Engaging Leadership: Calling out Greatness, One Child at a time!

ANNOUNCEMENT: Academic Success 101 Online Course

65% Special Discount 3-Days Only

Mary Reynolds, creator of the world renowned Internet videos, Teddy Stallard Movie and Blue Ribbon Movie -- both amassing over 10 million views within a few short months of their releases, has just launched her new 15 hour training for administrators and educators. It is a program that instills Engaging Leadership and calls out the greatness in today's youth, one child at a time.

AcademicSuccess101.com Online Course is designed to be integrated into a school's core curriculum and everyday language, so that it isn't just "one more thing" teachers and administrators have to do.

Studies have identified what is referred to as a "skills gap" - a difference in how students are prepared for the workforce and the skills and character that employers are seeking to match the demands of today's global economy.

The Academic Success 101 process helps develop the essential life skills and characteristics students need in order to thrive in the 21st century.

One immediately applicable concept at a time, it becomes part of the culture, gaining momentum and producing improved results year after year, benefiting schools and students in the following ways:

• Develops students' skills and self-confidence to step fully into their greatness.
• Resolves bullying, depression and discipline referrals.
• Teaches and develops community consciousness and leadership through existing core curriculum.
• Defuses extremely angry children quickly and effectively.
• Improves academic achievement.
• Raises levels of connection, accountability and engagement among both parents and staff.
• Mega-boosts teacher and parent morale.

INCLUDES Make A Difference with the Power of Connection -
companion Gift Book & DVD

Whole School Implementation:

Outstanding leaders go out of their way to boost self-worth and esteem of their personnel. When teachers know that they make a difference and experience first hand the uplifting effects of a safe community consciousness, it's amazing what they can and will accomplish in their classrooms. This program is designed one session, one immediately applicable Next Level concept at a time.

Classroom Implementation:

Academic Success 101 includes Mary's 9-Week to a 'Make A Difference' School Year CURRICULUM, which provides easy to use "community building" activities and engaging tools to assist educators, students, and parents in implementation during the first nine weeks of the school year. This sets the pace for the rest of the school year and reinforces the process in the subsequent years.

Academic Success 101 establishes Clear Objectives for classroom and develops the essential life skills and characteristics students need in order to thrive in the 21st century. It includes Effective Language to generate a Compassionate Culture through facilitated peer-to-peer discussion, videos, learning exercises, and implementation training.

How to Implement At Your School: Special End-Of-School-Year Group Pricing for Faculty & Staff

3 DAYS ONLY at 65% Special Discount

This is a Limited Time Offer ... to learn more:AcademicSuccess101.com

Reaching out to make a world of difference ...
Mary Reynolds, M.S.
MakeADifference.com/Children

PS ... Register to use a Purchase Order - LIMITED TIME OFFER ... ACT NOW!

** Apply Your 1.5 TEA CPE to '09-'10 School Year **

COURSE EXPERIENCE SUMMARY: This is all about Next Level thinking and understanding about what's "really" going on in "how" we are Attitudinally connecting with (coming "at") students we've decided are difficult!

Term Paper for Academic Success 101 (formerly named: Makin' Magic: Breaking Cycles of Failure,) by A. McGuire; Instructor: Mary Reynolds

Attempting to make magic with some individuals can be an extremely difficult, unrewarding, and challenging task in the early stages. The most difficult aspect for me has been the idea that I need to generate positive thoughts, or pheromones, about the person involved before I can make magic. I need to believe in an individual and have a positive vision for him/her before I can expect a positive outcome. This is quite a task when the individual doesn't shower you with positive feedback because she doesn't believe in herself. I have learned, however, that Makin' Magic works, with persistence.

I have been doing a case study the past seven weeks using one of my twelve year old 7th grade social studies/language arts students. His name is Donald. I picked Donald because he is a silent one who will fall through the cracks of school bureaucracy if he doesn't get help quickly. He is not violent, vulgar, or angry. He is not a typical, loud and boisterous, attention-demanding twelve year old. His pleas for help are quiet and subtle. He breathes unwantedness and incompetence. I have actually been working with Donald since last fall, when I began to notice this child who didn't care much about school, let alone himself. I have tried desperately to seek out ways to inspire him. His lack of success and unhappy nature have been nagging at me ever since I met him.

Earlier in the year, I approached Donald with doubt and contrived encouragement. I was a good example of frustration. This was exactly what Donald was used to. Frustrated adults nagging at him to do things he knew would never meet their expectations. I directly reinforced his negative core believe of incompetence and indirectly made him feel unwanted. Even though I was putting a significant amount of emotional energy into this child, it wasn't doing any good. I verbally nagged Donald, wrote passes requiring him to come in at lunch, called his nagging mother, conveyed disappointment to him when he didn't follow through, had him design a behavior contract which he, his mother, and I signed. Amidst all this negative energy, I wasn't able to see the core beliefs that Donald was harboring.

It is now plain as day for me to see the negativism that surrounds Donald's spirit. With this knowledge, I have been rejuvenated and have found a new passage to Donald's spirit. I am optimistic.

Donald's most obvious negative core beliefs about himself are that he is unwanted and incompetent. When I talk with Donald and work with him now, I intentionally focus on the opposites of those beliefs and convey that message to Donald. I tell him that he is talented. I tell him that I enjoy having him come to my room to work. I tell him that I sincerely care about him and want him to be happy. I tell him that he is competent and loved. I show him these feelings by sitting with him at the same table in the mornings. I give him extra pats on the back for completing the assignment with little assistance. And, the assistance that I have been now giving him is no more than what any other child might need. I believed that he could complete assignments and would complete them to the best of his ability. This attitude and belief created and fueled my new attitude and response to Donald. It was a bit like a miracle to see the changes in Donald.

However, it has taken about eight weeks for there to be noticeable change in Donald.

It is now quite easy for me to visualize myself in a positive, new response. I believe in Donald so the new, more optimistic response comes easily. Virtually everything I say to him is somehow related to "I really care about you," and "this is really good stuff." He honestly seems to want this because he keeps coming back for more. His level of commitment is now active. When we first met he didn't care. There was no reason for commitment. Once in a while he dips into passivity, but on the whole he seems to enjoy being active and now he has a reason to be active.

Donald is now keeping up with all assignments in my class and spends extra time in my room on his own. He is an inspiration to others. My attitude about Donald has changed significantly since last fall. I have learned that he is very capable, and I have learned to really care about him. I hope that I have provided him with the tools and confidence to believe in himself. These he will need to maintain his active level of commitment.

Reaching out to make a world of difference in 21st Century Education ...

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