Week 2
Week in Review
Monday April 3, 2017
Today we began our journey with Toastmasters, with part of the class being called to take the morning session while others waited to begin the afternoon session. While we were waiting some of us did homework while others wrote letters. By this time a majority of us was called out to go to the a.m. toastmasters. We were wondering what Toastmasters is and what would take place, and I must admit a few of us were nervous but ready. We headed to the PEP room where we learned what was expected of us during Toastmasters. The Servant Leaders held a mock Toastmasters session to show us what the actual class would be like. The Table Topics Master asked an audience member a question that caused some laughs and raised a few eyebrows. In all we had fun while learning how hard it is to speak properly in front of an audience. It is better to be prepared than to be caught off guard.
At the end of class each individual Toastmasters session chose a Vice President to orchestrate the flow of the following Toastmasters class and speeches. It went very well and it is going to be a great experience. After class we came back to the pod and talked about the events of the day that took place in the PEP room. I can say we enjoyed our day in PEP.
Michael B. (a.k.a. Barbara Bush)
Tuesday April 4, 2017
Today in the PEP room we started the day off by praying in. Then after we prayed in we received a piece of colored paper and a choice of super heroes to color and place our heads on for our Coat of Arms assignment. We were also instructed to put at least four positive words that best describe us on the back. We enjoyed having fun while coloring like kids. The media team was taking pictures of us laughing and interacting with our PEP brothers. We had a great opportunity to know one another and build bonds. We are the class of Pristine ’17, and we are in the process of becoming better men than before we entered PEP so we can be authentic men for ourselves and our families.
We are studying to be successful people and businessmen. Also we are learning to communicate like businessmen so we can present ourselves as professionals for future jobs and life in general. Overall we are men who are trying to better ourselves and do something positive with our lives. This is just the beginning of the Phase Two change we have embarked upon. We are in this together!
Andy C. (a.k.a. 7-11)
Wednesday April 5, 2017
Today we had a meeting in the PEP room, where we discussed this week’s topic of acceptance. This is a topic that we have trouble with because we have made wrong decisions in the past. Those decisions we made have let our loved ones down. Now that we are incarcerated, the people we love are the ones we want to be accepted by. Here on this unit and in PEP we are treated equally with respect. The community of PEP for us is a feeling some of us cannot explain. Being a convicted felon like all of us are and being accepted is one thing we thought would never happen before PEP came along. Acceptance also fulfills a duty given to us. The one thing we do here in PEP is hold each other accountable, and acceptance here is defined as the act of accepting responsibility. In PEP we are all brothers trying to help one another out. A quote we always say is, “Iron sharpens iron.” We are one big family here. PEP goes way beyond for us and we feel loved, and that is something some of us have not felt in years. I plan on learning as much as I can in order to help my brothers, my family and others in life. We are held to higher standards, and we cannot wait to carry the success of being authentic men back into society.
Armando C. (a.k.a. Ronda Rousey)
Thursday April 6, 2017
The whole week of the “heart check” was very strenuous. We had to take our first Phase Two business tests. Some of my brothers failed those tests and had to do what’s called the “3/3/3.” This is where we have to write out all of our study guide information three times each in the areas of personal finance, AP style and business vocabulary. My brothers really showed fortitude and integrity by completing the homework assignments on top of the 3/3/3.
It made me very proud of my brothers, both for those who passed the test (showing that they studied long and hard) and for the ones who failed and had to really get down to business and step up to the plate to complete the required assignments to progress. We were really able to see who would step up and take responsibility for their future.
It is times like this that make us proud to be a part of a team of winners. Getting to see the transformation that some of my brothers go through as they struggle to be better men is awesome and inspiring. We now know that the easy part is over, and we as a group look forward to all that is to come. Most of us welcome the challenge – I know I do.
There is a tremendous sense of personal pride and satisfaction when we accomplish something outside of our comfort zone. It makes us realize we can grow in a positive way makes it all worth it. We are PEP!
Randall C. (a.k.a. Lil Debbie)
Expressions
Greetings! – this week I feel the need to express how great it has been being a member of PEP and Phase Two. This week many of us finished our 3/3/3 writing assignment and demonstrated a strong will to succeed. Completing the homework proved to us that with dedication and hard work, we can complete any assignment. We conquered that task and were ready to move on to what comes next. This week we sat down as a family and practiced one of our 10 Driving Values: Fun. We completed our Coats of Arms and actually did something a lot of us have not done since grade school: coloring, cutting and placing of our heads on super hero characters. I also received my Entrepreneurship textbook. At the end of this journey we will receive a Certificate of Entrepreneurship from the Baylor University. I personally hope to gain a lot of needed and useful knowledge through PEP’s curriculum. As a PEP family we pray together and show unity with a servant-leader mentality. That is my overview of this week’s activities in PEP.
Joshua C. (a.k.a. Snap-Crackle-Pop)