Dropping Out Is An Epidemic

According to a study by the Editorial Projects in Education (EPE) Research Center, young people are dropping out of high school at a mind-numbing pace. It is especially high in our inner cities. Look at these numbers:

Click on the image to make it larger:

It comes from this article, published online April 1, 2008 by Education Week and written by The Associated Press. You can read the entire article by clicking here.

Former Secretary of State, and founding chair of America's Promise Alliance, Colin Powell states, "When more than 1 million students a year drop out of high school, it's more than a problem, it's a catastrophe."

There is a good video on the bottom right side of America's Promise Alliance's home page that gives you an idea of what the alliance is doing to try and stem the tide of students dropping out of high school. You can view it by clicking here.

As always, feel free to comment. I'm curious to read your thoughts on the subject.

Later,

Mike

Boys Think Reading Isn’t Cool

Why do boys think reading isn’t cool? Why do boys lag behind girls in reading scores? What can be done to level the field? Those are all questions being asked today about the discrepancies between boys and girls and their attitudes towards reading.

More than one expert believes it’s because boys are wired differently than girls. Many believe it has to do with testosterone. Others believe it has to do with socialization. Some believe there is a bias towards girls. I’m guessing it is a combination of all of the above and then some.

Mike Knight writes an excellent piece in the September 2007 edition of Mpls St. Paul Magazine entitled The Truth About Boys and Reading. You can read it by clicking here.

He talks to a group of male authors, academics and librarians that discuss the issue and comes to the conclusion we need to rethink our whole approach to the way we teach. Imagine that!

"I would say there is a crisis," said Walter Dean Myers, a children's book author. "Too many parents have walked away from this idea ... that education is a family concept, is a community concept, is not simply something that schools do."

Another article, Boys' lack of interest in reading tackled by groups, written by Paul Nyhan in the October 24, 2007 seattlepi.com quotes Pamela LaBorde, children's librarian at the Seattle Public Library's Ballard branch, "A lot of times, when boys get to middle school they are feeling sort of disenfranchised from the educational experience.” You can read the entire article by clicking here.

The next seven paragraphs are directly from Paul Nyhan’s article:

“The problem isn't necessarily that boys don't read, it's that they are often practical readers,” LaBorde said, “reading magazines and even manuals.”

The reasons behind the reading gender gap are complex — everything from cultural changes to behavioral differences — but researchers know the brains of boys and girls develop at different rates.

They also may feel ignored. That's because the publishing industry tends to focus on girls, Myers said.

"The publishing industry doesn't think there is a market, so they just don't market them," said Hayden Bass, teen services librarian at Seattle Public's Library's downtown branch.

To engage male readers, books need to tackle their issues: what it means to be a man, walk away from a fight, play sports and even go to war, Myers said.

"I've never had a male editor," the New Jersey-based author said. "When you see the books that win the awards, you see books that are much more suitable for girls."

When Myers wrote Fallen Angels, a teen novel about Vietnam, it was a big hit with male readers.

Nyhan finishes his article with the following two paragraphs:

But like many student challenges, the first steps begin at home.

"Getting kids reading ready by talking to them, by having conversations with these boys and telling these young readers that they have to join our society, we don't have to join theirs," Myers said. "You have to interact with your children."

If you are a male, what do you like to read? If you are a female, what do you like to read? I’m curious, what are your thoughts on the subject?

Later,

Mike

Take This Awareness Test

A friend sent me this video the other day; and, I find it fascinating. It's easy to miss something you're not looking for. Check out this video which is a British ad to start seeing cyclists:The narrator asks, "How many passes does the team in white make?"

When we focus on something we are told to focus on, sometimes we miss other things in the picture that may or may not be important. We need to learn to focus on our goals and do whatever it takes to achieve them. That can be difficult if we have attention deficit disorder, a learning disability, a brain injury, or any other one of a number of issues that affect our ability to focus.

The fascinating part is once we see something we missed the first time, there is no way we can look at the problem the way we first saw it.

This reminds me of a great quote by Oliver Wendall Holmes. Click on the image to make it larger:

Please feel free to comment on what you saw in this video, or the quote.

Later,

Mike

Effective Listening

Last Saturday I got to hear another speaker friend do his thing. I've known Kit Welchlin since 1991, and haven't seen him for several years. I was giving two breakout sessions for the annual Metro ECSU's Winning Strategies Conference for paraprofessionals, and I saw Kit's name on the agenda; so, I decided to go out early and listen to Kit do the keynote. I'm glad I did.

The title of Kit's address was Problem Solving & Decision Making Through High Impact Communication. I discuss problem solving, decision-making and communication all the time; so, I wanted to hear what he says about those three issues. I wasn't ready for the high energy/impact he let rip for about an hour. It was a great presentation with many highlights.

His list of 14 Characteristics of Effective Listening I've posted here really hit me. Simply click on the image to make it larger:


I love listening to other speakers, especially when they are saying many of the same things I say. It reinforces to me I'm doing the right thing and I'm on the right path. I especially like #7 which simply states, "Ask Questions."

I wrote an entire chapter on asking questions in PreTeen Power which was published in 1997. I'm rewriting it for I'm Not Done Yet. Stay tuned, I'm working on it.

Later,

Mike

Animals Under The Sea

I've talked about change before and how fast it is happening. I've also addressed how much we are learning and how fast we are learning it. Most notably, Karl Fisch discusses change in his two videos I wrote about in my November 20, 2007 post entitled "The Fischbowl."

A friend just sent me this video by David Gallo and his work in the oceans of the world. It's a fascinating video. I encourage you to check it out:

The highlight of the video for me was at the end when the octopus managed to basically "shape shift" itself to blend into it's surroundings to protect itself.

One statement he made screamed out to me when he said, "We have only explored about three percent of the oceans."

If we are just beginning to learn what lies beneath the surface of the oceans, what will we learn in that other 97%?

If you want to learn more by watching many amazing videos on change, new ideas, learning, growth and many other fascinating topics in eight very different themes which are: arts, business, entertainment, culture, design, science, technology and global issues. I encourage you to visit the TED website by clicking here.

I know I'm going to be checking out more of the videos. I'm sure there is a good deal of material for speeches that just needs to be explored.

Later,

Mike

"Who thought of that?"

Alexander Fleming once stated: “When I woke up just after dawn on September 28, 1928, I certainly didn’t plan to revolutionize all medicine by discovering the world’s first antibiotic, or bacteria killer.” Fleming would write later, “But I guess that’s exactly what I did.”

Fleming was the first to realize moldy bread in a Petri dish had medicinal value and he is considered the person to have discovered Penicillin. To learn more about him and his discovery, click here. It will take you to his entry in Wikipedia. It is interesting reading.

I learned of the drug Urokinase when I had my lungs fill up about 90% full of blood in 1984. The condition is called pulmonary emboli. (Emboli is plural for embolism. I had many embolisms). They told me Urokinase helps to break up the blood clots in my lungs. They also told me it came from human fetal urine. My thought was, “How do they get it?”

Medicinenet.com says this about Urokinase:

USES: This medication is a protein (enzyme) which works to break up and dissolve blood clots which can block arteries. It is used in the treatment of very serious blood clots in lung blood vessels (pulmonary embolism).

Modern Western medicine is a wonderful thing, and has saved my life on several occasions. My doctors constantly amaze me with what they know and how they find new treatments for the numerous maladies I seem to attract.

I just learned about another drug I have had to use on a good number of occasions. It’s called Heparin. Heparin is used as a blood thinner they often use to keep my blood from clotting when I’ve had to have an IV for one reason or another.

I learned one of the major suppliers of Heparin in America is China. I also learned it comes from the lining of intestines of pigs! I thought to myself, “Who thought of that?”

Unfortunately, right now, we have a problem with our Chinese Heparin. The New York Times recently ran this story on the manufacture of Heparin in China. I find it fascinating and disturbing. You can read it by clicking here. I find the picture very disturbing as well.

I don’t know if I’ll feel very comfortable about my Heparin the next time my doctor says to me, “We’re going to use some Heparin now, Mike.”

I know many medical breakthroughs have been accidental. I also know many people have devoted their lives to medical research, and billions of dollars have been spent, and will continue to be spent, trying to find all sorts of things like the cure for cancer, and stem cell research to find the cure for paralysis, to name just two. Who knows how those two problems will be solved? I sure hope they keep trying to find the solutions!

Later,

Mike

I Love Good Quotes

I spent last Thursday at Southwest Middle School in Albert Lea, Minnesota. After my assembly, I ate lunch in the cafeteria with a group of seventh grade girls. When they finished lunch, they ran off to band practice. All of a sudden, a few of them came running back and asked me if I would come and listen to their band practice. I agreed and off we went. I thought I'll try it since I've never done that before.

Talk about chaos! The first few minutes as they all practiced, it sounded like nothing I've ever heard. Then, the director, Mister Dawson, called them to order and I enjoyed watching the concentration on all of their faces as they focused on the songs they were working on.

From there, I went to Brenda Morris' seventh grade health class to spend two hours of follow-up discussion and doing a couple of experiential exercises from my assembly. She had dozens of quotes posted all over her room, and I asked two students to please write them down for me. Here are some of my favorites:

"Make an effort, not an excuse."

"You teacher's goal is simple: to help you reach yours."

"Your 'I Will' is more important than your I.Q."

"Be yourself. You're the only one who can do it right."

"Attitude is the mind's paintbrush. It can color any situation."

"Stand up for what is right even if you're standing alone."

"Let the choices you make today be choices you can live with tomorrow."

"What is popular is not always right; what is right is not always popular."

"Listen and silent are spelled with the same letters."

"Be yourself: an original is always worth more than a copy."

"Courage is doing right when everyone around you is doing wrong."

"Character: it's how you live life when nobody's looking."

"Choices:
1. Making every decision carefully
2. Thinking everything through responsibly
3. Exercising your freedom to choose
4. Deciding what is right and doing it."

I've attached a page of my favorites here. Please click on the image to make it larger; then, print it and put it on your bulletin board to refer to as needed. I do:


Please feel free to add your favorite quotes in the Comments Section. Include the author if you know who said it. I look forward to reading them.

Thanks!

Mike

DQ Girl

I started speaking to young people way back in 1975 when Martha Brown, a nursing school instructor at Abbott-Northwestern Hospital's now-defunct school of nursing, asked me to speak to her nursing students about living with a spinal cord injury. I spent three years going to that school once every three weeks to impart my wisdom about life in a wheelchair.

When I think about it now, I wonder what I thought I was doing being just twenty years old, and having only been disabled for four years! What did I know? How was I an expert? All I know is, it launched my speaking career.

That disability awareness presentation has evolved into a self-esteem presentation that challenges every one of my audience members to reach their potential and to recognize just what their capabilities are — no matter how old they are. We all have capabilities we don’t even know are there. We just have to find them!

Sometimes finding our strengths are easy, and other times we go through our whole life and never find them.

Everywhere I go, unbelievable things happen. Here is one of those stories.

One summer evening several years ago, I was in a Dairy Queen with a friend and his two boys getting a treat after one of the boy’s little league baseball game. We were waiting to receive our order when a young lady behind the counter handed me a receipt with a note on the back that read:

I’m getting help.
It’s working too. THANKS,
I think you saved my life.
from,

Then she wrote her name and the high school she attended. I looked up in amazement and she was standing behind the counter, smiling and shaking her head up and down! I couldn’t ask her what it was that made her feel that way because she was very busy, the restaurant was packed, and at just that time our ice cream came and my friends were leaving the counter to go eat. I shared the note’s contents outside the restaurant with my friend and have wondered about her ever since that night.

I did three presentations the day I visited her large suburban high school. In the first program there were approximately 150 kids. In the second, there were maybe 300 students. After lunch, I came back to the auditorium to find a 500 seat room overflowing with about 700 young people, many of whom had heard me once or even twice already that day. The aisles were full, the stage had steps all along the front and they were full; people lined the walls. The Fire Marshall would not have approved!

The school had more than 2,000 students so they let the teachers choose if they wanted to attend my program or not. The kids heard my program, went to their next class and asked their teacher if they could go hear me again. Word started spreading and before I knew it, the place was overflowing. It often happens that way; I have to prove myself in every school to a new group of young people.

This young lady was in one or more of those programs. Each program was different. I don’t know what it was I said she picked up on but it hit her in a way that made her write, “ … I think you saved my life.” Parents, teachers and all other adults don’t always know what young people hear, or for that matter, when they are even listening! That is why we need to think about the consequences of what we say and do. The things we say to our children are very important. They may not tell you it’s important, but it is.

We need to listen to them too. We as adults, as parents, as teachers need to validate their feelings. She needed to understand the problem wasn’t the issue; the issue was how to deal with the problem. I tell them it isn’t a matter of degree. It is a matter of doing the right thing.

It is a matter of learning a problem-solving process. Young people already have a process in order, but many times they don’t realize what they are capable of doing. We as adults, as parents, as teachers, need to help guide them, to be an integral part of their lives. You are very important to your children. They may not tell you how important you are, but deep down — they know, because “Kids are COOL!”

Note: A version of this originally appeared in a monthly newspaper entitled Family Times. It was a periodical for parents in the Twin Cities. I wrote a column for them in the mid-nineties entitled Kids are COOL!

Here's Another Myth To Think About

If you're a regular reader of my blog, you know my last post discussed the myths about school shooters. Today, I want to address another very important issue, one I've addressed earlier. And, that is the myths surrounding boys. As I stated in my December 29th post, young people need to feel connected to at least one adult.

I quoted Michael Resnick, PhD, the assistant director at the University of Minnesota's Adolescent Health Program when he stated, "Young people need to be connected to at least one caring, competent adult. The good news is, it doesn't necessarily have to be their mom or dad. But, it is essential for young people to feel a connection to a responsible adult."

Much has been written about the "lost boys" of today, and it should be! Millions of boys are in trouble and need help. Mentoring programs like The Rising Son are helping boys become men. The myth I want to address is we are losing the battle. That simply isn't true! I'm sure you'll agree with me after reading this article from time.com entitled The Myth About Boys.

The article originally appeared in the August 6th edition of TIME magazine. David Von Drehle writes an excellent piece about the good and the bad news of the situation. It's well worth your read. Two quotes shouted out to me from Margaret Anderson, a pediatric nurse in Nashville, a member of the faculty at Vanderbilt University and the staff nurse at a camp for boys called Falling Creek Camp in the mountains of Western North Carolina.

As Von Drehle writes, Anderson told him, "Whether it's urban kids who can't go outside because it's too dangerous or the over-scheduled, over-parented kids at the other end of the spectrum — I'm worried that boys have lost the chance to play and to explore," Our society takes a dim view of idle time and casts a skeptical eye on free play — play driven by a boy's curiosity rather than the league schedule or the folks at Nintendo. But listen to Anderson as she lists the virtues of letting boys run themselves occasionally.

"When no one's looming over them, they begin making choices of their own," she says. "They discover consequences and learn to take responsibility for themselves and their emotions. They start learning self-discipline, self-confidence, team building. If we don't let kids work through their own problems, we get a generation of whiners."

I believe that's why mentoring is so important to boys. When boys get stuck or simply need someone to talk to, they can talk to a mentor. Are you someone a young boy, or girl, can talk to? If you are, GREAT! How so? If not, why?

I'd like to know your answers. Please feel free to leave your comments. Thanks.

Later,

Mike

10 Myths About School Shootings

It's happened again. Another school shooting has taken three more lives. This one appears to be a little different than most in that it was a young woman wielding the gun. The details will start spilling out over the next few days; and I'm guessing at least some of these 10 Myths will pop up and prove to us one more time how little we know about the people who commit these horrific crimes.

Bill Dedman, an investigative reporter for MSNBC, published a great article on October 10, 2007 entitled 10 Myths About School Shootings. I encourage you to check it out. You can read it by clicking here.

He goes into detail about each one of these myths which are compiled by MSNBC.com from a 2002 study by the U.S. Secret Service and the U.S. Department of Education. Here's the list:

Myth No. 1. “He didn’t fit the profile.”
Myth No. 2. “He just snapped.”
Myth No. 3. “No one knew.”
Myth No. 4. “He hadn’t threatened anyone.”
Myth No. 5. “He was a loner.”
Myth No. 6. “He was crazy.”
Myth No. 7. “If only we’d had a SWAT team or metal detectors.”
Myth No. 8. “He’d never touched a gun.”
Myth No. 9. “We did everything we could to help him.”
Myth No. 10. “School violence is rampant.”

Generational Differences

I have many friends in the speaking business and I learn a great deal from each one of them. On December 29th, I introduced you to Earl Hipp and his work helping men help boys transform to manhood in my Fatherlessness post.

Today, I want to introduce you to another friend, Eric Chester, who published the very successful Teen Power book series. I was fortunate to have written chapters in three of those books. You can learn more about the books I'm in by clicking here. The books are out of print now, but if you're interested, I still have copies available. You can order them from my website.

Eric is focusing his energies these days on helping corporations strategize on how to employ the new generation of workers he refers to as Generation Why. Generation X followed the Baby Boomers; and now, Generation Y, or, to use the term Eric coined, Generation Why, gives us a dramatic look at the differences between the generations. In the chart below, he shows us how the paradigm is shifting.

I encourage you to click on the image to enlarge it, and see how he identifies the differences in the generations:

Once again, as Karl Fisch says, "Shifts happen."

Cell Phones That Read

In keeping with the theme of change, and rapid change at that, check out this article about a cell phone that reads to people who are blind and visually-impaired by clicking here.

As assistive technology continues to make life easier for many people with a multitude of disabilities, we are just in the beginning stages of what is to come.

Personally, I really like my voice-recognition software which is enabling me to write the book and some of these blog entries. As someone with a severe disability, it's very exciting for me to see these new products.

Yes, change is inevitable, and we best embrace it. Learning is truly a life-long process, and as we see products like this new cell phone, and the Kindle, we need to recognize we have the process in place to address that change.

Kindle is Here

The latest, greatest technological device is here and from what I've read and seen, it will eventually change reading books, newspapers, magazines and blogs just like cell phones have changed the way we communicate with telephones.

Granted, amazonkindle is in it's first generation, and carries a $399 price tag, but like all technology, we'll see that price drop and maybe even disappear.

Imagine students not having to carry heavy backpacks full of textbooks, schools not needing to buy those textbooks because they can just download the books on to their students' Kindles, walking through a park on a nice day and watching people reading their Kindles instead of books, newspapers or magazines, or riding the train or bus to work while reading your morning newspaper on your Kindle.

Amazon.com says about Kindle: "We wanted Kindle to be completely mobile and simple to use for everyone, so we made it wireless. No PC and no syncing needed. Using the same 3G network as advanced cell phones, we deliver your content using our own wireless delivery system, Amazon Whispernet. Unlike WiFi, you’ll never need to locate a hotspot. There are no confusing service plans, yearly contracts, or monthly wireless bills — we take care of the hassles so you can just read."

Check out the extended video demonstration by going to the amazonkindle link in the second paragraph and scroll down to the video.

The paradigm keeps shifting as change is happening faster and faster. For example, my 30 gigabyte iPod which is less than a year old has already been replaced by the 80 and 160 gig models!

Bullying in Schools

"Sticks and stones will break my bones, but words will never harm me." We've all heard it, and we all know it's not true. Yet, bullying has become a HUGE issue in schools across the country. In fact, it is such a concern, some schools have instituted anti-bullying campaigns. I was in one such school on January 7th.

Little Chute Middle School in Little Chute, Wisconsin had me spend the day to help kick-off a week-long program to eliminate bullying in their school. Based on the conversations I had that day with both teachers and students, and the emails I received from several students, they are off to a good start.

I found these statistics startling and I think you'll agree:

(Click on image to enlarge.)

In one of my classroom visits that day, I asked the class to raise their hand if they have been bullied, and the vast majority raised their hands. The same response was true when I asked them if they had ever bullied anyone. Even the teacher raised his hand to both questions!

The old adage "Boys will be boys," doesn't cut it any more. In fact, it's not just boys doing the bulling these days. Some researchers are finding girls to be just as big a problem when it comes to being both the bully and the person being mistreated.

Here's a very informative article on Girls Bullying Girls. Check it out. It introduces us to the phrase "relational aggression." This article is based on a longer article written by Marina Skowronski.

The last piece I'd like to take you to is Bob Chase's column dated 3/25/01, the President of the National Education Association in Washington, D.C. He offers some insight into what needs to be done to help curtail the problem.

Bullying is a problem young people are coping with and they need direction. We, as parents, teachers and concerned adults need to help them however we can. If you have any suggestions, please leave a comment. Thank you in advance.

Aaron Cross is "Motivation on Wheels"

The school assembly speaking fraternity is losing a very good motivator today. Aaron Cross is retiring from speaking in schools to move across the pond to start a new life with his wife, Katrina, who is from the United Kingdom.

I've known Aaron since he was in school at Augsburg College in Minneapolis. He called me one day and wanted to know if I would be interested in working with him for an internship. I agreed, and he spent a couple of months helping me and learning the ropes in becoming a professional speaker.

Aaron is also a world-class archer and on September 23, 2004, he and his teammates shot their way to the Bronze Medal; the first team medal for the U.S. Paralympic Archery Team.

He has an incredible story and John Gross, a photojournalist at KSTP TV, the ABC affiliate in St. Paul, MN, does a great job telling us about Aaron in this piece which aired on January 4th:

As you watch the video, watch what Aaron accomplishes with the close-up shot with the second arrow as it hits the target. He's still got it!

http://kstp.com/article/stories/S303276.shtml

I wish Aaron and Katrina all the best as they move to England and begin their life together a long ways from Minnesota.

Fatherlessness

Earl Hipp is a friend of mine. He is also a well-respected author, accomplished speaker and prolific blogger; but maybe his most important title is that of a mentor. According to Earl's latest book's website "Man Making is a practical and inspirational guidebook for men. It shows them how to awaken and apply their instinctive man-making skills. In this book, every man, regardless of his level of commitment to this work, will find something he can do to support a boy or boys on the journey to manhood."

Earl is very passionate about helping men help boys in their respective journeys. His latest blog entry highlighted Mustafa Mahdi, the spiritual force behind The Rising Son, Inc. in Jonesboro, Georgia.

Earl writes, "The Rising Son Young Men's Development Center is providing after school daycare, tutoring, mentoring, rites of passage events, a small summer camp, field trips, and lots of positive attention to many boys." Learn more about them by clicking here.

On their website, you will find this page of troubling statistics that show the negative effects of boys being raised without fathers. Some of the numbers are fifteen to twenty years old now; but, I don't believe they are dramatically different today. If anything, some of them may be worse.

After reading these numbers, it reminded me of a statement Michael Resnick, Ph.D., the assistant director at the Adolescent Health Program at the University of Minnesota made in my video series entitled TOUGH DECISIONS: A Teenage Dilemma published way back in 1991, when he stated, "Young people need to be connected to at least one caring, competent adult. The good news is, it doesn't necessarily have to be their mom or dad. But, it is essential for young people to feel a connection to a responsible adult."

After reading those numbers, it's glaringly obvious, especially for boys, to have a connection to a positive male role model. I believe that is one reason why we are seeing such a surge of mentoring programs all across the country.

Something needs to happen to get these numbers down, and that something starts with each and every one of us. Maybe one of your New Year's resolutions could be to become a mentor to one or more young boys and pledge to help him, or them, on their journey to manhood.

Not All Steroids Are Bad

In my last post, I discussed Kevin Everett's story and the controversial treatment for his spinal cord injury. The controversial part is the hypothermia treatment they used to drop his body temperature down to about 92 degrees. That, along with the not-so-controversial part of his treatment, which is infusing large doses of Solumedrol, an anti-inflammatory steroid, kept the swelling down in the affected area of his neck, the 3rd, 4th and 5th cervical vertebrae.

That is what kept him from being paralyzed. The medical community has mixed feelings about the induced hypothermia because of the potential side effects. There haven't been any scientific studies done on this new procedure; but after seeing how it worked on Kevin Everett, I wish it would have been available when I had my accident. I'm guessing in the not-to-distant future it will become a common practice. That's very exciting for me to think about.

Dr. Barth Green, MD, the Miami Project's president and co-founder, has done some pre-clinical research on the subject. You can read more about this story by clicking here.

On the other end of the steroid spectrum are the anabolic steroids we've been hearing about for years and the illegal use among athletes to enhance their performance. With the release of the Mitchell Report last Thursday, it has come front and center again in the sports world.

In October, Marion Jones admitted to using steroids and had to return her five Olympic medals. Last week the International Olympic Committee (IOC) officially striped her, and her relay teammates of their records and Olympic accomplishments.

It's nice to see good news about drugs and an athlete these days. It's especially exciting for me to see new treatments, used in conjunction with proven treatments, like using Solumedrol to keep accident victims with potentially life-threatening spinal cord injuries have new hope that they, like Kevin Everett, may not have to take the same journey people with spinal cord injuries like mine have had to travel.

Kevin Everett, Three Months Later

It's only been three months since Kevin Everett broke his neck on the kick-off that started the second half of the first game of the NFL season for the Buffalo Bills, but a lot has happened to him since then.

I just got my new edition of Sports Illustrated and anxiously read Tim Layden's excellent article on Everett's controversial treatment, amazing recovery and prognosis for the future.

The Road Back chronicles his accident, early treatment and recovery in great detail and gave me a tremendous insight into this fantastic story.

It's long, but very informative. If you haven't read it yet, I encourage you to do so. If you have a spinal cord injury, or know someone who does, I believe it will give you a lift just like it did for me.

"Lunch Lady Land"

Last Thursday, I was in Northern Minnesota, in the heart of the Iron Range, in tiny Aurora, a community of about 1,700 residents, speaking to the secondary students at Mesabi East High School. We did an assembly and then I spent the rest of the day in four classrooms. In one of the classrooms, a student came in with his electric guitar and small amplifier. He asked if he could sing a song for me. He wanted to play "The Lunch Lady Land" song. It was the song he played in their annual talent show.

I said, "Sure, let's hear it."

He started to sing this song and it practically brought me to tears because the lyrics were so funny! In fact, he had to stop a couple of times, because, he too, was laughing as he sang.

When he finished, he told me it was an old Adam Sandler song from Sandler's days on Saturday Night Live.

When, I got home, I looked on YouTube and found the music video with Chris Farley playing the part of the Lunch Lady. It's from 1993 and I think you'll agree with me it's very funny. I think it's especially funny if you have memories like I do of your days in school eating school lunches.

Check it out and see if you agree with me:



I think the main reason this struck me as being so funny is because several years ago I gave a two-hour keynote address to the Minnesota School Food Service Association's annual conference; then, spent about two hours in the exhibit area testing the food vendors wares, and talking to many lunch ladies. It remains my all-time favorite conference, and I believe always will!

There were about 800 women and maybe twelve men in the audience who were the most unassuming, compassionate, caring group of people I have ever addressed! It was a great group of people who loved what they do and love to take care of your children.

The people who run the hot lunch programs around the country are one of the most maligned group you can imagine. And, from my experience, they take it all in stride. Yet, with all of the complaining we do about how bad our lunches are, I rarely get a bad school lunch whenever I visit a school! In fact, that day in Aurora, I had a GREAT lunch and the lunch ladies took wonderful care of me! They always do.

If you're still in school, remember to thank the lunch ladies every now and then. I thank them after every meal they serve me.

The Fischbowl

I just came across an incredible blog by Karl Fisch, a teacher at Arapahoe High School in Littleton, Colorado entitled "The Fischbowl." He covers a wide variety of subjects, but two video clips he posted are extremely thought provoking. They address the rate of change and where he believes we are headed. He looks at the shifts that are happening in the world. As he states, "Shifts happen."

If even a small percentage of his projections come true, children who entered Kindergarten a couple of months ago will graduate from very different schools than they entered this fall.

Once you click on the posts listed below, you can read the post to get to the video, or simply scroll down to the video and play it. "Did You Know? 2.0" is a little more than eight minutes long and "2020 Vision" is fifteen minutes plus. They will both make you think. They will give you something to talk about with relatives over the Thanksgiving vacation.

Check out these videos:

"Did You Know? 2.0

and,

"2020 Vision"

FreeRice.com

I spent Friday in Minnetonka Middle School East with their sixth graders. Minnetonka is a western Minneapolis suburb. At the end of the day, I stopped in to see my sister, Kathy, who teaches seventh grade English there, and she introduced me to FreeRice.com. What a GREAT website!

According to FreeRice's website:

"FreeRice has two goals:

1. Provide English vocabulary to everyone for free.
2. Help end world hunger by providing rice to hungry people for free.

This is made possible by the sponsors who advertise on this site. Whether you are CEO of a large corporation or a street child in a poor country, improving your vocabulary can improve your life. It is a great investment in yourself.

Perhaps even greater is the investment your donated rice makes in hungry human beings, enabling them to function and be productive. Somewhere in the world, a person is eating rice that you helped provide. Thank you."

Once you go to the website, it will show you how to play on the right side of the page. Simply follow the directions, click, learn and help fight world hunger.

I'm addicted! I spent a couple of hours over the weekend clicking, learning and doing a small part to help give away free rice to people who need it. You should try it!

"That sucks!"

I was at Henry Sibley High School in Suburban St. Paul, Minnesota today to give a presentation to their senior class and had fun for about eighty minutes with approximately 400 students, many of whom have already started counting the days till graduation.

I know I made an impact on these seniors for a couple of reasons. One, they gave me a standing ovation. That’s always a good sign! Secondly, at the end of the day, one of the counselors approached me and wanted to tell me what she had experienced.

She told me in the hour or two following my program, in which I addressed a number of issues including college, three students came to her and told her they had not been planning on going to college; but after hearing me speak, they wanted to get information on applying to colleges for next fall! She was amazed and very thankful.

Pat Johnson has hired me a few times over the last several years to speak at Sibley and at another school where she worked before she moved to Sibley. She wanted me to spend some time with their seniors; then I was free to go because I thought I had double-booked another school for the afternoon. I told her that school had been rescheduled so I could spend the rest of the day at Sibley. So, she went into hyper speed and started trying to schedule classrooms to visit. We went looking for teachers who might want me to visit their classroom. Once I’m in a building, I want to be with students. I always have a hard time leaving a school!

We finally went into a teacher lounge during lunch and met Lee Huenecke who teaches tenth grade health classes. He smiled and said, "Sure, come into my room. I was planning to give a test today, I'm sure the students wouldn't mind putting it off another day."

We went into his classroom and he told his students they were having a guest speaker today, instead of the test; and no one had a problem with that!

Pat then introduced me and she went back to her duties as one of the assistant principals in this school of about 1,600 students.

Since these students hadn't heard me in the morning, I started to tell my story and early on, I said something like, "I broke my neck playing football when I was in high school."

I no sooner got out those words, and a student in the back of the classroom matter-of-factly said, "That sucks!"

It just hit me and I lost it! I started laughing and had a hard time regaining my composure so I could continue! In more that 5,000 speeches, no one has ever said that, at least not that I could hear. It was just hysterical and set the tone for the rest of the hour. I had more fun with these kids than I've had in a long time and I think the reason was I was very relaxed and they immediately felt comfortable with me. They knew I could laugh at my situation, and they were very open to what I wanted to tell them. I made a great connection with the whole class and we bonded right off the bat. I had 'em! It was an amazing, fun-filled hour.

I also made a special connection with a young man whose name is Rolando. Rolando showed me some leadership skills as he helped me navigate my website with a small, Mac laptop. The room wasn't equipped with a large monitor, so Rolando would take the laptop and walk up and down the aisles showing everyone the pictures we were discussing. It was fun to watch as he took ownership of the tasks I had him carry out and I could see his character come out as the hour moved on.

It was one of those "teachable moments" that lasted an entire class period! I would like to be a fly on the wall tomorrow during class to see what the conversation will be like when Mr. Huenecke asks them what they thought of my presentation.

Students are including me in their emails

I told you on October 6th about the Virginia Youth Leadership Forum I speak at each summer at Christopher Newport University in Newport News, Virginia. Well, I have an update.

I started a Facebook listing a few weeks back and almost immediately two students who were at the last two forums, signed on to my listing as Friends. We've exchanged a couple of emails and our relationships are continuing to develop.

Then, on Monday, I received this note from another student who has been corresponding with me on a fairly regular basis since July:

"Wednesday I went to my own 504 meeting. I helped to figure out what accommodations I need. It was a great experience. I feel like I will be ready for college in a year."

The significance of this note is she wanted both Teri Barker-Morgan, the director of the program, and me to know she's advocating for herself in the planning of her Individual Education Plan (IEP). The student, Elizabeth, has credited her attendance at YLF and me as key components of her newly-found confidence in her ability and willingness to be a big part of her self-advocacy in her education planning.

She's a very determined young woman with a wonderful future to look forward to. I'm excited to see her taking an active role in her education, and humbled she thinks enough of our friendship to include me in her email notices like this.

Community College Diversity

I spent Wednesday afternoon with a Human Relations class at Minneapolis Community and Technical College in downtown Minneapolis. The twenty-five students are working towards an Associates of Arts degree in Business Office Administration. Their instructor, Margret Lydell, asked me to address issues like leadership and diversity.

I spent two and one-half hours addressing those and a good number of other issues like creative problem-solving, critical thinking, attitude and motivation. We had a great session and, at the end of class, they asked several very good, thoughtful questions.

There were several things that stood out for me, but one of the big things was the diversity and the number of immigrant students. At one point, I asked how many students were born in a country other than the United States. By far the lion's share of the students are first generation immigrants.

They told me there are eighty different languages spoken at MCTC! I don't know exactly how representative of their population this particular class is, but it just struck me how such a diverse group of young people are studying at one small, post-secondary institution in the middle of downtown Minneapolis. I think it's great!

They obviously understood me because of the questions they asked, the conversations I had with a few of them after class and the comments a couple of students made to their instructor, Margret Lydell.

After the students had all gone, Margret told me a couple of great stories about what students had told her.

Another good day, doing what I absolutely love. Another reminder I'm not done yet!

My new buddy, Jacob

I was back in Denison, Iowa yesterday at the Denison Job Corps. It was my fourth visit to their campus, and once again, I had a great day! I did my assembly for the whole group; then, I did three small group programs.

In the second group was a young man whose name is Jacob. I was having a good time doing some experiential learning exercises and he seemed to be very engaged in what we were doing. That group left and when the last group came in, Jacob was in that group as well.

I had my website hooked up and we were using it to look at the pictures of my accident, photos in the hospital and I showed them pictures of my van and how I drive. I also wanted to show them some of the educational materials I have to build on some points from my program.

The staff person who had helped me the hour before had to leave, so I asked for a volunteer to assist me with navigating my website. Jacob volunteered right away. Like most young people today, Jacob is very adept at using a computer and he was a tremendous help.

To say Jacob strikes me as a character is a huge understatement! He was wearing a nice leather jacket, heavy, work jeans and steel-toed boots. He told me he was studying to be a welder. I'm betting he'll be a very good one.

We started joking with each other about his thick, full beard, and about our slowly expanding foreheads. I told him I can empathize with the whole idea of male pattern baldness!

The reason I wanted to write about him is I feel like I made a great connection with him and it didn't take a whole lot of effort on my part. I don't know how he feels, but I know I won't forget my new buddy, Jacob!

It was just another example of how we, as adults, can make a difference in a young person's life in a very short period of time. It happens to me ALL of the time.

An Instant In Time

It always amazes me how many people were at the game the night I got hurt. Many times over the years, I have given a speech and afterwards someone will walk up to me and tell me they remember that night because they were there. It happened again yesterday.

I was in Chisago Lakes High School in Lindstrom, Minnesota, a small town about 50 miles from my house, and after my assembly with their ninth and tenth graders, a teacher approached me and told me his story.

He said he was an assistant coach at Marshall, one of the schools in our conference and a big rival. His assignment was to scout us the night of September 3, 1971. He told me a few things he remembered most about that night and what he took back to his staff at Marshall.

The night before, I attended the 26th Annual Banquet for the Metropolitan Center for Independent Living in St. Paul, and one of their honored guests was Kim Peck, the Director of the Minnesota Department of Rehabilitative Services. After the banquet, David Hancox, the Director at MCIL, introduced me to this year's keynote speaker, Minnesota House of Representative's first-term representative, Shelley Madore.

There were several people in our circle and as introductions were made, David told Shelley Kim and I had gone to high school together. In fact, Kim sat behind me in ninth grade Algebra class. Kim was also at the game the night I got hurt. Kim told her recollection of that night and what she remembered about coming to visit me in the hospital.

Here it is more than thirty-six years later and I'm still running into people who were there. If you were there, or remember something about that time, and how it affected you, please take a few minutes and comment about it here. I'm writing a chapter for the book about peoples' memories, and I may use your story. I'd appreciate it. Thank you in advance.

Tim Conway & Harvey Korman's comedy

If you're not a Baby Boomer or older, you never saw The Carol Burnett Show. If you are a Boomer, then I'm betting you'll enjoy watching this clip of Conway and Korman doing a skit with Tim Conway playing the part of a clumsy, dim-witted dentist, and Harvey Korman is the patient trying his hardest not to laugh. Which he eventually succumbs to, and can't stop laughing at Tim Conway's antics.

In my mind, Tim Conway was one of the funniest physical comedians ever. I believe he led the way for guys like John Belushi and Chevy Chase. And he often made you laugh out loud without ever saying a word. His actions and facial expressions were hilarious. He was funny without being vulgar, shocking or insulting.

A friend sent me this clip recently, and I've watched it about six times! It reminded me of being a young, innocent kid again. It reminded me of a time when we didn't have to worry about school shootings, gang violence, meth houses next door, teen suicide, twelve-year-old prostitutes, or kids killing other kids for their shoes. It is just plain funny. Check it out:

Dentist Sketch - The Carol Burnett Show

William Rodriguez

William Rodriguez was the last survivor out of the North Tower of the World Trade Center before it collapsed on September 11, 2001. He tells a compelling story about his experience and his life since that fateful morning.

I was fortunate enough to hear him speak Sunday night at a church just a block and a half from my house. In graphic detail, he told about his experiences of that day and how his life has changed. He shared pictures of his journey that has literally taken him around the world.

He has helped write legislation to benefit survivors and families of the victims. He has helped many organizations raise millions of dollars. He has been to the White House five times. He has visited with heads of state in many foreign countries. He testified before the 9/11 Commission. He is a masterful storyteller. And, coming from another professional storyteller, that being me, he said, "Wow! Thank you so much. That means a lot to me."

He's also had his life threatened. Been discredited by so-called experts who were not at the WTC on 9/11. But most notably, not one word of his, and many other eye witnesses of the attacks who testified before the 9/11 Commission had their names, or their personal accounts of the day, even mentioned in the official report!

He saved untold numbers of lives that day because he was in possession of one of the five master keys to the stairwells in the North Tower. According to him, the holders of the other four keys ran out of the building to save their own lives instead of risking their lives to save others like William did.

Against orders from more than one of his superiors, he made several trips up the stairwells and unlocked doors to let people out. Oh yeah, William was employed by a maintenance company. He was a janitor in the WTC for twenty years. His job for the last ten years had been to clean the stairwells of the North Tower!

He has told his story to millions of people around the world, many through Spanish-speaking television. Yet, here in America, most people have never even heard of him. His story needs to be heard before it's too late.

After his speech, he told me how he has started to show some of the effects of all of the toxic dust he inhaled that day. His lungs have, among other toxins, asbestos in them. He told how many of his friends have already succumbed to the affects of asbestos poisoning and other respiratory diseases.

I urge you to go and hear him tell his story if he ever comes to your community. Or, go to his website, William911.com and view a video of one of his speeches. You won't regret listening and learning the story of a true American hero. I certainly will never forget his speech.

YLF Virginia 2007

I made my third visit to the Virginia Youth Leadership Forum at Christopher Newport University in Newport News, Virginia in July. I want to tell you about an extraordinary program, group of kids, young staff and a wonderful woman by the name of Teri Barker who directs the program.

Each year Teri brings in twenty to twenty-five students who will be entering their junior or senior year of high school in the fall. All of the students have disabilities of one sort or another; some of them are severely disabled and medically fragile. They have a nurse on staff and five or six extraordinary personal care attendants available at all times to help kids who may need assistance.

Besides the students with disabilities, Teri also has a staff consisting of former delegates, many of whom have been involved with the program for up to eight years. Everyone has his or her assignments and from my perspective, the program appears to run very smoothly. If one were to ask some of the staff members they may get a completely different answer at any given time, especially after they have just put out a small fire.



This year was my third year being at the program and was by far my best experience yet. I can’t wait to go back next year!

Our ride picked us up at 11 a.m. on Sunday morning and took us to Christopher Newport University’s campus. When we got there, Teri, as usual, was there to greet us. Tim got out of the van, and greeted Teri while the lift-equipped van driver unlocked my chair, and began to get me off of the bus.

I started connecting with staff members who I’ve known for two years now. There are many very special people involved in this YLF program and I feel privileged to have the opportunity to know them.

I have spoken at amazing leadership programs all over the country, but none compare to what happens in the week with a small group of individuals at YLF.

First of all, most programs involving young people usually last from Friday afternoon until Sunday afternoon. A lot happens in 48 hours with young leaders in groups of 300 or more high school students! I watch kids come from all parts of the state not knowing anyone and by the time just two short days have gone by, relationships have been made that may last a lifetime. When put in an excellent learning environment, young people surrounded by positive, like-minded individuals grow and develop in ways that are absolutely amazing!

The unique thing about YLF is it runs for five days! It culminates in these students with special needs giving a presentation before members of the Virginia legislature! I have never seen anything like it. When the students arrive on Monday, and are greeted with cheers, applause, hugs and high-fives, they often say that was one of the highlights of their experience on campus.

I spoke with one young lady who told me this was the first time she had ever spent a night away from home. She will be a junior in high school this year and has some very lofty goals. We had a couple of wonderful opportunities to have extended conversations and I believe YLF was something she will never forget. Of course, YLF is something many people never forget.

One of the staff members, Thomas, has been at all three of the programs I’ve attended. He uses a three-wheel scooter to get around, is significantly affected by cerebral palsy, including tight muscle spasms, and a severe speech problem. However, he has a smile that lights up the room!

Two years ago, he and I became fast friends. In the three YLF’s I have attended we’ve made each other laugh more times than I can count. It’s at the point now where all I have to do is look his way, catch his eyes and we both start smiling.

In my address at their mentoring luncheon on Wednesday, I mentioned something about Thomas; he let out a big yell started laughing and practically jumped out of his chair. He doesn’t need to develop character because he is already is one!

On Tuesday night the four groups each put on a skit. Their theme this year was “Learn, Empower, Achieve, Demonstrate – LEAD.” Each group had to work from a scenario and give their version of how that scenario would play out.

Now remember, only two days earlier these young people had shown up on campus knowing no one, many being very shy, and most had never been on stage! They gave four excellent short skits that brought the house down!

One young man, Steven, who has severe cerebral palsy involvement, uses a wheelchair to get around, and a talking board to communicate stole the show when, at the end of their skit, managed to stand up and flex his arms over his head in a bodybuilder type pose. The smile on his face went from ear to ear! As a matter of fact, he did the pose several times. He didn’t want to get off the stage!

In just 48 hours these kids had come from quiet, shy, almost bashful individuals to expressive, cohesive teams performing on stage in what can only be described as heartwarming events.

Tim and I left campus early on Thursday morning to catch our flight back to Minneapolis. While we were loading the students were also boarding buses for their trip to the State Capitol in Richmond where they were to give their testimonies for a panel of Virginia government officials, including legislators from the Virginia Assembly and Senate. They also get a group picture taken with the Governor.

That day is the one I would like to see. I listened to several of the delegates give their testimonies on Wednesday and would love to have seen the students present them at the Capitol.

There’s much more to this story. In fact, there’s an entire chapter in my book “I’m Not Done Yet” devoted to YLF.

Who says you can't go home?

I went home twice in the last two weeks. First, I went back to my old high school, did a presentation for the entire student body and received two standing ovations. I spent the rest of the day in three classrooms building on points from my ninety-minute program. And, I had a blast! I needed to be in that gym that day. I fed off of the energy from the students and everything just clicked. I had them laughing one minute and just like that you could have heard a pin drop. I took them on a long roller coaster ride, and based on many conversations I had that day, and the following weekend, I made a difference. That's the whole idea. I only have students long enough to plant the seeds, then I turn them back to the teachers to nurture them.


Then, last weekend I went home again and watched the high school football team win their first game of the season in impressive fashion by a score of 26 to 12. After the game, I asked the coach if I could go into the locker room. I gave a very short pep talk and congratulated them on a well-played game. There was a lot of positive energy in the room, the kids were pumped, as was I, and I entered the locker room for the first time since the night I got hurt in 1971.


After the locker room cleared out, I sat and talked to the head coach, Dennis Hale, and a longtime assistant coach, Don Kuiper. Coach Kuiper was actually one of the assistant coaches when I got hurt. He has spent close to 40 years teaching and coaching in the Worthington school district.


They showed me a new type of offense they were running called, "The Wristband Offense." I had never seen a team play that style of offense before. I have to say it looked pretty complicated. It was very impressive to watch their team play an entire game without huddling and watching the kids read the plays from their wristband.


We went over their scorebook and analyzed what had just happened. I was curious to know how many more plays they could get in without running a standard offense where the team huddled after every play to call the next play. They were able to run 78 plays while their opponent only ran 54. With that kind of play count advantage over the course of the year they will certainly have a dramatic advantage over their opponents. Besides that, it was fun to watch. Their offense was spread out all over the field. They threw the ball 38 times for more than 225 yards. That's a lot of passing plays for a high school team to run in a single game.


Another one of the highlights for me that evening was talking to several students who approached me and thanked me for my presentation the week before at Worthington High School. I know how difficult it can be for a teenager to approach me sometimes. It's not that I'm not approachable; it's just not something many young people have an opportunity to do because speakers aren't usually around a school a week later.


That's one of the reasons why I like to spend an entire day in the building when I visit a school. I truly believe a major part of my success comes from the fact I don't just go into a building, do my presentation and go on to the next building. I believe a lot of learning takes place in the classroom visits that follow my assembly program.


The classroom visits allow me time to do a couple of experiential exercises that build on very important points I make in my assembly. It also gives students an opportunity to ask questions they might not otherwise get to ask in a large assembly in a gymnasium or auditorium. When classrooms are connected to the Internet, I like to take kids to my website and show them pictures of my accident, my hospitalization, my van and several other cool things. It’s all about those “teachable moments.”

It’s not true; you can go home.

Fairmont TARGET Workshop

Mark Hernes runs the Fairmont TARGET Group at Fairmont High School in Fairmont, Minnesota. I spent six hours on August 29th with about 100 student/athletes of his leadership group. He has a program that covers ninth through twelfth grade. We spent a six-hour day in a hot church and had several amazing experiences.

I put together a leadership packet of about twenty handouts, and did several small group and large group exercises. I'm only going to discuss one of the exercises.

One of my favorite exercises is having a group line up by birth date without speaking. They need to figure out alternative ways of communicating and sometimes that can be a difficult task. No matter the size of the group, usually someone thinks they are on the right spot only to find out later they are not. With these young leaders, everyone was exactly where he or she needed to be. They got creative and communicated by writing their birth date down and using hand signals. However, no one pulled out his or her driver’s license. When I asked them about it, several replied, “I don’t have one.”

To which I smiled and replied, good reason then, huh? Rarely is it, especially in a group that large, does everyone gets to the right spot.

The next part of the problem is they need to multiply their birth date by their birth month. They are supposed to line up by smallest number to largest. Then I give them more directions on how to break a tie. The first tie breaker is they add up all of the numbers in their home telephone number, and the largest home phone number goes first and works its way to the smallest phone number. If there is still a tie, the second tiebreaker is their home address. The smallest home address goes first to the largest last. In a group this size, we had several ties. Two of the tiebreakers went to the second tiebreaker.

As soon as I started giving all of these directions to the entire group, inevitably people start panicking and looking for a calculator, or paper and pencil, even if they are not involved with a tie.

They scored 100% on that part too. I was impressed. This is the first time I have every done that exercise in a group that large when everyone got to the right spot. Oh yes, this time they are allowed to talk. What usually happens is they lose their focus; start talking about all kinds of things and make mistakes.

What stuck me about this exercise was watching several of the leaders take charge and direct people where they needed to be. That’s when I know the person running their program is teaching leadership skills. Mark Hernes is running a good program and I commend him for his efforts.

That exercise was representative of the whole day. Kudos to Mark, his staff and especially the student leadership in his TARGET program!

First Day of School 2007

Another school year has just begun, and what a first day I just had. I spent the day at Lincoln Secondary School in Esko, Minnesota, a small town in Northern Minnesota on Interstate 35, about twenty miles south of Duluth. I had fun with the students doing three short programs for their seventh and eighth graders, ninth and tenth graders, and juniors and seniors.

Then the real fun began. A middle school math teacher by the name of Russ Davidson approached me to thank me and I asked him if he would like me to visit his classroom. With an abbreviated schedule for the first day of school and classes only running about 20 minutes, I watched a middle school math teacher teach with more passion than I have seen in a long time. The three classes I sat in on were seventh and eighth grade transitional math classes. He quickly went through his expectations and requirements for the year, handed out textbooks, and then gave the students to me.

I showed them how to do slant or lattice multiplication, did a fun math exercise that will only work this year, and spent my short time sharing some of my beliefs about how important a good education is to them.

The two of us fed of each other’s energy and had a learning experience that was just amazing. I think I got as much out of the experience as anyone.

Russ has spent his entire life, except for four years away at college, in Esko. He grew up there, and got his first, and only, teaching job thirty-five years ago in his hometown. He shared stories with me about his family, grandchildren and plans for the future. Under Rule 90, Russ is planning to retire at the end of this school year and move with his wife of 37 years to Florida. When he leaves, Esko will have a hard time filling his shoes.

The passion he puts into his classroom was obvious the minute I entered the room. He got excited just handing out textbooks!

The fun thing for me was it was completely unplanned. My contract stated I would give three large group presentations and be done at 1:00 PM. Whenever I visit a building, I like to spend as much time as possible with students because I can get more done. I would love to be a fly on the wall in his classroom tomorrow to see what his students have to say about their experience today.

Self-Advocacy

On August 24th, I spent the better part of the day attending a workshop in St. Paul put on by Advocating Change Together (ACT). ACT is a grassroots disability rights organization run by and for people with developmental and other disabilities. Among other things, ACT is working to help make people with disabilities lives' better by teaching them skills to make them better self-advocates to take charge of their own lives.

To paraphrase their flyer, the objective for the meeting was: "Do Metro Area self-advocacy groups want the metro region of Self-Advocates Minnesota (SAM) to work together as a team? And, if we do, we need to define the structure, strategies and players."

I spent close to four hours watching people with various levels of developmental disabilities make some incredible decisions based on very rational thought processes much of society doesn't think they possess. Therefore, "We" need to make those decisions for this group of people. They proved to me in that short time society is not giving credit where credit is due!

I was very impressed with several people who were obviously making many, if not all of the decisions they needed to live their lives to the fullest. It was a fun experience.

I was especially impressed at the end of the workshop when it came time to vote on the object of the day; only one woman needed clarification on the question put before them. I had been interjecting some of own thoughts and suggestions throughout the meeting; so, I tried to explain the issue in a little different language I believed would make it easier for her to understand.

Then she understood the question and voted with the rest of the self-advocates to make the motion unanimous. By the way, the only people who were allowed to vote were the individuals who had disabilities. The staff members from the various organizations were not allowed to vote. After all, the workshop was about self-advocacy.

The crowning achievement for me was when they asked for two volunteers to plan the next meeting and get their new project off of the ground, one woman shot her hand right up and eagerly volunteered. She was ready to go! Almost immediately, another woman also volunteered.

I immediately told them how impressed I was they were taking on that new responsibility, and they were demonstrating exactly what the workshop was all about, self-advocacy. They both got huge smiles and thanked me for the compliment.

I'll be watching to see how their new leadership group develops.