Week 8
Week in Review
Monday November 21, 2016
The only way to remove poverty is to create new jobs and create more wealth. There are only a few people who can lead the creation of these enterprises and create jobs and wealth. These people need incentives to create wealth in a fair manner. It is not the responsibility of the government to create jobs or wealth. The government’s task is to create an environment where a fair incentive system encourages people to create more jobs and more wealth. An entrepreneur’s journey starts in many different places. My peers and I have been fortunate enough to get our start in PEP on the Sanders Estes Unit. PEP covers many different angles of living productive entrepreneurial lives. There are many amazing activities I could enlighten you on about this program, but I am going to limit this journal entry to today’s activities.
Today we studied Living in the Village. This book is about overcoming destructive spending habits. Today we specifically went over the power of proper estate planning for married couples. We all need to step back and face the truth that money in a relationship does make a difference. You can turn over your body, heart and soul to someone but the union will never be complete unless you link your fortunes as well. I know that when I apply the entrepreneurship knowledge and estate planning knowledge that I’ve learned, my life will be happier and more peaceful in the future.
Anthony J. (a.k.a. Young and the Restless)
Tuesday November 22, 2016
Today we started bright and early by studying for a variety of tests. You just never know when we will get a pop quiz. As soon as we enter the PEP room the first thing we do is get our name tags on and turn in any homework assignments that we might have had. As soon as we sit down we hear those famous words echoing across the room. “Place everything under your seat please. It is now test time”
Today we had a double dose of quizzes. First we were quizzed over Living in the Village and the on business etiquette. As soon as we finished testing some Servant-Leaders started giving instructions on some of the assignment that we will have soon. I tried to focus but I needed to get out of my seat in order stay awake – class can be exhausting at times. Just as soon as I got back to my seat, Art History flashed on the smart board.
Art History is not the most boring of subjects, however it is known for putting some to sleep. Everything in class is subject to being tested on though, so it is in our best interest to pay attention. Those thoughts were going through my mind when all of a sudden the lights turned on and we heard the words, “Put everything under your seats please. It is now test time.” We had a pop quiz over what we had just watched; it was only a one-question quiz, mainly to see if we were paying attention. PEP has a very effective way of keeping us on our toes.
Johnathan J. (a.k.a. Muffler Smoke)
Wednesday November 23, 2016
Today was a good day to be in the PEP classroom because everybody was excited and happy about tomorrow’s fun day. Today we turned in our mission statement assignment for our business plans. It is a requirement to turn in our assignment before pray in. We took some pop quizzes today as well. We also learned a lot about how important life insurance is. We learned how it can negatively impact our loved ones financially when we leave them after we are gone. Living in The Village is full of knowledge and advice to get our financial futures in order.
We also learned more about proper etiquette from Be On Your Best Business Behavior, a book which talks about things like how to properly introduce ourselves, when and where we should turn our cell phones off, thank you cards, business card tips and dining rules to live by while minding our table manners.
Most of us gave our third speech in Toastmasters, which is helping us to become better speakers and how to express ourselves in a business environment. The last part of our curriculum for the day was watching videos on contemporary impressionists in art history such as Edouard Manet and Claude Monet. Our class is striving to maintain our high GPAs to be best PEP class yet – we are PEP!
Guy L. (a.k.a. Pepe LePou)
Thursday November 24, 2016
Today is a good day: it’s Thanksgiving Day. We may not be with our loved ones, but just because we are not with them physically doesn’t mean there isn’t a connection to be thankful for – they are still with us in our hearts and so are we in theirs. Today we are all together as a PEP family being cheerful toward one another and just being there for each other. I am thankful for being in a good environment with my PEP brothers. It feels good to know that even though we are not with our loved ones today, we still share the same feelings and emotions with one another. All around my brothers are praying together and showing their love for one another, and you could just feel the holiday spirit which was very special and appreciated.
Today was a good day for me. I am happy even though I am incarcerated. God has given me peace, and I know God has a plan for us and we should all be thankful to be transformed, renewed and rehabilitated. I am thankful for having my family supporting me, for they are my main motivation. Today we could be thankful for a lot of things, but the main thing we should all be thankful of is having God at our side. Happy Thanksgiving, and may God bless not just America but the whole world.
Erasmo L. (a.k.a. Selena Gomez)
Expression
Yesterday we had two pop quizzes. One was over chapter four of our Living in The Village financial book, and the other was over chapters 1 through 7 of our Excellence in Etiquette: Be on your Best Business Behavior book. In this business portion of PEP that we call “Phase Two,” we have many books to read and a lot of things to learn, but our Winter ’17 class accepts the challenges with open arms. The classes before us said we are the best class by far because we are so dedicated to change. They can see it in our grades and strong work ethic. To be honest, a lot of our success comes from the Servant-Leaders. They are truly the heart of the program. They help us to prepare for everything from pitches to tests, and even our next steps in life. They are Leaders, Servants and our PEP brothers. Today is our last day of class for the week due to Thanksgiving. One thing is for sure, all of our hard work will pay off with a successful future.
Germaine L. (a.k.a. Antoine Merriweather)