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Sunday, February 28, 2016

Story 105 Making a difference


    It's often been said that those who can't do teach, and those who can't teach anything teach gym, but what the haters fail to realize is that teachers really do something truly important, and that is make a difference.  Why do people minimize teachers, especially health and physical education teachers? In a country that is having such a huge obesity epidemic, and children are dying in the suburbs from prescription drug abuse why shouldn't our students health be a priority?  




   It's unfortunate that teachers are not given the recognition they deserve considering how a good teacher can often make an impact in someone's life.  How do you measure that?   In my school system they constantly want data for academic achievement, or the number of times you called a home, or a students attendance record, because those things are quantifiable.  And while these are important, the truth is that there are many things that are difficult to measure.  Including: Did a student grow as a person?  Did someone avoid using drugs or is practicing safe sex?

  I've had students come back to tell me that I made a difference in their lives.   Teachers are in a lot of ways are like farmers.  We plant seeds (knowledge and good choices) and we hope that what we teach will take root and lead to great things.  I am fortunate to be able to tell you that despite some regrets, I have for the most part had a lot of success over the past twenty years of teaching.  It's those small wins that help teachers deal with a profession that can have a lot of stress and administrative headaches.

   I've partnered with a local community college's nursing program and ran five health fairs.   In addition,  I've also invited many CBO's to my high school and college to educate our students and staff about different issues, and provide important resources for help.

 
One of my high school students named Mike had another problem.  I saw him one day outside of school and asked him how life was.  He told me that, "Not that good. I haven't been going to my classes or doing my homework. I just don't feel like doing anything."

I looked at him directly and then asked, "Are you smoking weed?"

He looked surprised and then replied, "How did you know?"

  I then told him about amotivational syndrome.  It's a condition that frequently develops from smoking marijuana that can make a person less likely to want to do something.   (Life low libido I call it.) Well, a few months after we spoke I got an update.  Mike started going back to his classes, started working out, quit smoking up, and ended up graduating. He told me later that I was one of his all-time favorite teachers.  Teachers in America don't necessarily make a lot of money,  but sometimes those successes are worth their weight in gold.  It reminds of Mark Twain's comment that he could "Live a month on a good compliment."

   Another girl named Danah came back to visit me from college a few years ago.  She told me that she, "Lost forty-five pounds over a period of a year and half from something I taught her."

  "What did I say?" I asked.

  Danah replied, "You said to me that I shouldn't focus on losing weight, but instead adding things to my life. "

   And that's what Danah did.  Every month she would add something  new. One month she added more water, then next month more exercise, and over a period of a year and a half lost 45 pounds.

   I often tell my high school students that some people credit Ivan Pavlov with the idea that it takes 21 days to create a habit.  I've read in several books about goals and habits that more difficult habits sometimes take longer like a month, but I suppose 21 days is a good start.  That is why I do a three week behavior change plan with my high school students.

  Some of my success stories include:  I had a boy who always had headaches.  I asked him "How much water do you drink?" 

"None." He replied.   After our brief talk he went from drinking no water to drinking three bottles over a period of three weeks, and his headaches, went away. 

  Another girl told me she didn't eat any fruit.  I told her that countries that have the highest consumption of fruit have some of the lowest rates of cancer.  She went from eating no fruit to eating three. and lowered her cancer risk.

  I've also taught relaxation activities (such as instant relaxation and meditation) to a few students.  One woman who worked at the Department of Motor Vehicles used instant relaxation to deal with difficult customers.  Other students have used what I taught to relax before stressful exams.

    Another girl said that she only remembered one thing that I taught her.  I told her about the word "Yet."  It is very powerful  word.  Sometimes in life we get depressed when we think about things we haven't achieved/have in our lives.  This is called "Stinking thinking."  I told my students that rather than negative thinking we add the word "Yet" to our thinking ex.  Change "I don't have a car" to "I don't have a car yet," or "I don't have a boyfriend/girlfriend yet." And then take proactive steps to get what we want in life.

Life Lesson 105: The best thing that we can do however is to teach and show our children love.  I've taught my students that if you have good self esteem, and truly love yourself that people can't pressure you into doing anything you don't want to do.  

Supposedly, it wasn't until she was forty years old that Oprah Winfrey learned how to say no.  It's never too late to start.  Really, we should consider that learning to say no is a skill that we can develop with practice and patience, and that when we believe in ourselves we will have the confidence to believe anything is possible.    And as Napoleon Hill once quoted, "Whatever the mind can conceive and believe, it can achieve." Don't  be afraid to make a difference in someone's life.







   









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