Each October I am invited to speak at BYU for elementary school student council leaders. I look forward to this experience all year long. Elementary students from all over the state come to this conference to be instructed on leadership and teamwork. My presentation is on Positive Communication and the Dangers of Labeling. I share some personal stories, relate some points to The Incredibles, and make comparisons to Anne Frank, Stargirl and The Wizard of Oz. This conference lasts three days and I am able to share this presentation 12 different times (it can get exhausting, but is so rewarding).
One of my points is about the dangers in labeling students by what they look like or their interests (something I know I did when I was younger, but am happy to say I have learned from and changed). I share some quotes from Stargirl and show some pictures of kids that can be easily labeled (nerd, jock, emo, etc.) It's so easy to judge someone on how they look or their actions in class.
Fortunately there are kids with enough courage that they refuse to be labeled (like Stargirl--if you haven't read the book, READ IT!). Unfortunately, there are far too many kids who believe the labels; they believe what others say about them. That's why we have student council. That's why we choose these kids to help others and wave a flag to offer help and friendship.
The article below came up on KSL today. SO SO GREAT! I love this father and what he did for his girl. It brought tears to my eyes.
READ THE ARTICLE HERE
Ryan, I didn't know you were such a celebrity. After reading your blog I mentioned to the PTA leaders of the school council that you spoke at the BYU conference and their eyes got so big! They said you were the best thing about the conference. And yu should know that the student council went to every classroom and taught the kids the steps to combat bullying that you had taught. That week a kid came to one of the student council members and said they were being bullied. The student leader lead the student through the steps until the problem was resolved. Way to be awesome.
ReplyDelete