Reading Comprehension SEL Story Series

This person was asked by a stranger if she was born in this country.

Although immediately offended, the conversation she had with the stranger would change her life forever.

Have your students ever been offended by somebody? What happened next? Read on!

Read the Non-Fiction Article:
Born Here

When Deshauna Barber was 19 years old, a stranger asked her if she was born in this country. She was offended right away. But the conversation she had with the stranger would change her future.

Barber worked at Target. She worked in the women’s clothing section. This was during the summer of 2009. A customer stared at her for twenty minutes from across the aisle. Then, the stranger asked Barber if she was born in this country.

“She says the most offensive thing to me that you can say to a person of color in the United States of America. She asks me, were you born in this country and I was immediately offended. I put my hands on my hips and said, ‘Yeah, I was born in this country.'”

The lady was a pageant recruiter. She thought Barber was the most beautiful girl she had ever seen. The next day, Barber agreed to meet at Starbucks. The lady showed up with a huge stack of pageant magazines. They talked about what beauty pageants were all about. Barber grew up in a military family. She was already in the US Army Reserves. Barber was working towards finishing a military scholarship at university. As you can imagine, beauty pageantry was not a big part of her life growing up.

Barber was incredibly open-minded. She decided to compete in the District of Columbia State pageant three months later. Barber didn’t win. But she fell in love with competing in pageants. If she won at the state level, she would go against other state winners to try to become Miss USA. The winner of Miss USA goes on to represent the country at the international level. Miss USA competes against other countries to try to become Miss Universe.

The next year, Barber competed again in her state pageant. She lost. Barber tried again for a third, fourth, and fifth year. She failed each time. Barber was determined. She wanted to keep going. So, she decided to compete in her sixth pageant. She made it to the semi-finals before losing. After six failed attempts, Barber spoke with the lady who convinced her to compete in the first place. “I call her on the phone and said, ‘You told me I could be the next Miss USA,’ and she says, ‘Dashana, keep working, keep working, don’t quit, keep going back.’”

In December 2015, Barber won her state competition. She earned the title of Miss District of Columbia. A few months later, in June 2016, Barber competed and won Miss USA. She became the first soldier serving in the military to win Miss USA. She was also the ninth African American to win the title.

Barber was Miss USA for one year. She got a lot of attention during this time because she was Miss USA. She used this attention to talk about mental health in the Armed Forces. She speaks up for soldiers who have post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD.) A few months later, Barber was in the 2016 Miss Universe competition. She went against 86 countries, and she finished in the top nine.

Today, Dr. Deshauna Barber has a LinkedIn social media account. Her headline lists a lot of the great things she’s done. It says Army Veteran, Former Miss USA, and Motivational Speaker. It also lists President of Service Women’s Action Network and Diversity and Inclusion expert. You learn more about what she has done if you read her profile. Barber served her country as a captain in the US Army Reserve. She’s a STEM graduate. She has a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Management. Barber also has a Master of Science degree in Computer Information Systems. She even has a doctorate in Organizational Leadership. Finally, Barber travels around the world. She is a motivational speaker.

One of her messages is that sometimes, the person you are right now isn’t ready to be the person who wins. This message means you don’t have what you need to succeed yet. You have to keep working. You have to become better if you want to win.

Barber admits that she used to give up a lot when she was a kid. Her first real commitment was in middle school. She made the track team. Barber needed running shoes, so her mom bought her size nine shoes. At the time, her feet were only a size five. Her mom bought large Nike runners that she could grow into. During track practice, Barber twisted her ankle. She fell to the ground because her shoes were too big.

“I couldn’t run at the speed that I wanted to because I didn’t fit the shoes I was wearing at the time.” Barber explains what she learned about life.

“Now many of us have goals we’re trying to achieve, but the person we are right now is not the person that we need to be when we cross the finish line to our dreams. So we must walk and pace ourselves on this journey to our goals because we haven’t grown enough in ourselves to fit the shoes that we need to achieve our aspirations.”

Barber tried to become Miss District of Columbia for seven years. She failed six times. Sometimes, she speaks to graduates at her old school. Barber tells them we should not fear failure. Instead, we should be afraid of regret. After all, they will be turned down many times when they first apply for a job.

“The reality of life is that we will all hear more nos than we hear yeses and we will fail a lot and I mean a whole lot, but what I ask of you today is to not take no for an answer. Don’t be afraid of nos – be afraid of the possibility of a yes that you have prematurely destroyed because you decided to quit before the clock strikes twelve o’clock.”

Barber is afraid of losing a dream because she gave up too early. But she also uses rejection as fuel. Getting turned down only makes her want her dreams more. She takes time to look for reasons to work harder. She tells people “to work, to not stop here, to believe so heavily in your aspirations that you too will not fear the word no, but instead, you would choose to welcome this.”
 

Born Here from an SEOT perspective

Let’s break apart this story of perseverance. What strategies can we learn to help us achieve our goals? This article has two methods that work well together. We can use these opposite ideas to push and pull ourselves to success.

STRATEGY IDEA #1: Be Terrified Of Regret (push factor)

A push factor is when you push away from something bad. For example, war pushes you away from your home country. It forces you to move to safety.

In this article, Barber says we should be afraid of regret. She thinks we should be afraid of the things we’re missing out on if we stop too soon. We should use that fear of missing out to push ourselves toward what we want.

In 2017, Barber spoke with some students finishing school. She shared some of her the things she learned in life. “I ask only one thing of you all after you leave this graduation. Do not fear failure. But, please be terrified of regret. Giving up is the birth of regret.”

Barber lost her state pageant for six years. If she had given up after the sixth failure, she would never have become Miss USA. Barber likely would have spent her life wondering if she could have won. She probably would regret that she didn’t keep trying.

STRATEGY IDEA #2: Prove Them Wrong (pull factor)

A pull factor is something you want. It draws you closer to something. For example, sometimes parents move to a country with a better education system. They want to give their kids better chances of having a good life.

Naysayers are people who say you can’t do something. In this article, proving these people wrong can be a strong pull factor. We want to prove them wrong so much we’re willing to keep going and try harder. If someone tells you no, you can’t do something, use that rejection to push you into action. Getting told no might light a fire in your soul that makes you want to work harder.

“I love a good no. Please tell me no. Telling me no is like adding fuel to a fire that is now set ablaze because of your single no – I love additional reasons to work harder. Please give me a reason.”

Be so good, they can’t ignore you. Showing the world you were right can give you a lot of energy. This energy can help you win.

This ballerina and beauty pageant contestant gave a speech about Why Women Should NOT Be Engineers.

And that makes her an epic ambassador for STEM – Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics.

Will your students disagree? Read on!

Read the Non-Fiction Article:
Ballet, Beauty, and Being Girly

Naomi McGregor started ballet when she was four years old. She competed in the Miss Northern Ireland beauty pageant. Also, McGregor gave a TEDx talk. She talked about why girls should not be engineers. In other words, McGregor is a great ambassador. She’s a role model for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM).

Sometimes, McGregor speaks at STEM events. She talks to young students. Their first guess is that she is a teacher or a pop star. Actually, McGregor is the CEO and founder of a company called Movetru. Movetru is an innovative tech startup. That means they invent new technology. Very few kids want to become engineers at the start of her speech. But McGregor shares her story and experience. In the end, she asks the class who is interested in STEM. Many young girls and boys raise their hands.

Movetru is a tech startup that has won awards. Their idea is to invent smart clothing to sell at stores. We live in a world of smartphones and smart homes. Their idea is groundbreaking. Their product could help reduce physical injuries. Movetru dreams of being in everyone’s home. One day, they want to be as common as a smartwatch. But first, the company has to create a “minimum viable product.” That means a product with a few features to prove the idea can work.

Many movement-based injuries are caused by physical stress or repetitive actions. But this type of injury can be preventable. MoveTru’s clothing line would look cool. The athletic clothes would fit well. It would be close to your skin. It would almost be like a second skin. There would be a set of sensors put into the fabric. As you move, the sensors would send motion data to your smartphone. The app would then show you areas of growing concern based on how you move. These areas could be problem spots. Maybe some of your muscles and bones are getting stressed. What if you change your physical activities? You could talk with a coach or physiotherapist. Perhaps you do some prehabilitation exercises. These are exercises you do before you get hurt. If specific muscles get stronger, you might not get an injury. (Rehabilitation is the opposite. Rehabilitation exercises help you get better after you get hurt.)

McGregor was 14 years old and working towards a career in ballet when she hurt her knee. She asked eight different specialists for help. It took over three years before they could finally figure out the problem. Experts told her she would never be able to dance again. However, McGregor found a way to keep going. She continued practicing and teaching ballet. Her love of ballet was a big influence in her life.

“It taught me how to be creative, how to work in a team, how to stand on a stage. Most importantly, ballet taught me resilience and grit – that nothing is perfect, that hard work and repetition is the only way to succeed, that failure is only temporary.”

If only the technology McGregor is inventing right now was around when she was a teen. Her life might be different. Maybe today, she would be a professional dancer! “My injury could have been prevented in the first place; and let alone prevented, if I then invested after my injury, I could have actually had a rehabilitation time a whole lot shorter. Allowing my body to recover at a faster speed at such a young age would have been fundamental.”

Innovation means coming up with new goods and services that you can sell. Movetru might be a game-changer. Why? Well, right now, physiotherapists diagnose physical injuries. They also give you exercises to rehabilitate and recover. Their goal is to help you improve. Sometimes they help with ongoing aches. They can also help you recover from intense injuries. Movetru clothing is a brand-new tool. It would collect motion data. Right now, physiotherapists can only use what they see and what patients tell them to figure out what is wrong. But the Movetru app would give them a new option. The Movetru app would show movement data in a brand new way. This could help physiotherapists make decisions.

There are so many exciting possibilities! But first, Movetru needs to make a product to sell. So they are focusing their efforts on just one idea. Right now, their first product is for elite athletes. Movetru wants to help them recover from injury. The company received some funding to pay for startup costs. But the money won’t last long. Movetru must prove the business can work. If it does work, then they can focus on working on helping other people.

McGregor thinks it’s essential to be more than one thing. That’s the point of her TEDx talk. The title of her talk is “Why Women Shouldn’t Be Engineers.” The idea for the title comes from something a person told her while at work. This person said to her that women shouldn’t be engineers.

“Looking back, I find myself agreeing. Women shouldn’t be engineers because there is no such thing as just an engineer. There is no box or stereotype that confines the creative capabilities of STEM. There, the mathematician can be a baker, the artist can be a scientist, and this ballerina can be an engineer. It is not one or the other but a beautiful combination of both.”

McGregor finished high school. She wanted to go to university. At first, she chose business. But something felt wrong. It didn’t get her excited. At the last moment, she switched to engineering.

University was not easy. A lot of people encourage girls to go into STEM. There are scholarships for girls to study science, technology, engineering, or mathematics. But you don’t often hear how isolating and hard STEM can be. Engineering is an industry that can discriminate against girls. For the first few years, McGregor’s grades dropped. She wasn’t motivated. Why would she ask questions in class to help her learn? She already felt singled out. It’s hard being one of the only girls there.

“Whenever I was in university, jokes are made about being female; jokes are made that – you don’t talk about dance in front of other people. And I just don’t accept that. Let’s encourage freedom of any hobbies that somebody has.”

At university, McGregor kept going. She continued to practice and teach ballet. She studied hard. Things were tough, but she didn’t give up. One day, she decided to apply for a scholarship. McGregor filled out her application thinking like an engineer. She wasn’t accepted. The following year, she applied for the same scholarship. This time, she wrote the application by being her true self. She was someone who loved two opposite things: arts and engineering. This time, she got in.

McGregor was doing a Master’s in Product Design Engineering. She had to write a dissertation for her degree. A dissertation is a long research essay. McGregor was inspired by her ballet background. She wondered why there wasn’t a better way to recover from injury. She did some research. It turns out there isn’t a lot published about ballet and engineering. But from this research grew an idea. What if there was a product that could measure body movement? You could provide high-quality data to specialists. This tool could help them to figure out what was wrong quickly. This idea could go beyond ballet; it could apply to any sport or even to everyday life.

McGregor graduated from engineering. She had a job lined up, but she turned it down. She wanted to see what could become of her idea. If Movetru is successful, it could change what we wear. One day, you and I might be wearing smart clothing. That smart clothing could help us avoid preventable injuries.

“I call myself a girly girl engineer. I used to believe this was a negative that should be hidden. Then, I started to realize that when I was authentic, it worked. We have to be ourselves, be unique, and embrace what makes us us.”

Sometimes, McGregor’s ballet students say they need to put school first. “The 15 year old doing exams would say, ‘Oh well, I have to put my academics first.’” McGregor remembers when people told her the same thing.

“But, if I didn’t dance as much and I gave up my dance, I wouldn’t be in the position of owning my own business right now. So, I just think you really don’t know how much benefit it is to keep a diverse mindset, a diverse friendship group, a diverse network… and just using all parts of your brain. So, your academic side, your creative side – it just allows you to be more open to opportunity.”

McGregor is successful today because she likes both sides of her life. She enjoys ballet and engineering. She’s okay with being academic and creative. Ballet and engineering seem to be opposites. But, joining these opposites helps McGregor to develop ideas. These ideas are creative and innovative. The ideas are new, and that helps society move forward. They also inspire the next generation of people who will change the world. 

Being Girly from an SEOT perspective

We can learn a lot of life lessons from this story. McGregor calls herself a girly girl engineer. That’s because she loves being a ballerina and an engineer. Let’s break apart the story. Let’s explore how to become more creative and innovative.

TINKERING IDEA: Embrace different life experiences

We often get trapped in one identity. We start to think of ourselves as one thing. As adults, usually, it’s our job that defines us. I am a teacher. I am a musician. I am an accountant. I am a manager.

It’s also easy for students to get grouped as well. He’s a good student. She’s an athlete. They’re the class clown. How people see us and how we see ourselves can trap us. We might change and start acting in a certain way to live up to our reputation. This is called a self-fulfilling prophecy. We might begin to believe our reputation is who we really are deep down inside. We might start to think that some people are good at reading, and some aren’t, and that’s the way it is. But, of course, growth mindset research suggests that we can continually improve. We can get better if we take action. We can try new strategies. We can learn from experiences. We can put in the effort.

McGregor was a ballet dancer. She was also an engineer. She won a scholarship when she was her true self. Ballet and engineering can seem very different. McGregor holds on to both sides of her world. Her business idea came by mixing her ballet life and her engineering life.

It’s important to have a lot of different experiences. This gives us more life memories to think about when we try to solve problems. Finding new solutions to problems is easier if you have more dots to connect. Each hobby and interest you do is like adding a new dot. Doing different things can help you come up with new ideas. You might not be able to see these new ideas if you only focus on one part of your life.

This innovative app used by 500 million people helps close the gap between rich and poor.

Can your students guess which app this is?

This reading comprehension article goes well with the Inferring reading strategy.

Read the Non-Fiction Article:
This App Can Help Close The Gap

There is a social gap between the rich and the poor. There is also an economic gap based on how much money you have. Most people think education will help close this gap. This is ironic because the opposite is happening. The lack of access to education is making the situation worse for some people. Not being able to get a good education can be a big problem.

Luis von Ahn is a co-founder of the popular language app Duolingo. He grew up seeing education as something that brings about inequality. Von Ahn was born and raised in Guatemala. Guatemala is a country in Latin America. It has a developing economy. There are 17 million people in the country. It’s estimated that 9.5% of these people live in extreme poverty. Extreme poverty is when you make less than $2.15 per day. Von Ahn attended a private English school. Going to a private school costs money. So, the school gave free education to help disadvantaged kids in Guatemala City. Von Ahn saw how a scholarship to his school could completely change these kids’ lives.

The change that made in their lives was insane. These people would go from literally having a house with no floors, just dirt, and they didn’t have dinner most nights because they couldn’t afford to eat, to being able to go to college, get good jobs, pull their whole families out of poverty.

There’s a wide gap between the haves and have-nots. There is a gap between rich and poor people who live in the same country. There is also a gap between countries that have more or less money. That’s why von Ahn said the following at DuoCon 2022. “What happens in practice is that people who have a lot of money can buy themselves the best education in the world, whereas people who don’t have very much money barely learn how to read and write.” Education can level the playing field. But this can only happen if everyone has an equal opportunity to get a good education.

In 2011, von Ahn and Severin Hacker started Duolingo, a free way to learn languages. One of Von Ahn’s goals is to help close the education gap. Duolingo is interesting. There are both rich people and poor people who use the app. Bill Gates uses the app. Syrian refugees also use the app.

Duolingo has grown to over 500 million users worldwide. Before 2017, the app was making zero dollars. That’s because there were no ads. There also wasn’t anything to buy in the app. But, by 2022, Duolingo made roughly $113 million in February alone. This money came from people buying things in the app (in-app purchases.) Duolingo is a freemium app. You can use the basic app for free, but you must pay for the premium features. The free version of Duolingo gives you a small number of gems as you complete lessons. But there’s a catch. You are only allowed five mistakes per day before you need to buy hearts using the in-game currency.

People upgrade to a premium subscription because they want to get rid of ads. It’s also less stressful because you get unlimited hearts. Power users continue to buy in-game currency with real money. These players want timer boosts to increase their chance of earning XP. High scores help you maintain your league ranking. Duolingo has made learning a language fun by turning learning into a game.

Why even charge for the app if the goal is to offer free education? Why not get rid of the ads completely? Because Duolingo received millions of dollars from investors to start the business. Von Ahn used the seed money to pay for salaries and make the product when the company started. Eventually, investors want a return on their investment. They want their money returned with interest. So, Duolingo had to become a business that made money to cover costs and then some to be profitable.

According to CNBC, 94% of users use the app’s free features. This means only six percent of users pay for the app. But that’s enough money to pay the costs to operate and run the app. It can also cover employee salaries and investor profit for the company. This business model must work because people keep loaning money to the company to help it grow. In 2020, people continued to invest $35 million in Duolingo through its Series H funding. This money would allow Duolingo to continue to develop the product. They could also expand the team and hire more people. People estimate the company is worth $2.4 billion. Since its launch, investors have put in $183 million to grow the company.

Von Ahn and Duolingo pay close attention to what people want. For example, early on, the company noticed a problem their users kept telling them about. The CEO shared this story on YouTube. The video is called “Lowering Barriers to Education with Luis von Ahn.”

A few years ago, we started getting the same email from many of our users. They were all saying something like thank you so much for teaching me English for free but now I have a problem. I need a certificate that says that I know English.

Von Ahn talks about how they looked into the issue. It turns out that 1.2 billion people are learning a foreign language. Of these people, 800 million live in poor social and economic conditions. They’re learning English to get a better job or go to school.

English can improve your life. Do you come from a non-English speaking country? American colleges and universities will want proof that you understand English. You must also prove you speak English to get a work visa in the UK.

How do you prove to an employer, university, or government that you know English? We live in a global economy where people move between countries. Several organizations have come up with an English test that is given and scored in the same (standard) way. They will give you a certificate that shows how fluent you are in English. For example, there’s TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language.) Their website says that more than 11,500 universities accept the TOEFL test.

When von Ahn was younger, he had to take the TOEFL to apply to a university in the States. First, you book an appointment. Then, you wait a few weeks to get a seat at a test center. You pay $200 to take the test when it’s your turn. Finally, you have to wait several more weeks to get your results. Unfortunately, not every city has a testing center. When von Ahn applied, taking the test in Guatemala was impossible. His country had run out of spots.

Von Ahn shares his story in the YouTube video. “I had to actually fly to the neighboring country of El Salvador to take the standardized test. So in my case I was able to do it but then you know I remember thinking what would have happened if my family couldn’t afford $1,000 just to prove that I knew English?”

Duolingo’s users wanted a way to prove they knew English. Von Ahn wanted to make education more accessible. So, Duolingo created its own standardized English test. Their test uses machine learning. Artificial intelligence makes sure the test is given and marked the same way every time.

The Duolingo English Test currently costs $50. You can do it anywhere by logging into a website. The results are ready within 48 hours. All you need is your passport, a quiet, well-lit room, and an hour of free time. You also need a reliable internet connection and a computer. The computer must have a front-facing camera, microphone, and speakers. Their website states the Duolingo English Test is accepted as proof of English at over 3,500 places. Some famous schools are on this list, including Yale, Duke, and John Hopkins University. Duolingo can also send the accreditation directly to the organizations.

The market is always changing. Von Ahn and Duolingo need to continue to pay attention to find opportunities. Duolingo continues to innovate. Right now, they offer freemium language lessons and more-affordable language certification. Who knows what they will do in the future! This edtech giant is helping to close the gap between the rich and the poor. They are leveling the playing field.

Closing the Gap from an SEOT perspective

Let’s break apart this article to analyze it. What can we learn about how to optimize what we do? There is always a gap between where we currently are and where we want to be. How can we close this gap?

Optimization is a process with two parts. First, you analyze what is working (or not working.) Then, you do more of what is working (or less of what’s not working.) We do this to improve results.

OPTIMIZATION Idea: Pay attention to patterns

Patterns can tell us what is working and what is not working. We can look for trends in data. Are the numbers going up or down? We can also look for clues in what people tell us. Are there stories and messages that we hear over and over again?

Von Ahn noticed people were asking his company the same question. Duolingo users wanted a way to prove that they knew English. It would have been easy for Duolingo’s customer support team to ignore the questions. They could have simply said, sorry, our app only teaches the language. We can’t prove you speak English.

Instead, Duolingo looked deeper to figure out the real problem. Lots of people apply to universities, governments, and businesses. These places needed to know how well these people spoke English. After all, anyone can fake a screenshot. High XP in Duolingo doesn’t always mean you are learning a lot. Besides, many people can share an account. Because of this, it’s hard to show a user account to prove what you can do.

One answer is to have people do the same test and compare scores. This is called a standardized test. In this kind of test, you can trust the results to be reliable because you can verify a person’s score. The test is marked the same way to give consistent results. This way, two people with similar scores probably have the same level of English. People looking at test scores need to trust that the score shows how well you know English. Von Ahn realized the current system requiring in-person testing centers didn’t work well. The existing tests were costly. They also took a long time. Plus, the test system hadn’t changed very much. What if someone could come up with a brand new way to do this? An innovative idea could disrupt the marketplace. A better product could shake things up!

Duolingo paid attention to the pattern of what people were saying, and it paid off. The company discovered a new business opportunity. They found another way to make money. People want a document that shows how fluent they are. The Duolingo English Test is cheaper, quicker, and easier than the current options.

Now, Duolingo will need to continue to pay attention to what people are telling them. This way, they can improve how valid their English test is. Paying attention to feedback will also help Duolingo improve its English test. They need to show how it is a legitimate way to measure how well someone speaks English. If they are successful, Duolingo will help more people in the developing world access a better life. At the same time, they will turn a tidy profit for the company and its investors.

Do any of your students want to be pro athletes or celebrities one day?

Who can afford to sit courtside at a game? NBA players, rappers, drug dealers, and these two guys…

This reading comprehension article goes great with the Making Connections reading strategy.

Read the Non-Fiction Article:
Change The Game And Earn Your Leisure

Who can afford to sit courtside at a game? NBA players, rappers, drug dealers, and these two guys.

Troy Millings and Rashad Bilal show people in their community another way to succeed. There are more ways to the top than just sports, entertainment, and crime.

If you check out their social media, you can see riches, glamour, and beautiful people. Their “Earn your Leisure” and “Assets over Liabilities” saying is everywhere. What you don’t get at first glance is a sense of all the hard work it took to get there.

Millings and Bilal are co-founders of Earn Your Leisure. This is an educational platform that makes financial literacy cool. It also challenges what we think about money. Their podcast has over fifty million downloads. Their combined socials have over two million followers.

These two entrepreneurs definitely spend money on leisure and enjoy a good life. But that’s only after they’ve earned their money. They control several assets. These assets generate multiple streams of income. How do they make money? One big way is by running live events. They also provide free education and monetize that content on YouTube and Spotify. (In other words, they make money from ads.) The guys also created a more hands-on learning experience. They call it EYL university. It makes money when users pay a monthly fee to subscribe. And, of course, they sell merchandise.

Millings talked on the Bigger Pockets Podcast about earning your leisure first. “People think that based on the things that they see from us – we travel, we throw some pretty decent parties; they see us with beautiful women, and it’s like, “These guys have it easy, they’ve had a silver spoon.” They don’t realize how hard we work… they never saw any of that, so we’ve pretty much earned our freedoms.” Earning your leisure first is a game changer.

It all started in the classroom. Millings was a middle school teacher in New York City. He saw his students weren’t getting the information they needed to succeed. Nobody was talking about how to handle money when you start working and earning a paycheck. So, he asked his friend Bilal to speak with these kids. Bilal was a financial investor at the time.

Millings and Bilal ran a six-week program during the summer for ten years. It was intense! It was for students who finished eighth grade. They gave these fourteen-year-olds a real-world financial lesson that no school can provide. They paid each student $500 based on how well they completed their summer program.

Millings points out that if you give students money, they do what they know how to do. (Basically, they’ll just spend it.) So Millings and Bilal taught students the value of money. This means how to spend, share, save, and invest. An asset is something that puts things in your account. A liability is something that takes things out. They taught students why it’s better to make assets a priority. If you buy assets, you can use the cash flow earned from your money tree to pay for fun stuff. The fun leisure expenses are usually liabilities.

Each week, students spent two days in the classroom. They learned real-world financial literacy skills from Bilal. The kids learned about income tax, student loans, credit scores, and credit cards. They also talked about real estate, stock investments, entrepreneurship, and budgeting. The students spent two days at work. Millings and Bilal found local community businesses based on the careers students wanted to have one day. These businesses let the students do internships. The students got a chance to see what that job might look like. On Fridays, the group went on field trips like visiting a college campus.

After students finished the program, they wanted to know what was next. They didn’t want the learning to end. So, Millings and Bilal posted clips of what they were doing on social media. They tried to keep the learning going year-round. Bilal knew they needed a hashtag, so Millings came up with Earn Your Leisure. The lessons might have started with 14-year-old teens, but it didn’t stop there. The ideas quickly spread to adults in the family. In fact, the message spread worldwide through social media.

Millings and Bilal decided to start a podcast. Bilal had an idea so people would notice them. He decided to do a bunch of interviews. He asked every public access radio station he could find if they wanted to interview him. There were two reasons for doing this. First, Bilal got to practice doing interviews. Second, the guys needed content for their social media channels. So, they chopped up the long-form interviews into bite-sized snippets. This short-form content can be really popular on social media.

Bilal did an interview on the Guys Next Door podcast. He told them that “You can never get too full of yourself. There’s somebody that’s going to listen to this right now that’s not aware of us and hopefully, now, they can potentially become somebody that’s interested in what we have to say. For us, we gotta just keep expanding the base.”

That doesn’t mean that everyone wants to be on their show. Millings and Bilal made a bucket list of people they wanted to interview. They made this list before they even recorded their first podcast episode. Dame Dash was on that list.

Dash is a big entrepreneur and record executive. He co-founded Roc-A-Fella Records with Jay-Z. At first, Dash hadn’t even heard of Earn Your Leisure. But Millings and Bilal kept working on their podcast to make it better. They kept interviewing more people and getting more subscribers. Eventually, it became mutually beneficial for both Dash and Earn Your Leisure. At that point, the guys got to chat with Dash on the air. They interviewed the record exec and shared his views on building brands with the EYL audience. Millings explained what they did in an interview:

“The key is to be consistent. And, that’s what most people won’t be. They’ll stop, and they’ll be like “I ain’t doing this…” [but] if we add enough value, we’ll be able to get there… we’re just going to keep going, and keep adding and staying consistent. We’re not going to change the dynamic [and ask] alright, what should we do now to get that person? Nah, we’re going to keep adding value until the point [where] they know who we are, and they see the value in being on the show.”

Millings and Bilal make the influencer lifestyle look easy. That’s because they’re everywhere on social media. More and more people are buying into what these guys are selling. As that happens, the Earn Your Leisure movement continues to grow. In fact, even the culture in the community is changing. EYL is starting to shift how people think about money. All of this is getting bigger because of the snowball effect.

During the pandemic, people had time on their hands. They were worried about their financial future. So, it makes sense that Earn Your Leisure content went viral. People in their community could relate to these “cool dudes.” Millings and Bilal were everyday people who showed you how to make money by building assets. If you do this first, you can earn your leisure expenses and liabilities. Most people spent a lot of time binge-watching content on Netflix during the lockdowns. But not Millings and Bilal. They spent their time creating content. They were making assets. They added new shows to their network. They also developed a habit of posting daily across different platforms.

People started to notice this rolling snowball of Earn Your Leisure content. At first, we only see the snowball once it’s massive. But look past the number of downloads and followers. You’ll be able to see the long journey these guys have been on. You start to appreciate how much work they’ve put in.

Change the Game from an SEOT perspective

Let’s take a moment to break apart how Millings and Bilal became so influential in a wide area. They can reach lots of people in their community. The two guys had to put in a lot of effort to get to where they are today. Let’s see what we can learn about effort and success.

The Snowball Effect of EFFORT:
Take constant and consistent steps

Achieving goals need you to put in the effort. When we look at successful people, we usually only see the end result. We don’t always see the daily grind. It’s easy to think they were lucky or born with many things. Maybe it worked for them because they’re just smarter, prettier, or stronger.

But the Earn Your Leisure story shows us the secret to success. Take consistent action. If we keep doing this, we can start with something small and one day grow it into something epic. It’s just like rolling a snowball across a field. If you keep moving the snowball, it picks up more and more snow. If you stop pushing the snowball, it doesn’t get bigger; however, if you keep taking steps, the snowball grows.

Once you have a big enough snowball, someone else might want to work with you. Maybe you can combine snowballs and create a giant snowman. When Millings and Bilal started their EYL podcast, people already knew who they were. They had followers. But their snowball wasn’t big enough to get noticed by Dash. The record executive had had a much larger snowball of influence. The guys could have tried something different to get Dash’s attention. They could have started over with another flashier snowball. Instead, the two friends kept doing what they were doing. They continued to interview guests at their level. They created more content. The content helped gain more followers. Eventually, when their snowball was impressive enough, it made sense for Dash and Earn Your Leisure to work together. This was because they both had something to gain.

We often only notice the enormous snowballs. After all, something has to be interesting to go viral on social media. Traditional news outlets try to cover important stories. At that point, we are impressed by the sheer size of what people were able to do. We might even be inspired to start our own snowball. It’s natural for people to give up after we roll the snowball around for a bit. After all, it’s tough if we don’t get fast or impressive results.

As Millings points out, the key is to be consistent and not stop. This means keep rolling the snowball around. Eventually, your snowball will grow in size. It will get big enough to start picking up the success you’re working for.

This differentiated non-fiction reading comprehension article is for Grades 4, 6, 8, and 10. This number one US fighter pilot is terrified of flying but wanted to fly an F-16!

Have your students read this article to find out what happens next!

Psst. Tell your students that’s the same plane you see in Top Gun: Maverick…

I really like this reading comprehension article. It goes well with the Making Connections reading strategy.

Read the Non-Fiction Article:
Keeping A Level Head When Anxiety Is Sky-High

Lt. Col. Rob ‘Waldo’ Waldman has dedicated his life to flying. He is a highly-decorated fighter pilot with over 65 combat missions. He’s also the author of the New York Best Seller Never Fly Solo. Oh, and did I say he’s also an ex-aerophobe? “What’s that?” I hear you ask. You’ll hardly believe it, but it’s someone who fears flying.

Seems pretty unbelievable, right? But trust me, it’s a real-life journey worth strapping in for. The story begins with Waldman as a young boy looking up to his father. His dad was part of the naval airforce and worked as a mechanic at John F. Kennedy International Airport. Waldman would go with his father to work, taking in the surroundings with awe. He remembers his dad coming home after 16-hour shifts. His dad would have cuts on his hands and smelled like jet oil.

“I loved that smell,” he says. He was fascinated on his first airport trip with his father. The rumble of the engines and birds flying above captivated him. His dad sat him in the cockpit of one of the jets. At that moment, the dream was decided. He would grow up to fly planes.

There was only one issue! Waldman was afraid of heights.

But still, firmly, he decided his passion was more significant than his fear. So, in his first year of college, he applied to the Air Force Academy. And thus came his first run-in with anxiety over his long career. A 33-feet high diving board stood in the way of Waldman and graduation. Either he jumped, or he failed. One by one, Waldman watched his classmates leap from the board, 35lbs pack in tow, into the waters below. He was afraid, but there was no way a 33-foot board would stop him from achieving his dreams. So he leaped last, but he jumped, and that’s all that matters.

Due to his bravery, Waldman gained access to pilot training. But unfortunately, there were only a few slots. He missed out on the chance to be a fighter pilot. So, not one to be deterred, Waldman made the wise choice to become an instructor pilot. Still, in the back of his mind, he would always hope that he’d get to fly his beloved F-16 one day.

So far, so good. Waldman had conquered his fear of heights and would spend his days teaching pilots. But the next challenge was around the corner. Tragedy struck when Waldman went scuba diving with his friends. Fresh into the water, Waldman already felt out of his depth. He lost control of the situation. He began to flail. Next, he recalls his mask separating from his face. Waldman breathed in a lungful of burning salt water. Panic set in.

He would later note, “No combat mission could come close to that day.” Even though he swam to the top and was physically fine, the mental scars had been etched.

The next time Waldman took to the air, it was a bleak day. He began to panic as he flew. Even though he was thousands of feet in the air, he felt the same way as when he was hundreds of feet underwater. And it was then that he realized he had claustrophobia. However, this fear wouldn’t be overcome by a leap. Instead, it grew.

He would say, “Words can’t describe the passion I had for flying jets, living my dream, but words also can’t describe some of the fears and doubts I faced every time I strapped into that jet to fly.” As his fear grew bigger than his passion, Waldman knew the answer: keep flying and focus on others. So instead of looking inward, he turned his focus outward. His secret weapon was to become focused on his students. He would help them spread their wings and become the best pilots they could be.

With the wind in his wings, Waldman kept flying. And, despite struggling with occasional claustrophobia, he was ranked number one pilot. Finally, he could choose the jet of his dreams. And, in his own words, “He didn’t want to take the easy way out.” He proudly picked the plane of his dreams. He advised everyone to “choose your F-16 every day; that’s what’s going to get you your wings.”

These days, Waldman works as a public speaker. He shares his inspiration with others. His story has inspired hundreds to take control of their fear and reach their potential.

OVERCOMING FEAR From An SEOT Perspective

Now we’ll take a moment to break down Waldman’s incredible story of conquering his fears to achieve his goals. We’ll also look at how we can follow his example by adopting a growth mindset.

Waldman knew what he wanted from the start. Still, he didn’t quite understand how to get there. Nonetheless, as hurdles arose along the way, Waldman faced them down.

There are two life lessons we can learn from this story. One strategy to overcome obstacles is to see if the pros outweigh the cons. This works great when you’re calm, and you can think things through. Another plan to get you out of panic mode is to focus on the task at hand.

Strategy #1: Smart Strategizing

Waldman analyzed his situation, allowing him to solve problems with ease. In the end, instead of listening to his fears, he used them to his advantage. And his secret was simple: smart strategizing.

When he needed to overcome his fear of heights to graduate, he took a step back. He thought about what he had to gain and lose from this one action. And, he decided his future mattered more than the present moment. His on-the-spot strategizing helped him to realize that fear could be beaten. Instead of letting a moment of panic win, he proved to himself that he was capable of great bravery. This moment of bravery saw him through the rest of his career. It allowed him to take to the skies daily and teach new pilots.

Strategy #2: Focus On The Immediate Task At Hand

To fight his claustrophobia, Waldman focused on the task at hand. Only focusing on one thing helped push out the fear and let him get through the tough times. Instead of letting his fear take control, Waldman ignored his fear and focused on what he could. He then his thoughts into action. This strategy slows racing thoughts as actions take center stage in your mind.

Sometimes, if we can reason with our fears, we can create a strategy to beat them. This approach can help us to change over time.

Other times, if we’re panicking, focusing on the immediate task can help us focus.