The Ultimate School Trip: Still not started

Almost two weeks have passed since the last post and I still haven't started the journey. Life gets in the way of course for all of us but this was the ending of summer, a birthday to celebrate over several days, a holiday weekend, a trip to the Boston Red Sox...and getting the other parts of my life in order to begin this journey.

I wish I could afford to just pick up and go but finances don't allow that. I need to use home as a base for the beginning with day trips and maybe one night overnight per week. I probably should have started my company as a non-profit so that I could get sponsors to help defray the cost of this adventure. I've researched a few companies that I do business with - hotels, restaurants (Panera) to see if they could help me but they only donate to non profits. Maybe I'll form one but if I do, I want to do it right. Can I own a profit company which is my career/job and a non-profit that helps fund me visiting schools?

All that will be decided another day. For now, I need to get my correspondences out to the 4 states that responded to my mailer to all the commissioners of education, get my web design/internet obligations done and get my home life in order.

Cape Cod schools are on the agenda for this week. The journey must begin and as Wayne Dyer says in his new PBS special - don't worry about the big picture. Instead focus on one small task at a time...and the big project will take care of itself. One school at a time, one more place where optimism and success go hand and hand. I can't wait!

The Ultimate Trip: Ok, I'm not starting in Chicago!

Any idea what the first day of school is like? Kind of busy and crazy to say the least. Not that schools don't know what they're doing....that's not it at all. It's just that there are lots of students trying to make sense of their schedule, parents coming in to enter new students, teachers trying to wrap their mind around 150 new students and all that's required for themthe first few days.

And that's the day I happen to be in Chicago! Today is the first day of school for many of the schools around the city. So I'm postponing starting til I get back home later today. I need to respect that schools do not need a visitor on the first day. They don't need a stranger coming in...even one bearing gifts to help their school lives.

So I'll just go out for the the few hours I have left in this beautiful city and enjoy it. I know I'll be back.

Ultimate School Trip: Chicago Day 1

No luck dropping off my folder at Harpo Studios. I didn’t really expect to be able to deliver it. After all, if they had a policy to take things from random visitors, they’d have thousands of packets to go through. The security guard there very politely asked me to mail the packet to Harpo with mention of the Oprah show. Sigh…I’ll do it of course but I sure do hope someone gets to see it. All in good time.

I can’t say I”ve been totally ready this past year with having to deal with losing my best friend Annie. I wasn’t ready to face the world but I did use it to teach myself web design which is allowing me to do his blog and to create a web site for the program.

At least I got a few pictures of Harpo Studios which will be up on my Treasure Map in no time. It’s funny. The security guard said I could try to get tickets. I told him I had tried for 5 years every time they became available but had never gotten through. This is the year though. I can feel it! Hopefully it’s to be a guest so that I can share this program with many schools at once.

I had a nice ride over with my taxi driver from Somalia. Sure wish he liked air conditioning because it sure is the day for it! Beautiful city…humid weather!

Monday is the day to visit a group of schools in the city. More after that!

The journey begins

I'm excited!

The ultimate school trip is about to begin with a trip to Chicago tomorrow. I'm going to visit several high schools dropping off a goody bag with info about my 'Strategies of Success' program and filled with things to help the staff create an optimisitic, engaging and exciting school environment. All of the things on my list have been tried and tested in my own classroom and I know they work for me.

I can't wait to write about my experiences here as I make my way around the country.
Here we go Chicago! You're first!