Choose a landscape when stressed.

When students are preparing to take a test or do something stressful, have them remember a landscape, someplace they have been that is calming and/or fun. Have them picture themselves there for about 30 seconds before the test. If they get stuck answering any questions, have them do it again for just a few seconds until they feel calm and able to refocus on the task at hand.

Do the same thing for yourself when confronted with a tough situation. It works.

Have a great day and a wonderful weekend and take care of you. You are a very special person. You are a difference maker.

Maryln

Remember Jacques and the message of hope.

A friend loaned me a book in which there is a story about a man named Jacques Tusseyran. He was blinded when he was eight years old. Later, he was captured by the Nazis and sent to a concentration camp. He was kept alive, even though he had disabilities, because he was a gifted translator knowing many languages. At night, he would gather with other prisoners in the cold bathroom of the concentration camp quarters. They were all starving and freezing cold. They had horrendous tasks to do every day. They were literally slaves. Many had lost all members of their families. Jacques organized poetry readings for these men who were all huddled together in these ice cold washrooms, and they recited the poetry to each other, and it warmed them. For those brief moments in the washroom, the men forgot their suffering and instead remembered the joy of living in the verses. He inspired them and reminded them of the gift of life. He brought light into their lives that were so covered with darkness.

Thankfully, you do not have children who come from concentration camps, but you do have children in your classes who come from homes where there may be some other type of suffering. Chanting a new poem or song each week can help lift those children up. It can help all children dream bigger. It can offer hope to the hopeless, and dreams to the ones living in nightmares.

Have a great day. You are a difference maker.

Maryln

April Fun Day

Today is April Fool’s Day. I don’t like the name because I don’t ever want anyone to be called a fool. I would like to rename it April Fun Day. I sure like to play silly games and have fun on this day. My youngest granddaughter and I have been planning for this day for weeks. Tonight family and friends will gather at my home while we tell a silly fun story in which everyone gets to participate. It’s really silly. We have a bunch of gags we will be using including a fake “cockroach” which my granddaughter named “Dr. Fivestein.” It was great fun thinking up names for the different characters in our little homegrown skit.

Planning fun family or school classroom special gatherings are bonding. Having everyone participate in some way, whether large or small, is bonding. It fosters community while creating memories that last a lifetime.

Have a great April Fun Day. You are a difference maker.

Maryln

The nurture versus nature question continues.

Many years ago I took a college course in genetics. I learned a lot, but one thing that stands out for me is that I learned that a man’s tendency to baldness comes from his mother’s father. My dad had a full head of hair so I thought to myself, that my own son would also have a full head of hair as he aged. Now we know so much more. We also know that it is not so simple. We know that the brains of individuals with ADHD are different. We know that there are heredity traits for heart disease, breast cancer, addiction, and more.

But we also know that environment counts! People who smoke or live in certain types of environments are more prone to getting cancer than those who do not, regardless of their genetic makeup. People who continually live high-stressed lives are more prone to heart disease. Children who do not have secure attachments, have more difficulties in adulthood.

Last week I asked you which counts more, heredity or environment. So many of you answered, that I am keeping the survey going longer. I especially like your comments on my blog about this. If you have not taken the survey, go to www.atiseminars.org and make your voice heard. If you have more you want to say about this important issue, go to my blog and write your thoughts, www.marylnandmore.org.

I believe there is always hope; for every child, for every person. Sometimes that will mean a lot of work, but there is always hope.

Have a great day, and remember you are often the one who imparts that hope, who makes that lasting difference for children. You are a difference maker and part of a world team of difference makers who receive this email. You are the link to the future.

Maryln

Look for the redbird.

There is a little redbird trying to get into our ATi office. It comes around the windows and pecks. It is beautiful. It’s bright red with some black markings. Looking at it reminds me of the wonders of nature and the beauty all around us. We only have to take some time and look.

As you go through the day today, look not only outside, but inside among your students for all the wonders of life. They are all there, and they will never happen again in exactly the same way. They are part of the gifts of life.

Have a great day and a wonderful week. You touch lives and heal hearts. You are a difference maker.

Maryln