31
January
2008
Free Give-Away:
In order to introduce my coaching practice, I’m offering this teleclass for free to the next three people, who contact me.
As an educator, I’ve taught many students, who exhibited challenging behaviors. I learned a great deal from each child while trying to desperately find a way to reach them to turn their behavior around. While I raised my two sons, Brent and Ross, I applied every wonderful piece of advice and knowledge, which I’d learned as an educator to raise them to be the incredible young men, who they are today. I’ve taught several parenting courses and workshops over the years. The focus of the workshops had to do with discipline, allowing for time in your schedule, and parenting with intention or having an “End Game” in mind.
After training to become a certified life coach under Martha Beck, who is the best selling author of Finding Your Own North Star and the soon to be released: Steering By Starlight; I added the coaching component to my parenting workshops.
By “North Star”, Dr. Beck is referring to the unique individual life that each of us was created to live. The intent of the workshop is to offer parents an opportunity to revisit their own childhood to explore how we learned the skills required to be “the best parent” that we know how to be.
As participants discover their own “essential selves”, the discussion will shift to developing the skills to coach/train your child/children to become the unique genuine person, as they develop their own butterfly wings and become adults. It’s absolutely possible to provide a nurturing and structured home environment and preserve the child’s true spirit at the same time.
Participants will learn about access tools, so parents can be equipped to serve in a coaching rule and lead your children to discover his/her and the freedom to be the unique person that he/she is.
To Learn More, Send me an e-mail and I’ll make sure that you receive the information. It’s a class that promises to be transformative. You’ll learn a great deal about yourself, as you’re introduced to coaching tools designed to open your child’s awareness of his/her unique gifts and talents and to develop the skills to monitor and control their own behavior.
Feel free to post comments or additional suggestions about this parenting workshop.
Mary Ann
Posted: Articles
31
January
2008
Yesterday, those of us, who are “Martha Beck Certified Coaches” were invited to share our personal stories about how “The Law of Attraction” works in our lives. Martha Beck will be a taping a future program for the Oprah Winfrey Show in which “The Law of Attraction” will be the main topic. Though I don’t consider myself to be into the New Age Movement, I’ve always believed in the ability to be in charge of what we need in life through faith by believing in the divine power of God to answer prayers. I was actually stunned at the overwhelming response to “The Secret” in our country, because I’ve personally seen God working in my life from my earliest memory. That my story wasn’t chosen to be highlighted on the Oprah Winfrey show, I was blessed by the opportunity to reconsider it, as an example of how the “Law of Attraction” or as I call it “Answer to Prayer” has worked in my life.
Long before the “Secret” or current awareness of “Laws of Attraction”, I became
accustomed to trusting and praying. I trusted God and things suddenly came together. I needed a part time job when my children were little. Suddenly a part time job became available to me and it was the perfect teaching position or a working mother. I took that to be a wonderful formula for Christian living….Until…my life was suddenly turned upside down overnight. Read the rest of this entry »
Posted: Articles
29
January
2008
As a Mother and an Educator, I care deeply about children. I have a passion for helping parents gain more insight, as they take on the huge, but oh so rewarding task, of being stewards of the young lives of their children. As I had the rare privilege of holding a TV remote in my hands, the program title that caught my attention was “Confessions of Middle School Kids”.
I was stunned to hear about the type of sexual activity that the kids were openly talking about. When I was their age, growing up in the Bible Belt, the words “oral sex” were two separate words and I certainly didn’t know the meaning of the combination of the two words. During our slumber parties and hang out times with my girlfriends, we talked about “holding hands” with boys and on occasion someone would discuss a first kiss. Read the rest of this entry »
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24
January
2008
<>E-Mail Dialogue About NCLB
Morgan Raised some great questions and you’ll see one of my responses to his concerns. I’m passionate about teaching children how to think as they learn. This is one of my suggestions for changing the way we educate children in America.
Comments and Questions Posed by Morgan Freeberg:
If I could comment, at this point I’d be asking for more specifics on what things are being neglected in order to make room for the testing/scoring standards in NCLB. The Act itself received the support it did, because of concerns that children were not being taught the “Three R’s.”
I know regulation of this kind tends to fail and that ocean-to-ocean standards of any kind tend to hurt a lot more often than they help. Toward that end, I’ve been keeping an ear out for hard information on how NCLB is working out — so far, everyone who doesn’t like it, skips right past the following:
1. What alternative measures should we implement to ensure children in sub-par schools will learn the hard sciences, so they can become employable?
2. What — EXACTLY — is it that these children were being formerly taught, that is supposed to be more important than learning how to exchange ideas competently?
At this point, I’m aware the teachers’ unions are hostile to NCLB. That’s one of the reasons I like it. But I hear a lot of noise against it lately, which could be grounded in legitimate complaints, but none of it addresses my two questions above (Question #2 only in exceedingly vague terms). I find that suspicious. Not to accuse you of being a union shill, I’m sure you’re not. But I keep hearing we have these draconian rules in place to keep kids from graduating if they can’t demonstrate competence with the English language — it’s causing hardship for students that otherwise would be able to graduate — and I’m, like, well it’s a good thing we’re doing this then, huh?
The upshot is that there are some things that have to be standardized. Communication is something that only works if some ideas are synchronized between Point A and Point B. Some of these young adults — they have a lot of passion, but they can’t spell. They can’t put together a sentence. I can’t help but think our pre-NCLB system has screwed them over. Read the rest of this entry »
Posted: Articles
21
January
2008
Truthfully, I’m not writing this post from a political agenda. I’m writing, as one who cares deeply about children and the education profession. I’m writing from a position as an insider. I taught in public schools for 20+ years, served as an adjunct professor in Teacher Education, and now I am an educational consultant. I work with private schools and see parents rushing to transfer their children to our school, as if they are fleeing from some monster. Refer to the reasons as follows to understand where I’m coming from:
- Teachers are forced into a “social role” of compliance rather than coming into their classrooms from their “essential” nature. It’s killing the passion for the profession. There is heavy duty pressure to raise test scores. Teaching has become a process to prepare students for a test. I’ve known zillions of teachers, who were passionate about teaching. As I ‘ve asked what inspired them to become teachers, believe it or not ….not one of these teachers came close to suggesting that it was “To raise Standardized Test Scores”.
- Schools are required to follow a “Pacing Plan” and to cover “state standards for a subject” on the day that the lesson is to be taught. I will never forget the day that I was observing a student teacher in a special education class. The children were responding and the lesson was designed to improve reading comprehension. No problem with that……UNTIL….the women with the clipboard taking notes walked into the room. The teacher immediately within a mili-second changed her lesson to match the standard written on the board and to show that she was teaching the same lesson that all the 2nd grade classes were covering. Read the rest of this entry »
Posted: Articles
20
January
2008
When I’m trapped in traffic, I kill the time by changing the radio dial to hear Americans expressing themselves via talk radio. The other day, I happened to be listening to “Rush Limbaugh”.
Everyone, who called him, said “Mega Dittos, Rush”. Most every person agreed with him and thanked him for enlightening Americans and for standing up for what is in our best interests politically. As I listened to one person after another applaud Limbaugh’s latest discussions on topics from the “Bush Presidency”, “War in Iraq”, “Hillary Clinton”, etc. etc.; I wondered if the callers had really taken the time to really analyze what they were hearing.
After listening to the program all morning, I’m more than a little concerned about whether Americans have allowed someone else to do their thinking for them. I learned minimal new information about the topic that day. It was the “same ole’ recycled dialogue”. This goes beyond the influence of Mr. Limbaugh and/or other talk show hosts like Dr. Laura. Though I sometimes agree with them, I don’t give myself a pass. Read the rest of this entry »
Posted: Articles
14
January
2008
I have to admit that "I don’t get it". I truly am at a loss for an explanation as to what happened today. Driving on any of the freeways in Los Angeles, CA for 20+ years; I’ve learned to expect the unexpected. However, today was beyond different.
My son noted four helicopters hovering over the same site. Of course, we were curious and even turned into a news talk radio station to see what was going on. My speculations yielded two guesses. Either there was a huge wreck on the 405 Freeway or they were monitoring a car jacker being chased by the police.
Both of us were totally stunned to realize that this was all about "Brittney Spears". Apparently, she didn’t make it to court today due to the media circus. Her next plan was to eat at a restaurant in Studio City. The celebrity stalkers spent the day tracking her every movement. The radio station began to give updates on her travel route while the four helicopters tracked her car. Yes, four helicopters! Read the rest of this entry »
Posted: Articles
14
January
2008
When we are trying to change something about ourselves or to reach a new goal, it is so easy to label that effort as a “Failure”. Resolutions made in January may fizzle out by May, but that does not mean that you failed. “I’ve tried ever diet in the world and none of them worked. I’ve failed again and again” is a set up for more failure. It’s important to “deep six” that way of thinking and replace this worn out thought pattern. Read the rest of this entry »
Posted: Articles
12
January
2008
Earlier today, I read a post on another blog about the importance of "Self Care". I watch my 16 year old niece, who is a junior in high school spend hours on grooming to have the "right look" before going to school. While it appears that she is "self-absorbed", it’s amazing to me how she absolutely makes the time to take care of herself.
What happens as women and men really become adults? We marry, buy homes, have children, have jobs and suddenly self-care is a lost art. Life happens and our priorities change. This seems part of the human development process as we become more "Other Focused", while the typical adolescent phase is more "Self -Focused" behavior.
I talk to many of my "Boomer Buddies", who are stretched to the limit. If they were truly happy and filled with joy, then this just might be the way they are wired. However, I see so many people with such awesome insights and talents just going through the 9:00 to 5:00 routine. What happened to their joy and passion for living? Life seems to be something that is happening to us rather than something to participate in. Read the rest of this entry »
Posted: Articles
11
January
2008
Most of us are contemplating change, as the new year is here. Obviously, that’s not earth changing information !
However, it is really important to consider the meaning of insanity according to 12 Step Groups, which were created to help people make huge changes to gain freedom from addictions. Insanity happens when you do the same thing again and again the same way and wonder why you never succeed in achieving goals.
This definitiion of "Insanity" applies to all aspects of our life that we want to change. Consider one area of your life that you have targeted as a "New Year’s Resolution". Have you ever considered that resolution before? Did you accomplish what you hoped to accomplish by the end of the year?
If the answer is NO! think about altering your plan. What could you do differently in 2008 to accomplish your goal/resolution for this year? Read the rest of this entry »
Posted: Articles
