My work with the STEM program in Detroit has taught me a few lessons.

1. If the kids are uninspired the parents usually are as well.

2. Teachers can only do so much. Too often they become disillusioned themselves.

3. The non profit space is TEEMING with grifters.

4. I'd be very cautious about paying ANYONE upfront money for grant writing. Gotta be one of the sweetest hustles out there.

5. There's a a whole lot of very educated women in the non profit space. FEW demonstrate a commitment matching their credentials. It's a "job."

6. Everybody says they care about kids. Most just care about paying their bills.

7. There are kids who simply don't want to learn. Spending more resources on them will not change that. That is corrected at home.

8. Values from home are more important than teachers in school.

The more time you actually spend with people who are struggling the more you see the effects of poor leadership in the home. The struggles are simply the culmination and manifestation of generational poor choices. I don't know how to fix that and anyone who says they do is lying.