Can This Be Right???????

With all the discussion and politics regarding education, maybe this will give you all some real insight!   This is a must read!!! Teachers' hefty salaries are driving up taxes, and they only work 9 or 10 months a year!  It's time we put thing in perspective and pay them for what they do - babysit!

We can get that for minimum wage. That's right. Let's give them $3.00 an hour and only the hours they worked; not any of that silly planning time, or any time they spend before or after school. That ...would be $19.50 a day (7:45 to......... 3:00 PM with 45 min. off for lunch and plan-- that equals 6 1/2 hours). Each parent should pay $19.50 a day for these teachers to baby-sit their children.

Now how many students do they teach in a day...maybe 30? So that's $19.50 x 30 = $585.00 a day. However, remember they only work 180 days a year!!! I am not going to pay them for any vacations. LET'S SEE.... That's $585 X 180= $105,300 per year. (Hold on! My calculator needs new batteries).What about those special education teachers and the ones with Master's degrees? Well, we could pay them minimum wage ($7.75), and just to be fair, round it off to $8.00 an hour. That would be $8 X 6 1/2 hours X 30 children X 180 days = $280,800 per year.

Wait a minute -- there's something wrong here! There sure is!

The average teacher's salary (nation wide) is $50,000. $50,000/180 days = $277.77/per day/30 students=$9.25/6.5 hours = $1.42 per hour per student--a very inexpensive baby-sitter and they even EDUCATE your kids!) WHAT A DEAL!!!!

Heaven forbid we take into account highly qualified teachers ......

Make a teacher smile; re-post this to show appreciation ♥ all you out there!

Uh Oh...I said something and she slapped me!

We all know how difficult those teen years can be.  Relationships are difficult enough for adults let alone teens!  We all remember what it was like. Here is a real life story sent to me yesterday.  I had to share it with you, and hope that those of you teens and parents who are following my blog share and share.  A lot can be learned from Mark's experience.  I have to say, the maturity level displayed by both these kids knocked my socks off!  Kudos to these two teens!

Greetings Tish

I thought I might run something by you and get your thoughts. My 17 year old son came home with a rather interesting story and I'm trying to put some thoughts together on what the best course of action is for him. He was chatting up a girl he is interested in and all was going quite splendidly (even lined up a coffee date) until he decided to pay her a "compliment" by telling her she had "awesome curves". He's very studious and normally very shy and reserved, so I don't know what possessed him to say that. She took offense and told him he was being inappropriate. He tried to repair the damage but only dug himself deeper. The conversation came to an abrupt end when she asked him to remove his glasses (he did so) and then SMACK - she slapped his face and walked off. It took him a minute or two to realize that she didn't want the glasses to fly across the room ;) So instead of landing a date for the weekend, he was left there standing alone, nursing a sore cheek. My feeling is he should apologize to the young lady and explain that he was just trying to tell her she was beautiful. Do you have any thoughts on this?

Before I could respond to the above, I received this:

Breaking News! He emailed her an apology and she just replied a little while ago. Her response is below. Gotta love happy endings!

Hi Mark and thank you for writing to me. I've been thinking things over. You seemed like such a sweet guy at first, and so smart and interesting! We were having a wonderful conversation and that's why I was really disappointed when you started commenting on my body. It felt really weird, creepy, and uncomfortable, especially since we hardly knew each other. There is a time and place for those sorts of comments, and it's not when you first meet a girl. Furthermore, I like to be appreciated for my brains, not my backside - even if both are rather generous ;) I was confused and angry, and that's why I slapped you. If you're not yet aware, we women are very emotional creatures ;)While I make no apologies for that, at least you behaved like a gentleman afterwards and knew that it was proper etiquette to "turn the other cheek" when a female slaps you. You also showed lots of maturity by coming back with a sweet and sincere apology. Most guys would not have done that. So, with all of that said, let's give this another try...ok?

P.S. Guess you probably figured out that I didn't want to damage your glasses. No thanks necessary...hehe

Tips for Parents....

Abuse comes in many forms – physical, sexual and verbal/emotional. Do research before talking to your teen so you can provide correct and helpful information. Admit if you don’t know the answer to a question - It will build trust It is never too early to talk to your teen about healthy relationships. Even if you don’t think your teen is dating, having these conversations is one of the most important steps you can take to help prevent dating abuse.

Talk to your teen about what type of information they are sharing online. Ask them to make their profile “private” so only approved people can see it.

Let your teen know that even if they have done something with someone many times before, they always have the right to say NO. It is never okay for their partner to threaten them or make them feel guilty.

Be supportive and understanding. Stress that you are on their side. Provide non-judgmental support so that they know they can come to you for help if their relationship becomes unhealthy.

With so many avenues for communications available at a teenager’s fingertips, it’s important to remind teens that boundaries are perfectly acceptable. A relationship cannot be built on trust or respect if someone’s partner is watching their every move and constantly checking up on them.

Bullying... Let's do something about it.

The recent violence and increase in bullying has most of us outraged.  Safety for our kids has to be our number one priority.  It shouldn't matter who is being bullied.  It's got to stop!  This is just a first step.

Last week, a freshman at Rutgers University killed himself after his roommate secretly recorded him with another male student, then broadcast the video online. It's just one of a number of teen suicides in recent weeks following cruel anti-gay bullying and harassment at school. Some of the kids were as young as 13.

Human Rights Campaign is calling on the Secretary of Education to keep students safe by adding sexual orientation and gender identity to school anti-bullying programs across the country.  I just added my name to their letter -- will you join me?

Determination and Leadership - What a combo

I found this amazing video and was so impressed with this coach and what he accomplished with his team!  Words don't begin to describe what you'll see and feel watching this video!  I promise - you'll be glad you watched! The Million Dollar Challenge

All comments welcome!

Want to design a joyful 2010? Here’s a couple of tips....

I am thrilled to have a wonderful friend and colleague like Michele Lando!  I often refer to her as "the most articulate person I have ever met"!  She is an expert in so many areas, and has helped me numerous times with my branding and communications.  So, I am most excited to share with all of you her latest article on getting a head start on 2010!  I know we're all caught up in the holidays, but remember 2010 is only a few weeks away.  No matter if you're a student or adult, these handy hints are for all of us! Tish

After the decorations, celebrations and communion with family and friends, Monday morning will reappear.

My holiday gift to each of you: a few tips from the IndiBrand™ Individual Branding Workshop series.

Even in this economy. There is much to be grateful for:

The future is the present moving forward constantly. This means that whatever you envision for your future is being impacted by your choices right now—this very minute—and the next, and the next, and the next.

The future is connected to your present (which has just this instant become your past). As you consider what you want 2010 to be like for you, engage all of your senses. What do you want it to smell like? Taste like? Look like? Sound like? And feel like? The more visceral your imagination of your future, the more real it becomes and the easier it is to make choices in this instant and the next that truly support your goals for your future!

When I am considering my future I make sure I am specific and engage each of my senses across multiple areas of my life. Like good marketing, the more targeted I am in my focus on each area of my life, the more impactful my connection to it is! The more likely I will actually create it, and the more joy I experience in all areas of my life as a result. Following are some of the focus areas for my future. What are yours?

• Social: Relationships with family, friends, organizations
• Spiritual: Practicing faith, prayer, self-exploration and development, awareness of others.
• Romance: Husband, travel, celebrations
• Creative: Writing, music, ideation
• Health: Exercise, yoga, quiet time, food prep, breathing
• Professional: Contribution, self-growth, mentoring, learning
• Financial: Abundance, philanthropy, saving, planning, insurances, spending
• Play: Silliness, laughter, light-heartedness, outings, new experiences

There is always room for changing one’s vision. Don’t let your fear of commitment or your belief that you cannot control what the future holds, or anything else, get in your way. It’s the distinction between making choices that lead to something that fulfills you or not.

Author: Michele Lando, president of Skilset Communications, Inc., and author of the internationally acclaimed IndiBrand™ Individual Branding workshop series. To reproduce any portion of this article, you may write or phone 626-792-0032.

Thought for the week 11/23/09

The Power to Judge:  Our choices decide the very quality of our lives.  To make the right choices we need the Power to Judge.

Life is a classroom....

Looking back over my life, remembering various leaders, teachers and coaches I’ve worked with, I think about which one could be the “one” who has had the most influence on me.  Many of us long to find a teacher, mentor or guru. We may feel unsure of how to proceed on our life’s journey without one, or we may long for someone who has attained a higher level of insight to lead the way for us.  The good news is that the greatest teacher you could ever want is always with you—that is your life. Life is a classroom.  When we are open to receiving wisdom from the people and situations we encounter every day, let’s recognize how much they teach us when we are open to receiving their wisdom.  How about the lessons we learn about the things we don’t want to do. Situations that occur in our lives, from the smallest and most insignificant to the largest and most important, have the ability to teach us exactly what we need to learn at any given time. A friend and associate of mine came up with what we call the “6 C’s”.  Commitment, Conviction, Consistency, Courage, Confidence, and Connected.  Pay close attention to these things as they occur in the classroom that is your life. Stop and think about each of these words and how they might guide your day-to-day lifestyle.  Are you committed to whatever you are doing right now, today, tomorrow or even next year?  Do you have conviction in your beliefs?  Are you consistent with your actions and words?  Do you have the courage and confidence to take the necessary action to accomplish your goals?  Are you connected to your life and your path?

I’ve found that affirmations can help me to remember this perfect teacher each day with a few simple words. Affirmations are a powerful tool and when consistently utilized can make a huge difference in your mindset and therefore your life:

I acknowledge and honor the teacher that is my life.

I am wise enough to recognize the teachers and lessons that I encounter today.

I am open to the wisdom I receive.

I appreciate what life is teaching me today.

I trust my intuition on the nature of the lesson at hand.

Guess what - Your life has all the answers. Your life is a movie and the cool thing is; it is written only up until today. Visualize the end.  You get to finish the movie however you choose. So, recognize that your thoughts lead to your feelings, which lead to your actions which create your results.

Start today on the completion of your movie.