in Atlanta because nobody can believe your routine. Tell us your routine of what you do in a typical day.

Grace: Well, I just told you part of what I do, but I get up and I ride my bike 10 miles in the morning. And then I have my morning devotional.

I am the guidepost for a book of devotions that Mr. Woodruff funded. I didn’t know he did that until after he was dead.

And then I have another Bible study that I do every morning. And then I write down quotes that I want to go through the day with. You know, we’re never alone. We always have somebody with us. The Lord provides.

Vicki: Now you read more than anybody I know.

Grace: Oh, I read 30 or 40 books a year.

Vicki: When do you read?

Grace: Well, I read some this morning. I’m now reading another book by Pat Williams.

Vicki: Oh, we love Pat Williams! Ms. Adkins and I talk books all the time.

Who is this Mr. Woodruff?

Now, we want the listeners to know about who this amazing Mr. Woodruff is, that Ms. Adkins is talking about. Would you tell us what your husband did, and a little bit about Mr. Woodruff because he’s really instrumental in us even having a Learning Lab here at Westwood.

Grace: Well, my husband and I moved to the plantation when we were 27 years old.

Vicki: And we’re talking about Ichauway Plantation in Baker County.

Grace: Mr. R.W. Woodruff. He was one of the greatest men I ever knew. He wanted to help everybody and make a difference. He started his plantation in 1928. The year we were born, my husband and I. And then my husband was there from age 27 until he died at age 80. He was still a consultant for the plantation.

But Mr. Woodruff, when he bought the plantation, saw someone have what they call a “rigor.” And he asked what was wrong with that man. And they said, “Well, he has malaria.”

Vicki: That went on to become the CDC (Center for Disease Control). Of course, Mr. Woodruff’s claim to fame, I guess, is being the head of Coca-Cola. And I have to say that my husband, Kip, also works at the Joseph W. Jones Ecological Center, which is on Ichauway Plantation now. So we do have quite a love of that.

Grace: There’s just no end to what he’s done.

Vicki: Yes. There are many, many books on Mr. Woodruff. I think the thing that’s amazing about Ms. Adkins is that so many of his habits – his habit of reading, his love of people, his desire to make a difference – are all part of who you are, too. You’ve kind of spread that to us, to me.

My favorite book is Mr. Anonymous: Robert W. Woodruff of Coca-Cola

Let’s go back to learning differences. I know some people call them disabilities, but I just feel like everybody learns differently.

Pioneering Work With Learning Disabilities

So you were one of the pioneers in reaching kids with learning disabilities. Tell us what you did.

Grace: Well… the first year I taught was 1946. It was my mission from then on to find out why bright children did not always do well in school. I knew they were bright. From 1946 on, that was my mission to find out.

It took me 30 years, because I was in the Reading Department.

And your answers are not in reading.

I met a neuropsychologist after 30 years. So the way to reach these children is through neurology and psychology applied to education. That’s what we’ve done since 1976.

Vicki: That was Dr. Wagner, right?

Grace: (agrees) And then I met another neuropsychologist. I’d been all over the country to international conferences. This other neuropsychologist that I heard speak in Atlanta in 1981, again in 1983 in Washington D.C., and again in New York in 1986. Then I flew her down here.

Vicki: What was her name?

Grace: Dr. Rosa Hagin. The Center in New York Medical Center was named for her.

I flew her down from New York to Atlanta, and my daughter brought her here to try to help us at Westwood.

Now what I found in 1981 was an evaluation she and Dr. Archie Silver had developed at the Rosa Hagan Center. It was to identify pre-academic skills necessary for academic success.

So from that, I came back. A friend of mine Louise Stevenson. I said, “I found what I’ve been looking for – an evaluation to identify those children that don’t have the necessary skills to be in academics. We started using it, and she said, “Rosa Hagin, a college classmate, and was voted the most likely to succeed.”

Vicki: That’s the Search and Teach Program…

Grace: (agrees)

Vicki: … Which is really the reason that all of our kids are reading… Pretty much most of our kids are reading at the end of K-4.

Grace: I found another evaluation, and I got the school psychologist up on it. She evaluates our 3-year-olds leaving – some of them are 4 by then, leaving that program. And we have an evaluation on them when they leave the 3-year program now.

Vicki: What’s the name of that program?

Grace: Well, it tells whether their social skills and all different types of skills that are necessary for success – whether they are in place or developing.

The Learning Lab Organization

Vicki: People all over the world, I guess, can understand. She always has guests coming in and watching what we’re doing in the Lab. So much of it is one-on-one personal attention, isn’t it, Ms. Adkins?

Grace: (agrees) It is. All of the work is done one-on-one in the Lab.

We have children in the elementary side through fifth grade. If they have a prescription, we bring them in. At first, we do the Search Screening and give them two weeks to get into their routine while we grade summer work. Then we start filling those Search prescriptions and they’re psychological. And that’s one-on-one.

Vicki: Now all these years that I’ve struggled having two of my three kids with learning differences, you’ve always encouraged me. What do you tell the parents who are listening who – they know their child is bright. They look in their eyes. They know they’re bright. But right now, they’re just not performing. What do you say to those parents?

Grace: I tell them, “Don’t give up.” We see possibilities in each child. And we don’t stop until we find out how they learn. We develop a program fitted to them.

Vicki: Yeah. But that can be done anywhere, right? Not everybody can come and be in your Lab. You’ve done – you know, there are some parents who know that their child is bright, and they can’t find anybody to help them.

Grace: Well, I’m having that all the time, from all over southwest Georgia and from the Florida panhandle and Orlando. All around, they’ve brought their children for me to evaluate.

Vicki: But you know, here’s the thing… Doesn’t it make you angry when kids aren’t able to get the help they need?

Grace: Well… I try not to let that happen if I meet them.

I saw a lady in the doctor’s office yesterday, Dr. Goldsmith. And I saw these two little boys smiling, and she was. When I sat down, of course, I spoke with them. They were looking so pleased. She said, “I know you. You taught my little boys. And I couldn’t bring them from Worth County, but I’m homeschooling him, doing what you told me to do.”

And I told the little boy – he’s sixth grade now – and I said, “I taught Dr. Goldsmith in sixth grade.”

Vicki: Ahhhh…

Grace: And that’s who he was seeing. So, the parent is feeling what we had set up.

Vicki: So, Ms. Adkins, have you ever made a mistake? What do you think your biggest mistake is that you might have ever made, somewhere in that teaching career?

Grace: Well… I don’t know. Every problem I saw, I tried to solve. And I didn’t stop until I found a solution. You can’t give up when it’s a child’s life.

Vicki: Yes.

Teaching the Whole Child

Grace: One of my students on the board told me the other day, “I know the ‘artist’ because you taught me in third grade and sixth grade.

Vicki: She always brought artists in and then checked them out from the library, and so we all know our artwork. It’s not just about reading and writing and arithmetic. It’s about living life.

Grace: You teach the whole child.

Vicki: Yes.

So as we finish up, I know that recently you got certified for Growing Leaders, so you’re still educating yourself often.

Organizing Finances

One time you told me something about how you organize your money. I don’t know if you remember the percentages.

Grace: I have a young lady who does houses, and she doesn’t do anybody’s but mine now, but she’s going to do mine. She’s gone into photography and made a lot of money going into photography. So she quit doing houses.

The first time she ??? on Phillip Phillips. She was the photographer. She came to my house on Saturday, and she walked in and said she was going to give her money to give her first 10% to the Lord. She’s going to give all that money.

I said, you’ve got to get on this 70-10-10-10 (plan). You live on the 70%. You put 10% on a passbook savings. You put 10% like if you need a new camera…

She said, “Oh I do need a new camera!”

And the other 10%…

Vicki: It’s your tithe, isn’t it?

Grace: Oh yes. Tithing. It’s 10% to tithe, 10% to passbook savings, 10% to buy new equipment. If you need a lawnmower, buy a lawnmower.

And she said, “Oh I do need…”

Vicki: You invest in yourself, and you invest in the things that you need.

Grace: That’s right.

Vicki: And it just makes so much sense.

So you’re big into motivational books and motivational quotes. You’re kind of one of the first people that really – besides my mom, who got me into reading.

Who are your favorite authors?

Grace: Well, Pat Williams… Dr. Henry Cloud…

Vicki: Love Henry Cloud…

Grace: Andy Andrews… and those are, in the last 10-20 years. But I’ve had some over the years, like Norman Vincent Peale.

Vicki: So Ms. Adkins, as we finish up this interview…

You have lived an amazing life. You still live an amazing life. You have more energy than almost anybody I know. You’re riding all these miles on your bike, and what do you think the secret is to living a great life?

What is the secret is to living a great life?

Grace: Well, first, you put the Lord first and do His will.

But then you have to do your part by eating right, exercising… and read. Keep your mind alert.

So I read good books, 30-40 a year, and I share them.

Vicki: So do you think that teaching and working with kids with learning differences for 56 years has been worth it?

Grace: Oh yes. And that’s what keeps me going, is my family and my connections with my children at school and my church.

Vicki: Well, Ms. Adkins is one who is remarkable. I talk all the time about being remarkable.

I hope that you can see that having her in my life, inspiring me to be more remarkable…

I don’t feel like I can even hold a candle to you, Ms. Adkins. You always inspire me.

I remember one time somebody said they went off with you to some professional development. Maybe it’s been 20-30 years ago. They woke up at 5:00 in the morning at you were jumping rope. (laughs)

I think you were in your fifties then. So you were a spring chicken, and you’re jumping rope. And you always exercised. You always worked hard to eat right.

And you are just amazing, and doing so well. And you’re still transforming lives. It’s just who you are.

Grace: Well, I couldn’t take my exercise bike with me, and my trampoline, so I have a mini-trampoline. I would jump rope, jump on the trampoline every morning before I came to school. And ride my bike. But now I can take my rope with me.

Vicki: That’s right. Well, I hope you’ve enjoyed getting to meet Ms. Adkins. She’s an amazing woman. I love her very much, and I’m very grateful for her role in my life.

Honestly, I went to her my junior year. I didn’t have the SATs I needed to go to Georgia Tech, which was my dream college. And way back – this was in 1985-86, she actually had computer software to help me improve my SAT score. My score went up about 200 points with a lot of hard work.

I was able to go to Georgia Tech. Now I’m back here. So, you could say that I wouldn’t be anything at all, really, without Ms. Adkins believing in me and helping me and helping every day when I was a child.

Transcribed by Kymberli Mulford [email protected]

Bio as submitted

Grace Adkins is the Learning Lab Director at Westwood Schools in Camilla, Georgia. She earned her M.Ed. at Georgia Southwestern State University. She has been working at the school for decades and was Miss Vicki’s 4th-grade teacher. She is an avid reader and shares many of her books with the students at Westwood. She believes every child is a winner and it is her mission to help them become winners.

Disclosure of Material Connection: This is a “sponsored podcast episode.” The company who sponsored it compensated me via cash payment, gift, or something else of value to include a reference to their product. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I believe will be good for my readers and are from companies I can recommend. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.) This company has no impact on the editorial content of the show.

The post Amazing Grace Adkins – my 89 year old learning lab director and the most amazing woman I know appeared first on Cool Cat Teacher Blog by Vicki Davis @coolcatteacher helping educators be excellent every day. Meow!

from Cool Cat Teacher BlogCool Cat Teacher Blog http://www.coolcatteacher.com/e191/

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viralhottopics · 8 years ago

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‘Persona 5’ reviews are in and — surprise! — everyone’s a fan

Image: Atlus

Persona 5 is great.

Yes, that’s not exactly news. The game launched in Japan last September, so we already knew that Atlus nailed the series’ first full sequel in almost 10 years. But it’s finally out in the U.S. on April 4, and the English-language reviews are in.

SEE ALSO: ‘Mass Effect: Andromeda’ is a forgettable, tedious trudge

It’s very long. It moves slowly at times. If you’re not a fan of Japanese RPGs, it’s a flat-out tough sell. But the art is jaw droppingly gorgeous, the sprawling story is easy to get hooked on and the dungeon-crawling is driven by a nifty, uniquely Persona take on combat.

In short: Atlus did it. Here’s what the critics have to say.

Eurogamer (Kassandra Khaw)

Real talk: if you’ve played Persona, if you’ve enjoyed JRPGs, if you even have a passing interest in Japanese media, there’s absolutely no reason to read this frankly ponderous review. Persona 5 is everything you’ve wanted: style and substance distilled into an experience worth waging cultural wars for.

If you don’t like JRPGs, well, I can’t help you there.

Everyone else? Buckle in.

GameSpot (Lucy James)

Persona 5 is a game overflowing with style. From bold black and red menus that leap off the screen to the pop-and-lock of scene transitions that carry the player from one colorful corner of Tokyo to the next, it’s a game about youthful exuberance and the power that lies within it. But its beauty isn’t just skin deep. Persona 5‘s gameplay systems evolve and coalesce over its 80+ hours to deliver a confidently executed role-playing experience that is not only satisfying, but worth the almost decade-long wait since Persona 4.

Image: Atlus

Like its predecessors, it’s part social simulator, part dungeon crawler. By day, you’re a high school studentbusy taking classes, visiting cafes, watching movies, and hanging out with friends. But by night you are the leader of the Phantom Thieves, a ragtag troupe of idealistic teenagers that infiltrate a parallel reality called the Metaverse.

Kotaku (Kirk Hamilton)

Much of Persona 5 comes down to efficient schedule management. (Its more exciting than it sounds.) You attend classes by day, then after school you make a choice: do you go to your job at the flower shop, or do you head into an alternate dimension and do battle? Or maybe you just want to hang out with that cute fortune-teller girl you met in the seedy part of town? Which activity will yield the greatest dividends, and which will feel like a waste of time?

On a given day you are usually given two blocks of time to fill: the after-school block and the evening block. Whatever you decide, youre necessarily setting aside your other options for another day. Choose to go to the batting range after school and you wont have time to visit the sexy doctor youve befriended. Spend your evening reading or making thieving tools and youll miss out on the chance to be interviewed by a local crime reporter. And if you spend the day dungeon-crawling and demon-fighting, youll be too tired in the evening to do anything but sleep.

With each passing day, the games calendar moves forward, inexorably pushing you closer to the conclusion. You have a couple hundred days; do with them what you will.

Ars Technica (Steven Strom)

Persona 5 can get away with its slow pace thanks to a striking and effective frame narrative that ducks in and out of the plot from the very beginning. After the casino heist goes wrong in the plot’s first major beat, the protagonist, codenamed Joker, is carted off into police custody. Most of the rest of the game is told in flashback as a bruised, beaten Joker is interrogated about his actions and those of his teammates.

Image: Atlus

Said teammates are called “Confidants” in Persona 5, a slight rebranding of the “Social Links” from the last two Persona titles. These are the fore- and background characters whose relationships with the main character form the backbone of the Persona series these days.”

Arcade Sushi (Sarah LeBoeuf)

With each passing day, the games calendar moves forward, inexorably pushing you closer to the conclusion. You have a couple hundred days; do with them what you will.r. Before he can even get settled in, he has a run-in with an abusive coach, finds h series these days.ar-perfection in the previous Persona games to make fighting something of a game within itself. Discovering enemies weaknesses and how best to exploit them, leveraging your real-life friendships to get more out of your teammates in these alternate realities, managing health and SP (mana), and even deciding what to do with the shadows once youve knocked them down are all part of the battles.

Polygon (Philip Kollar)

Those dungeons are excellent, by the way, and by far the biggest single point of improvement between Persona 5 and its predecessors. Rather than the randomized dungeons of past games, each “Palace” in the Metaverse is a meticulously designed setpiece, a series of challenges ranging from stealth to puzzles to just plain combat. Exploring dungeons was often one of the most boring parts of past Persona games; now its a delight that constantly pushed me into new ways of playing.

Image: Atlus

If you miss the old randomized dungeons, they do still exist in a totally optional form. Since you cannot return to the main story dungeons once theyve been completed, grinding is relegated to Mementos, a labyrinth that gets deeper and full of more dangerous opponents the further into the game you progress. Mementos provides a nice space to search for loot and complete side missions including some that youll be sent on by your confidants to progress your relationship with them but you can also completely ignore it if youd rather not worry about it.

Digital Trends(Michael Rougeau)

Many of things that make Persona 5 compelling were present in Persona 3 or Persona 4 as well, but, mechanically, the game just feels better, and easier to handle. Many of the games biggest improvements technically amount to simple quality of life changes game developer speak for small improvements that make a big difference. When walking around Tokyo, for example, you can easily open the map to check which social links are at what locations, then easily fast travel directly to them. Friends and contacts who want to hang out will often text you directly, making your life a little less stressful as you deliberate what to do with your time.

Similarly, P5 retains its puzzle-style fighting system, which focuses on discovering enemies elemental weaknesses, but now once you do, you can tap a button to have the game select a good move for you, saving time. New abilities let you pass your turn to teammates to set up strategic timing, or even swap teammates out in the middle of battle. Plus, you now gain new personas magical spirits that grant your main character more powerful abilities through a fun interrogation mini-game.

The list goes on. New players will marvel at how easily Persona 5s interface and features keep the game accessible and easy to navigate, and series veterans will wonder how they ever lived without this stuff.

GamesRadar+ (Susan Arendt)

Persona 5 is just about perfect in every way it can be, with the sole exception of its pacing in the final acts. The last two dungeons are a slog, forcing you to solve a series of similar puzzles long after they’ve lost their ability to either challenge or intrigue. It’s an aggravating misstep at what should be the most thrilling part of the entire journey, but the revelation of the villain’s true identity reinvigorates the sluggish pace before it loses all momentum. It should also be mentioned that players already familiar with Persona‘s basic format will likely find themselves feeling constricted by the game’s opening hours, which gently ease newcomers into the many, many different systems at play. It’s a fair frustration, but the tradeoff is Persona 5 being an ideal entry point to anyone new to its peculiarities but intrigued by its promise.

Other than that, Persona 5 is simply phenomenal. The voice acting is outstanding, the music is genius, the art style is so slick it’ll raise your personal coolness level just from being in close proximity to it. Playing Persona 5 will make your hair glossier, increase your vocal range by an octave and add 7.32 years to your overall life expectancy. Play it enough times and you’ll likely not only be able to levitate but also make a perfect omelette while in midair. It’s that good.

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