houston public radio

KUHF-Houston Public Radio's "This I Believe" with Dr. Robert Borneman

Friday, May 9, 2008 by: Paul Pendergraft

Dr. Borneman is an educator. It's his life, it's what he loves to do and it's what brought him to Houston in 1984. With a freshly minted degree in Education from Indiana University, He was recruited by Houston I.S.D. After a year, he moved to Cypress-Fairbanks I.S.D., where he's been ever since. He's furthered his own education at the University of Houston, where he received a Masters and a Ed.D. Dr. Borneman says his passion for education was first realized as a child as he describes in his essay for KUHF's This I Believe.

> click to listen

Dr. Borneman is currently the Principal at Hopper Middle School in Cy-Fair I.S.D. It's a new school, open less than a year, with a diverse population. Having worked in Cy-Fair for more than 20 years, he's watched the district really grow. It's now the third largest school district in Texas recently surpassing Fort Worth and Austin.

In addition to his work at Hopper, Dr. Borneman is an Adjunct Professor at the University of Houston and Sam Houston State University where's he teaching the next generation of educators. He's also the President of the University of Houston, College of Education Alumni Board of Directors.

Dr. Borneman got into education hoping to "make a difference." Now that he's an administrator, he's still able to fulfill that original calling on a broader scale. He makes it a point to maintain contact with the students and he says watching them succeed is his greatest joy.

Here's Dr. Robert Borneman with his essay for KUHF's This I Believe.
----------------------
"I believe in public education.

As one of those fortunate enough to have had parents who modeled the importance of an education and supported the efforts of my own teachers in both educating and disciplining me, I grew up appreciating those who dedicated their lives to helping the next generation to reach their goals. I remember my mother asking me, when I was very young, what I wanted to be when I grew up. My response, "I want to be a teacher," brought forth a surprising reaction from her. She told me I was too smart to become a teacher. Even in my youth, that didn't make sense to me. I remember thinking, "Shouldn’t teachers be the smartest people of all? They have to know so much, and be able to share it in such a way as others are motivated to know it, too!"

My career aspirations went through the typical swings and shifts as I matured -- fireman, doctor, lawyer -- but when the time came to declare a major and pursue a college degree, I chose education. I couldn't imagine dedicating a lifetime to any other career. I've completed three degrees to this point, all in education. I've been a teacher, an assistant principal, a director of instruction, and a principal. I currently serve as a principal of a brand new school opened less than a year. It's a very diverse campus serving just over 1300 middle school students grades six through eight.

I believe educators are, generally, people with very big hearts. We are often maligned by the press and our legislators. Occasionally parents, too, show a lack of support for our work, but, happily, there seems to be a shift in that trend. Our efforts have been focused on building strong relationships with our students, their parents, and the greater community. I believe our staff's commitment and drive have already made a strong impression on our students as well as the adults in our community. I believe that our students know and understand that the adults within these walls care deeply about their success, and will pour heart and soul into their work to ensure that each student is given the opportunity to reach their full potential. And, I still believe that teachers should be the smartest people there are. We have to be. Our future depends on it. This, I believe."

KUHF-Houston Public Radio's "This I Believe" with Lisa Holthouse

Friday, May 2, 2008 by: Paul Pendergraft

In addition to being a wife and mother, Lisa volunteers a great deal of her time and resources to local charities and non-profits. Among them is “Prepared 4 Life”, an organization promoting “Lemonade Day 2008”. Teaching youngsters about entrepreneurship and basic money management through lemonade stands is their current focus, as Lisa beautifully explains in her essay for KUHF’s This I Believe.

> click to listen

This native Houstonian and her husband are raising four children…ranging in age from 2 to 18. Lisa says her family is her greatest source of joy. Second to that, she says, is volunteering her time and resources to help her community. She says "giving back" is one of the many lessons she learned from her parents. In her essay, Lisa reminds us of another lesson she learned as a child...the benefits of operating a lemonade stand. She admits it’s reminiscent of a time gone by, but Lisa believes the simple lessons are as important today as ever.

Here’s Lisa Holthouse with her essay for KUHF’s This I Believe.
----------------------
I believe that something as simple as setting up a lemonade stand and selling lemonade can make a positive difference in the world for children and adults alike.

For many of us adults, owning and operating lemonade stands as children gave us our first taste of sweet success. We earned our own money. We learned about responsibility, hard work and self-reliance. We were proud of ourselves. And our friends and relatives happily supported us. We were business owners – and we didn’t even know it!

With huge support from many individuals, businesses and organizations, Prepared 4 Life, a Houston-based non-profit organization, packaged the lemonade stand concept as Lemonade Day in 2007. Perfect in its simplicity, Lemonade Day is an annual community-wide non-profit event designed to teach our youth lessons in entrepreneurship. Lemonade Day helps young people learn business and financial fundamentals. They also learn the steps to making and saving money. And we advise them to give something back to a cause of their choice.

Response last year was amazing: 2,600 lemonade stands staffed by more than 5,000 kids sprang up throughout Houston’s inner city and suburbs! My own kids earned over $100 through their Memorial Park lemonade stand, corralling their buddies to help.

Houston Mayor Bill White proclaimed this Sunday, May 4, as Lemonade Day 2008, and more than 10,000 youngsters are being recruited to start new lemonade businesses!

I believe that every child – regardless of socio-economic conditions - can and should learn how to earn money and become self-sufficient. And I believe in investing in the future leaders of our community.

We have all heard the saying, “When life gives you lemons, make lemonade!”
I believe that this Sunday, the Houston metro area will be overflowing with enough lemonade to overcome anything sour or unpleasant that life dishes out.

And on Sunday, I know that there will be at least one lemonade stand in my front yard. How about yours?

I’m Paul Pendergraft, Senior Producer for News and Public Affairs with KUHF-Houston Public Radio. The radio series “This I Believe” is a national project designed to engage people by writing, sharing and recording their core values and beliefs that guide their daily lives.

This current version of “This I Believe” is actually a revival of a 1950s radio program of the same name, hosted by acclaimed journalist Edward R. Murrow. His program aired from 1951 to 1955.

In creating This I Believe, Murrow said …”In this brief time each night, a banker or a butcher, a painter or a social worker, people of all kinds who need have nothing more in common than integrity, a real honesty, will talk out loud, about the rules they live by. The things they have found to be the basic value in their lives. We hardly need to be reminded that we live in an age of confusion. A lot of us have traded in our beliefs for bitterness and cynicism. …… Around us all … is an enveloping cloud of fear. …… What truths can a human being afford to furnish the cluttered nervous room of his mind with when he has no real idea how long a lease he has on the future? It is to try to meet the challenge of such questions that we have prepared these broadcasts”

For five minutes each day, Americans heard from everyday people and many famous ones as well including Eleanor Roosevelt, Helen Keller, Harry Truman and baseball legend Jackie Robinson.

The original “This I Believe” series has been revived and is now broadcast on National Public Radio and locally on 88.7 FM, KUHF-Houston Public Radio. The hallmark of this program is hearing the beliefs and guiding principles of average citizens…our neighbors, our coworkers and the people with whom we worship.

Just as in the 1950s, this is a time when our beliefs have a way of separating us as a nation. This series is designed to help us express our beliefs, hear what is really being said and find an understanding and a common ground that Edward R. Murrow called …“the essence of brotherhood and the floor of our civilization.”

For more information about "This I Believe," please visit the main site at ThisIBelieve.org.

KUHF-Houston Public Radio's "This I Believe" with Yuan Ji

Friday, April 25, 2008 by: Paul Pendergraft

Yuan was born in China and in 1995, along with her parents, she moved to the United States. After graduating from Washington University in St. Louis, she moved to Houston to work as an analyst in the oil trading sector. Yuan has many interests including the Argentine tango. In her essay, Yuan recalls a unique encounter in New Orleans that celebrated the romantic dance.
> read more > click to listen

KUHF-Houston Public Radio's "This I Believe" with Margot Sechler

Friday, April 18, 2008 by: Paul Pendergraft

Margot Sechler is a native New Yorker and she moved to Texas as a young adult. After graduating from college, she wanted to establish her new independence in a new place and she chose Houston. A generation later, Margot says the many lessons she learned from her parents remain very much alive. Margot explains one of those life lessons in her essay for Houston Public Radio’s This I Believe.
> read more > click to listen

KUHF-Houston Public Radio's "This I Believe" with Melanie Rushé

Friday, April 11, 2008 by: Paul Pendergraft

Melanie is a native Houstonian and after graduating from Southwest Texas, now Texas State University, she came back home to begin a career. After a brief and somewhat unrewarding corporate experience, she discovered where her heart really was. She was volunteering for Houston Humane Society and concluded that its mission matched her values. She was hired on staff and now can pursue her passion of making the world she lives in a better place.
> read more > click to listen

KUHF-Houston Public Radio's "This I Believe" with Ashvini Reddy

Friday, April 4, 2008 by: Paul Pendergraft

Ashvini was born in Chicago, but with her family, moved to Houston in the early 80’s. She’s in an Opthalmology Residency program at Baylor College of Medicine. In her essay, Ashvini describes the importance of knowing your family roots and overcoming the challenges life gives you along the way.
> read more > click to listen

KUHF-Houston Public Radio's "This I Believe" with Peyman Pakzaban, M. D.

Friday, March 28, 2008 by: Paul Pendergraft

Peyman Pakzaban is a Neurosurgeon practicing in the Houston area. Peyman and his wife moved to Houston ten years ago and they have two daughters. Dr. Pakzaban says being a physician and a father, he encounters a lot tears. He believes those tears represent much more than pain or joy. He says human tears are proof to him of a human soul.
> read more > click to listen

> view archived this i believe articles