Life is what you make it.

I am traveling to Cleveland, Ohio this week-end to do a seminar and to also spend time with a close friend. Cleveland was my home for many years in my life. My parents were born in Eastern Europe and were so proud to be in Cleveland because it was in America! I remember when they each got their citizenship papers. They had to take a test and pass it. They were so proud. It is where I started elementary school not speaking one word of English! It is where I grew up with my mom making a huge pot of soup that had to last a week because we were too broke to get any other food. We ate lots of bread and potatoes to fill us up with that soup. It holds memories of our tiny one bedroom apartment on the third floor of an old building. To get to the apartment, we had to go up a dark stairway in which sometimes there were muggings and rapes. It is also about the city in which I had some special teachers who helped me and believed in me. It is the place I became a mom to both of my children. It is the place I completed undergraduate school. It is also the place in which my mom and dad were laid to rest when they passed away.

Life is what you make it. It is not about how rich or poor you are, but how you live your life. You cannot control all the situations that surround you, but you can take charge of your attitudes and your views. Do you look for the good in your own roots or do you think about what you wish were different? It’s the same with children. They need to learn that life is what they make it. They may have humble roots, but they can overcome them. That is where you come in. You are the one who can be their cheerleader, cheering them on to do better, to be more. You are a difference maker.

Have a great day and a wonderful week-end.

Maryln

The weather is changing outside.

For many parts of the United States, this has been a cold and snowy winter. In Sugar Land, Texas, we rarely have snow, but we do have some cold days and nights. The grass loses its brilliant green. The leaves come off many of the trees. As I write this, the weather has been changing. I have new jasmine blossoming in my backyard. The grass is starting to grow again. Little buds are forming on the trees. I love this time of year when the days grow longer. It is a time for hope, of rebuilding, and new beginnings.

Yes, there will still be those colder days, but they will become fewer and fewer. Starting today look for what is blossoming in your classroom. Is there new hope? Do you have any new beginnings in your curriculum? Do you have any new breakthroughs with children? Do you have any new buds that you can see, buds of hope in children that thought they couldn’t learn, and are now seeing those glimmers of hope that they can? Strive to create springtime in your classroom. It’s a great time for new beginnings.

Have a great day. You are a difference maker.

Maryln

Is it an addiction?

I read an article in Time Magazine about children becoming addicted to the internet in China. The article said that people are addicted to the internet if they spend six consecutive hours a day for three straight months on the internet. The article begins with a story of a mom whose 12 year old son beat and bit her when she tried to get him off the computer. She sent her son to a special boot camp to lose his internet addiction.

It made me wonder about our own children. I am certainly not suggesting that we send children to boot camp. I am suggesting that children do need to be monitored so that they spend less time in non-verbal communication situations. This includes not only the internet, but television, and cell phones. I believe that that there are some children who spend 6 hours a day, maybe not consecutive hours, but nonetheless, 6 hours on cell phones, the internet, or watching television. I want to know your opinion. Do you think that children are getting addicted to these things? Go to www.atiseminars.org and make your voice heard about this important issue on our new survey.

People who are addicted to alcohol and/or drugs, over time, verbally communicate less and less with those that are important to them. Their number one priority in life, even though they may deny it, is their substance of choice. They lose family, friends, and even jobs.

It’s so easy to get “addicted” to any of the mass media items. To counter this, there needs to be fun communication get-togethers. Encourage children to do things outdoors and to get involved in extracurricular activities that catch their attention. Television, the internet, and cell phones are not going away, but their use can be minimized when children learn that it’s fun to do other things too.

Have a great day.

Maryln

Have a Giving Tree

Have a giant poster of a tree in your classroom. Make leaves out of colored construction paper. When students do acts of kindness for others, put leaves on the tree describing the acts of kindness. If there is a child in the classroom that needs special help, invite the children to help this child. If there is someone in the community that needs special help, plan a class project to help that person. Put another leaf on the giving tree for helping. The goal is to have a tree filled with leaves. You will find that the more children are focused on helping others, the less they will be disrespectful of others. You are teaching them to be more compassionate. I have found that this works with all ages of children from preschool through secondary schools. Some of the toughest children become more gentle and kind when they begin to do good for others.

Have a great day. You are a difference maker.

Maryln

STOP!

I heard a story in which a teenager snuck out of his home, took his mother’s car without permission, and got into an accident. The family car was damaged and another car was also damaged. He got a traffic ticket. His parents paid for the traffic ticket and were grateful that they had automobile insurance to cover the costs of all the repairs. There were no consequences for this teen. He did not have to apologize to the other people for what he did to their car. He did not have to earn the money to pay the traffic ticket.

This youth learned that if there is a problem, there will always be someone to take care of it. He did not learn to be responsible for himself. His parents may have meant well, but they were not preparing him for the real world. You may have students like this in your classrooms, students who think they can do whatever they want to do whenever they want to do it. This has to stop. Students have to be prepared for the real world which has rules and consequences for breaking those rules.

Help prepare students to be more responsible adults. Have rules in your classroom. When children engage in inappropriate behaviors, teach them more appropriate behaviors. Sometimes, they really do not know. Teach them to be respectful of others, of their property, and of themselves. Start by being a role model of appropriate behavior. You are a difference maker.

Have a great day and a wonderful week.

Maryln