Opportunities through Adversity

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Below is an article from the Clay News

Commentary- Adversity Written by Richard Reynolds- CCHS teacher One Step Forward Adversity has become a buzz word in the Sports world today. Listen to any broadcaster, sports talk show or coach for any length of time and eventually you will hear how the word "adversity." A few years ago when Kevin Winslow was playing for the University of Miami and used the analogy of the football game being like "going to war" he was ridiculed by individuals in the media from every segment of the country from coast to coast. Yet we hear how a team learned about adversity by coming back from being two touchdowns down in the forth quarter. When the Boston Red Sox were down and trailing the Cleveland Indians recently many of the talk shows mentioned that they overcame "adversity" and therefore learned character which gives them an advantage in the World Series. Listen to ESPN, CBS, FOX or local radio talk show host and you will hear this word being used in relationship to something happening during a game. Cries should cry out from shore to shore that this is not adversity. This is a perversion of the word. Adversity is not starting out the season losing or not running for a hundred yards in a game with the San Diego Chargers, but it is waking up and being evacuated from your home because of a wild fire that is out of control. Real adversity is the Tight End recently injured for the Buffalo Bills that is dealing with the possibility of not being able to ever walk again after an injury during a recent game. Adversity is not Kurt Schilling dealing with a bloody sock in a World Series or any other numerous Sports events that are now related to the word even to the point that is becoming synonymous with the word! Adversity is known by the woman and her family that is in the process of fighting breast cancer. Adversity is known by the family that is learning first hand this year what the word "downsize" means because after many years of productive service to a company now a steady paycheck has become a distant memory. Adversity is the mother attempting to raise a family when the father has decided that he really only wanted to donate a chromosome and now does not want to do the rest that goes along with what it takes to go from fathering to being a "dad". Adversity is known by the Parents sitting in Children’s Hospital knowing that no matter how much they would like to help their child overcome their sickness that they are absolutely helpless and all they can do is to stand by watching and praying. As the Baseball season comes to an end with the World Series and Football is beginning to get to the series time of the BCS, high school play offs and the professional teams are beginning to say that every game is critical realize that adversity when correctly used is so much more than a sporting event. During this time of the year is when we turn to think of the holidays and we should think of those who are truly experiencing the harshness of adversity of life every day. Then get your class at school, your civic organization, your church or as an individual to becoming involved during this holiday season in helping making someone’s adversity that they are experiencing being just a little bit less. Help make the day of a widow…become a Big Brother/Big Sister…give a helping hand to someone out of work…being willing to help a class at a local school even though you do not have a child or all your children are grown…in some way or another dedicate yourself to opening your eyes to noticing true cases of adversity and becoming a person that is willing to do something about the adversity that people in our community are experiencing. Even though we have a great community, there are always people that are experiencing adversity. If Auburn or Alabama was down two touchdowns any Saturday, we would want them to overcome adversity and win. We should be that passionate about helping the members of our community this Holiday season and around the year in overcoming the true adversity of life.

A School System needs a Community's Help

A present day example of a school system asking for help...

Below is an example from the Associated Press today of the St.Louis school board asking the community for help. Research shows that the more the community and parents are involved and support the school the better the test scores, the graduation rate and the other statistics that accompany a good education or a good school system. Even if your kids are gone and you are an empty nester that does not mean that you wash your hands of the situation. Now with your own children gone and possibly at a time in your life where you have more disposable income you might be able to do more than you could at any other time in your life!

New St. Louis school board asks for community's help Story Highlights• Newly appointed state school board started running St. Louis schools Friday• Board asked for community's help to improve the school district's performance• 3-person board pledged to seek input from students, teachers and residents Adjust font size: ST. LOUIS, Missouri (AP) -- A newly appointed state board started running the St. Louis school district Friday and asked for the community's help in trying to improve its schools' performance. The state had voted in March to strip the district's accreditation because of unmet academic and financial standards, and a judge ruled Thursday the takeover was constitutional. All three members of the appointed board pledged to seek input from students, teachers, residents and members of the elected school board that still remains, though it now has no power. "We're in uncharted waters on a lot of things," said Rick Sullivan, a homebuilder appointed by Gov. Matt Blunt to lead the transitional board. Sullivan praised the work of school superintendent Diana Bourisaw and said the board has no intention of removing her. She has said she intends to stay because students need stability. Member Richard Gaines, an insurance broker who also served on the board from 1983 to 1989, acknowledged the awkwardness of a board not elected by the city's residents now running the district. "It brings a great deal of discomfort to me and other people in this city," Gaines said. That discomfort was barely evident at the meeting. Muted catcalls or laughter occurred a few times during the brief meeting, and two protesters stood outside. In challenging the takeover, St. Louis school attorneys questioned the fairness of the accreditation process. State officials were pleased the court affirmed the standards used to evaluate the district. "In this case, the data clearly show that St. Louis has been losing ground in academic performance," said Jim Morris, a spokesman for the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. "We feel the state action is not only justified, but also necessary to get this school district back on track." Copyright 2007 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

_________________________________________________________________ Below are two opportunities that you might want to take advantage of that are low cost but will as Stephen Covey mentioned in his best selling book, "The Seven Habits of Highlty Effective People" help you to sharpen your saw. By sharpening your saw you become more effective in reaching your goals and helping others. The Character of Leadership Jeff Iorg (B&H Publishing, 2007) If you're in ministry, education, non profit work,or just a parent you're a leader. Jeff Iorg's new book is all about helping you develop personal characteristics - like integrity, security, courage, and passion - every leader needs to flourish. Rick Warren who wrote the Purpose Driven Life says of the book, "Jeff Iorg defines lasting leadership as character, not capacity or competency. The making of a great leader is built on what God intends you to be rather than doing the leading God intends for you to do."

http://www.ccel.org/- Christian classics on the Web - Get some of the most important writings in the history of the Church for free on the Web. Included in this library are books like Martin Luther's On the Bondage of the Will, Athanasius' On the Incarnation, and John Calvin's Institutes of the Christian Religion and his entire commentary on the Bible. Besides being able to view the books online, you can also download them to your computer or Palm Pilot for use offline.

Depression and Teens

CONFUSED AND LONELY TEEN SUFFERS CHRONIC DEPRESSIONDEAR ABBY: I am 17 years old and believe I am suffering from chronic depression. I am very emotional and cry a lot. I get good grades, and people say I'm a great baby sitter, but I feel that I'm not good at anything else. My younger sister, who is 15, is very outgoing and has a lot of friends. I have only a few, so I get jealous. Now I have started gaining weight to the point that I am no longer "skinny." About four months ago, my best friend of two years and I stopped getting along, and we haven't spoken since. I have had counseling for two years. I go every three months, but nothing is changing. Both my parents feel that it is a waste of money. I try to talk to them sometimes, but they just take it as a joke. I am confused about everything, and I am so lonely. Do you have any advice? --

HURTING IN PENNSYLVANIA

DEAR HURTING: Yes, I do. Depression, increasing isolation and low self-esteem are problems that require counseling on a more regular basis than every three months, and possible medication in addition. If the person you are seeing hasn't recognized that the sessions haven't helped you, then it's time for another evaluation with another therapist. Please show this to your parents and tell them the letter was written by you. You need more help than I can give you in a letter.

Depression is a major problem with teenagers and even now some children are experiencing it! We need to be on the watch for children and teen agers that might be experiencing depression ! One of the top killers of our teenagers is suicide. Where does suicide start? Usually it starts with some form of depression. As an adult be the one that will provide the opportunity for a teenager to have an avenue of escape from depression.

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!

Using the King James way to help youth of today...

Many educators whether they are teachers or administrators at this time of the year are just glad for summer! They entered the new year with a new zeal and new vision to assist the 2006-2007 class of students in ways that help them to have the best school year that they had ever had in their educational career! Then as frustration, misbehavior and other things piled one on top of the other the goal was just to make it to the "finish line" of the last day of school!

While that discouragement conquers the souls of many educators during the school year it keeps them from giving the student the all important things that are not included in the Course of Study which are encouragement and motivation.

Lebron James , sometimes known as King James is going to be leading his Cleveland Caveliers against the San Antonio Spurs tonight in the first game of the NBA Finals. At the beginning of the year in the Cleveland Locker room by his locker area he kept a large picture of him going to the basket and "jamming on Tim Duncan". He said that he did this because he wanted to help remind the team every day that a championship was possible. Cleveland as a city has been the brunt of late night jokes on Leno and Letterman for years. Cleveland as a team has not known victory and did not have the inner belief that they could accomplish it. The King James way if we were to implement it to assist youth would be to provide ways that would give them the encouragement and motivation to participate in the opportunities all around them and to take the needed steps to make the most of their life ! Many students are just like the Caveliers Team with an attitude of defeat and that nothing good will ever happen to them!

What can you do to help youth to believe that they can have success? Lebron uses a picture of him "jamming" on Tim Duncan as his method...what could you use with your class, your school, your church youth group, the youngster next door or someone that needs your encouragement and motivation? One Principal in Pennsylvania was on network news today kissing a cow in front of his entire school and community. Why? Because his King James way of motivation was to tell the students if each student in the entire school would read 25 books this school year that he would kiss a cow.

Remember this blog does not work without your help!

What things have you used to motivate and encourage your students? What things are you going to try new this next school year?

"There can be no keener revelation of a society's soul

than the way in which it treats its children."

Nelson Mandela