School Violence...Again

We need solutions to this violence. There are no easy ones. It seems just yesterday that Columbine was the news and now Virginia Tech.

I don't know the details of this shooting yet...no one does. But I do know we need solutions.

I have one. I began creating it the day of Columbine. I remember saying to myself we can't lose another precious child to violence...we have to do something. That day led me on a journey to create a high school course to supply what teens are missing in their lives. It took me 2 years to research, get training and write the course. It came into being in the fall of 2001.

This course teaches kids how to respect themselves and those around them. It shows them how to build a team with the others who happen to land in the same class as them all while teaching them how they learn best, how to overcome their weaknesses and honor their strengths, how to give back and how to do the right thing for all the right reasons. Students learn all this and much more...

The course is now in its 6th year and as popular as it was from the day of its inception. It has won awards and is now a finalist in the Cable in the Classroom's Leaders in Learning Awards for 2007. It's now a book ready for any high school to adopt...

Is it the answer to all of the issues that face our schools? No, nothing is...but this works...it's been used by over 2000 students who have nothing but high praise for the impact it's had on their lives. They say, "Keep changing lives."

If you know a school that can benefit from having this program...where kids can have the ability to feel special in a world where they often feel ignored, where kids feel safe and honored, where teens get the chance to expand their comfort zone and learn the skills, manners and ethics they often miss...then please pass on this website: strategiesofsuccess.com.

Thank you...let's not lose one more precious student...please.

Strategies of Success: What about me?

I read an article today in USA today about how self-centered we've become as a society. The author was stating that people in conversations these days often just talk about themselves and never even ask a single question of the person they're talking to.

I thought about that for a bit. Have we lost the ability to think about others? Or are there other reasons?

I'm interested in other people but often have had difficulty questioning them. It always feels a bit like prying. Plus I've always been a bit shy which no one who knows me believes. I also wonder if it goes back to an event when I was about 8 years old. I had blabbed (my mother's term) to a neighbor that I couldn't have a new bike because my Dad needed a new suit. My mother was furious with me or at least it seemed that way to my 8 year old brain. She told me to keep my mouth shut. No one needed to know our business and we didn't need to know theirs.

I'm sitting by the pool in Florida pondering why people aren't as curious about each other. I'm promising myself to ask more than I currently do. An elderly gentleman who I've known for many years at this timeshare comes up and says, "Tell me about your life. Are you happy?"

Now that's a questions!

Looking to connect better with the people in your life? Don't just tell about you - ask them about their lives. You'll be glad you did!