donnyenglish said:

My daughter is a teacher and asked me to write something for her first graders for black history month. This is what I gave her that I thought that I would share. - Prince Rogers Nelson was born on June 7, 1958 in Minneapolis. - He was an artist and humanitarian. A humanitarian is someone that helps other humans. - Prince started playing the piano when he was in the first grade. He would sneak to play his father’s piano when his father was gone. The first song that he learned how to play was Batman. - Prince ate a lot of junk food. Prince’s favorite foods were Doritos and Payday candy bars. - Prince played basketball when he was a kid even though he was very short and his friends made fun of him. Prince was never afraid to do what he loved and he did not let anyone else bring him down. - Prince was homeless when he was a teenager. He would stand in front of the local McDonald’s just to smell the food because he was so hungry. He would live with any relatives and friends when he could while he worked on his music until he became good enough to take care of himself. - Prince was known for working harder than any other artist. Prince practiced his art every single day for many hours and inspired others around him to work as hard as he worked. - Prince’s hard work paid off. Prince won awards for many of his albums like Purple Rain and Sign Of The Times. Prince also starred in movies and television shows. - After Prince got famous, he noticed that he was not being treated fairly by the music business because they were taking all of his money and controlled his music. In response, Prince wrote the word “Slave” on his face and changed his name from “Prince” to a symbol to protest the unfair treatment of himself and other artists by the music business. Instead of working for the music business, Prince started his own business that treated other artists fairly. Prince lost a lot of money and popularity when he did this, but he made that sacrifice in order to have his freedom. - Prince wanted all young black people to use their creativity and talents to become free from others just like he did. Prince did many things to help young black people to help them succeed and achieve freedom. Most of his efforts were kept secret until he died because he did not want the credit. o He secretly helped start Blacks Lives Matter, which helps ensure that black people are treated fairly by the police. o When Trayvonn Martin was murdered by a security guard, Prince was inspired to start YesWeCode, which taught inner city students how to build computer programs. Prince thought that Travonn Martin could have been like the creator of facebook, but he never got a chance. o Prince also secretly helped provide water to kids in Flint Michigan who were suffering because the government poisoned their water. o Prince secretly provided solar energy to poor families in California to help them pay for their electricity. o Prince also has secretly funded many schools and music programs for inner city people including some in Philadelphia. We are sure that Prince has secretly donated lots of money to KIPP and schools like KIPP. - He died on April 21, 2016 leaving behind a legacy of creativity, freedom, love and charity. He would want all children to follow his lead and work hard to develop their talents, be free and help out those who are less fortunate. https://youtu.be/GDWfT10RFG8 Starfish and Coffee is about a first grade girl named Cynthia Rose that had disabilities and who was not afraid to be different. She did not let others bring her down. https://www.facebook.com/...197579910/ This video shows how Prince helped people. [Edited 2/5/18 18:56pm] [Edited 2/5/18 18:57pm]

This is great..

you could also mention that Prince quietly Gave Mone...nn Martins family

and they didnt learn that it came from him until after he died

This is very good. Einstein stated that you can only prove that you know something if you can explain it in a manner that a child can understand it. You have done this well. Unfortunately, not having children of my own and only having taught college and high school students enrolled in advanced subjects, I struggle communicating with children. (Actually, I avoid people under the age of fourteen like most people avoid the homeless.) So, props to you. Your entry reminds me of the "Who Am I" flashcards we had when I was elementary. Some of my favorites were Stevie Wonder, Ray Charles, Hank Aaron, and Wille Mayes. Your entry returns me to my elementary days of having fun guessing the names of the history maker before the teacher could finish reading the information. Good job.

I'm gonna give this to the new teacher at my old job, the kids loved the Purple One (because of me)

It's perfect. I'll show this to my daughter who is a 2nd grade teacher.

Good job.

This is so precious. Very well done! You summed him up exceptionally well. I think he'd be proud of what you're doing to help educate the children.

NorthC said:

You might wanna re-think that part about eating junk food because it suggests that he never ate anything else. Plus, I don't think his favourite food is all that important when there are so many stories to tell about him. (Is that MacDonald story really true?) Other than that, great piece especially the part at the end about charity. Not many people know that about him. [Edited 2/7/18 9:59am]

I just figured it was a nice little fact that humanizes him in a way that first graders can relate to. I love that our Prince had a sweet tooth. I read the McDonald's story in an interview. I'll have to find it becuase others have asked me about that story.

Writing this about him just made me so proud of him. He is a party of not only Black History, but American History. We were all part of it.

NorthC said:

^I understand. Maybe you could add that he became a vegetarian later in life (we should also teach out kids to eat healthy food, right? ) And just because the system in America might be different from Europe: how old are the children you're talking about?

Ha...Good point NorthC

I actually came here to add a similar comment...

THere is currently a huge shift in the way people are approaching their food choices

with Veganism becoming a kick back protest for all the animals being violently slaughtered .

and yes..

Prince might have had a sweet tooth, but he was a vegetarian long before it became trendy

...Once again way AHEAD of the 8 Ball

Didnt he once say something like

"I dont eat anyhing that has a face.....

except Mayte !"

NorthC said:

^I understand. Maybe you could add that he became a vegetarian later in life (we should also teach out kids to eat healthy food, right? ) And just because the system in America might be different from Europe: how old are the children you're talking about?

I will add that. First graders are 6-7.

well done!