If you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you;
If you can trust yourself when all others doubt you,
But make allowance for their doubting too;
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or, being lied about and not deal in lies,
Or, being hated and not give way to hating,
And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise;
If you can dream - and not make dreams your Master;
If you can think - and not make thoughts your aim;
If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster
And treat those two imposters just the same;
If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken,
And stoop and build 'em up again with wornout tools;
If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at the beginning
And never breath a word about your loss;
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve their turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the Will which says to them: "Hold on";
If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
Or walk with Kings and not lose the common touch;
If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you;
If all men count with you, but none too much;
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds' worth of distance run -
Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,
And - which is more - you'll be a man, My Son!
Rudyard Kipling
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
Friday, January 22, 2010
Who You Are Makes A Difference...To Me
A teacher in New York decided to honor each of her seniors in High School by telling them the difference each of them had made.
She called each student to the front of the class, one at a time. First, she told each of them how they have made a difference to her, and the class.
The she presented each of them with a blue ribbon, imprinted with gold letters, which read, "Who I Am Makes a Difference."
Afterwards, the teacher decided to do a class project, to see what kind of impact recognition would have on a Community.
She gave each students three more blue ribbons, and instructed them to go out and spread this acknowledgment ceremony. Then they were to follow up on the results, see who honoured whom, and report to the class in about a week.
One of the boys in the class went to a junior executive in a nearby company, and honored him for helping him with his career planning. He gave him a blue ribbon, and put it on his shirt.
Then he gave him two extra ribbons and said, "We're doing a class project on recognition, and we'd like for you to go out, find some one to honor, and give them a blue ribbon.
Later that day, the junior executive went in to see his boss, who had a reputation of being a grouchy fellow. He told him that he deeply admired him for being a creative genius.
The boss seemed very surprised. The junior executive asked him if he would accept the gift of the blue ribbon, and give him permission to put it on him.
His boss said, "Well, sure." The junior executive took one of the blue ribbons and placed it right on his boss's jacket, above his heart.
And then he asked, offering him the last ribbon, "Would you take this extra ribbon, and pass it on by honoring somebody else.
The teenager who gave me these is doing a school project, and we want to keep this ribbon ceremony going and see how it affects people."
That night, the boss came home and sat down with his 14-year-old son. He said, "The most incredible thing happened to me today.
I was in my office, and one of my employees came in and told me he admired me, and gave me a blue ribbon for being a creative genius.
Imagine! He thinks I am a creative genius! Then he put a blue ribbon on me that says, "Who I Am Makes a Difference."
He gave me an extra ribbon and asked me to find somebody else to honor. As I was driving home tonight, I started thinking about who I would honor with this ribbon, and I thought about you. I want to honor you.
My days are hectic and when I come home, I don't pay a lot of attention to you. I yell at you for not getting good enough grades and for your messy bedroom.
Somehow, tonight, I just want to sit here and, well, just let you know that you do make a difference to me.
Besides your mother, you are the most important person in my life. You're a great kid, and I love you!"
The startled boy started to sob and sob, and he couldn't stop crying. His whole body shook.
He looked up to his father and said through his tears, "Dad, earlier tonight I sat in my room and wrote a letter to you and Mom, explaining why I had took my life, and I asked you to forgive me.
I was going to commit suicide tonight after you were asleep. I just didn't think that you cared at all.
The letter is upstairs. I don't think I'll need it after all."
His father walked upstairs and found a heartfelt letter full of anguish and pain.
The boss went back to work a changed man. He was no longer a grouch, but made sure to let all of his employees know that they made a difference.
The junior executive helped many other young people with career planning, one being the boss' son, and never forgot to let them know that they made a difference in his life.
In addition, the young man and his classmates learned a valuable lesson:
"Who you are DOES make a difference".
She called each student to the front of the class, one at a time. First, she told each of them how they have made a difference to her, and the class.
The she presented each of them with a blue ribbon, imprinted with gold letters, which read, "Who I Am Makes a Difference."
Afterwards, the teacher decided to do a class project, to see what kind of impact recognition would have on a Community.
She gave each students three more blue ribbons, and instructed them to go out and spread this acknowledgment ceremony. Then they were to follow up on the results, see who honoured whom, and report to the class in about a week.
One of the boys in the class went to a junior executive in a nearby company, and honored him for helping him with his career planning. He gave him a blue ribbon, and put it on his shirt.
Then he gave him two extra ribbons and said, "We're doing a class project on recognition, and we'd like for you to go out, find some one to honor, and give them a blue ribbon.
Later that day, the junior executive went in to see his boss, who had a reputation of being a grouchy fellow. He told him that he deeply admired him for being a creative genius.
The boss seemed very surprised. The junior executive asked him if he would accept the gift of the blue ribbon, and give him permission to put it on him.
His boss said, "Well, sure." The junior executive took one of the blue ribbons and placed it right on his boss's jacket, above his heart.
And then he asked, offering him the last ribbon, "Would you take this extra ribbon, and pass it on by honoring somebody else.
The teenager who gave me these is doing a school project, and we want to keep this ribbon ceremony going and see how it affects people."
That night, the boss came home and sat down with his 14-year-old son. He said, "The most incredible thing happened to me today.
I was in my office, and one of my employees came in and told me he admired me, and gave me a blue ribbon for being a creative genius.
Imagine! He thinks I am a creative genius! Then he put a blue ribbon on me that says, "Who I Am Makes a Difference."
He gave me an extra ribbon and asked me to find somebody else to honor. As I was driving home tonight, I started thinking about who I would honor with this ribbon, and I thought about you. I want to honor you.
My days are hectic and when I come home, I don't pay a lot of attention to you. I yell at you for not getting good enough grades and for your messy bedroom.
Somehow, tonight, I just want to sit here and, well, just let you know that you do make a difference to me.
Besides your mother, you are the most important person in my life. You're a great kid, and I love you!"
The startled boy started to sob and sob, and he couldn't stop crying. His whole body shook.
He looked up to his father and said through his tears, "Dad, earlier tonight I sat in my room and wrote a letter to you and Mom, explaining why I had took my life, and I asked you to forgive me.
I was going to commit suicide tonight after you were asleep. I just didn't think that you cared at all.
The letter is upstairs. I don't think I'll need it after all."
His father walked upstairs and found a heartfelt letter full of anguish and pain.
The boss went back to work a changed man. He was no longer a grouch, but made sure to let all of his employees know that they made a difference.
The junior executive helped many other young people with career planning, one being the boss' son, and never forgot to let them know that they made a difference in his life.
In addition, the young man and his classmates learned a valuable lesson:
"Who you are DOES make a difference".
Wednesday, January 6, 2010
What the Teachers Make?
The dinner guests were sitting around the table discussing life. One man, a CEO, decided to explain the problem with education.
He argued: "What's a kid going to learn from someone who decided his best option in life was to become a teacher?"
He reminded the other dinner guests that it's true what they say about teachers: "Those who can...do. Those who can't...teach.
To corroborate, he said to another guest: "You're a teacher, Susan," he said. "Be honest. What do you make?"
Susan, who had a reputation of honesty and frankness, replied, "You want to know what I make?"
"I make kids work harder than they ever thought they could."
"I make kids believe in themselves when no one else will."
"I make a C+ feel like a Congressional Medal of Honor and an A- feel like a slap in the face if the student did not do his or her very best."
"I make parents tremble in fear when I call home"
"You want to know what I make?
"I make kids wonder."
"I make them question."
"I make them criticize."
"I make them apologize and mean it."
"I make them write."
"I make them read, read, read."
"I make them spell definitely beautiful, definitely beautiful, and definitely beautiful over and over and over again, until they will never misspell either one of those words again."
"I make them show all their work in math and hide it all on their final drafts in English."
"I make them understand that if you have a dream, then follow it...and if someone ever tries to judge you by what you make or what you do, you pay them no attention."
"You want to know what I make?! I make a difference. What about you?"
He argued: "What's a kid going to learn from someone who decided his best option in life was to become a teacher?"
He reminded the other dinner guests that it's true what they say about teachers: "Those who can...do. Those who can't...teach.
To corroborate, he said to another guest: "You're a teacher, Susan," he said. "Be honest. What do you make?"
Susan, who had a reputation of honesty and frankness, replied, "You want to know what I make?"
"I make kids work harder than they ever thought they could."
"I make kids believe in themselves when no one else will."
"I make a C+ feel like a Congressional Medal of Honor and an A- feel like a slap in the face if the student did not do his or her very best."
"I make parents tremble in fear when I call home"
"You want to know what I make?
"I make kids wonder."
"I make them question."
"I make them criticize."
"I make them apologize and mean it."
"I make them write."
"I make them read, read, read."
"I make them spell definitely beautiful, definitely beautiful, and definitely beautiful over and over and over again, until they will never misspell either one of those words again."
"I make them show all their work in math and hide it all on their final drafts in English."
"I make them understand that if you have a dream, then follow it...and if someone ever tries to judge you by what you make or what you do, you pay them no attention."
"You want to know what I make?! I make a difference. What about you?"
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