Detroit photographer's mentorship teaches students lessons beyond the classroom
(CBS DETROIT) - Fourth graders at Paul Robeson Malcolm X Academy are getting lessons that go beyond the textbook.
Anton Todd, photographer and owner of French Quality Pics, is teaching the kids to be a better version of themselves.
"The main thing this is about -- When you do good, you get good back," said Todd.
Todd and his team from his studio called Quality Lounge have been mentoring the students the entire school year.
He's visiting their class to educate them on the importance of conflict resolution and being kind, but he also wants them to know that they can do anything they put their minds to.
"I would just talk to them about believing in your dream," he said.
Todd is providing the mentorship he wished he had when he was in school.
It's now something that's become his purpose in life after he experienced tragedy.
"My brother was murdered when he was 17 years old," Todd said. "That was a person I was waiting to look up to following in his footsteps, but by it being cut short so soon I always wanted somebody to step in."
Todd is stepping in for these kids by being a role model, hoping to put them on a path to success. And it's working.
The school's principal, Jeffrey Robinson, says since Todd started mentoring them, the suspension rates have gone down, their grades have gone up and their behavior is night and day.
"To see that the suspensions are going down here, to see they are able to resolve their issues between themselves here is an indication that our message is getting through to our students," Robinson said.
Fourth-grader Jalon Hollien says he appreciates their visits to his class.
"I can be whatever I want to be," he said. "It was nice of them to come, it helps me realize people are here for me."
The impact Todd is having on the kids is motivating him to want to do more.
He says he hopes to provide mentorship to kids at other schools in Detroit; not only to be an example for them but for everyone in the community who wants to make a difference.
"It's a lot more help needed. It's a lot of kids crying for help, dying for help literally dying for help," Todd said. "Before it's too late, I want to see if me and my team members can actually make other people say maybe we should step up and talk to the kids. Because everybody is worried about the wrong thing. It starts with the youth."
At Todd's studio in Livonia, he and his team will host a grand showing by next month. They're planning to auction off their work with 10 percent of the proceeds going right back to the kids at the school.
