Bowling Opportunities from today!

This class is about providing opportunities! Today we took the class to Trussville to the newest bowling alley in the area called "Lightening Strikes". Personnel Manager Bill Hyde made us extremely comfortable and went out of his way along with his staff to make sure we had a great time! The students learned about bowling but also about working together, how to have fun and how to get along with each other even though they are in competition! What can you do to provide an opportunity for someone this week?

An Idea but not an Endorsement

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Providing Opportunities through getting the word spread far and wide about our progress

Jacket lets parents keep track of kids By KATE SCHUMAN, Associated Press WriterLONDON - Parents may worry less about losing their child - and the kid's expensive coat - with a new piece of winter wear that includes a global positioning tracker. The jackets, released this week by the British clothing company Bladerunner, have a GPS tracking device in the lining. The device can track the jacket anywhere in the world, within 43 square feet. "The jacket is not something that was released due to people losing their kids," said Adrian Davis, a partner at Bladerunner. "It was originally made for mountain climbers, skiers and snowboarders." Davis said the company decided to make a children's version of the jacket aimed at parents concerned about their children's safety. Using Google Earth maps, users can watch the jacket wearer move. The movements are updated every 10 seconds. But they don't need to be online to find out where the person is. Users can also receive alerts to their e-mail or cell phone when the jacket leaves the boundary, meaning parents could potentially receive alerts whenever their children skipped school, left the neighborhood or went to their boyfriend's house - so long as the child was wearing the jacket. Bladerunner, which designed the jacket and commissioned Asset Monitoring Solutions to craft the tracking device, made headlines in the spring when they released slash-resistant clothing for children, aimed at those worried about increasing knife crime in London. The new jacket is also equipped with the slash-resistant lining. The tracking device uses a rechargeable battery that can last for about 18 hours. A children's tracking jacket costs $500, plus $20 a month for the tracking technology. An adult jacket costs $700. All rights reserved. This copyrighted material may not be published, broadcast or redistributed in any manner. © Copyright 2007, The News & Observer Publishing Company A subsidiary of The McClatchy Company

Below is an article that has been written by Suzie Smith for the Alabama Education Association monthly newspaper periodical. I wanted to share the good news about what is going on in our class!

It came off my email .... Richard below is the story. Please let me know if I got anything wrong. Ihave used several pictures that I took with the names of students and also one from the picnic and one with the student in a canoe. Again, Is it ok touse the photos and names of the students? I used photos of Geoffrey, Ashley,Austin, and Jessica. Let me know. Good Luck! Suzie Smith Special education teacher wants more for students Jefferson County Education Association member Richard Reynolds is on a mission, one that he hopes will garner the necessary funds to transform hisclassroom into one that better meets the needs of the special educationstudents at Clay-Chalkville High School.This is Reynolds¹ first year at the school and he has been very busy, along with the paraprofessionals assigned to his classroom, making sure that his students are ³experiencing new horizons.² He began the year by taking the 11 students in his class, who have a wide range of special needs, on fieldtrips to learn aquatic safety at Camp Coleman and canoeing at Oak Mountain State Park.Though Reynolds is proud that he could take his students outside the classroom, he really wants to offer them more opportunities in the classroom to learn life skills. He has great ideas, but no funds to make his classroom suitable to offer life skills training and this is his mission.His classroom now features a couch and rug that he brought from home tooffer his students a cozy place to read. But he wants to rejuvenate his classroom to include a kitchen area with a sink, stove, refrigerator,microwave, dishwasher, and a washer and dryer.He also wants an assistive-technology computer center including softwarethat can pinpoint the specific needs of each student while tailoring each lesson to a particular student¹s learning style.His plans also include a wheelchair compatible work area in the classroom for art projects. ³Even though we have a small number of students, the severity of their disabilities, the wide range of their reading levels, and their different learning styles would be much better served with the assistive-computer technology,² Reynolds said.To reach his goal for his classroom, Reynolds has embarked on a constant and steady plan of pursuing every grant he hears about that might help in his quest to raise $18,000 to make the changes in the classroom.³A student might enter my classroom around age 14 and stay in my room until age 21 before they must leave the school,² said Reynolds. ³During that time they need to learn their phonics, writing, and math, but if these years are to be beneficial they must also be accompanied by life skills such as cooking, cleaning, washing clothes, and personal finance. That¹s why I am on a quest to secure grants to transform the classroom into a place that offers centers for students to learn life skills in addition to their academic work,² Reynolds said.According to Reynolds, ³These students need to experience a practical application daily through the living skills kitchen center where they can make the needed strides to hopefully become somewhat independent when they leave this school. We will not truly be able to measure effectiveness until after the students have transitioned to life after the school years and see how successful they are in becoming independent and working.²So far this year Reynolds has applied for more than 15 grants from a variety of organizations and other grant funding sources including a proposal that he sent to the producers of Extreme Makeover Home Edition. He anxiously checks his mail every day. If you have a place that you know of that works with the community to fund projects through grants or donations please let me know. Many times a business or corporation where a person works will give special consideration to a grant proposal because of an employee's family involvement. Also many offerings of assistance are never told to the public and are only known by the workers of an establishment. I am willing to write and apply for the needed financial assistance to gain technology, instructional materials and other items but to provide the opportunities that these students need we must be aggressive in seeking out funding sources. With your help we can form a team that allows us to make great strides this school year for this class of students! I believe people run marathons every day of their lives in one way or another, and we need to remember to give ourselves the finishers' medals we deserve." Zoe Koplowitz,author and marathon competitor

Have you heard of Carew International ? http://www.carew.com/ Bringing you only the best resources to take a new step forward and provide opportunities...

The Difference The other day, I ran across this quote: “The difference between genius and stupidity, is that genius has its limits……” I loved the quote, as all of us have experienced limitless acts of stupidity. In fact, I can remember a time or two where I have stretched the boundaries “where no man has gone before” to quote Captain Kirk of Star Trek fame, and the results were not pretty. How does stupidity apply to sales? Certainly Jack%&#, the movie(s) and television series, has proven there are few limits to a willingness to go the extra mile in the name of stupidity, but in sales, we all have that governor that creates boundaries. Unfortunately, many of us as individuals or our companies as organizations, have touched the edge of the abyss of stupidity and plunged headfirst into it. Inside our Corporate Lore, there are shining examples of poor decision making that could have been avoided but are spoken about in hushed tones. So how do these things, that everyone knows in the sanest moments should never occur, OCCUR? There are a few answers: company policies and culture, emotion and loss of focus on the big picture, and lastly, the inability to separate emotion from logic. Bear witness to a recent example that just came across my radar (names, measures and product have been changed to protect the innocent and guilty): a customer calls to report a problem with a shipment; it seems the order was for about 100 tons and 1000 tons showed up. The customer, while liking the idea of extra inventory, really does not have room for an extra 900 tons. Respectfully, he calls the customer service representative who is not authorized to accept returns, and who quickly reports to the customer the computer and says to the customer, “You ordered 1000 tons, so it must be a mistake on your end.” The customer respectfully says, “Well there must be some kind of mistake, because our Purchase Order clearly says 100 tons not 1000, so if you could just correct the system and pick up the extra 900 tons, we will all be very happy.” The Customer Service Representative replies, &l! dquo;We would be happy to pick up the 900 tons for a 10% restocking fee and the freight cost to return to the factory.” The customer figures restocking and freight might actually be as much as the original order and asks to transfer to a Sales Representative, and the story goes on, on and on. Three days, 10 phone calls, and sales management involvement later, the problem is finally resolved by losing entire order and the customer. At this point you might be saying, “How can these things happen? No one in his or her right mind would ever do something like this!” Well friends, it happens every day. These little “snafu’s” are there, and the major cause is best captured by Will Rodgers: “The thing about common sense is that it is Not Common.” An organization’s decisions, rules, and approvals are generally put in place to control costs, NOT potential customer issues, and the bottom line is sometimes, you have to just put a governor on rules that provide limitless stupidity. One of the ways to prevent such disasters is to have an understanding with the leadership that if the decision is obvious, you have the approval in advance to make the call in favor of the customer. In today’s world of 10 to 15 sales professionals with one sales manager, it is a no-win situation for anybody (customer, sales professional, leader and company). Many times, we get caught in the moment with no escape route; we are being challenged by the customer, and everybody has high emotion. Having an escape route helps make the situation controllable and helps maintain the composure of all parties. An effective tool is in the next meeting with your sales manager. Role play a difficult situation and see how he or she responds as you make decisions that may not be following the exact corporate policy. This will help each person to understand the emergency ground rules and give you a sense as to how each should react during and after the crisis and will help set boundaries on stupidity. Discussing difficult situations in advance and role playing them out to conclusion provides confidence to step in and save the account where necessary. More importantly, during one of these inevitable crises, your customers will see your real genius and value what ! timely and relevant decision-making accomplishes. Customer relationships are fortified in these situations and both the customer and your manager both know you have the customer’s and company’s best interests at the front of your decision-making.

The Price of Child Abuse

The Huntsville Times on June 13,2007 published an article written by the Associated Press writer Desiree Hunter entitled, "Price of Child Abuse for Alabama: $521 million." I encourage you to search for it on the internet. Surely, being written by the Associated Press it can be found on several sites. People say that the worse type of motivation is negative. For this one time allow me to use a little "negativity" to hopefully produce some positive action. One can not help but see from this article a reason to provide opportunities for our children and to watch for what is happening in our communities. If we are so selfish as to only think of ourselves while moaning about our schedules, our jobs, our calendars already being full we must think of the many damaged and traumatized lives that are behind everyone of these statistics. These are NOT just numbers like one might find in an Algebra textbook but are numbers that represent human lives that have been taken advantage of by demented individuals. Breakdown of Costs:

Direct Cost:

• Hospitalization and low birth weight births: $80,376,333
• Chronic Health Problems: $16,660,269
• Mental Health Care System: $14,659,500
• Child Welfare System: $278,097, 807
• Law Enforcement: $117,490
• Judicial System: $2,220,446

Indirect Cost:

• Special Education Costs: $2,603,192
• Juvenile Delinquency: $97,419,960
• Lost Productivity to Society, including Mortality and Unemployment: $12,805,583
• Adult Criminality: $15,943,200

"The mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation" was a statement from Thoreau's Walden. As depressing as that statement is one can argue its truth and validity. When one adds child abuse to a life it becomes truly a life of desperation. There can be no argument except that the word "desperation" does not paint an accurate picture of the atrocity of child abuse. Our English language is limited but if you can think of a better word to use besides "desperation" write back and let me know! A hero is no braver than an ordinary man, but he is brave five minutes longer. Ralph Waldo Emerson

A reputation is a great opportunity !

Most teenagers know more than adults and until they have children then they realize how little they really do know!

Something that does not cost much but is very valuable and once it is damaged is hard to repair is a reputation! We must emphasize starting at a very young age with every child that their reputation is very important. That reputation is not important to being cool with the right crowd, or the local gang or giving into peer pressure but is one of not doing anything that would damage the reputation which would keep one from pursuing goals in the future. I asked a student this past school year why he cheated on the test in the previous class and he said, "...because I thought I could...!" He had never considered the implications of his actions! We must help children and adolescents to see the opportunity that they have of a good name! Read below the article of Harvey Mckay. He is in many newspapers with a weekly column and you can get on his list to have his weekly article sent to you through email.

Reputation is much easier kept than recovered Jay Leno, comedian and host of the Tonight Show, says that when he was eight years old and living in a New York City suburb, he had a moment of clarity that changed his life forever. According to his piece "Why I walked away," in O: The Oprah Magazine, he was hanging out with an older, rougher gang of kids one day when one of the kids pulled out what was purported to be some pornography. One of the kids in the group, Leno noticed, was spinning a small pocketknife around in his hand. While Leno admits he was no angel at that point in his life, he says suddenly he stepped back from the group, which was collectively lurching forward to look at the pictures. He says in that moment he knew that he might possibly be starting down a path that would lead him nowhere in life. And so he turned and walked away. Leno says that every decision he has made in life since, in part, was based on that early decision to walk away from the crowd. He likes to think about the repercussions his actions will have on his reputation. It was a small moment, he says, one in which he learned how to make a conscious, moral decision for himself. My own father always used to tell me, "You spend your whole lifetime building a good name and reputation, and one foolish act can destroy it." Nowhere is that more true than in building a successful business. If you don't have a positive reputation, it will be difficult to be successful. I remember reading the results of a USA Today survey in March 2005 in which respondents were asked to rate the credibility of CEOs in various countries. Brazil led the way with 57 percent favorable, followed by China and Japan. CEOs in the United States were rated 25 percent. That's only one-fourth of the American people who felt CEOs were credible. I'm sure that what happened at Enron, WorldCom, Tyco and several other highly publicized cases had a lot to do with this poor opinion of CEOs. Reputation is one of the few assets that your competition cannot undersell or destroy. You can't put a price on a good reputation. A good name is like a second inheritance. Life is for one generation; however, a good name is forever. A good name is more valuable than riches. When I purchased an insolvent envelope company many years ago, I ran it under its previous name for a few years until I was sure I would be successful. Only then did I put the Mackay name on it. That's how important I regard a company's name and reputation. It is imperative in any activity to protect one's good name. And sometimes, of course, that is difficult. A frontier judge in Texas had just sentenced a notorious outlaw who had been caught stealing horses. As was his custom, the Judge asked the condemned man if he had any last words for the court. In his reply the outlaw said, "Judge, I've heard from everybody in this town how fair you are. A man devoted to justice under the law. A family man of good character. A kind man who is always ready to give someone a second chance. Everybody thinks you're wonderful. "But I gotta be honest with you, Judge. With this sentence, you done gone and ruined your reputation with me." Abraham Lincoln had a stellar reputation. When he was practicing law, a client asked him if a certain gentleman was a man of means. "Well, I reckon he ought to be," said Abe. "In fact, he's about the meanest man in town." Lincoln also was responsible for this gem: "If I were to try to read, much less answer, all the attacks made on me, this shop might as well be closed for any other business. I do the very best I know how—the very best I can; and I mean to keep doing so until the end. If the end brings me out all right, what is said against me won't amount to anything. If the end brings me out wrong, ten angels swearing I was right would make no difference." Mackay's Moral: The reputation of a thousand years may be determined by the conduct of one hour.

For more Mackay Material: www.harveymackay.com/columns/default.htm

Be more concerned with your character than your reputation.Your character is what you really are while your reputation is merely what others think you are.

John Wooden , Past UCLA National Championship Basketball Coach

Remember that this blog does not work without you! Pass it along! Give your thoughts and let's learn from each other not to build ourselves up but to build up the youth of today to make better leaders for tommorrow!

It starts with Teamwork!

Providing Opportunities ...when one hears that one automatically thinks of big Government and providing more social programs.

What about us? What can we do? If every school had every need met could any government ever afford the enormous cost? Realistically no matter what any politician promises there is a need for the average person that is those that are the parents, the teachers , the administrators and other community leaders need to become proactive and not to wait for something magical to happen.

Proactive means not being reactive. Proactive means finding solutions. Proactive means thinking ahead. Proactive means working together to find a solution. Then working together to implement that solution is true teamwork in action.

Teamwork ...is shown by what has happened in NASCAR. NASCAR has set rules and regulations that has decided the specifications for each car so that each car is almost identical. So how does one driver have an advantage over another? If one car is not a tremendous amount faster than the other how will one ever win? Recently it was reported on ESPN that the variable now is in the Pit Crew. Literally how they work together during the race and how the entire team pulls together is what can make enough difference to put one driver ahead of the rest of the pack. If a group in a community pulls together to work as a team to provide opportunities it can make the difference in lives more than any Federal or State program. Who can you work with to provide opportunities? Find someone or somewhere that you can help this week...

Remember:There are risks and costs to a program of action. But they are far less than the long-range risks and cost of comfortable inaction.

This blog does not work without you! Let me know what you think!