Beautiful Birmingham

For the past two days I’ve been speaking at the Association of Christian Schools International convention in Birmingham, AL. It’s been a beautiful experience.

It often amazes me how much can be accomplished in just a few days. This trip is no different. I arrived late Wednesday morning with two members of my staff. We set up our exhibit space and two of us had dinner with a friend who we used to attend church with.

Thursday I spoke three times, we interacted with many people at our exhibit booth, we had dinner with the other convention guests, and we attended an outstanding concert. It was a long day!

Today I spoke three more times and we interacted with even more people at our booth. Then we packed up unsold products and went to a different friend’s house for dinner. There we interacted with several women who wanted to meet me. I learned a lot from the questions they asked me about their children. I definitely enjoyed meeting them and sharing my insights. It was another long day!

Our days have been very full. But, how our days have been isn’t the most important thing to me. Instead, it’s how people’s days will be.

Will teachers who heard me speak try some of the ideas I explained? Will they try them more than once if they don’t work smoothly the first time? How will children benefit? What about the moms we met tonight? Will they remember some of our conclusions? Will they relate differently to their children because we talked tonight? I have high expectations for the moms and the teachers at the convention because they were teachable, attentive, and joyful. I believe many children will benefit.

I think the most important days of a convention are the days that follow.

“Next point!”

As I write this, it’s Sunday night and I just watched the Packers lose. They sure didn’t play as well as I know they’re capable of. Will I remain a fan? Definitely. It was just one game. Was it important? Yes. Am I disappointed they lost? Yes.

Like the Packers, I need to move on. I have to. I speak in the morning to teachers in the Brownwood ISD here in Brownwood, TX. They need my full attention. I intend on giving it to them. Might an analogy or two from football sneak into my message? Probably. But, I’ll move on.

In fact, instead of just sharing from football, I think I’ll share an example or two from basketball since I attended a Dallas Mavericks basketball game on Saturday night. Our NBA team played well and deserved to win, which they did. This past fall, I heard Avery Johnson, the Mavs coach speak. He was excellent. I’ll leave you with two of his points. I’ll be sharing them with the teachers tomorrow.

After every play, he encourages his guys to think “next point.” If a mistake was made, he doesn’t want them dwelling on it. Think, “next point.” If they do a great job, he doesn’t want them lost in people’s praise or their own. Think, “next point.” This is good advice for kids … and for the Packers.

Tomorrow afternoon, I’ll teach teachers the change process we’ve developed to help students change attitudes, beliefs, behaviors, and actions. Among other things, I’ll share what Avery teaches his athletes: Choose two things to keep doing, two things to stop doing, and two things to start doing. What would you choose?

One more thing. The Mavs have 10 coaches for 15 players. (head coach, assistant coaches, player development coaches, and a strength/conditioning coach) How many coaches do your kids have?

Go Packers!

Although I realize that not everyone who appreciates Celebrate Kids appreciates the Packers, I still had to write to proclaim my allegiance — Go Packers!

Whether I’m watching a football game, a basketball game, or some other sporting event, I can’t help but think of the value of the fans. The Packers’ fans are superb! Did you see them in the stands? They came and stayed for the game, through the snow and cold. They didn’t leave early. If only all children had fans like that. People who showed up, cheered progress, celebrated victories, and stayed for the long haul. Imagine!

Go Packers! Go children! Go teens! Go parents! Go teachers! Victory!!!

Newbie

Hi! This is my very first post. I’ve been wanting to start a blog for awhile as president of Celebrate Kids, Inc. (www.CelebrateKids.com) I’m excited to begin this venture with you! I’m looking forward to sharing my insights about children, teens, parenting, and teaching and learning a lot from you. Till next time, I’ll leave you with this Kathyism:

Don’t just tell children what to say “no” to.

Teach them what to say “yes” to.

Dr. Kathy