Ask Dr. Applewhite

  The rate of individuals diagnosed with mental illness has risen and it is not surprising that teachers are within this population. Sources reveal that teachers are dealing with depression, anxiety, and other stress-related disorders and we entrust our “success” to them. Can we trust the teacher with a mental disability? If we take a few moments to understand that mental and emotional disabilitie...

 Is it possible to reach a solution in just four discussions on the subject of anger and violence in our nation’s schools/colleges?  Professor Applewhite and guests will discuss resources so we can continue to make changes in our learning systems. Habibullah Saleem has been a professional educational consultant for the past forty years and is currently a motivational speaker in elementary and midd...

  All of us on the planet are students with a variety of personalities and styles of learning. It is our right to protest injustices that negatively affect our path to succeed. Unfortunately, depending on our psychological make-up we may express our perceived or real injustices as anger and blame. Either the blame/anger is on others or ourselves about why we did not finish a project or degree, tra...

  The relationship between a student and teacher is different from employer to employee or parent to child. Teachers are responsible for lighting the way for students at all ages with physical, mental or learning challenges in search of knowledge to succeed in the world. Listen to Professor Applewhite, White Apple Institute staff http://whiteappleinstitute.organd guests as they discuss strategies...

  The teacher asked her student, “What are you so angry about?”  The response is silence and there is a buildup of frustration between these two people struggling to understand why the other is clueless. What are the clues to understanding each other and building a relationship between student and teacher whether you teach online, for workforce training, or in a private or public institution? Pare...

  Statistics for the homeless are startling but there are many who do not believe the numbers are really true. We are talking about the United States of America so there must be some mistake! Hungry and homeless students in our schools, teachers facing foreclosures, and Veterans sleeping in the cold, disabled persons with limited or no services. Many say this has got to be their “choice” because w...

  What do you hunger for? If you perceive yourself as “dis-abled” it may be that you hunger to be “–abled”. Have you any idea what it feels like to be “really” hungry? The first thought that comes to mind when we speak about hunger is the food we consume by mouth. The horrible pangs of hunger cannot be imagined by most of us but the statistics are startling. If we can imagine the pain and sufferin...

  The “mind is a terrible thing to waste” was a slogan develop by the United Negro College Fund. It is critical for students and teachers to understand how the brain works differently from the mind and what it means to waste either one. Professor Applewhite and invited guests will join the staff of White Apple Institute in a discussion on what harmful things we feed the brain and the mind. You wil...

  What a controversial thought!  How can anyone think of giving thanks for someone being unemployed or underemployed in these times of “economic recession” and “corporate greed”. Students and teachers must use caution when making statements like these when discussing someone’s perceived or real misfortunes. One of the most difficult challenges we face, regardless of our religious beliefs, is how t...

  What Do You Feed Your Mental Self? Part 1of 3 Most people are aware of the importance of feeding our physical bodies the right type of foods. Some of us are even familiar with the concept of spiritual food and claim to know what is needed to “satisfy the soul” in order to reap rewards in the afterlife. In the same line of thought students and teachers at all levels must understand what mental fo...

REMEMBERING THE GOOD TIMES FOR PERSONAL, PROFESSIONAL, AND SPIRITUAL SUCCESS Remembering special times can lead to healthy attitudes about our personal life. However, this same action can lead to success while attending college or job training, and work. Resources are available for developing our personal, professional, and spiritual lives and can help us form positive energy around the things we...

  Labels or stereotypes placed on us in our educational systems carry the most weight in determining our success as adults in the workforce. We do have a choice as to whether we wear those labels that have followed us from pre-school to post-high school ages or we can change what our labels say about us. This is especially tue for those who have been enrolled in special education programs. We are...

  Unfortunately, many of us chose to accept the labels that others have placed on us somewhere in our lives. There are some labels we wear proudly and others that tear down our self-esteem. In many parts of the world we are labeled as infants by the families or class structures we are born into, our physical and mental abilities, and even by gender. These labels can hinder our chances of succeedin...

  We hope to let others know that labels are necessary for organizing our world but the labels we place on others can fool us. We may think a label for a disability defines a person and find out they are nothing like what you thought. They describe the contents of a bottle, tell us where to store things, how to use things, warn us about harm, and so much more. This series of three episodes focuses...

  Review Professor Applewhite’s  5 P formula for success to minimize stress and hear about helpful resources during the “downtimes” for those unemployed or underemployed from their chosen career and/or job. There are not many statistics to show the true number of underemployed or persons working in jobs that do not match their qualifications or pay according to their skills. Join Professor Applewh...

  The problem of unemployment and underemployment is facing Americans and citizens of other countries. The media reports a global recession that is not painting a promising future. Hopelessness is being experienced by many with college degrees, as well as those with no high school diploma or GED. The closing of schools, college programs, and work training programs would lead us to believe that tea...

  Many students and teachers feel they are unable to give any more of themselves after dealing with a major crisis that affects their mental and physical self, or those close to them. What makes the difference in the person who achieves their goals and a person who feels it is hopeless to try? This is the show that will make you cry with joy as White Apple Institute’s staff and students celebrate...

  Let’s discuss the “label of disabled” and what this really means to the millions of people around the world, specifically Veterans in America, with disabilities. How much can you accomplish at school and work with your present mental and/or physical abilities? Some may say they have no abilities since losing sight or hearing, limbs, or cognitive (thinking & learning) functions. However, we have...

You are invited to participate in our discussion about the pitfalls that can cause many of us to lose our focus on life’s journey. Losing focus can result in poor attendance at work and school. This can also lead to burn-out and drop-out from life. Our emphasis is that “success is more about the journey than reaching the destination”. You are invited to share your story or listen as other Listener...

Most of us have dealt with being ill, maybe a temporary or permanent disability, or loss of a loved one while trying to maintain job and school schedules. The feelings of hopelessness, frustration and so more can be overwhelming. There are ways to get through these times and still succeed as a student and maintain a good attendance record at school and work. This episode is especially important fo...

No one argue that our basic needs must be taken care first before we can make decisions! This is the first value every person recognizes. It is more complicated when we must provide the basic needs for another, especially our children or family members who need our support. Therefore, providing basic food, shelter, clothing, etc., must be considered for ourselves as well as others, before we choos...

How do your values play a part in your decision to stay in a college program, or in the workforce, or to succeed in life, overall? It is so important that we look at what things form our values from the parents we are born to, our environment, our perceptions and so much more. This episode will enlighten many of us to carefully choose our course of action. You are invited to share your story or li...

Many of us are familiar with goal setting and the importance of writing them down to review as often as possible. However, we must remind ourselves that we develop our goals around what we value. We prioritize our goals based on what is most valuable to us. We also make time for our goals based on what we value as most critical to do or complete. Join the discussion with White Apple Institute’s st...

  Many of us are afraid of change that we have no control of even when we know it is going to happen, every second to everyone. However, we become even more afraid when we make the choice to change our present life course by entering college, a new job, or any new relationship. White Apple Institute has invited special guest authors to share ways to manage the stress associated with change. This s...

The staff of White Apple Institute wants you to be well prepared for the changes that will happen in your life. The future ahead may include a return to college a vocational program, or a job training program and these changes will come with their own amount of stress. In addition, many of us must handle CHANGE with family, economics, and health. A person diagnosed with a disability or not has to...