Expanding the 180 Power Pak Community!
For those of you who aren't aware of it, Lynne Truair and I run two companies. One company deals with corporate training and the other, The World Youth Network International, is for the educational community.
Today, I was invited by Lisa Canty of Our Holy Redeemer School in Australia to visit her class of 3rd and 4th grade students. They are using all of our IQ, EQ, SQ curriculum and hearing from the students how they use it and how they love it touched my heart. When teachers and the principal, Jason Geraghty, heard about the 180 power pak they were excited!
I am thrilled to have this opportunity to welcome Our Holy Redeemer administration and teachers into the Power Pak Community.
Teachers and Principals: Loving the 180 Power Pak
The launch of the 180 Power Pak all started when we asked ourselves a few question:
- How can we help teachers and principals be more successful at achieving their outcomes?
- How can we support the emotional and social literacy (EQ and SQ) needed to stop bullying on our school campuses?
- How can we support educators and schools in developing or enhancing a community of caring on their campus?
- How can we make all of this affordable and really easy to access for everyone on the campus?
And the 180 Power Pak was born! It is easy to access for everyone at an unbeatable price point, with parent videos, lots of activities, e-seminars for admin and teachers and ongoing support during the course of the year.
Teachers are loving it! Here's what they have to say:
"Having activities, stories and quotations at my fingertips is totally great!"
"The curriculum with the social emotional components is just what I needed."
"I used to spend time looking for activities and stories to support social learning and now I can instantly access these and they are grade relevant. Good stuff!"
And a principal recently said:
"Thanks for the e-seminars - especially the one on building a collaborative school community. I used it to engage my entire faculty in creating our plan for the coming year."
For more information, videos and a free report on balanced education, visit our 180 Power Pak page at http://trinidadhunt.com/180-power-pak.
Change the Game!
Have you ever wondered how we, as the human race, have gotten where we are? Have you ever hoped that the discord and disharmony would end? Have you ever wished for a better world for your children and your children's children?
If you have, you are no different from me. I would love to change the game and shift the paradigm! I would like to see the day when children stop acting out the US against THEM model that video games, TV and the media exploit.
I heard from so many of you about the nail story and the teaching that went with it that I wanted to share my thoughts in this regard.
The thoughts in the first two paragraph are what I think about, meditate on and pray about. I don't know the answer, but I do know that family and education make a difference. I do know that it takes a village to raise a child!
My nephew goes to a small school in California. The faculty and staff set clear boundaries on unacceptable and acceptable behavior. But it wasn't until a new kid came to school that they were able to see the results of their intention, work and teaching.
The new boy brought his world with him. He had teased and been teased in the previous school and he knew nothing different. It had been a way of life for him.
So on the first day of school, he cornered one of the quieter students on the playground. Then he began doing what he had always done; calling the boy names and shoving him.
Suddenly, as if from nowhere, an entire gang of six boys surrounded him. One of them stepped forward and said in quiet, yet emphatic terms, "We don't do that here."
The new boy was stunned. He winced, shook his head, and tried to understand what was going on. After all, he was not doing anything differently from what he had always done. The six boys stood firm as one repeated, "We don't ever do that here."
It was a game changer! The principal cried when he heard what his students had done. The teachers were thrilled beyond words. And soon the new boy was inculcated into the school's way. He let go of the old behavior and became a fine upstanding young boy.
All this is to say that we can change the game - one child, one family, one school at a time. My nephew's school did it and we can do it too!
Put Downs are Like Nails in a Fence
"Only Hurt People Hurt Other People!" I was speaking about bullying to a group of young Karate students in the Kickstart program. "And words," I continued, "have a powerful effect! Our words can either hurt or help people."
"In fact words are like toothpaste. Once they come out you can't take them back!"
"How many of you have ever teased someone, put them down?" All the hands in the room went up. Even the parent visitors hands shot into the air. "None of us are exempt," I added. "How many of you have ever stood by while others teased or taunted another person?" All hands went up again.
"I'd like to read you a story," I said. The students sat riveted each reflecting inwardly on their behavior as I read the story below about a father and son.
That was my close for the day in the anti-bullying program. I returned 10 days later to find that the highly creative team of teachers and karate trainers had created a direct experience for the students. Students were asked to write something negative they had said to someone and nail it into a piece of wood that the educators had brought to class.
The day I returned the students were given the opportunity to pull their item out of the wooden post and notice the holes that were left behind. "It's like a hole that mean words leave in the heart even when we apologize," said Eric, one of the instructors. "And remember," he added, "Happy people help people!"
This pictures you see on this post are photos captured that day. A great big heartfelt thank you to Jennifer Tamayo, Eric, and Bennett; I am so grateful to be working with you and proud of you as a teacher team. For the video in the photo below, go to http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-tcTYSdN7hs&feature=plcp or view it here by clicking the play link in the second shot.
If you are viewing this blog post in a reader, you may be missing out on great stories, quotes, videos, photos and content. To see this post on the blog, please visit http://www.trinidadhunt.com. To learn more about the anti-bullying program, Breaking Out of The World Game, visit http://www.End2Bullying.com. If you would like to add your comment to this post, please visit the blog, click on the blog title, and scroll down until you see the area to enter your name and comment.
Heroes Who Inspire!
I am always thrilled and amazed at some of the wonderful people in our world. I gain strength and inspiration from so many men and women who are now, or have in the past, made a contribution to the world.
It is through the living of their lives and the overcoming of the challenges they face or have faced that I am reminded of the hero that lives in me.
I came upon this little piece of video a few days ago and it totally touched my heart and inspired my soul. It is a short interview with Bill Clinton about his friend Nelson Mandela.
Clinton tells a story of how the two would connect by phone over the years when they were in office. He said that if the call weren't to late at night, Nelson Mandela would ask to talk with Chelsea. And the conversation that he had with her always centered around her. Clinton said of this, "He was a person first," before he was head of state.
Clinton goes on to share what he learned from Mandela over the years. I love learning from the master teachers and this little snapshot into Mandela the man is food for the soul!
But rather then tell you about it, I'd like to share the clip with you. Remember to remember who you are is the message that whispers here beneath the lines. Click to enjoy.
Breaking Out of The World Game AU Trainers
I had a wonderful afternoon visit with our certified Australian trainers for the anti-bullying program, 'Breaking Out of the World Game'. Principals John Faulkner & Louise McKay have done over 12 trainings so far and are gearing up to train more schools in the Victoria district.
Hear and Heart – One Letter Apart
We listen all day long... to our peers, friends, family, co-workers, children, partner. But do we really HEAR what they are saying?
The ability to listen and the ability to really hear are two different things. One is mechanical and the other is an art form.
I have been a student of listening for over thirty years now. My journey with my mentor has been a never ending journey of awakening and discovery. Listening is the most profound master teacher that I have ever studied under.
I have had a few great master teachers in my life time! But not one with the power to carry me through multidimensional levels of awareness in a moment by moment process. My Listening Mentor wears a coat of many colors and just when I think that I have become my own master, my mentor morphs, showing me a depth I never saw before.
The very first lesson that my master teacher shared with me is that HEAR and HEART are only one letter apart. So the first teaching I received at the feet of my master teacher was, "To really hear what is being said you must connect with heart!"
Action Step - try this over the next week:
- Whenever you are in a listening situation during the coming week, imagine opening a channel from your heart to your head.
- Be aware of your heart and your hearts' capacity to "hear" or feel what is being said.
- Be aware of your heart as you listen and notice what if you discover. Without judgment or opinions, just listen from your heart and notice what comes up.
Another Tragedy With Our Children
One more time a tragedy has hit our nations schools. The shooting of 5 students by A young boy who had been bullied makes every mother's heart break for the loss.
This is a tragedy of major proportions...for the children who were shot, for the child who will not see the light of another day on Earth, and for the student who saw this as the only means of expression.
My heart cries out, "Could this tragedy have been prevented?"
We need to get to the root of issue. Bullying is not an isolated incident! It doesn't happen one time and cause this kind of a reaction.
Up until now, I said that, 'Breaking Out of the World Game' (our anti-bullying program) is an intervention program. Maybe our intervention program needs to be called a prevention program and taught as part of the required curriculum in every school.
Let me say this in another way. Is it time to make an anti-bullying program a prerequisite in every school? If we have come to this, let's admit it and take a stand as parents and concerned community members. Let's not lose one more child to our paralysis. Let us act on behalf of every family in America.
It starts with the little abrasive things that we do and say to each other and builds up on daily. If not curbed it turns into teasing and taunting and mental and emotional abuse.
We cannot turn our backs any longer. It is you and I as adults who are on trial here.
I am asking for other voices... your voice to join the call. This is dedicated to our children and our children's children that they may grow up to live a full life.
My prayers go out to the mother's and families involved. But are we not all involved? Are we not of this nation and this world? Let the sacrifices stop. For every sacrifice belongs to us if we do not take a stand.
Use Mind Mapping to Boost Creativity!
I haven't always loved mind mapping. During school, I was well trained in outlining and I was fairly good at it. Habits from childhood can run deep. So it took me a few years to let go of the old and embrace the new.
However, when I did let go of the old outlining method, I fell in love with mind mapping! It is the fastest, most powerful brainstorming tool I've ever used.
As a result, when I planned my first book, Learning to Learn - Maximizing Your Performance Potential, I mind mapped it. I brainstormed the entire book on a single page and I followed the map through the entire writing process.
In fact, when I thought that I'd lost the page somewhere half way through the book I freaked because I thought I lost the plot of the book. When I did find it, I made copies of it, filed the copies and finished the book.
Then, some years ago, I ran into Tony Buzan. He was the original author of mind mapping and he had developed a mind mapping program for the computer. I purchased it immediately and have been using it ever since.
Recently I upgraded to the iMindMap5 release and I love it. It is excellent for students, teachers, business people, project planners, and anyone who uses brainstorming as part of their planning process. Some of the new items included are a 3D view, presenter guides, greater ease of navigation, more templates and a lot more.
Below is a mind map that I did on Leadership for an executive team I'm coaching. The skills, skill sets and competencies I will include in the process are included on the right. The character traits necessary for success are on the left.
This is a comprehensive overview of everything I will cover in the coming months. And it gives the coachee a clear picture of where we are heading.
The map took me 15 minutes to do and the style I will present it in is 3D with various areas popping onto the computer screen as I highlight them.
