Lollipop Leadership Moments

One of my favorite leadership videos is a Ted Talk about a lollipop leadership moment.  I hope it is one of your favorites, too, and that you will think about giving people lollipop moments each day.  To see the video, click on the link below:
Lollipop Leadership Moments
The video is such a great discussion starter, and is a strong story to share all on its own.  However, if you find you would love to have a lesson and materials to go with this video, go to:
Lollipop Leadership Moments Lesson
I recently found that I love writing lessons to go with great stuff that I find to share with my leaders. I'm certainly not "getting rich quick," but I enjoy creating materials, so I have started a small store with Teachers Pay Teachers.  Any lessons that have lollipop covers are great for leadership lessons. Hopefully there will be many more lessons to come. But always check this blog for free ideas!  I love to share.
May you have a lollipop day.
-Lisa

Henry Winkler Speaks to Students

This week I had the honor of meeting Henry Winkler.  Instead of asking for his autograph, I asked him if he had anything he wanted to say to my sixth graders.  He began speaking very earnestly.  It was beautiful.  I was hoping I could remember it all.  Then on a whim I asked him, "Would you just like to tell them yourself?"  He was all about it.  Before I knew it, I had pushed record on my phone, and he was going to town.  Sadly, my phone memory gave out during his last sentence when he was saying that he couldn't wait to see what they would do.  However, the message is still so inspiring, so I wanted to share it.  Enjoy!  I hope it gives you new patience, hope, faith, and persistence when it comes to working with challenging students.
And may you each find the gift in YOU.
Blessings to you for the journey,
Lisa

The Law of the Garbage Truck

Read this story about how a taxi driver reacts to an angry, reckless driver:

Taxi Driver Story

The Law of the Garbage Truck:

What kind of garbage do people carry around?

How do people dump their garbage?

How did the taxi driver react when the angry driver "dumped garbage" on him?

What does it mean that we should not take the garbage of others and spread it?

Draw a garbage truck (you can trace the one pictured here) or garbage can.  In it or above it, list the kinds of things people say when they are dumping garbage.  Take turns reading these phrases aloud and practice responding the way the taxi driver did.

How does it feel to react this way?

Be Together, Not the Same

Be Together, Not the Same
Before Watching:
It is easy to be friends with someone who is similar to us, but does it work to be friends with someone who is different?  
Have you ever avoided being with someone because they were different from you?
Have you ever wanted to change and be like someone else?
What would the world be like if we were all the same?
After Watching:
At the end of the video it says, "Be together, not the same."  What do you think this means?
When someone is different from us, why is it important to seek first to understand?

Valentines for Tinny

What can a simple wave and smile do for someone?  Can it really make a difference?  Watch this video about Tinny Davidson and her Valentine surprise.  Who brightens your day and would appreciate a homemade Valentine?
Tinny Davidson

They Know Not What They Do

Integration of schools came to Little Rock, Arkansas in 1957.  Years later, white students from Little Rock Central High School came forward to apologize to their African American classmates.  Click here to watch part of this episode from Oprah: Apologies to the Little Rock Nine

We seek first to understand when we walk in someone else's shoes. 

After watching this video:

*What have you learned about the power of a smile?

*How does it feel to live with regret?

*How does an apology show that you are seeking to understand?

*What can be done to break the cycle of racism?

A Magical Christmas Parody

Click here to watch a magical Christmas parody
Before Watching:
*What is a parody?
*Read 'Twas the Night Before Christmas
After Watching:
*How do you know WestJet employees began with a goal in mind with this project?
*When people synergize, they work together and accomplish more than the individuals could do alone.  How do the workers of WestJet synergize to accomplish their goal?
*Some people say that if you do kind things for others at Christmastime, you help to continue the magic of Santa Claus.  What do you think about this statement?

Thanksgiving - A Time for Gratitude and Paying it Forward

Click here for a wonderful video that demonstrates the power of feeling gratitude, then paying it forward: Show Gratitude and Pay It Forward - Soul Pancake
Before Watching:
*What is gratitude?
*What does it mean to Pay it Forward?
After Watching:
*How did the decision of each person to pay it forward make a difference?
*What did the beginning of the video and the end have in common?
*Researchers say that those who express gratitude also express more happiness.  Do you agree with this statement?  Why or why not?
*In small groups, plan and perform skits that show what this video would look like among students at your school.  What kinds of kind things could students do for each other?

Encouragement for Running the Race: The Story of Matt Woodrum

Click Here For Race Video
To discuss with your student leaders:
How does Matt Woodrum focus on his circle of control instead of his struggles?
Matt chooses to run the hardest race.  What is the value of choosing to do hard things and deciding that you won't give up?
Matt heads for the finish line and knows where it is.  How is he beginning with the end in mind, and how can we make "finish lines" for our goals?
Sometimes Matt slows down.  How do the other students synergize to keep him going?
By encouraging Matt, the students create a win-win situation.
How does everyone involved end up a winner in this race?

The Power of One

click here for video and watch number 5
There are lots of great ideas of how to use this concept and video in the classroom!
Try making a banner that says, "The Power of One," then have these categories displayed beneath it:
1.  The video starts with phrases such as...
    "One song can spark a moment."
    "One tree can start a forest."
    "One smile begins a friendship."
    Have your leaders write their own "One" phrases.  For those who do best with a scaffold, let them
    try this:  One _____________ can ______________ a ________________.
2.  Another section of the video has phrases that start with the word "Be."  For example...
    "Be bold."
    "Be proud."
    "Be yourself."
    What a great way to start a school year.  Instead of writing a list of "Don'ts" for students, have
    them create a list of how they want to be.
3.  The last section of the video gives verbs...
    "Share."
    "Explore."
    "Inspire."
    Have students find the verbs that they think are the most important for living life.  It is a great way
    to get them paying attention to parts of speech in the dictionary and at the same time, helps them
    think of how to take action in this world.

What do you do to teach the power of one?

Chalk Art Video for Perception and Paradigm

click here to watch chalk art video
This 4 minute video is a great one just to sharpen your saw and enjoy the creativity, but it's a wonderful discussion-starter, too!

click here to see CBS spot on Julian Beever
This interesting 5 minute feature by CBS tells more about Julian as an artist and how he accomplishes his work.

Discuss with your leaders:
*Is the perception of this final picture the true reality?  How is this similar to each person's personal paradigm?
*Why is it important for this artist to begin with the end in mind?
*Could he reach this amazing final product without doing each small step along the way?
*How is persistence important for long-term projects and goals?

Do with your leaders:
*After watching these videos, your students may be inspired to use colored chalk.  Why not give them some and set them loose to create on the playground?  Maybe they would like to write a quote, draw a scene, or decorate a habit.  Having time to create is a great way to sharpen the saw.  You may want to have them begin with the end in mind and create a draft on paper first.

7 Habits on Quizlet

Click here for a set of Quizlet 7 Habits Cards
Are you familiar with Quizlet?  One way my daughter and her friends survived science last year was making flashcard sets together on Quizlet.  After your cards are made, you can test yourself or play games to do some more studying.  The other day I was on Quizlet and found this set of 7 Habits cards.  Give it a try, or make your own set.  Think of subjects you teach where students need to memorize vocabulary words
and their definitions.

Bruno Mars Sings "Don't Give Up"

Click here for the video of Bruno Mars Singing
You've gotta love the street, Sesame Street that is.  Bruno Mars sings a song with the Muppets about not giving up.  I think this would be a great song to have playing on a loop as our students are entering the cafeteria for an assembly.  Even though it is aimed at younger kids, the tune could get stuck in anyone's head!
In case you want the lyrics:
Lyrics and Music for "Don't Give Up" click here
Lyrics with music are a great way to promote reading fluency.
And whatever it is that you have been trying lately - don't give up!

212 Degrees

Click here for 212 Degree Video

Perseverance is not a long race:
It is many short races,
One after another.
-Walter Elliot
This video is perfect to show if students have been turning in assignments that show minimal effort.  At 211 degrees, water is hot.  At 212 degrees, it boils - and can power a locomotive.







Discuss:
*What does it mean that one degree of effort separates the good from the great?
*Who is responsible for the results in your life?
*What does the video say about attitude?
*What does this phrase from the video mean?
            We can never help another without helping ourselves. -Ralph Waldo Emerson
*How does it help to have a clearly defined goal to help us reach the extra degree?
Do:
*Have students write down areas in their lives where they need to turn up the heat.  To help inspire their writing, replay the video again, but only so they can hear the music.  Encourage them to try to keep writing the entire time the music is playing.  Ask if they need to have it played a second time to continue writing.
*Have students redo an assignment that was mediocre

Just the Way We Like It

My son left for Nicaragua today.  I hope everything during his trip is just the way he likes it.  Let me explain...
Last year my sister-in-law taught us that when you are traveling, and things are unpredictable or go wrong, if you say, "This is just the way we like it," you feel better about the situation.  I was fortunate to have a sabbatical that winter, so I took my family to Costa Rica.  At one point we were kind of lost, looking for our lodging, walking and sweating in the heat, rolling our suitcases down the road, surrounded by rainforest.  My son looked at me and said, "Hey mom, this is just the way we like it."  It made us smile.  And truly, it was just the way we liked it - we love the story of how a man found and helped us by carrying our suitcases the rest of the way in a wheelbarrow!  Next time things aren't going the way you want at school or at home, give it a try.  Say, "This is just the way I like it."  (If you want to see the cute open-air bungalow where we stayed, see my earlier post about being off the grid).

Our kind wheelbarrow helper...just the way we like it!

This is just the way we like it - hot, sweaty, a little lost.

Synergizing - Chairs for Charlie

Click here for video: Chairs for Charlie
*How does this neighborhood use habit 6 to synergize and help Charlie? How do they show that together is better than what just one person can do?
*Explain how this story is also a good example of habit 5, seek first to understand.
*This community creates a win-win situation.  Explain how each of the following win:
1.  Charlie
2.  Charlie's neighbors
3.  The dogs

Opportunity Looks a Lot Like Hard Work - Begin with the End in MInd

Video: Ashton Kutcher Teen Choice Awards Speech
Lately I have been talking to other parents about our teens and jobs.  There are a few that embrace working, but others just don't want to do it.  Or, once they are working, they want to quit when it becomes boring or before they have another job lined up.  Sometimes they feel like the job they have is "beneath them."
It reminded me of Ashton Kutcher's four minute speech that he gave at the Teen Choice Awards one year.  Although he uses the words sexy and crap in his message, he uses them in a way that is appropriate for teens.
The highlights of his message:
     *Opportunity looks a lot like hard work. (Be proactive)
     *He was always lucky if he had a job, and he never had a 
      job he was better than.
     *Every job was a stepping stone.
     *He never quit a job until he had another one lined up. (Put first things first)
     *The sexiest things in the world are being smart, thoughtful, and generous. (Win-win)
     *Build your life, don't just live it. (Begin with the end in mind)
I just may need to use this video before the next "job discussion" at my house.

Youtube Clip - The Lost Generation - What it means to be proactive...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=42E2fAWM6rA

When we are proactive, we are in charge of our lives.  If we are not proactive, we let others make our decisions for us.  When using this youtube clip with my leaders, I ask the following questions:
1.  In the first part of "Lost Generation," how are people told to be "victims?"
2.  How does the second part of "Lost Generation" change to being proactive?
If you use this clip with your leaders, let me know what they think!

Quote and Book Recommendation of the Day

"What is right is not always popular 

and what is popular is not always right."

-Albert Einstein

This is such a timeless quote.  If you have not yet read Wonder by R.J. Palacio, it makes for a wonderful read aloud to your class.  This quote by Albert Einstein is perfect to refer back to while reading.  There will be many opportunities to talk about Habit 5, "Seek first to understand, then be understood."

Big Styrofoam Leadership Letters

We wanted to put up big "Leadership" letters in our school.  Last year my husband went to Lowe's and bought thick styrofoam.  He then glued two layers together to get some nice, thick letters (although I used a single layer in my own classroom).  We chose a font on the computer, and blew up the letter sizes to get patterns he could follow with his jigsaw.  We love how they turned out.  If you would like to see them painted and on display, go to the provided link of our school.  You will also see the "Lead" letters I mounted above my white board.  Leader in Me - Leadership Letters