Get our free newsletter Success! You're on the list. Whoops! There was an error and we couldn't process your subscription. Please reload the page and try again. Processing… At the back of Chef Jerald Thomas’ classroom inside Frederick Douglas Early Learning Center on Stanton Road SE is a flashy bulletin board full of wisdom for anyone who’s being hard on themselves or confronting difficult personalities. “Toxic people will not be changed by the alchemy of your kindness,” one of Thomas’ signs reads. “Yes, be kind, but move on swiftly and let life be their educator.” Others empower students to “change their words to change their mindsets.” “This may take some time and effort” is better than “this is too hard.” Same goes for “I am going to train my brain to do this” instead of “I can’t do this.”