What you think does matter

Homeless Graduate valedictorian says – never give up. This encourages me and should encourage all of us to continue forward, to struggle, to strive for greater achievements. Our students, our children need to learn this simple but important trait – a never give up attitude. Success is often attained by people who face turmoil, difficulties or hardship and refuse to give up. Homeless High School Student Inspires in Valedictory Address By MATTIE KAHN | Good Morning America Rashema Melson will begin her studies as a freshman at Georgetown University this fall after three years of living in a Washington, D.C., homeless shelter. And her tireless determination has paid off in the form of a full scholarship. "It hasn't hit me yet, to be honest," she said today of the realization that high school has come to an end. Melson, 18, says she has refused to let her family’s misfortune define her. Not only is the teen a dedicated athlete, but she has also maintained a sterl

10-Year-Old Boy Graduates From High School, Aims to Cure Cancer By Elise Solé, Shine Staff | Parenting Tanishq Abraham graduated from high school on Sunday with a 4.0 GPA and a Mensa membership — he’s also 10 years old. The pintsize prodigy, who lives in Sacramento, Calif., with his parents and 8-year-old sister, Tiara (who is also a Mensa member), also received a congratulatory letter from President Barack Obama just in time for his big day. “I sensed there was something different about Tanishq when he was 6 months old because he became very interested in clocks and numbers — he started counting and could point out numbers when he saw them in books,” Tanishq’s mother, veterinarian Taji Abraham, tells Yahoo Shine. “He would also stare very intently at photos and ask so many questions. I always wondered, ‘Why is he so curious?’” By the time Tanishq was 2, he was adding and subtracting numbers. “I told my husband that Tanishq was very smart, but he said I was just a proud mom,

A 15 year old boy may have found the solution to charging that all electric energy hog – your smart phone and solved obesity issues as well. A 15-year-old boy’s thirst for science has helped him developed shoes that can charge your cell phone or any USB-powered device by simply walking. That is correct – walking! Generating Electricity By Walking - Google Science Fair 2014 Angelo Casimiro lives in the Philippines, a country still recovering from last fall's Typhoon Haiyan. "A lot of people are still suffering from poverty," he says in a YouTube video in which he demonstrates his invention. Some people have no access to electricity, he adds. For them, "a simple source of light is big," he says. Now Angelo is creating a new way to generate power. He placed two pairs of piezo-electric discs on the insole of each shoe. The discs produce energy when any type of pressure is placed on them. That energy is then channeled to a USB port, which an electronic de

The Difference a good Dad (Father) makes can never be truly measured - but it has been proven to be incalculable and of great importance to the success of our children. "If you raise your children to feel that they can accomplish any goal or task they decide upon, you will have succeeded as a parent and you will have given your children the greatest of all blessings." ~ Brian Tracy Some of the things that concern me most are the depictions of Dads being dumb, ignorant, and just plain stupid. You see it in sitcoms, commercials, movies and most anywhere you look. It may be part of the feminist movement or it may be a fad but in essence it’s a dangerous thing, in my opinion, to try to teach our children that one of the two (Mom and Dad) most important ingredients necessary in the formation of a child can be cast off, undermined or diminished. I grew up without a father, trust me, I know a child can survive without a father – but should a child be forced to endure such har

Teen entrepreneur is continuing her success with more great news. That news is that she is opening a clothing line. I love stories like this one, children who are proving that children, yes a child can achieve much more in life - these are the stories I use to inspire other children to succeed in life. Madison Robison is your average teenager who has gone the extra mile and found much success. Yes she has had a bit of help along the way but who hasn't - the important thing about this story is that she tried - she saw a need, she worked toward filling that need and she worked hard for what she has achieved. Her business was launched with financing provided by friends and family, but no worries the enterprise is doing well and is very profitable. She has even been working to open her own website FishFlops.com - but this not just a fly by night kind of business: More than 60,000 pairs sold in 2012, making for retail sales of at least $1.2 million. That's not all Fish Flops&#

Children - Having fun water activities! It was an awesome time and the kids sure had fun, despite the fact that it rained in the morning. But hey, as the kids were saying: we're going to get wet anyway. It is fun to be a kid.

Awesome - Glow in Dark Party for Accelerated Reader students (nice idea) These kids have been working hard in school and in their extracurricular “Accelerated Reader” efforts. They have maintained and above avg. of 80% and some have read more than 300 points in the reading program we call AR. For all their hard work and their dedicated effort to read, learn and past these AR test we throw a party for the children who strive to meet these goals. The last party of the year is (was) a cool awesome ‘Glow in the Dark’ AR party. I admit it – I danced, I laughed, I partied like it was 1999! Oops, showing my age. But in all seriousness it was fun, I had a good time, the children had a great time and we did it all to reward them for all their hard work. People ask me what we do, what do I do to motivate children to learn. My answer will always be the same – give them a reason to want to learn. Give them something that will motivate them to do more, to try harder, something that will dri