STUDENT SUCCESS
BULLETIN Mike Smith Scott Greenberg Fall Issue 2010
Teach to the Heart as well as the Brain Creating the “Want to” in Academic Engagement
Student achievement requires more than sharing information. It requires inspiration. Students must want to succeed, and have the confidence to pursue this success. Engaged students are motivated and their work ethic, attitude and test scores go through the roof. Engagement is the result of teaching to the heart as well as to the brain. Here are a few ways to do this: Connect with students. Educators must be able to build rapport with teens and establish mutual interest. Only then will students give their full attention.
In This Issue
Empathize. There’s more going on in students’ minds than the subject matter. Students appreciate when adults acknowledge this.
Teach to the Heart
Make it relevant. Students will work harder when they see how the lesson will enhance their life. How many times have you heard them ask “When am I ever going to use this?” Answer this question.
About Professional Help 2
Be enthusiastic. Students feed off of your excitement – and your boredom. Express confidence in them. Drown out their self-doubt with sincere words of encouragement.
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Assemblies Simplified
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Mike Smith and Scott Greenberg
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How and When to Use Professional Youth Speakers A professional youth speaker who specializes in school assemblies can do wonders for your staff and students. As a fresh, knowledgeable and entertaining face, a youth speaker can connect to your teens, hold their attention and enable them to find their hidden potential. The best speakers do more than pump up the audience with cliché’s and hype. They share powerful, practical tools that help students and teachers perform at a higher level. While it’s common to bring in speakers to do an assembly, there are many ways they can add additional value to deepen their impact, such as: Staff Development Leadership Workshops Classroom Visits Parent Programs Make them available to speak one on one to students Exposing your students to a professional youth speaker will energize your school environment and focus students on the messages you want to send.
Funding Ideas Yes, dollars are tight, and NOW is the time everyone needs “professional help” figuring out how to cope and work best with this situation, but how do you pay for it? We have worked for some very creative people who: 1) Wrote grants for dollars from: anti tobacco, anti drug, Title One, red ribbon, stay in school foundations, local Chambers of Commerce, and so on. 2) Have partnered with local civic clubs to provide the much needed motivation for school using dropout prevention and raising community spirits as the spring board. 3) Have divided the funding between all the clubs, organizations and family booster clubs at school because the entire community benefits when the school community works together. 4) Have worked hard in their community to find family members connected to hotels to provide discounted or complimentary sleeping rooms. 5) Have combined the speaking event with an in-service event funded by the school. Assembly during the ½ day of classes and a workshop in the afternoon.
To maximize student success we must go beyond the “standards.” As educators, you have a unique opportunity to shape lives. Make it a point to offer your students the opportunity to find the motivation they need to see how good they really are. Let them feel the power they have when they work together.
IT MIGHT BE THE GREATEST LESSON THEY EVER LEARN. Use Us: In the fall to set a great tone
for the year OR to reconnect faculty members OR to launch the Freshmen year. In the winter to give your students and staff a mid-year boost OR to counteract senioritis. In the spring to build student confidence before testing OR to promote a sense of community in the classes that are not testing.
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Assemblies Simplified
(Excerpted from the HELPING THEM WIN Tool Box program) Steps for insuring a quality assembly
BEFORE THE EVENT:
HELPING THEM WIN! Determine ahead of time those who may have the most difficulty paying attention. Offer them alternatives to attending the assembly or alternative seating with staff members to help them focus, and work with them to further emphasize the necessity of proper audience behavior. REVIEW ASSEMBLY ETIQUETTE: Review the expected behavior with the entire student body. Use the PA system or individual teachers to review: a) purpose of the assembly, b) appropriate large group behavior, c) clearly state the behavior expectations. REVIEW THE AUDIENCE LOADING PROCEDURES See below. ESTABLISH THE POST EVENT ACTIVITIES. Will there be a class room assignment, a formal verbal review in class? Will there be an evaluation form to be completed? LOADING/UNLOADING THE HALL: For the best control of the crowd, seating charts and seated by classrooms works best. It is particularly effective when the individual teacher takes the time to make a seating arrangement so that individuals are not next to their close personal friends. This kind of loading is very time consuming. Open seating is definitely the quickest way to load a room. Using people in authority to help the crowd load from the front to the rear of the auditorium and to fill from the center out in each row will help. The most effective people to help load are student leaders supported by adult staff. Whatever system you use, entrance music sets the tone. Before the event begins the entire audience should be centered and compacted so extra chairs are on the aisles and in the back (no empty seats down front) so that the presentation can be focused. CROWD CONTROL: To help facilitate a successful assembly, teachers should sit in the crowd with the students and demonstrate the behavior they want students to exhibit. By participating in the event, they set the example for students to follow. If a student needs to be removed for any reason, the removal should be accomplished quickly and orderly.
GETTING ATTENTION: Before the event begins, transition from the loading phase to the performance phase with an attention getting device. Make sure you fit the attention-getter with the purpose of the assembly. Simply fade out the entrance music for more somber occasions and use a Spirit Key or your school’s mascot cheer to focus the group’s attention for pep rallies. Always have a person in authority begin the event. SCHEDULE OF THE EVENT! • Have a person in authority meet, calm, and quiet the crowd. Make sure he/she compliments the audience on something or find something positive to say about everyone. Then explain the reason for the gathering and review the expected behavior one more time! Once that has been accomplished, introduce the student emcee with as gracious an introduction as possible, including accomplishments and titles with a call for applause. (Applauding one of “their own” is a subtle and positive way to transfer the ownership for the correct behavior to the audience). • Student emcee introduces performers and eventually the event or presenter. • Performance. • Closure: The emcee thanks the performer or speaker and calls for more applause while turning the microphone back to the administrator who congratulates the audience for their good behavior. DISMISSING AND EXITING THE AUDITORIUM. Before you let them go, explain the safety concerns of just turning everyone loose at one time. Explain how the exit from the auditorium is going to work and then begin the process.
AFTER THE EVENT
Evaluation: After the event, evaluation is done in the classroom, either by discussion, short paper, or an evaluation form. These evaluations are collected and reviewed by the producers of the event to improve the next event. Evaluation validates everyone who attended as important and invites them to play a part in determining what elements of assemblies are beneficial and which elements need improvement.
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An EXPERIENCE, not just a speech! The “Original” Mike Smith is famous for his fast paced, energetic, enthusiastic, ever engaging presentations and workshops. His work is founded in proven techniques, and strategies for successful living and personal responsibility. Mike has worked with well over 3 million people so far and knows how to craft an experience to involve his audience. He specializes in large group interactive experiences; relishes workshops of 30 to 300 where
he can help people truly experience and live the topics and he loves helping make great things happen in a school community. You can find his many workbooks, articles, videos and programs on bookshelves everywhere and in the catalogs of the National Association of Secondary School Principals, California Association of Student Activities Advisors, The Alliance for Student Activities, and many more. His work on school climate, transitioning programs and student recognition and motivation provide a foundation for his success. When experience matters and the mastery of principles and processes count, Mike is the choice. Learn more about the “Original” Mike Smith at: www.DifferenceMakers. com; or call him at (505) 991-4488.
SCOTT
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“Without question, Scott Greenberg is the most effective motivational speaker I have heard during my thirteen years in secondary education.” — Jeff Parker, Principal, Eaton High School
“Scott is hilariously funny and easygoing, making him a dream to work with. Our kids LOVED him . . . He handled a large rowdy crowd with the finesse of a true professional. Scott connects with kids on their level in a way few motivational speakers can.”
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—Sandy Ginger, Executive Director, Nevada Association of Student Councils
Motivational speaker Scott Greenberg is a nationally renowned expert on leadership, resilience and peak performance. His live presentations and workshops have helped hundreds of thousands of students and adults overcome their mental barriers to success. Scott’s programs combine rich content with humor, stories and interaction, ensuring audiences of all ages will have a great time while acquiring tools they need
MIKE
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“You’re so funny and you actually make learning way more fun than anybody else.” — Courtney Connors “Thanks, Mike, I loved it today, it was so much better than school . . . cause I learned something I can actually use in life! Thanks.” — David Zabinski, student “(Many teachers stopped me). . . and emphasized how much the students enjoyed your program. . . talking about the things you had said and repeating many of the lines you used. It was a good time for our school.” — Elliott Mathis, Asst. Principal
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to achieve their best. Scott is the author of the Jump Start Leadership Workbook Series, The Sandbags & The Fire: How Leaders Cut Loose Their Hang-ups and Soar to Success, and is a contributing author to Chicken Soup for the College Soul. Available for: Schools Assemblies Staff Development Leadership Workshops Topics Include: Leadership Resilience Attitude Making Good Choices (Red Ribbon Week) Unity & Respect Peak Performance (Testing!) For more information, call (800) 450-0432 or visit www.scottgreenberg.com
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