I want to spend my life
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Mending broken people
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I want to spend my life
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Removing pain
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Lord, let my words
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Heal a heart that hurts
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I want to spend my life
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Mending broken people
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I want to spend my life
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Mending broken people
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Hello and welcome to
another 3ABN Today program.
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Thank you for joining us,
as you do each and every day,
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and I'm sitting here
next to my lovely wife Yvonne.
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Yeah. How are you doing?
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I'm doing well, thank you.
Well, you look pretty today.
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Well, thank you. You do...
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That's great.
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And doing so far...
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So far so good.
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And more importantly than that,
you're beautiful on the inside.
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So I thank the Lord for that.
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Oh, praise the Lord.
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And I thank the Lord for our
viewing audience and want to...
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Me too.
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Thank you for your
love, and your prayers,
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and financial support
of 3ABN, as we always say,
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as we endeavor to take
this great gospel of the kingdom
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into all the world.
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I'm excited that
Jesus is coming soon.
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I know, He is, He is.
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All the signs tell us
that He's coming soon.
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But while we're here on
earth, He says, "Occupy."
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That's right,
occupy till He comes.
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And so we're
supposed to take the gospel
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into all the
world and a good place
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to start is our own home.
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That's right. Right?
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That's right. Start
with our young folks.
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So today...
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That was my segue
to the introduction.
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That was good.
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I checked you out,
that was really good.
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So I'm going to let you
introduce our guest today.
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Okay. I would love to.
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These are two people
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that are very
near and dear to us,
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the two Robert Henley's.
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So we have Robert Henley
Sr. and Robert Henley Jr.
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Is that the way it is or
is it one, two, three, four?
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How is it? I'm
junior, he's the third.
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Oh, I see, my bad.
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So we know now.
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So now we know, now we know.
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That's right. Okay.
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So there are
three Robert Henley's.
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All right. Yes.
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You guys are from
the great state of...?
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Florida.
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And the city of...?
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Orlando. Orlando area.
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So your position
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with the
conference there is what?
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I'm the Innovation Coordinator
and Robotics Instructor.
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Okay, so FLA,
Forest Lake Academy.
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Forest Lake Academy,
I teach robotics there
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and I've also taught robotics
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at Forest Lake Education Center.
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Okay.
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Okay, 12 STEM pipeline to
get kids into STEM robotics.
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I didn't even know till
Trinity started going there,
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went to school with
Robert, I didn't even know
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we had robotics being
taught in our schools, did you?
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You may have.
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No, no, I didn't, and
it's a wonderful thing.
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For those who don't know,
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'cause some people
might not even know
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what robotics is?
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What is that?
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Well, robotics is
a multi-disciplinary,
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you know, field of study
that combines computer science,
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mechanical
engineering, coding, physics,
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and other
disciplines to make robotics
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and things of that
nature at the high school level
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or elementary level.
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The kids are introduced
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to compete in
high school education
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in robotics competition.
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Wow. It's a sport for the mind.
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Yeah, yeah.
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STEM is this
really important focus now
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because if you're not...
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Which is science, technology,
engineering, and mathematics?
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Yes, yes.
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And if you're
not involved in that,
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you're really
going to be left behind
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or you can be left behind.
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Yeah.
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So this is...
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To introduce this to
children is tremendous.
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It really is and
studies show that
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when you introduce children
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at an early age to these fields,
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STEM in particular,
they are more likely
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than their counterparts to go on
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to pursue a career in STEM
at the post-secondary level.
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So it's really
important to get them involved
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because you're
building STEM competencies
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and data also shows that
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about 16% of all
students in America
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go on to major in
the STEM field at college
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and after the first year,
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about two
thirds of them drop out
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because they don't
have that STEM knowledge,
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STEM resilience
that's needed to persevere.
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So it's really important
to get them involved early.
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Okay. That's good.
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Great, so today we
got a great program,
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and we're going to find out
a lot more about what you do,
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and, Robert, we want to find out
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about your involvement in
this and you just graduated,
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you graduated
in Trinity's class.
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And so you all
graduated with highest honors,
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congratulations for that.
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Thank you. Thank you.
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I have to interject,
not high, not higher,
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"but highest
honors," I'm just saying.
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Yeah, praise the Lord.
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Robert and Trinity, so
I just have to put my plug
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for my girl too.
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Yes, yes. That's right.
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Yes.
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What we're going to do...
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We're going to
come back to this,
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but for those at home,
we have Pastor John Lomacang
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and we're going
to a little music,
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and we know that you love music,
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and so do we,
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and one of my favorite
all time people and singers
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is Pastor John, and
he's singing I Will Go.
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Give me ears to hear Your Spirit
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Give me feet to follow through
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Give me hands to
touch the hurting
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And the faith to follow You
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Give me grace to be a servant
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Give me mercy for the lost
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Give me passion for Your glory
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Give me passion for the cross
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And I will go where
there are no easy roads
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Leave the comforts that I know
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I will go and let
this journey be my home
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I will go
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I'll let go of my ambition
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Cut the roots that run so deep
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I will learn to give away
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What I cannot really keep
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Help me see with eyes of faith
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Give me
strength to run this race
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And I will go where
there are no easy roads
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Leave the comfort that I know
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I will go and let
this journey be my own
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I will go
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I will go where Lord
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Your glory is unknown
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I will live for You alone
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I will go because
my life is not my own
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I will go
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I will go
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Amen.
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Thank you, Pastor
John, what a beautiful song
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and beautiful voice.
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Absolutely, he has an anointing.
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He surely does, he
surely does. He does, he does.
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Well, we're talking
to Robert Henley Jr.
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and Robert Henley III today.
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Yes.
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And we've been talking about
what you're teaching, robotics,
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now a few years ago,
when I was in school,
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I never heard...
00:10:00.10\00:10:01.43
I heard of robots
but they were like,
00:10:01.46\00:10:02.80
you know, there was
nothing, there was no computers,
00:10:02.83\00:10:06.57
none of that.
00:10:06.60\00:10:07.94
But today, education, I mean,
technology has come so far,
00:10:07.97\00:10:12.31
it's amazing.
00:10:12.34\00:10:13.68
So you're all invested in
this, you're teaching the class
00:10:13.71\00:10:17.05
and everything,
00:10:17.08\00:10:18.41
so I assume that
Robert Jr., Robert III
00:10:18.45\00:10:21.78
jumped on to this and said,
00:10:21.82\00:10:24.22
"Well, this is
what I want to do.
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I'm going to do it."
00:10:25.65\00:10:26.99
And he just did it like that.
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Well, actually what
happened... It was...
00:10:28.72\00:10:31.43
That means no.
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It was a journey.
00:10:33.63\00:10:35.96
In his second grade year,
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at the end of the
second grade year,
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you have your typical
parent-teacher conferences,
00:10:39.23\00:10:43.00
how'd the year go,
how is your student going.
00:10:43.04\00:10:45.57
And at the end
of the conference,
00:10:45.61\00:10:47.88
the teacher
says, "Oh, by the way,
00:10:47.91\00:10:50.65
Robert can't sit still in class
00:10:50.68\00:10:52.71
and he just walks
around all the time."
00:10:52.75\00:10:55.35
And that bothered me
because the entire year went by
00:10:55.38\00:10:58.29
and she shared
that with us at the end.
00:10:58.32\00:10:59.99
She didn't tell you this
until the end of the year?
00:11:00.06\00:11:01.82
At the very end of the year.
00:11:01.86\00:11:03.63
And she said, "You might
want to get him tested for ADD."
00:11:03.66\00:11:07.93
And so that came
to a shock to us,
00:11:07.96\00:11:09.63
and Robert was
an average student
00:11:09.66\00:11:11.70
at that time.
00:11:11.73\00:11:13.37
And so we investigated
that to see what was going on,
00:11:13.44\00:11:17.31
and the third grade
year, prior to that,
00:11:17.34\00:11:20.28
we got him tested for ADD
00:11:20.31\00:11:21.84
and I tried to
give him strategies
00:11:21.88\00:11:24.91
on how to stay focused
in the classroom, you know,
00:11:24.95\00:11:27.22
doodle and stuff like that.
00:11:27.25\00:11:28.68
Was it ADD, ADHD?
00:11:28.72\00:11:30.89
ADD. Okay.
00:11:30.92\00:11:33.36
And, you know,
that's a learning disorder,
00:11:33.39\00:11:35.29
attention deficit disorder.
00:11:35.32\00:11:36.66
Right.
00:11:36.73\00:11:38.06
And that was preventing him
00:11:38.09\00:11:39.43
from staying focused in
the classroom, and at times,
00:11:39.46\00:11:41.56
as he walked around, of
course, that disturbs the class.
00:11:41.60\00:11:45.73
And so we studied it,
00:11:45.77\00:11:47.14
and I was trying
to give him strategies
00:11:47.17\00:11:48.50
as to how to
stay focused, doodling
00:11:48.54\00:11:50.51
and things of that nature,
and those things didn't work
00:11:50.54\00:11:53.78
and the teachers are
still complaining about that
00:11:53.81\00:11:55.54
in his third grade year.
00:11:55.58\00:11:56.95
So we get him
placed on ADD medicine.
00:11:56.98\00:12:00.82
We didn't want to do that
00:12:00.85\00:12:02.18
but we couldn't be his teachers.
00:12:02.22\00:12:04.32
And so we want to make sure
that he did the best he could
00:12:04.35\00:12:08.86
and that didn't work either.
00:12:08.89\00:12:10.99
No, it kind of gave me headaches
00:12:11.03\00:12:13.33
and I kind of
wasn't really myself, so...
00:12:13.40\00:12:16.00
So we decided to
take him off of that.
00:12:16.03\00:12:18.30
And years ago, as a
part of my graduate work,
00:12:18.33\00:12:21.10
I coauthored an
article on ADD in classroom,
00:12:21.14\00:12:25.07
and I began to fall back
on that research I had done,
00:12:25.11\00:12:28.24
and just realized Robert
learned differently, you know,
00:12:28.28\00:12:31.81
and we find out that
kids have learning profiles,
00:12:31.85\00:12:35.65
so learning styles,
auditory, visual, kinesthetic,
00:12:35.68\00:12:39.25
and then we have the
multiple intelligence
00:12:39.29\00:12:41.22
developed by Howard
Gardner that suggest
00:12:41.26\00:12:43.16
and to that there's
one finite thing is this...
00:12:43.19\00:12:46.59
It grows and we're composed
00:12:46.63\00:12:48.46
of eight
different intelligences.
00:12:48.50\00:12:51.23
And we kind of figured out
that Robert was kinesthetic
00:12:51.27\00:12:53.54
and he was a spatial learner.
00:12:53.57\00:12:56.37
Unpack that a little bit for us?
00:12:56.40\00:12:58.77
So when I say spatial learner,
00:12:58.81\00:13:01.48
they can see in
three dimensions,
00:13:01.51\00:13:03.35
if you will,
00:13:03.38\00:13:04.71
and most of your
surgeons and engineers,
00:13:04.75\00:13:07.12
we find out have that intellect.
00:13:07.15\00:13:09.72
And then there's linguistic,
there's mathematical,
00:13:09.75\00:13:12.85
there's interpersonal,
intrapersonal naturalistic,
00:13:12.89\00:13:16.42
so all of those
00:13:16.46\00:13:17.79
are the different
types of intellects
00:13:17.83\00:13:19.16
that compose of a learner.
00:13:19.19\00:13:21.86
And in the
traditional classroom,
00:13:21.90\00:13:24.50
those aren't engaged,
you know most teachers
00:13:24.53\00:13:27.24
teach the way they were
taught and it's rote learning,
00:13:27.27\00:13:30.94
and you're on the
chalkboard, and you write,
00:13:30.97\00:13:32.71
and they memorize.
00:13:32.74\00:13:34.31
Where most young
men like to do things,
00:13:34.34\00:13:37.45
they want to tear things
apart, they want to build,
00:13:37.48\00:13:39.88
they want to experiment.
00:13:39.91\00:13:41.75
And so the
traditional classroom,
00:13:41.78\00:13:43.62
they get bored to death.
00:13:43.69\00:13:45.52
And so they start to wander
because they want to tinker.
00:13:45.55\00:13:49.42
And so that
continued to be a problem.
00:13:49.46\00:13:52.76
And at the end of
his third grade year,
00:13:52.79\00:13:54.93
I came across what we call
The Adventist Robotics League.
00:13:54.96\00:13:57.70
Okay.
00:13:57.73\00:13:59.07
Which is an affiliate of FIRST
was a nonprofit organization
00:13:59.10\00:14:03.41
that operates four divisions
of robotics programs for kids,
00:14:03.44\00:14:08.14
and I said, "You know
what, that will probably
00:14:08.18\00:14:10.18
do it for Robert."
00:14:10.25\00:14:11.88
And so I started a
club, got a team going,
00:14:11.91\00:14:15.02
and we competed
in the competition.
00:14:15.05\00:14:18.02
And so it's
informal education. Right.
00:14:18.05\00:14:20.36
And, you know, God blessed me
00:14:20.39\00:14:22.26
with the ability
to do that for him
00:14:22.29\00:14:25.16
and it just turned
things around for Robert.
00:14:25.19\00:14:27.53
How did it make a
difference in you, Robert?
00:14:27.60\00:14:30.77
Well, I don't know,
it just gave me something
00:14:30.80\00:14:33.54
to, like, strive for,
something like I was interested
00:14:33.57\00:14:35.37
and wanted to do,
you know, in school...
00:14:35.40\00:14:37.61
I mean, I liked math.
00:14:37.64\00:14:39.81
But that was really
kind of its 'cause...
00:14:39.84\00:14:42.01
And I just
didn't really feel smart
00:14:42.04\00:14:44.51
but after, you
know, being in robotics
00:14:44.55\00:14:47.75
and learning that
there's more to robotics
00:14:47.78\00:14:50.49
than just math
and just building,
00:14:50.52\00:14:53.76
like, there's also,
like, technical notebooks
00:14:53.79\00:14:55.26
that you guys have to do,
00:14:55.29\00:14:56.62
and it just kind of
like came through me
00:14:56.66\00:14:59.09
and spread to,
like, all of my classes,
00:14:59.13\00:15:00.96
and I kind of took
classes more seriously
00:15:01.00\00:15:02.90
and realized that yeah,
00:15:02.93\00:15:04.40
like, right in
this moment, it's not...
00:15:04.43\00:15:08.24
It's not fun
but there's a reason
00:15:08.27\00:15:09.74
that I need to
learn how to do it, so...
00:15:09.77\00:15:11.31
Okay. Yeah.
00:15:11.34\00:15:12.67
You know, what
excites me about this
00:15:12.71\00:15:14.34
is that many times children
are labeled as underachievers
00:15:14.38\00:15:20.42
or, you know, they might
have a learning disability
00:15:20.45\00:15:24.42
and because of that
00:15:24.45\00:15:25.79
and it's not properly diagnosed,
00:15:25.82\00:15:28.32
and then they have a label
00:15:28.36\00:15:30.13
and that label sticks with them.
00:15:30.16\00:15:31.63
Right.
00:15:31.66\00:15:32.99
I remember on Dare to
Dream, I interviewed this man
00:15:33.03\00:15:37.30
who in the
eighth grade was labeled
00:15:37.37\00:15:39.93
a functional illiterate
and he acted like that.
00:15:39.97\00:15:42.90
Right.
00:15:42.94\00:15:44.31
And then later,
he took some classes
00:15:44.34\00:15:47.48
and had a wonderful teacher
who properly diagnosed him
00:15:47.51\00:15:50.95
and now he's PhD.
00:15:50.98\00:15:52.31
Right. So it's not...
00:15:52.35\00:15:54.62
What excites me about
this is the fact that...
00:15:54.65\00:15:58.12
Well, there are a few things.
00:15:58.15\00:15:59.49
Number one, you
as a dad stepped in,
00:15:59.52\00:16:04.13
I know you and your
wife are very active parents
00:16:04.16\00:16:06.80
with your children,
you stepped in and said,
00:16:06.83\00:16:10.30
"My son has a
different style of learning."
00:16:10.37\00:16:13.03
So you acknowledged that.
00:16:13.07\00:16:14.44
Right. And that
was so important.
00:16:14.47\00:16:16.17
So many people who are
viewing might have children
00:16:16.20\00:16:20.18
who have been "labeled."
00:16:20.21\00:16:21.91
Right.
00:16:21.94\00:16:23.28
You might have a
child who's been labeled
00:16:23.35\00:16:24.68
or grandchild who's been labeled
00:16:24.71\00:16:26.38
and you don't
really know what to do.
00:16:26.41\00:16:28.15
It doesn't mean that that
child is an underachiever.
00:16:28.18\00:16:33.66
It might mean that the child
has not been challenged enough.
00:16:33.69\00:16:36.56
Right, right.
00:16:36.59\00:16:37.93
And so that's what you
all did, you challenged Robert
00:16:37.96\00:16:41.50
and as a result, Robert,
00:16:41.53\00:16:44.53
it began to generalize
into your other classes.
00:16:44.57\00:16:48.07
How did you feel when
you were first labeled?
00:16:48.10\00:16:54.28
And how did you feel
00:16:54.31\00:16:56.85
after your skills
became more generalized?
00:16:56.88\00:17:01.32
So with the label of
ADD, my dad didn't like a lot
00:17:01.35\00:17:04.52
but I would kind
of use it as a crutch
00:17:04.55\00:17:06.02
and just blame
everything on him like...
00:17:06.05\00:17:07.86
I was like acting up in class
or like not really focused,
00:17:07.89\00:17:10.96
I say, "Oh, that's just my ADD,
00:17:10.99\00:17:12.33
like this is
just normal for me."
00:17:12.36\00:17:14.23
And I mean, at that...
00:17:14.30\00:17:16.67
You know I'm
little, so I didn't realize,
00:17:16.70\00:17:18.03
but at that
time, that label just,
00:17:18.07\00:17:19.60
it really affects you,
especially as a young kid.
00:17:19.63\00:17:22.44
But going through robotics,
I had like a new label on me,
00:17:22.47\00:17:25.31
you know, I was like,
"Oh, I want to be an engineer
00:17:25.34\00:17:28.41
or I am an engineer,
I'm doing things like this."
00:17:28.44\00:17:30.88
So I think that
labels are very...
00:17:30.95\00:17:35.52
They can either break
you down or build you up.
00:17:35.55\00:17:38.62
And that label
follows you through school,
00:17:38.65\00:17:41.26
as you can imagine.
00:17:41.29\00:17:42.62
That's right.
00:17:42.66\00:17:44.03
And I taught prior to that time,
00:17:44.06\00:17:45.39
I was a high
school science teacher
00:17:45.43\00:17:48.13
and teachers talk.
00:17:48.16\00:17:50.17
That's right.
00:17:50.20\00:17:51.53
You know, this kid is
this or this kid is that,
00:17:51.57\00:17:53.84
and there is a bias
that forms within a teacher
00:17:53.87\00:17:59.54
towards children
because of those labels.
00:17:59.57\00:18:02.78
And that's something
I did not want to hurt
00:18:02.81\00:18:05.95
or keep him from succeeding.
00:18:05.98\00:18:07.82
And if you look through history,
00:18:07.85\00:18:09.25
Albert Einstein was labeled
as a learning disabled child,
00:18:09.28\00:18:13.46
Henry Ford, same thing,
00:18:13.49\00:18:16.52
and there are tons
and thousands of kids
00:18:16.56\00:18:19.53
throughout the United
States who are labeled
00:18:19.56\00:18:22.76
this way and it hurts them.
00:18:22.80\00:18:24.30
Right.
00:18:24.33\00:18:25.67
And so I was determined
that he would not have
00:18:25.70\00:18:28.17
that label
determine his plight in life.
00:18:28.20\00:18:33.04
Wow. It's really neat to see...
00:18:33.07\00:18:36.44
As you said, I
think what's so important
00:18:36.48\00:18:38.18
is you put a
child in a classroom,
00:18:38.21\00:18:40.82
and he doesn't excel,
and maybe doesn't do well,
00:18:40.85\00:18:43.59
but you put him in
his element, so to speak.
00:18:43.62\00:18:46.59
And then all of a
sudden, he excels,
00:18:46.62\00:18:48.99
he all of a
sudden can be leader.
00:18:49.02\00:18:51.76
But when I was
growing up, they didn't...
00:18:51.79\00:18:55.00
Here's where it was
00:18:55.03\00:18:56.36
and either you
did or you didn't.
00:18:56.40\00:18:57.73
Right, right.
00:18:57.77\00:18:59.10
I had never heard
the term, and I guess
00:18:59.13\00:19:00.54
they didn't have the term ADD.
00:19:00.57\00:19:02.57
I probably would have
been but my dad wouldn't let me
00:19:02.60\00:19:04.61
and he had a belt, so
there was like no excuse,
00:19:04.64\00:19:07.91
"If you're acting up,
00:19:07.94\00:19:09.28
you're not
getting up walking around,
00:19:09.31\00:19:10.98
you do, I'm going to
whip the tar out of you"
00:19:11.01\00:19:12.68
is what he would say
it, you know, and so...
00:19:12.71\00:19:15.02
And you're going
make A's and B's,
00:19:15.05\00:19:16.79
so it wouldn't let me...
00:19:16.82\00:19:18.59
You're going make A's and B's
00:19:18.62\00:19:19.95
or you're going
to get that whopped,
00:19:19.99\00:19:21.32
so that was kind
of the term for ADD.
00:19:21.36\00:19:23.06
But I found out
it's a lot more diverse
00:19:23.09\00:19:25.43
and a lot more
complex than what we...
00:19:25.46\00:19:27.90
I guess the belt wasn't
the cure for everything,
00:19:27.93\00:19:29.46
you know.
00:19:29.50\00:19:30.87
But I would have
been if I could have been.
00:19:30.90\00:19:32.23
Yeah, yeah.
00:19:32.27\00:19:33.60
'Cause I didn't like
sitting in the classroom
00:19:33.64\00:19:34.97
very much either.
00:19:35.00\00:19:36.34
Yeah.
00:19:36.37\00:19:37.71
You know, part of this
journey and doing research
00:19:37.74\00:19:39.07
with education and
ADD, I discovered that
00:19:39.11\00:19:41.01
our educational system issues
throughout the United States
00:19:41.04\00:19:44.68
was designed to
produce compliant workers.
00:19:44.71\00:19:49.02
It was designed in the
late 1800s, early 1900s
00:19:49.05\00:19:51.75
to produce workers for
the industrial society,
00:19:51.79\00:19:55.09
you know, the wealthy people
00:19:55.12\00:19:56.96
who own
businesses and factories,
00:19:57.03\00:19:58.43
they wanted
workers who could just
00:19:58.46\00:19:59.79
do a repetitive
task over and over again.
00:19:59.83\00:20:03.57
And so that's where
educational system came from
00:20:03.60\00:20:06.33
and it continued
today or continues today.
00:20:06.37\00:20:09.67
But we see that
that's not working anymore,
00:20:09.70\00:20:12.74
you know, robotics is
coming in and taking jobs away
00:20:12.77\00:20:15.24
because those
skills are not required.
00:20:15.28\00:20:18.75
And so robotics is incredible
00:20:18.78\00:20:21.45
because it's just not
the robot, as Robert said,
00:20:21.48\00:20:24.59
there are other skills
that are associated with it
00:20:24.62\00:20:27.36
to inspire, you know.
00:20:27.39\00:20:28.72
Yeah.
00:20:28.76\00:20:30.13
It also gives you
a way to be creative
00:20:30.16\00:20:31.49
but it's, I believe,
00:20:31.53\00:20:32.86
like a, I don't
know, good, creative
00:20:32.89\00:20:35.50
'cause in school again,
you know, you're memorizing
00:20:35.53\00:20:37.90
and this not just the school
I go to, I even, you know,
00:20:37.93\00:20:40.64
I see a lot of other
students from other schools
00:20:40.67\00:20:42.60
and I've talked to
them about this as well,
00:20:42.64\00:20:44.34
you know, like, yeah,
like, the way that is today,
00:20:44.37\00:20:46.61
you just need to memorize
and you can get good grades.
00:20:46.68\00:20:49.08
But robotics just gives
you like a great way to create,
00:20:49.11\00:20:52.65
and learn, and
discover things on your own,
00:20:52.68\00:20:54.75
like you can just...
00:20:54.78\00:20:56.12
You know, ever since he
introduced me to robotics,
00:20:56.15\00:20:57.72
I've just, at home,
just been taking things apart
00:20:57.75\00:21:00.26
and trying to, like,
make something new out of it
00:21:00.29\00:21:02.09
and things like that, so...
00:21:02.12\00:21:03.46
So it encourages
critical thinking.
00:21:03.53\00:21:05.46
It does, it does.
00:21:05.49\00:21:07.00
And the competitions
that we're involved in,
00:21:07.03\00:21:10.27
they just don't
focus on robotics,
00:21:10.30\00:21:12.27
there's another
part, innovation,
00:21:12.30\00:21:13.74
where they have
to create, you know,
00:21:13.77\00:21:15.10
real products to
serve, to solve problems
00:21:15.14\00:21:17.97
that scientists and
engineers face today.
00:21:18.01\00:21:20.28
So it's broader than that.
00:21:20.31\00:21:21.98
And then it
encourages kids to shine
00:21:22.01\00:21:24.88
or enables them to
shine in this environment.
00:21:24.91\00:21:28.78
And so we find kids
who have this ah-ah moment
00:21:28.82\00:21:32.09
when they realize
that they are smart,
00:21:32.12\00:21:34.32
I'm not dumb as
they are led to believe.
00:21:34.36\00:21:39.03
And the stories from
parents who shared with me
00:21:39.06\00:21:42.03
how this has
impacted their children,
00:21:42.06\00:21:44.10
their countless stories.
00:21:44.17\00:21:45.50
Tell us some of them?
00:21:45.53\00:21:46.87
I had a parent who is a teacher
00:21:46.90\00:21:48.24
and then she approached
me one day and she says,
00:21:48.27\00:21:49.67
"Robert, you know, I
thought my child was dumb,
00:21:49.70\00:21:52.54
not very bright."
00:21:52.57\00:21:54.01
But she said that
00:21:54.08\00:21:55.41
"This robotics has
pulled something out of him
00:21:55.44\00:21:57.08
that I didn't know that he had."
00:21:57.15\00:21:59.21
And he became a
leader and she believes in it
00:21:59.25\00:22:02.35
and story after
story about these children.
00:22:02.38\00:22:06.59
And then they go
back to the classroom,
00:22:06.62\00:22:08.19
they begin to shine
00:22:08.22\00:22:09.56
because they have
that confidence now
00:22:09.59\00:22:10.93
and "I can do
something, I am smart."
00:22:10.96\00:22:13.50
And so that's the
beauty about this.
00:22:13.53\00:22:16.26
And so we continue to
work with this program
00:22:16.30\00:22:18.30
and as he
graduated eighth grade,
00:22:18.33\00:22:20.74
one of the things that I
loved about this program,
00:22:20.77\00:22:22.60
as a fourth
grader on the program,
00:22:22.64\00:22:24.71
there were eighth
graders on the robotics team.
00:22:24.74\00:22:26.88
But Robert was
the lead programmer.
00:22:26.91\00:22:28.88
Oh, and he was
in the fourth grade?
00:22:28.91\00:22:31.08
Fourth grade. Okay.
00:22:31.11\00:22:32.75
And eighth graders
were looking to him
00:22:32.78\00:22:34.65
to solve some of these problems,
00:22:34.68\00:22:36.38
the programming
challenges or coding challenges.
00:22:36.42\00:22:39.45
And that gave him
all the confidence,
00:22:39.49\00:22:43.63
"Okay, I do know something."
00:22:43.66\00:22:47.00
And so after the eighth grade,
he graduated in the program
00:22:47.03\00:22:50.20
and went to high school,
00:22:50.27\00:22:52.00
introduced to high
school program for him.
00:22:52.03\00:22:55.10
So he's been in
robotics for nine years now.
00:22:55.14\00:22:57.41
Yeah. Yeah.
00:22:57.44\00:22:58.87
So what have you invented?
Have you invented anything?
00:22:58.91\00:23:02.24
I've just built like a
lot of things on my own,
00:23:02.28\00:23:04.38
just kind of...
00:23:04.41\00:23:06.82
Just, you know, for fun.
00:23:06.85\00:23:09.15
Some of the things I
made are flame thrower.
00:23:09.18\00:23:11.42
A flame thrower? Yeah.
00:23:11.45\00:23:13.15
Wait, what does that do?
00:23:13.19\00:23:14.76
I know like it throws flames.
00:23:14.79\00:23:17.03
So those, for Chris...
00:23:17.06\00:23:18.63
Actually, last
Christmas, my mom made us...
00:23:18.66\00:23:22.36
Like create the present
for someone in the family,
00:23:22.40\00:23:24.77
and I got my dad
and I was really happy
00:23:24.80\00:23:26.13
'cause I wanted him and I
knew what I wanted to build.
00:23:26.17\00:23:28.60
And so I wanted to
create a flame thrower
00:23:28.64\00:23:31.11
but it was all
electric except for the field
00:23:31.14\00:23:35.34
'cause most flame throwers
00:23:35.38\00:23:36.75
have like a little
flame in the front.
00:23:36.78\00:23:39.68
So this one, it took
a high voltage generator
00:23:39.71\00:23:41.52
and attached to it, like, in it,
00:23:41.55\00:23:42.88
where you press a
button and it goes on.
00:23:42.92\00:23:44.55
So it's kind of like a Taser.
00:23:44.59\00:23:45.92
Okay.
00:23:45.95\00:23:47.29
So it charges...
00:23:47.36\00:23:48.69
It creates a charge
00:23:48.72\00:23:50.06
and then it jumps
across like a spark gap,
00:23:50.09\00:23:51.43
and then that's
what ignited the fuel,
00:23:51.46\00:23:52.79
so once you press the
trigger, the flame came out.
00:23:52.83\00:23:55.13
It was pretty good.
That scared me to death.
00:23:55.16\00:23:59.00
You can never do
things like prosthesis,
00:23:59.03\00:24:00.84
I mean, you know... Yes, yes.
00:24:00.87\00:24:03.07
Tell me about that?
00:24:03.10\00:24:04.44
I've also have...
00:24:04.47\00:24:06.17
So our class had
to create a 3D hand
00:24:06.21\00:24:08.88
'cause we were working...
00:24:08.91\00:24:10.88
Yeah, so we had
to create a 3D hand.
00:24:10.95\00:24:12.45
What kind of hand? A 3D.
00:24:12.48\00:24:13.82
Oh, 3D.
00:24:13.85\00:24:15.18
For some of us
more backward folk,
00:24:15.22\00:24:16.55
you have to explain
that for all of our audience
00:24:16.58\00:24:19.12
'cause technology
has gone so forth.
00:24:19.15\00:24:20.69
So we're talking about
students in high school,
00:24:20.76\00:24:23.46
you're creating a 3D, I think
we know what that is, hand.
00:24:23.53\00:24:28.26
All right, now
where do you start
00:24:28.30\00:24:29.80
and how do you...?
00:24:29.83\00:24:32.03
So we partnered
with an organization
00:24:32.07\00:24:34.37
called Enable.
00:24:34.40\00:24:35.74
Okay.
00:24:35.77\00:24:37.11
And Enable prints or
makes available 3D designs
00:24:37.14\00:24:40.08
or 3D prints,
prosthetic hands for children
00:24:40.11\00:24:43.24
that don't have fingers,
00:24:43.28\00:24:45.01
that suffer from
amniotic band syndrome.
00:24:45.05\00:24:47.65
And so in
America, there are about
00:24:47.68\00:24:49.02
a thousand young people
that suffer from this syndrome.
00:24:49.05\00:24:53.19
And so we began, in my
class, learning how to design
00:24:53.22\00:24:58.13
original 3D printed
hands, prosthetic hands.
00:24:58.16\00:25:00.90
Wow.
00:25:00.93\00:25:02.26
And I challenged the kids
00:25:02.30\00:25:03.67
with making a
mechanized version of it
00:25:03.70\00:25:06.03
and the stuff...
00:25:06.07\00:25:07.44
Field of study
is biomechatronics.
00:25:07.47\00:25:09.60
And so they've been
doing a lot of that.
00:25:09.64\00:25:11.37
Yeah.
00:25:11.41\00:25:12.74
So we started off with
just designing it on CAD
00:25:12.77\00:25:16.18
and just
different parts of the palm,
00:25:16.21\00:25:17.55
the fingers and
the joints in it.
00:25:17.58\00:25:18.98
And then I took it over,
and started programming it,
00:25:19.01\00:25:22.05
and attaching servers
to it, and from then on
00:25:22.08\00:25:25.55
I've also started to
create, like, an Excel Suite,
00:25:25.59\00:25:28.72
a prototype in an Excel Suite.
00:25:28.76\00:25:30.73
So I just like...
00:25:30.76\00:25:32.09
Actually, because of that, like,
00:25:32.13\00:25:33.46
I wasn't really sure how I felt
about biomechatronics earlier,
00:25:33.50\00:25:37.90
but, like, I actually, like,
00:25:37.93\00:25:39.27
really started
getting interested into it
00:25:39.30\00:25:40.64
and just being able to improve
00:25:40.67\00:25:42.84
on what the human
body can do, so yeah.
00:25:42.87\00:25:45.61
Yeah, yeah, and biomechatronics
is combination of biology,
00:25:45.64\00:25:50.85
computer science, and mechanics.
00:25:50.88\00:25:54.52
That's what he's
working on. Yeah.
00:25:54.55\00:25:56.08
So actually in the hand...
00:25:56.12\00:25:57.49
So what we're supposed
to... What we did is...
00:25:57.52\00:26:00.06
There's a MyoWare where
you can put on your arm,
00:26:00.09\00:26:01.96
so 'cause these kids
00:26:01.99\00:26:03.32
they don't have their fingers...
00:26:03.36\00:26:04.69
Now what is a MyoWare?
00:26:04.73\00:26:06.06
Okay, I'm sorry, a
MyoWare, it's a sensor...
00:26:06.09\00:26:07.50
A sensor.
00:26:07.53\00:26:08.86
For when you
flex, it can read that.
00:26:08.90\00:26:10.90
So how tightly you
flex, you can close the hand
00:26:10.97\00:26:13.10
or open the hand,
00:26:13.13\00:26:14.47
and you can press a
button to change the mode,
00:26:14.50\00:26:15.84
so it can do, like, pointing,
or thumbs up, or grabbing,
00:26:15.87\00:26:18.27
different things like that.
00:26:18.31\00:26:19.64
So these things can be
life-changing for people.
00:26:19.67\00:26:21.64
Yes. That's amazing.
00:26:21.68\00:26:23.48
And the good thing about it,
00:26:23.55\00:26:25.48
if you have
someone design it for you,
00:26:25.51\00:26:27.32
it could cost
between $6,000 and $10,000.
00:26:27.35\00:26:30.09
We can 3D print
them for under 20 bucks.
00:26:30.12\00:26:32.22
Yeah. Oh, wow.
00:26:32.25\00:26:33.59
Really? Yeah.
00:26:33.66\00:26:35.06
That's amazing.
00:26:35.09\00:26:36.42
Under $20 can be...
00:26:36.46\00:26:38.59
The whole idea of
3D printing, that's...
00:26:38.63\00:26:42.26
I can't wrap my
mind around that.
00:26:42.30\00:26:44.17
Yeah.
00:26:44.20\00:26:45.53
You know, that a printer
can just knock out something
00:26:45.57\00:26:50.61
that you've designed...
00:26:50.64\00:26:51.97
Yeah, yeah.
00:26:52.01\00:26:53.34
And I like to say
18 or 19-year-old...
00:26:53.38\00:26:55.14
Yeah, I know it.
00:26:55.18\00:26:56.51
Tell her how that works.
00:26:56.54\00:26:57.88
Oh, you know, it
made me feel bad.
00:26:57.91\00:26:59.25
It's actually
really interesting,
00:26:59.28\00:27:00.62
pretty cloud does, so
it really like a glue gun
00:27:00.65\00:27:03.22
and then just
laying out layer by layer,
00:27:03.25\00:27:05.72
like, in small amounts
00:27:05.75\00:27:07.09
and it can
control how much it does.
00:27:07.16\00:27:08.49
Oh.
00:27:08.52\00:27:09.86
So that's how it does it,
00:27:09.89\00:27:11.23
and it also creates
like support on the inside.
00:27:11.26\00:27:12.59
So they can be
really strong, yeah.
00:27:12.63\00:27:14.46
Wow. Yeah, yeah.
00:27:14.50\00:27:15.86
That's tremendous.
00:27:15.90\00:27:17.27
Not bad for a kid
that was labeled as an ADD,
00:27:17.30\00:27:20.64
you know, in second grade.
00:27:20.67\00:27:22.47
Yeah, yeah.
00:27:22.50\00:27:24.77
One other thing is not only do,
00:27:24.81\00:27:27.01
you know,
teachers and parents see it
00:27:27.08\00:27:28.41
but my friends see it as well.
00:27:28.44\00:27:29.78
I, like, post off on
my Instagram and, like,
00:27:29.81\00:27:33.65
all the robots I make,
00:27:33.72\00:27:35.25
I've a like a
little Star Wars robot
00:27:35.28\00:27:36.69
I made it and the flame thrower,
00:27:36.72\00:27:38.82
and just
different things like that,
00:27:38.85\00:27:40.19
like kids will come up to me,
00:27:40.26\00:27:41.59
they'll be like,
"Robert, you're a genius."
00:27:41.62\00:27:44.99
I didn't really realize...
00:27:45.03\00:27:46.36
And you say well...
00:27:46.39\00:27:48.16
Actually...
00:27:48.20\00:27:49.53
The apple doesn't
fall far from the tree.
00:27:49.56\00:27:51.13
Well.
00:27:51.17\00:27:52.50
Yeah, there you go. I told them.
00:27:52.53\00:27:53.87
I was like, "What
are you talking about?"
00:27:53.94\00:27:55.27
'Cause I didn't realize, like,
all the stuff that I'm doing
00:27:55.30\00:27:58.61
'cause, you know,
I've been, you know,
00:27:58.64\00:27:59.97
since I was a little
kid, I didn't realize how,
00:28:00.01\00:28:02.31
like, I guess
smart it was or like...
00:28:02.34\00:28:05.41
How smart your dad was.
00:28:05.45\00:28:06.82
Yeah, a lot of kids,
like, don't know how to
00:28:06.85\00:28:09.15
or can't do it, so...
00:28:09.18\00:28:10.52
That's tremendous.
00:28:10.59\00:28:12.99
And one of the things
that I really love about this,
00:28:13.02\00:28:16.36
you know, robotics
is their point of entry
00:28:16.39\00:28:19.03
to get them into it
00:28:19.06\00:28:20.40
but then it
blossoms into other things.
00:28:20.43\00:28:22.43
And we've been able to develop
an innovation in robotics lab
00:28:22.46\00:28:25.83
at Forest Lake Academy.
00:28:25.87\00:28:27.24
Yeah.
00:28:27.27\00:28:28.60
And we're actually
partnering with industries
00:28:28.64\00:28:30.24
in the local Orlando
area and Robert had a project
00:28:30.31\00:28:33.51
where he worked with
this medical robotics company,
00:28:33.58\00:28:36.38
AVRA Medical Robotics
and designed an end effector
00:28:36.41\00:28:39.91
for the medical robot.
00:28:39.95\00:28:41.68
I've students right now
who are working with a plumber
00:28:41.72\00:28:44.09
who has a patent on
the innovative device
00:28:44.12\00:28:48.16
for plumbing and
they're CAD designing it
00:28:48.19\00:28:50.83
and 3D printing it
right now for this man.
00:28:50.86\00:28:54.43
And so it
cultivates entrepreneurship.
00:28:54.46\00:28:57.37
Yes.
00:28:57.40\00:28:58.83
And this inspires them,
and the bigger picture is
00:28:58.87\00:29:01.34
that God has given
every child the gift.
00:29:01.37\00:29:04.04
And it's our job as
educators to find out
00:29:04.11\00:29:06.68
what their gifts are.
00:29:06.71\00:29:08.21
Yes.
00:29:08.24\00:29:09.58
And the traditional
classroom doesn't do that,
00:29:09.61\00:29:11.25
but being able
to create this lab
00:29:11.28\00:29:12.95
where they can
innovate, and tinker, and learn,
00:29:12.98\00:29:14.88
and grow really,
really inspires them.
00:29:14.92\00:29:18.62
And so I'm really
excited about that part of it
00:29:18.65\00:29:21.19
more than the robotics
because it just launches them
00:29:21.22\00:29:24.26
into their careers.
00:29:24.33\00:29:25.66
Yeah, all of our
schools should have this in it
00:29:25.69\00:29:28.80
because it...
00:29:28.83\00:29:30.57
You hit on something
earlier that I appreciate too
00:29:30.60\00:29:33.94
and that is the
difference in learning styles
00:29:33.97\00:29:37.14
because one
size doesn't fit all.
00:29:37.21\00:29:39.37
That's right.
00:29:39.41\00:29:40.78
And so when one
child is more tactile,
00:29:40.81\00:29:44.75
and other one can sit
for long periods of time,
00:29:44.78\00:29:48.18
and what this does is
it works with the children
00:29:48.22\00:29:52.89
who are more active.
00:29:52.92\00:29:55.09
Right, right.
00:29:55.12\00:29:56.46
And there are so
many kids in our schools
00:29:56.49\00:29:58.89
who are active and
they don't have an outlet.
00:29:58.93\00:30:01.56
Right, right. But
this gives them an outlet.
00:30:01.60\00:30:03.80
Right, right, right.
00:30:03.87\00:30:05.20
So what you're doing...
00:30:05.23\00:30:06.84
Have you developed
this for all the schools?
00:30:06.87\00:30:09.27
Can every school have
a robotics department?
00:30:09.30\00:30:13.61
How would that work? Yes.
00:30:13.68\00:30:15.01
So before the conference,
00:30:15.04\00:30:16.38
you know, I
developed a curriculum
00:30:16.41\00:30:17.75
that I was using for my
son and I have two other kids.
00:30:17.78\00:30:20.45
And so I started
00:30:20.52\00:30:21.95
the company cost
incubator to do that.
00:30:21.98\00:30:24.32
The incubator, oh, that's cute.
00:30:24.35\00:30:26.25
Cultivating kids in the STEM.
00:30:26.29\00:30:28.02
Nice.
00:30:28.06\00:30:30.56
It grew on you?
00:30:30.63\00:30:32.09
So Lord allowed me
to be in a position
00:30:32.13\00:30:34.20
where I was able to do
this in his middle school
00:30:34.23\00:30:37.80
and then the high school,
so it was a K12 STEM pipeline
00:30:37.83\00:30:40.84
that would get
started here and continue on.
00:30:40.87\00:30:43.84
And the Florida Conference
hired me recently to put this
00:30:43.91\00:30:47.18
into all of our schools
in the Florida Conference
00:30:47.21\00:30:49.54
all of the church schools there.
00:30:49.58\00:30:50.95
That's great.
00:30:50.98\00:30:52.31
So that these kids
can learn how to do this,
00:30:52.35\00:30:54.75
and also impact the community
00:30:54.78\00:30:56.72
and to find
whether it's their path,
00:30:56.79\00:30:59.52
and as I shared earlier,
00:30:59.55\00:31:00.99
the learning
profile of each child,
00:31:01.02\00:31:03.12
there's a learning styles,
00:31:03.16\00:31:04.49
there's a multiple intelligence,
00:31:04.53\00:31:06.23
but then there's a
passion or interest.
00:31:06.26\00:31:07.90
Yeah.
00:31:07.93\00:31:09.26
If you can find out
where the kid's passion
00:31:09.30\00:31:11.00
or interest is...
00:31:11.03\00:31:12.37
That's right.
00:31:12.40\00:31:13.74
I can teach them
English, history, math, science
00:31:13.77\00:31:17.97
once I figure out
what that passion is.
00:31:18.01\00:31:19.77
Yes.
00:31:19.81\00:31:21.14
And they're not
realizing what they're doing,
00:31:21.18\00:31:22.58
like Robert didn't
realize all the math and stuff
00:31:22.61\00:31:24.61
that he was doing
00:31:24.65\00:31:25.98
but that's the
great thing about it.
00:31:26.01\00:31:28.32
Another thing I think
00:31:28.35\00:31:29.68
is, like, just a
really good about robotics is
00:31:29.72\00:31:31.59
we've had kids who, you
know, our friends come in,
00:31:31.62\00:31:34.92
they don't really like it and...
00:31:34.96\00:31:37.66
But until they see
how this can be intimate
00:31:37.69\00:31:39.89
and implanted
into the other things
00:31:39.93\00:31:42.36
that they like.
00:31:42.40\00:31:43.77
So robotics, so you can...
00:31:43.80\00:31:46.33
Robotics can be in anything,
you know, music, sports,
00:31:46.37\00:31:50.71
medicine.
00:31:50.74\00:31:52.07
So whatever a
kid's passionate about,
00:31:52.11\00:31:53.48
like not only
robotics but in other areas,
00:31:53.51\00:31:55.68
they can bring what they learn
from robotics over into it.
00:31:55.71\00:31:59.11
So I feel like once that
kids, like once that bridge
00:31:59.15\00:32:01.92
is connected or built,
00:32:01.95\00:32:04.09
they just go and
take off with it as well.
00:32:04.12\00:32:06.35
And, you know, just...
00:32:06.39\00:32:07.82
This is not only me but,
like, all of my friends, like,
00:32:07.86\00:32:10.33
we're just doing so much better
in all the educational areas.
00:32:10.36\00:32:14.53
So, you know, what if,
just imagine, if, like,
00:32:14.56\00:32:18.07
every kid, you know,
00:32:18.10\00:32:19.43
at least has gone
through a robotics program
00:32:19.47\00:32:21.60
or something like that,
how that would affect them.
00:32:21.64\00:32:24.71
Right, right.
00:32:24.74\00:32:26.07
And so getting
back to those labels,
00:32:26.11\00:32:28.01
and we often find
that when kids get labeled,
00:32:28.04\00:32:30.95
they fall through the cracks.
00:32:30.98\00:32:32.31
Yes.
00:32:32.35\00:32:33.68
And when they fall
through the cracks,
00:32:33.72\00:32:35.05
where do they end up?
00:32:35.08\00:32:36.48
Most of them in
prison or in jail.
00:32:36.52\00:32:39.82
And so by finding
out what that passion is,
00:32:39.85\00:32:42.36
finding out what
that learning style is,
00:32:42.39\00:32:44.39
we can intercept
them at an early age
00:32:44.43\00:32:48.00
and put them on another course
00:32:48.03\00:32:50.67
that they can realize
God's given destiny for them
00:32:50.70\00:32:53.27
'cause we know that
God chooses young people
00:32:53.34\00:32:56.04
to be leaders and
but we have to put them
00:32:56.07\00:32:58.21
in an
environment to cultivate them
00:32:58.24\00:33:00.31
and to inspire them for that.
00:33:00.38\00:33:02.61
And so to that end, I
often do robotics camps
00:33:02.64\00:33:05.48
for inner city or
under-served kids.
00:33:05.51\00:33:07.22
Okay.
00:33:07.25\00:33:08.58
We recently did one
for the Urban League...
00:33:08.62\00:33:10.52
I'm sorry, The Boys
and Girls Club of Orlando.
00:33:10.59\00:33:14.09
And so we're
reaching into the inner city,
00:33:14.16\00:33:15.79
so it's just not
about serving our kids
00:33:15.82\00:33:17.76
or it's about reaching
out and impacting the lives
00:33:17.79\00:33:21.50
of all God's children.
00:33:21.53\00:33:22.86
Yes!
00:33:22.90\00:33:24.27
And so that really is
getting me excited about,
00:33:24.30\00:33:27.34
you know, the future,
and we have one parent...
00:33:27.37\00:33:30.21
How are you received?
00:33:30.24\00:33:31.57
Oh, it's great.
00:33:31.61\00:33:32.94
The parents love it.
00:33:32.97\00:33:34.31
I have one parent who, she
couldn't get her kid there,
00:33:34.34\00:33:36.78
so she made sure
that he Ubered...
00:33:36.85\00:33:41.25
to the camp.
00:33:41.28\00:33:42.62
But the parents love
it because, you know,
00:33:42.65\00:33:44.99
in their schools,
they don't have robotics,
00:33:45.02\00:33:47.56
you know, under-served areas.
00:33:47.59\00:33:49.22
You have a hard time
getting into the urban part
00:33:49.26\00:33:51.83
to, like, the
road to getting in,
00:33:51.86\00:33:54.60
to get permission
to work with kids...?
00:33:54.63\00:33:55.96
No, the permission's
not the difficult part,
00:33:56.00\00:33:58.73
the resources being
able to, you know, fund them
00:33:58.77\00:34:02.37
in terms of getting computers
00:34:02.40\00:34:04.04
or a place for
them to come and meet.
00:34:04.11\00:34:06.88
Oftentimes, there is
no place for them to meet
00:34:06.91\00:34:09.71
or finding mentors
who want to come and help.
00:34:09.74\00:34:11.95
I'm one person, I
can't be everywhere.
00:34:11.98\00:34:13.85
Right.
00:34:13.92\00:34:15.25
And getting people
who want to volunteer
00:34:15.28\00:34:16.62
to come and help,
00:34:16.65\00:34:17.99
you don't have to
give your life away,
00:34:18.02\00:34:19.35
you know, an hour or two,
00:34:19.39\00:34:21.42
you know, every
other week will suffice.
00:34:21.46\00:34:23.29
So those are some of
the challenges we face,
00:34:23.32\00:34:25.86
facilities,
money to buy the robots
00:34:25.89\00:34:28.83
and to buy the computers.
00:34:28.86\00:34:31.17
And what I don't
like about what we do
00:34:31.20\00:34:33.74
is that it has
become a one-time event.
00:34:33.77\00:34:37.01
What do you mean?
00:34:37.04\00:34:38.37
So we have the
summer camps for five days,
00:34:38.41\00:34:41.38
we're having
fun, they're learning,
00:34:41.41\00:34:43.35
we're expanding their horizons,
00:34:43.38\00:34:44.98
but after they end up the camp,
where do they go after that?
00:34:45.01\00:34:49.35
Right.
00:34:49.38\00:34:50.72
You know, most of the schools
don't have these programs
00:34:50.79\00:34:53.09
for them.
00:34:53.12\00:34:54.79
And so I'm finding
that we're doing almost
00:34:54.82\00:34:57.36
more of a disservice
00:34:57.43\00:34:58.76
'cause we're
getting them excited,
00:34:58.79\00:35:00.60
and then there's
nowhere to go after that.
00:35:00.63\00:35:02.43
Yeah, the follow-up.
There's no follow-up.
00:35:02.46\00:35:03.97
You know what would be amazing
00:35:04.00\00:35:06.07
is if churches
would sponsor this
00:35:06.10\00:35:09.30
and what an evangelistic
outreach this could be.
00:35:09.34\00:35:12.91
It is.
00:35:12.94\00:35:14.28
Because churches
could sponsor it,
00:35:14.31\00:35:15.64
and during the week,
00:35:15.68\00:35:17.05
they could have
robotics classes.
00:35:17.08\00:35:19.35
And then invite the
community to come in
00:35:19.38\00:35:22.22
and then they're
coming to the church already,
00:35:22.25\00:35:25.09
and they could come on Sabbath.
00:35:25.12\00:35:26.45
That's right.
00:35:26.49\00:35:27.82
I mean, that's
tremendous. Oh, yeah.
00:35:27.86\00:35:29.19
You know, parents,
00:35:29.22\00:35:30.56
if you invest
in someone's child,
00:35:30.63\00:35:32.33
and I've learned
this over the years
00:35:32.36\00:35:33.93
working with the young people,
if you invest in their kids,
00:35:34.00\00:35:37.47
you know, that's priceless
00:35:37.50\00:35:39.60
and they are going to want
to find out more about you,
00:35:39.63\00:35:41.94
the church, or
why are so interested,
00:35:41.97\00:35:43.84
why are doing this for my child.
00:35:43.91\00:35:46.37
And we find that it
opens doors into their lives,
00:35:46.41\00:35:49.48
in their hearts
and so it's tremendous.
00:35:49.51\00:35:51.71
And so we want to do that,
00:35:51.75\00:35:53.25
we want to, set up centers,
you know, in all of these areas.
00:35:53.28\00:35:55.48
Great idea.
00:35:55.52\00:35:57.85
How would you do that?
00:35:57.89\00:35:59.22
How would you
00:35:59.25\00:36:00.59
because you're
just one person...
00:36:00.66\00:36:01.99
How could you take your program
00:36:02.02\00:36:04.93
and make it
universal, so to speak?
00:36:04.96\00:36:08.73
So number one, I
want to share with you
00:36:08.76\00:36:10.60
that we're part of FIRST,
00:36:10.67\00:36:12.37
FIRST stands for
Inspiration and Recognition
00:36:12.40\00:36:17.04
of Science and Technology,
00:36:17.11\00:36:18.44
it's a nonprofit group invented
by or formed by Dean Kamen,
00:36:18.47\00:36:23.45
he invented the Segway.
00:36:23.48\00:36:24.88
And so we are in this...
00:36:24.91\00:36:26.25
Segway is...
00:36:26.28\00:36:27.62
Yeah, Segway is
the two wheeled...
00:36:27.65\00:36:29.62
You see policeman riding them...
00:36:29.65\00:36:31.05
That's right, that's right.
00:36:31.09\00:36:32.42
You know, standing up on the...
00:36:32.45\00:36:33.79
Wow. So this guy invented that.
00:36:33.86\00:36:35.59
He created this organization
to inspire kids to go to STEM
00:36:35.62\00:36:39.49
or get into STEM
because he realized
00:36:39.53\00:36:41.70
that the average kid
00:36:41.73\00:36:43.06
couldn't name a
famous scientist or engineer
00:36:43.10\00:36:46.30
but they could name an
athlete, or entertainer,
00:36:46.33\00:36:49.44
or reality star.
00:36:49.47\00:36:51.41
So he wanted to
change that narrative.
00:36:51.44\00:36:54.38
And so we are an
affiliate partner of them,
00:36:54.41\00:36:57.25
so through them, we
operate and use their programs.
00:36:57.28\00:37:00.72
And so what we can do
is go into these churches,
00:37:00.75\00:37:03.69
communities, and
create these teams for them.
00:37:03.72\00:37:07.46
And so as an affiliate partner,
we can operate our own events
00:37:07.49\00:37:11.13
'cause most of their
events are on Saturday.
00:37:11.16\00:37:13.40
So we couldn't get involved
and so we approached them,
00:37:13.43\00:37:15.70
Melway did, and then
we can run our own events.
00:37:15.73\00:37:19.37
And so that's
something that we're doing.
00:37:19.40\00:37:21.94
And so, we just recently
had a STEMposium, so we...
00:37:21.97\00:37:25.77
A STEMposium, I like that...
00:37:25.81\00:37:27.78
Yeah, yeah, so what
we're trying to do is
00:37:27.81\00:37:29.74
invite STEM professionals
to come partner with us
00:37:29.78\00:37:34.32
to help us get these
programs into the inner cities.
00:37:34.35\00:37:38.79
And as you said, our
churches are all over the place,
00:37:38.82\00:37:40.66
they're in the inner cities.
00:37:40.69\00:37:42.49
We've schools
all over the place,
00:37:42.52\00:37:44.36
and begin to do that to change
00:37:44.39\00:37:46.29
the lives of these young people.
00:37:46.33\00:37:47.66
Yes.
00:37:47.70\00:37:49.36
Oh. I thought you were
going to say something, Robert.
00:37:49.40\00:37:52.63
So how have you with
the FIRST Organization,
00:37:52.67\00:37:58.47
how are you able to get
events that weren't on Sabbath?
00:37:58.51\00:38:04.05
Okay, so several years ago,
00:38:04.08\00:38:07.25
Larry Blackmore is the president
00:38:07.32\00:38:09.22
of the North
American division...
00:38:09.25\00:38:10.59
I'm sorry, he is
the superintendent
00:38:10.62\00:38:12.22
of the North American division,
00:38:12.25\00:38:13.76
approached this
gentleman by the name of Melway
00:38:13.79\00:38:16.46
who was the IT director
for the Michigan Conference
00:38:16.49\00:38:18.66
at the time.
00:38:18.69\00:38:20.03
And said, "Hey, here's
a robot, contact FIRST,
00:38:20.10\00:38:22.83
what can we do to
get involved with this?"
00:38:22.86\00:38:25.67
And so he
approached them, he said,
00:38:25.70\00:38:27.17
"Hey, we're Sabbath keepers,
00:38:27.24\00:38:28.97
you know, most of
your events are on Saturday
00:38:29.00\00:38:31.47
and we can't compete.
00:38:31.51\00:38:32.84
We have over 700 schools
across the United States,
00:38:32.87\00:38:36.01
what can we do?
00:38:36.04\00:38:37.55
And so they
contacted us and said,
00:38:37.58\00:38:39.28
"Hey, we can make you
an affiliate partner."
00:38:39.31\00:38:41.55
And so we
operate our own version
00:38:41.58\00:38:44.45
of the robotics competitions
throughout the United States
00:38:44.49\00:38:47.82
on Sunday.
00:38:47.86\00:38:49.86
And there are
regionals all over the place
00:38:49.89\00:38:52.69
and you can find a
local regional to compete in
00:38:52.73\00:38:56.03
and then compete
in the nationals.
00:38:56.06\00:38:58.73
So that's what we're
doing in the website.
00:38:58.77\00:39:01.54
You can go to the website
and find out more information
00:39:01.57\00:39:03.74
about that
program and start a team,
00:39:03.81\00:39:06.37
and I would like for
Danny and you, Yvonne,
00:39:06.41\00:39:09.08
to start a team here.
00:39:09.11\00:39:10.45
Oh, listen to you.
00:39:10.48\00:39:13.35
Well, you know, you never know.
00:39:13.42\00:39:14.85
Yeah. We have a school here.
00:39:14.88\00:39:16.28
Yes, yes, it would
be great to do that.
00:39:16.32\00:39:18.32
Yeah.
00:39:18.35\00:39:19.69
And what I found over the years,
00:39:19.72\00:39:21.79
the enrollment of the
schools have increased.
00:39:21.82\00:39:24.33
Okay.
00:39:24.36\00:39:25.69
Because when parents find out
00:39:25.73\00:39:27.10
that there is a
robotics program in the school,
00:39:27.13\00:39:29.63
they've pulled their kids
out of the public school system.
00:39:29.66\00:39:33.03
I've had a parent move
from South Georgia to Orlando
00:39:33.07\00:39:36.34
because of the robotics program.
00:39:36.37\00:39:38.97
Because they understand
the value of this education
00:39:39.01\00:39:42.41
and what it can
do for their kids.
00:39:42.44\00:39:44.45
It's not just the education,
it's also the networking.
00:39:44.48\00:39:47.62
All the events that I go to,
00:39:47.65\00:39:49.25
you know, you get to
talk to the other kids,
00:39:49.28\00:39:51.52
you know, make friends,
00:39:51.55\00:39:52.89
and friends are
very important, and...
00:39:52.92\00:39:55.69
So you're seeing other kids
00:39:55.72\00:39:57.33
who are interested in
the same things that you are
00:39:57.36\00:39:59.43
and you can
really push each other.
00:39:59.46\00:40:00.80
Oh, that great.
00:40:00.83\00:40:02.16
So I think that's a
great thing as well.
00:40:02.20\00:40:03.57
I was just
thinking, it would be so good
00:40:03.60\00:40:05.87
if you could both talk to,
00:40:05.90\00:40:09.84
you as a parent talk
to the parents out there
00:40:09.87\00:40:13.88
whose children are
labeled and give them some hope.
00:40:13.91\00:40:17.98
And then you, Robert,
as someone who was labeled,
00:40:18.01\00:40:22.45
who is now not just achieving
but highly achieving, you know,
00:40:22.48\00:40:28.26
talk to that child
00:40:28.29\00:40:30.23
who is
considered an underachiever
00:40:30.26\00:40:32.86
and give them
some encouragement.
00:40:32.89\00:40:35.36
So look right into that
camera and talk to the child
00:40:35.40\00:40:38.17
and then we'll get your
dad to talk to that parent.
00:40:38.20\00:40:41.60
So what would you say
to a young boy who...?
00:40:41.64\00:40:44.91
What would you say to you
00:40:44.94\00:40:46.27
when you were in
the second grade?
00:40:46.31\00:40:48.61
What would you say to you?
00:40:48.64\00:40:50.65
I'd say that the world is yours
00:40:50.68\00:40:52.41
and, you know, don't let
people put a label on you
00:40:52.45\00:40:54.78
and tell you what
you can and can't do
00:40:54.82\00:40:56.45
'cause, you know,
the Lord is on your side,
00:40:56.48\00:40:58.12
and He will support
you in everything you do,
00:40:58.15\00:41:00.09
and there's just...
00:41:00.16\00:41:03.53
You can really do
anything, there is no limit
00:41:03.56\00:41:06.23
to what you can
create and think of and...
00:41:06.26\00:41:09.96
One of just the biggest
things is to just dream.
00:41:10.00\00:41:12.30
You know, if
someone's telling you
00:41:12.33\00:41:13.67
that you can't do it,
you're going the right way
00:41:13.74\00:41:15.40
'cause, you know,
00:41:15.44\00:41:16.81
you don't want to be
the same as everybody else
00:41:16.84\00:41:18.24
'cause then that's how you stay
00:41:18.27\00:41:19.61
in the same place you are today.
00:41:19.64\00:41:20.98
You want to keep on
pushing and, you know, doing...
00:41:21.01\00:41:23.68
The most you can and just,
you know, you are smart and...
00:41:23.75\00:41:29.12
That's good. Isn't it?
00:41:29.15\00:41:30.49
Yeah, that's
great. That's great.
00:41:30.52\00:41:31.85
That's great, don't stay in
the rut, get out of the rut.
00:41:31.89\00:41:34.42
Yeah. You don't
what a rut is, right?
00:41:34.46\00:41:36.16
Yeah.
00:41:36.19\00:41:37.63
Mollie Steenson always
says rut is just a grave
00:41:37.66\00:41:42.03
with two ends open.
00:41:42.06\00:41:43.40
So you're not
really going anywhere,
00:41:43.47\00:41:44.80
so don't be in a box,
think outside that box,
00:41:44.83\00:41:48.54
and you can succeed,
and it may be not the way
00:41:48.57\00:41:51.71
someone before you
but, you know, new things.
00:41:51.74\00:41:55.44
I mean, the technology,
the way it's going right now,
00:41:55.48\00:41:57.65
if everyone
thought the way I did,
00:41:57.68\00:41:59.51
we'd still be
having the dial phone.
00:41:59.55\00:42:02.42
We'd never got past that,
it'd be hanging on the wall.
00:42:02.45\00:42:04.92
That's right. Right, right.
00:42:04.95\00:42:06.65
So we got to have innovators,
we got to have people.
00:42:06.69\00:42:08.16
That's right.
00:42:08.19\00:42:09.52
The other thing
I want to point is,
00:42:09.56\00:42:10.93
you know, people
think of age as like,
00:42:10.96\00:42:12.86
you know, you're young,
00:42:12.89\00:42:14.36
they might tell
you, "You can't do it,"
00:42:14.40\00:42:15.73
but I'm telling you,
just because you're a kid
00:42:15.76\00:42:18.13
or just 'cause
you're younger than others
00:42:18.17\00:42:19.50
doesn't mean that you
can't make a difference.
00:42:19.53\00:42:21.37
In high school, you
know, I started a business
00:42:21.40\00:42:23.74
with the custom
3D printed spinners,
00:42:23.81\00:42:27.28
the little fidget
spinners people had.
00:42:27.31\00:42:28.81
Yeah.
00:42:28.84\00:42:30.18
And it went pretty well
until I couldn't keep up
00:42:30.25\00:42:34.22
with the low prices
but it was really well
00:42:34.25\00:42:37.32
and it was a good learn...
00:42:37.39\00:42:38.72
I learned a lot of
lessons on how to run a business
00:42:38.75\00:42:40.56
and there are a lot of kids
who have successful businesses
00:42:40.59\00:42:45.69
or businesses that were started
by people at a young age.
00:42:45.73\00:42:48.26
Right.
00:42:48.30\00:42:49.63
And, you know, you don't need...
00:42:49.66\00:42:51.70
I mean, you
need to go to college
00:42:51.73\00:42:53.07
but you don't need to
just do something to start.
00:42:53.10\00:42:55.47
That's good.
00:42:55.50\00:42:56.84
That's good. Thank you.
00:42:56.91\00:42:58.27
What about you to
the parents, Robert?
00:42:58.31\00:43:00.28
What would you say to a parent
00:43:00.31\00:43:01.64
whose child has
been labeled ADD or ADHD
00:43:01.68\00:43:05.11
and they feel
like there's no future?
00:43:05.15\00:43:07.12
Yeah, yeah.
00:43:07.15\00:43:08.48
The first thing I want
to say to you as a parent
00:43:08.52\00:43:10.59
is to not allow
others to determine
00:43:10.62\00:43:14.19
the path of your child.
00:43:14.26\00:43:16.59
You have it within yourself
00:43:16.62\00:43:18.39
to go ahead and
make that difference.
00:43:18.43\00:43:20.40
And I didn't accept what
they said about my child,
00:43:20.43\00:43:23.40
and I went out,
and I found the way,
00:43:23.47\00:43:25.47
I found the resources, and
I created that environment.
00:43:25.50\00:43:29.54
So don't expect the
teachers or the school system
00:43:29.57\00:43:32.91
to create that
environment for your child.
00:43:32.94\00:43:34.84
You, God has given
you the responsibility
00:43:34.88\00:43:37.65
to raise your child
00:43:37.68\00:43:39.21
and you shouldn't let
anybody else do it for you.
00:43:39.25\00:43:41.72
Don't give up on your
child, you get in there
00:43:41.75\00:43:44.39
and you do whatever it takes
to make your child successful
00:43:44.42\00:43:49.32
and don't accept
anything from anyone.
00:43:49.36\00:43:51.89
There are people out there
who will come alongside you.
00:43:51.93\00:43:55.06
FIRST is organization
that's there for you to do that
00:43:55.10\00:43:59.93
and start at
your home, you know,
00:43:59.97\00:44:01.84
start at the church, you know,
00:44:01.87\00:44:03.20
and if you can't
build a school, start there.
00:44:03.24\00:44:07.18
But don't allow
Satan to use other people
00:44:07.21\00:44:11.18
to pigeonhole your child.
00:44:11.21\00:44:12.98
God has a plan for your child.
00:44:13.01\00:44:15.05
He has a destiny for your child.
00:44:15.08\00:44:16.69
Jeremiah 1:5 says,
00:44:16.72\00:44:18.05
"Before you were
formed in your mother's womb,
00:44:18.09\00:44:20.76
I knew you, I set you apart."
00:44:20.79\00:44:23.73
And as you looked up the Bible,
00:44:23.76\00:44:25.13
God has always used young people
00:44:25.16\00:44:27.50
to do great things,
00:44:27.53\00:44:28.86
and we've always found
that Satan is always trying
00:44:28.90\00:44:31.40
to take them out.
00:44:31.43\00:44:33.20
So it's incumbent upon you
to go out there and do that.
00:44:33.23\00:44:37.41
I'm here, we're here to help you
00:44:37.44\00:44:40.58
with the resources, events,
00:44:40.61\00:44:43.21
you can contact me at
the Florida Conference,
00:44:43.24\00:44:46.25
and we're more
than willing to help,
00:44:46.28\00:44:47.72
come alongside you to
inspire that next innovator,
00:44:47.75\00:44:50.59
that next champion for
God, and to be successful.
00:44:50.62\00:44:54.09
So be a champion for your child,
00:44:54.16\00:44:57.23
no one else will be.
00:44:57.26\00:44:58.59
What we would like to do...
00:44:58.63\00:45:00.20
a few minutes,
actually, I'd like to go back
00:45:00.23\00:45:02.33
and get a little bit about
you, the way you were raised,
00:45:02.36\00:45:05.33
your childhood,
and your education,
00:45:05.37\00:45:07.97
and to get you
where you are today
00:45:08.00\00:45:09.47
because you're very innovative,
you're very visionary,
00:45:09.50\00:45:12.27
you're out on the front lines,
and not everybody does that.
00:45:12.31\00:45:15.21
What...?
00:45:15.24\00:45:16.58
I want to see what road
brought you to where we are.
00:45:16.61\00:45:19.41
Okay, sure.
00:45:19.45\00:45:20.82
So like any other kid,
00:45:20.85\00:45:24.95
I was, you know, very
interested in technologies
00:45:24.99\00:45:28.12
and my father
really cultivated that.
00:45:28.16\00:45:32.26
He purchased a
Commodore VIC-20 for me
00:45:32.29\00:45:34.63
when I was around the age of 12.
00:45:34.66\00:45:37.07
Wow, the
Commodore! I had Commodore 64.
00:45:37.10\00:45:41.67
That's right. Yeah, yeah.
00:45:41.70\00:45:43.71
And my father
wasn't a computer scientist
00:45:43.74\00:45:46.88
or an engineer but
he wanted that for me.
00:45:46.91\00:45:49.91
Okay.
00:45:49.94\00:45:51.28
And he would buy magazines
on programming, and coding,
00:45:51.31\00:45:53.95
and I would sit there and code.
00:45:54.02\00:45:56.05
But I didn't have
the support system
00:45:56.08\00:45:59.39
that most other people do.
00:45:59.42\00:46:01.72
And so...
00:46:01.76\00:46:03.09
What years would this
be back? Oh, man, 1980s.
00:46:03.12\00:46:07.13
Okay.
00:46:07.20\00:46:08.53
Oh, my goodness. Yeah.
00:46:08.56\00:46:09.90
We feel so old,
you come from 1980s.
00:46:09.93\00:46:12.00
We are old by the way. We are.
00:46:12.03\00:46:14.84
That's when the
computers really started.
00:46:14.87\00:46:16.91
Yeah, that's when they
really started to blossom.
00:46:16.94\00:46:20.51
And I just got through
reading a book about Elon Musk
00:46:20.58\00:46:23.95
and what was
interesting about that,
00:46:23.98\00:46:25.61
around the same
age that my dad gave me
00:46:25.65\00:46:27.35
the Commodore VIC-20,
00:46:27.42\00:46:28.82
his dad gave him
a Commodore VIC-20.
00:46:28.85\00:46:31.69
And Elon Musk is the
founder of Tesla and SpaceX,
00:46:31.72\00:46:34.92
he's a multimillionaire today.
00:46:34.96\00:46:37.53
But we had the same tools.
00:46:37.56\00:46:40.60
Okay, and as I
reflected upon that,
00:46:40.63\00:46:43.16
I began to wonder why
was he so widely successful
00:46:43.20\00:46:47.70
and it was the support system.
00:46:47.74\00:46:49.47
His father was an engineer,
and guided him, and pushed him,
00:46:49.50\00:46:53.71
and prodded him.
00:46:53.78\00:46:55.44
And when my father tried
to do that as best he could,
00:46:55.48\00:46:59.78
he could just give me magazines.
00:46:59.81\00:47:02.75
And so as I went
through high school,
00:47:02.78\00:47:05.65
we didn't have those
computer programming courses
00:47:05.69\00:47:08.19
at our church schools
and things of that nature.
00:47:08.22\00:47:10.56
And so, it kind of
floundered a little bit.
00:47:10.63\00:47:14.10
And my mother, bless her
soul, wanted me to be a doctor.
00:47:14.13\00:47:18.73
So I ended up going to
Oakwood to major in biology
00:47:18.77\00:47:22.07
and chemistry, and
my heart was not there,
00:47:22.10\00:47:25.47
my heart wasn't there.
00:47:25.51\00:47:27.28
And I came across a dark moment
in my time and I got depressed.
00:47:27.31\00:47:33.75
And as I began to realize
that I was about to major,
00:47:33.82\00:47:37.59
graduate with a major,
that I didn't want to be
00:47:37.62\00:47:41.29
in a field I
didn't want to be in.
00:47:41.32\00:47:43.06
And so there were
finals were coming up
00:47:43.09\00:47:46.19
and I just
didn't go to my finals.
00:47:46.23\00:47:48.93
Wow. I didn't go to my finals.
00:47:48.96\00:47:51.80
Wow. Did you get incompletes?
00:47:51.83\00:47:54.07
I did, and it was my
last year of college.
00:47:54.14\00:47:58.14
Wow. And just got depressed.
00:47:58.17\00:48:01.24
And I said, "Lord...
00:48:01.28\00:48:05.71
I need You to come
into my life and guide me."
00:48:05.75\00:48:10.19
And I said to Him,
00:48:10.22\00:48:11.55
"I will do
whatever You want me to do."
00:48:11.59\00:48:13.46
Okay.
00:48:13.49\00:48:14.82
Prior to that time, you
know, growing up in the church,
00:48:14.86\00:48:17.13
I was a youth elder and
I would speak all the time
00:48:17.16\00:48:20.93
and everybody
wanted me to be a preacher
00:48:20.96\00:48:22.63
and that's not me, I
don't want to be a preacher.
00:48:22.66\00:48:25.47
And right before
I went to college,
00:48:25.50\00:48:27.17
the first elder
came to me and says,
00:48:27.24\00:48:28.87
"Robert, I've been
impressed to tell you,
00:48:28.90\00:48:31.04
unless you choose God,
unless you choose the ministry,
00:48:31.07\00:48:35.74
you will not be
successful in anything you do."
00:48:35.78\00:48:39.21
And I looked at him
and said, "You're crazy.
00:48:39.25\00:48:41.78
I don't want to be a preacher."
00:48:41.82\00:48:45.75
But, you know, years later,
I found myself asking the Lord
00:48:45.79\00:48:51.73
to come into my life,
and lead me, and guide me,
00:48:51.76\00:48:55.63
and I clearly
remember saying to Him,
00:48:55.66\00:48:57.77
"Whatever You want me
to do, Lord, I will do."
00:48:57.80\00:49:00.34
Okay.
00:49:00.37\00:49:01.70
Shortly after
that, Dr. Kenneth Laing
00:49:01.74\00:49:04.31
who is the Chair of
the Chemistry Department
00:49:04.34\00:49:06.78
at Oakwood College called me up.
00:49:06.81\00:49:09.34
He was doing research
00:49:09.38\00:49:10.75
for the U.S. Army
colloidal chemistry,
00:49:10.78\00:49:14.22
he even got a huge laser
lab in there, and he said,
00:49:14.25\00:49:16.38
"Robert, we need
more young men in STEM,
00:49:16.42\00:49:19.52
more young black men at STEM."
00:49:19.55\00:49:21.62
And he gave me a summer
job to do research for him
00:49:21.66\00:49:25.76
and that
experience changed my life.
00:49:25.79\00:49:28.06
Okay.
00:49:28.10\00:49:30.00
It put me in a
whirlwind environment,
00:49:30.07\00:49:32.53
an authentic
learning environment
00:49:32.57\00:49:34.27
where I got to
tinker, and learn,
00:49:34.30\00:49:35.97
and it taught me
what real study was about,
00:49:36.00\00:49:39.17
what real learning was about.
00:49:39.21\00:49:41.11
And it was that experience
that changed my outlook
00:49:41.14\00:49:44.08
on education.
00:49:44.15\00:49:46.48
And then one
thing lead to another,
00:49:46.51\00:49:48.28
I ended up being a
biology lab instructor
00:49:48.32\00:49:51.85
at Oakwood College for Dr. Paul.
00:49:51.89\00:49:53.66
And then I got
hired as a science teacher
00:49:53.69\00:49:56.93
and my perspective for teaching
00:49:56.96\00:49:59.43
was altered by
those two experiences.
00:49:59.46\00:50:02.40
So that is what
transformed my thinking,
00:50:02.43\00:50:05.47
and it got me to
be a different person.
00:50:05.50\00:50:08.10
I don't tell anybody that story,
00:50:08.14\00:50:10.01
I've only told a
handful of people.
00:50:10.04\00:50:11.77
Now the whole world
knows. Whole world knows.
00:50:11.81\00:50:14.98
Now the whole world knows,
but no, it's really important,
00:50:15.01\00:50:18.58
but again, it's
the mentoring again,
00:50:18.61\00:50:20.65
someone that says,
00:50:20.72\00:50:22.05
"Hey, you know, come
and help me," you know,
00:50:22.08\00:50:24.92
and it found
something that clicked with you.
00:50:24.95\00:50:26.96
Exactly.
00:50:26.99\00:50:28.32
In other words, we can't be...
00:50:28.36\00:50:29.69
We love our
mothers and our fathers
00:50:29.72\00:50:31.23
but can't always
be what, you know...
00:50:31.26\00:50:33.43
I met some preachers
that I actually asked one guy,
00:50:33.50\00:50:36.30
"Why are you a preacher?"
00:50:36.33\00:50:37.67
And he said, "Well, my parents
00:50:37.70\00:50:39.10
always want me to be a preacher,
00:50:39.13\00:50:40.84
and I wanted to be."
00:50:40.87\00:50:42.20
And I said,
00:50:42.24\00:50:43.61
"Okay, that might
have been a better choice
00:50:43.64\00:50:45.57
based on what I saw."
00:50:45.61\00:50:46.98
It kind of showed.
00:50:47.01\00:50:48.34
Yeah, so anyway, but no,
00:50:48.38\00:50:50.18
so what you're
saying again though,
00:50:50.25\00:50:52.38
through all of
this, we saw support.
00:50:52.41\00:50:53.75
Yes.
00:50:53.82\00:50:55.15
Your dad did the
best he knew how to do.
00:50:55.18\00:50:56.52
That's right.
00:50:56.55\00:50:57.89
He gave you the best
support. That's right.
00:50:57.92\00:50:59.25
He gave you the
magazine, didn't have money,
00:50:59.29\00:51:00.62
didn't have all the
push like the other guy did
00:51:00.66\00:51:03.32
with the same computer.
00:51:03.36\00:51:04.69
Right, right.
00:51:04.73\00:51:06.06
Why did he would be...
00:51:06.09\00:51:07.43
You know, what happened to
me and it did not, you know,
00:51:07.50\00:51:09.53
but when you...
00:51:09.56\00:51:11.07
It took a while to do it.
00:51:11.10\00:51:12.57
But the advantage is
now and what you're doing
00:51:12.60\00:51:14.97
and taking to our
young people is to say,
00:51:15.00\00:51:18.21
"Look, you don't have
to spend all these years
00:51:18.24\00:51:20.68
and wait till you're in
college about to graduate,
00:51:20.71\00:51:23.21
we can start you
now at this young age."
00:51:23.24\00:51:25.61
And they can decide what
it is that really stick...
00:51:25.65\00:51:28.85
They may say, you
know, that's not for me
00:51:28.88\00:51:30.89
but, boy, I wish we could
do such and such, I'll do this.
00:51:30.92\00:51:33.66
Right.
00:51:33.69\00:51:35.02
And so it's actually...
00:51:35.06\00:51:36.39
I call it lighting
people up, you're finding them.
00:51:36.42\00:51:38.66
That's right.
00:51:38.69\00:51:40.03
Quickly, one of my grandsons,
Justin, he works here.
00:51:40.10\00:51:42.63
He was in the second
grade and he ADD, I guess,
00:51:42.66\00:51:45.07
and so they said, "Well,
he wouldn't pay attention."
00:51:45.10\00:51:48.57
And he loved science
class but I went to school
00:51:48.60\00:51:51.11
and he was
sitting in the hallway.
00:51:51.14\00:51:52.47
Wow.
00:51:52.51\00:51:53.88
I said, "What are you doing?"
00:51:53.91\00:51:55.24
"Well, the teacher told me
to." I said, "No, she didn't."
00:51:55.28\00:51:56.61
So I went and asked her,
"Why you got him the hallway?"
00:51:56.64\00:51:58.65
second grade, she said,
00:51:58.68\00:52:00.02
"Well, he's really
an eighth grade math
00:52:00.05\00:52:02.58
or eighth grade science,
00:52:02.62\00:52:03.99
and they didn't
want him in there,
00:52:04.02\00:52:05.35
and he tells all
these kids what to do."
00:52:05.39\00:52:07.16
But he didn't do
so well, you know,
00:52:07.19\00:52:09.62
when it came to that
part of the education
00:52:09.66\00:52:12.86
but very smart,
he was very smart.
00:52:12.89\00:52:14.23
That's right, that's right.
00:52:14.30\00:52:15.63
Now what we're doing...
00:52:15.66\00:52:17.00
Our time, I can't
believe our time is leaving us.
00:52:17.03\00:52:18.37
I know, it's so good.
00:52:18.40\00:52:19.73
What I want to do, I
want to put up an address,
00:52:19.77\00:52:21.47
if it's okay with you.
00:52:21.50\00:52:22.84
Sure, sure, sure.
00:52:22.87\00:52:24.21
So that the folks will
know how to contact you,
00:52:24.24\00:52:25.77
and I think what you've
done today is give us...
00:52:25.81\00:52:28.04
A lot of people may
be sitting around saying,
00:52:28.08\00:52:30.75
"What can we do to
help our young people?"
00:52:30.78\00:52:32.65
Yes.
00:52:32.68\00:52:34.02
Because all of this
00:52:34.05\00:52:35.38
is so important
that we find out...
00:52:35.42\00:52:36.79
Oh, it is. What a difference.
00:52:36.82\00:52:38.15
Yeah, it makes a huge difference
00:52:38.19\00:52:39.52
in the lives of people.
00:52:39.55\00:52:40.89
So maybe you just need advice,
00:52:40.92\00:52:42.26
say, "How can we
start this in our school?
00:52:42.29\00:52:44.03
How can we connect
with the conference?
00:52:44.06\00:52:45.56
How can we connect with
the other organizations?"
00:52:45.59\00:52:48.16
Well, this will be
your contact person.
00:52:48.20\00:52:50.07
So what we'll do is
we'll put up his address,
00:52:50.10\00:52:53.54
how you can contact him,
00:52:53.57\00:52:54.90
then we're going
to take a news break,
00:52:54.94\00:52:56.27
and we'll be back
for the closing thought.
00:52:56.30\00:53:00.18
If you would like to know
00:53:00.21\00:53:01.54
how your local school
could benefit from this program
00:53:01.58\00:53:04.58
or if you would like to
invite Professor Robert Henley
00:53:04.61\00:53:07.62
to give a presentation
00:53:07.65\00:53:09.08
on how robotics,
mechanical engineering,
00:53:09.12\00:53:12.22
and physics can stimulate
students' brain development,
00:53:12.25\00:53:15.69
you may reach him at
the Florida Conference
00:53:15.72\00:53:18.06
of Seventh-day Adventist
00:53:18.09\00:53:19.53
by calling area
code (407) 644-5000.
00:53:19.56\00:53:25.30
That's (407) 644-5000.
00:53:25.33\00:53:29.60
You may also write
to him at Robert Henley,
00:53:29.64\00:53:32.97
Florida Conference of
the Seventh-day Adventist,
00:53:33.01\00:53:35.61
351 South State Road
434, Altamonte Springs,
00:53:35.64\00:53:41.05
Florida 32714.
00:53:41.08\00:53:43.89