This week was all about stocking up for the next week of visits and for preparing a book that I've written that will help me raise money to pay for the gas, the occasional overnight expenses and the supplies that I'm this journey costs.
The book is called "Secrets of Success: 36 Surprisingly Simple Lessons for Creating a More Stress-Free Life." This is a collection of newsletters that I've been writing for years for my email list of former students, teachers, and subscribers who are looking for a weekly lift to their week.
Care to help fund this ultimate school trip? Check out the book at http://www.horizon4success.com/successbook.htm.
Some good news. Rhode Island College is doing a story on me for their alumni magazine which will share the story of how the program was created. Hope that helps convince a few more principals that this might be exactly what they need, especially in Massachusetts right now where the schools may extand their day!
Sure hope the weather warms up here for this week's adventures!
Sunday, December 2, 2007
Thursday, November 29, 2007
Taking a week off from the road
Not on the road right now but still working on getting to schools. Last week was Thanksgiving week where the days I normally spent on the road were spent working my part time job (going around to schools needs to be funded somehow!) and of course celebrating with my family.
This week is all about stocking up on supplies for next week and getting some time at home to catch up on other facets of my business and getting my home life in order for the final December stretch visiting schools.
Most schools will be making their decisions on the courses they're offering for the following year by late January so the more schools I can reach, the better.
Ok..off to the post office to get a price on maililng out my new book "Secrets of Success - 36 Surprisingly Simple Lessons for Creating a More Stress-Free Life" based on the newsletter I began at my high school to help provide the faculty with some positive support as they took on one of the most challenging and important jobs we have in this country.
This week is all about stocking up on supplies for next week and getting some time at home to catch up on other facets of my business and getting my home life in order for the final December stretch visiting schools.
Most schools will be making their decisions on the courses they're offering for the following year by late January so the more schools I can reach, the better.
Ok..off to the post office to get a price on maililng out my new book "Secrets of Success - 36 Surprisingly Simple Lessons for Creating a More Stress-Free Life" based on the newsletter I began at my high school to help provide the faculty with some positive support as they took on one of the most challenging and important jobs we have in this country.
Sunday, November 18, 2007
Some disturbing observations
Today is Sunday so it's not a travel day. But I felt the need to log in. I read a very disturbing article today titled "American kids, dumber than dirt/Warning: The next generation might just be the biggest pile of idiots in U.S. history." It was by By Mark Morford, SF Gate Columnist. You can read it here.
It's a sad look at how teens our leaving our educational systems today. Looking at it from my vantage point of teaching for many years and visiting so many schools, I know many of the basic components needed to turn things around are either in place or in need of some basic tweaking. We have beautiful schools in many places, teachers who I know from experience give up so much of their lives for kids, innovative programs that have the ability to inspire kids.
What we lack is additional teacher training to help teachers connect with students so that they want to learn, want to go to school, want to succeed. I was lucky enough to train with some of the most successful busines people in the world and I was able to test out their strategies first hand in my own classroom over 25 in over 25 different classes. The difference in traditional training vs. these methods was stunnning.
We also lack a place in each school for teens to turn to for a positive compass, one that teaches them the common sense strategies that they often now miss from busy parents and the omnipresent media. I saw the advantage of this first hand as well when I taught my Strategies of Success program.
I had a conversation this past weekend with a twenty something. I told him about my program and he said that even though he felt he went to a good high school, young adults and teens his age were lost souls with no compass, two parents working, no positive guidance. His eyes lit up with the idea of what it would have been like to have been in a class such as mine.
If you've read any of the comments on this blog, you know that my journey is to place this program in every high school in th US. I will train the teachers, create a positive website for the teens to communicate with me for guidance, whatever it takes to turn the message of the article in the beginning of this blog around.
If you're a parent, a principal, a teacher, a teen, a media source....won't you help me make this a reality?
It's a sad look at how teens our leaving our educational systems today. Looking at it from my vantage point of teaching for many years and visiting so many schools, I know many of the basic components needed to turn things around are either in place or in need of some basic tweaking. We have beautiful schools in many places, teachers who I know from experience give up so much of their lives for kids, innovative programs that have the ability to inspire kids.
What we lack is additional teacher training to help teachers connect with students so that they want to learn, want to go to school, want to succeed. I was lucky enough to train with some of the most successful busines people in the world and I was able to test out their strategies first hand in my own classroom over 25 in over 25 different classes. The difference in traditional training vs. these methods was stunnning.
We also lack a place in each school for teens to turn to for a positive compass, one that teaches them the common sense strategies that they often now miss from busy parents and the omnipresent media. I saw the advantage of this first hand as well when I taught my Strategies of Success program.
I had a conversation this past weekend with a twenty something. I told him about my program and he said that even though he felt he went to a good high school, young adults and teens his age were lost souls with no compass, two parents working, no positive guidance. His eyes lit up with the idea of what it would have been like to have been in a class such as mine.
If you've read any of the comments on this blog, you know that my journey is to place this program in every high school in th US. I will train the teachers, create a positive website for the teens to communicate with me for guidance, whatever it takes to turn the message of the article in the beginning of this blog around.
If you're a parent, a principal, a teacher, a teen, a media source....won't you help me make this a reality?
Wednesday, November 14, 2007
Massachusetts on a fall day
I planned to stay home today to catch up because I'm a bit behind but the weather looked bad for tomorrow so I headed out even if it was later than I'd like to leave.
What another great day! I'm in mid Massachusetts now - Oxford High School (would you believe they were paving the entrance so I had to go over someone's lawn - with their permission), Blackstone High School (loved the parking space for the Teacher of the Month), Sutton, Northboro and Shrewsbury. What a school that was! It had about a one mile entrance blasted out of rock. The schools was at the top of a high hill and was so impressive.
I'm very impressed with the schools in Massachusetts. Many are really spectacular. It sure does help to have schools that are new and inviting. Life is tough for teens today and having beautiful schools certainly doesn't hurt.
I really enjoy talking to the secretaries and the students that I run in to. Teens are so great! Miss working with them daily but hopefully taking on this mission of sharing this program will ultimately make their lives better.
What another great day! I'm in mid Massachusetts now - Oxford High School (would you believe they were paving the entrance so I had to go over someone's lawn - with their permission), Blackstone High School (loved the parking space for the Teacher of the Month), Sutton, Northboro and Shrewsbury. What a school that was! It had about a one mile entrance blasted out of rock. The schools was at the top of a high hill and was so impressive. I'm very impressed with the schools in Massachusetts. Many are really spectacular. It sure does help to have schools that are new and inviting. Life is tough for teens today and having beautiful schools certainly doesn't hurt.
I really enjoy talking to the secretaries and the students that I run in to. Teens are so great! Miss working with them daily but hopefully taking on this mission of sharing this program will ultimately make their lives better.
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