I think the greatest compliment one can give an individual in our changing world is that he or she is a student of something and constantly seeks to learn and grow.

I view learning as a responsibility I have for myself.

Perhaps the statement of the dear old gentleman in his late eighties best captures my thinking. He said, “Whatever the confusions of yesterday, the uncertainties of tomorrow, or the frustrations of today, this I know to be true: When I cease to grow, I’ll begin to die. And so while I can run, I’ll run; while I can walk, I’ll walk; and when I can only crawl, I’ll crawl. But I’ll always be moving forward.”

“That’s a great catch,” said the tourist. “How long did it take you?” “Not so long,” said the fisherman. “Why didn’t you stay out longer and catch more fish?” “This one’s enough to keep my family provided for,” came the response.

“What do you do with the rest of your time?” inquired the visitor.

“I sleep late, I fish a little, I play with my children, then I have lunch, and take a siesta with my wife. We stroll into the village every evening. We sip wine, listen to the guitar players, and I play cards with my amigos. It’s a full and rich life, senor.”

“I think I can help you,” the visitor said. “I’m here on a vacation having just finished my MBA. You’ve got to spend more time fishing, buy yourself a bigger boat, make more money, and then perhaps several boats until you’ve got a fleet. Don’t sell your catch to a middleman. Sell directly to the processor, eventually opening your own cannery. Then you can control the product, control the production, and control the distribution. You could then leave your small town behind, move to Mexico City, then maybe to Los Angeles, and eventually perhaps New York to run your own expanding company.”

“But senior, how long would this take?”

Oh, 15, 20 years.”

“But what then?”

“Well, that’s the best part,” the young man proudly stated. ”When the time is right, you could float stock on the stock market and make millions of dollars.”

“Millions you say. And then what?”

“Well then you could retire. Move to a pretty village by the sea. Sleep late, fish a little, take a siesta with your wife, stroll to the village in the evening, sip wine, listen to the sounds of the guitars, and play cards with your friends.”

I have been working on teaching procedures for appropriate noise levels. I think the kids don’t really know how to control their voices very well yet and need specific instruction on how and why to do it—as well as a way to remember to do it. Any suggestions?

RESPONSE :

Use a numerical level for noise.

Level zero – Silence.

Level 1 – Whispering – The voice you use when whispering. Only the person you are whispering to should hear you.

Level 2 – Speaking voice – The one you use when having a conversation.

Level 3 – Group voice – The voice you use when giving a report to a group.

Level 4 – Playground voice – The voice you use at recess when you are playing games or shouting to your friends.

Level 5 – SCREAMING – This voice you use when you need help because you are hurt or in danger. The only other time you might use this voice is when you are cheering for a sports team.

Inform students before you start every activity what noise level you expect.

Other examples are available here.

I am at the end of my tether with my 6-year old son. He does not pay attention and is distracting in class. At home everything is fine. He has got a behavior book that he brings to school so his teacher records his behavior for the day. He brings that home and he is punished accordingly, such as early bedtime, no toys/cartoons. He promises to behave, but he never does. Could you please point me in the right direction.

RESPONSE: 

Take him for a walk and have a conversation with him. (Boys will not open up like girls. Boys will open up more if they are doing something—playing checkers, walking, or involved in some activity.)

After starting the conversation on a light subject, ask him  if he finds the work very difficult. If he does, get a commitment from him to show you an example. If you perceive he has some learning difficulty, inform the school that you would like him tested. Also, have his hearing and vision tested.

During your activity with him, also ask him how he FEELS about his teacher.

If he does not feel he has a good relationship with his teacher, there is a problem. Have him relate his feelings to you and determine (a) how he can choose to respond to his feelings and (b) develop some procedure he can use to redirect negative thoughts so his impulses will not overcome him.

Share your observations with his teacher. Include sharing the three practices of the teaching model.

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If someone asks you for your opinion and if the person perceives that your comments are derogatory, there is a problem.

Cognition and emotion go hand in hand, with the latter preceding the former. In other words, what we hear may prompt a negative feeling. Once a negative feeling has erupted, it doesn’t do any good to try to convince the person that the way he or she feels is wrong. You’ve got to deal with the way the person feels first.

An approach to resolving the situation is to ask the person whether the person is angry with you or with what you said. This will prompt the person to reflect. It will also diffuse the negative feelings because you have redirected the focus.

We want to be honest with others but need to realize our honesty can be interpreted as derogatory or negative. Having a good question to ask—if needed—when we give our opinion is simply good preparation.

The pessimist allows problems to rent cognitive space. But why think of problems when you can fill your head with solutions?

How you respond to a new idea is an example of what you put in your head. Do you immediately dismiss it? Do you see it as foolishness? Or do you allow yourself to examine the idea, to try it on for size, and think, “It just might be worth trying?”

The positive person is open to the new, the different, and the innovative. How you respond to new ideas could be the difference between your learning and growing—or stagnating.

When you reflect on it, you will conclude that positive folks have almost always been more right than the negative ones. Every tangible item we possess or use was created by someone—somewhere who thought, “Now that’s an idea that’s worth trying.”

Nothing was ever invented or created by somebody who said the reverse: “That will never work.”

Positive people practice positive expectations. They know that what they think has an effect on their expectations. Myron Trubus said, “There is no such thing as immaculate perception. What you see is what you thought before you looked.” Psychologists refer to this as a “self-fulfilling prophecy.” If you expect the good to happen, more often than not, it will. And if you expect a bad thing to happen, it often does.

Why deprive yourself of the power of the positive? It’s an attitude you can develop. Just think, “It might work,” and then practice positive expectations.

The company has four broadcast locations: headquarters in Atlanta, political broadcasts from Washington, D.C., financial broadcasts from New York, and entertainment broadcasts, such as Larry King from Los Angeles.

I found the most interesting part of the CNN tour to be how the weather is projected and how the teleprompter is used.

The weather is projected on a blue screen. The camera does not pick up the particular shade of sky blue used. The same camera was used in the movie, “Superman.” When Superman appeared to be flying, he actually was lying on a blue board, simply  motioning as if he were flying. Viewers only saw Superman flying because the blue board was not picked up by the camera.

Using the same principal of “invisible blue,” the weather is projected in such a way that only selected objects are seen by viewers. Also, when the weather is reported, the reporter looks at the camera but motions broadly to an area—rather than pointing at a specific location. There is a television monitor at each end of the weather stage so the reporter can see where his or her hand is pointed.

Which brings up the most interesting part of the tour. I learned how news reporters are able to look right into the camera and read the news simultaneously. The reporter looks directly into the teleprompter where the eye of the camera is located and where the script is reflected right into the teleprompter in front of the red camera light. In this manner, all the scripts can easily be read—and EVERYTHING is read—except when a reporter is broadcasting from an “action” location.

At the CNN studio in Atlanta, visitors can see how the news is captured, selected, written, edited, rehearsed, and televised. The tour is  quite interesting, as is the CNN building itself. It is located in the heart of Atlanta across from Centennial Park and has a fountain commemorating the XXVI Olympiad. The 1996 Olympic Games hosted by the city has the fountain in the formation of the five Olympic rings with a large variety of programmed water spectaculars.

If you have an opportunity to visit Atlanta, plan to take the CNN tour.

More about character education and how to promote responsibility is at the character education link at MarvinMarshall.com.

Level C for COOPERATION is in green, as is Level D. Although the goal for young  people is to strive for level D motivation, either of these two levels is acceptable.

Level C for CONFORMITY is in YELLOW to remind people to reflect—to be cautious (as in a yellow traffic signal)—before engaging in an activity suggested by a peer. This is especially the case when the suggestion will lead to inappropriate or irresponsible behavior.

Having a visible reminder, as the cards, assists young people to make responsible choices. The reverse of the cards has the visual for  an impulse control technique.