Petersburg NHS
April 2007
Chillicothe
Bummy
I was an NHS sponsor for about 30 years. I know a lot about your organization and so something about you.
Last time I did something in Petersburg.. Menard County Fair.
You’ve been studied… Fewer kids in your generation are taking drugs than 10 years ago according to the National Institute of Drug Abuse Alcohol use is down Dept of Education: School violence is down Teen suicide is lower than in 1980 Teen pregnancy lowest since 1976 Let me tell you what probably no one else has.. the students I’ve taught in the last five years have been the smartest and most capable in my 35 years of teaching… we are getting better, no matter what you hear.. and it’s not just Triopia.
We chew more bubble gum than any other country. Two pounds person a year. We have the most athlete’s foot…. Our toilet paper was rated the best by a group of international travel writers…
IBM studied the Fortune 500 companies.. top executives… to find out what made a great leader.. Hardly any were Valedictorian.. worked for them.. ONLY COMMON TRAIT: Extremely active in extra-curricular activities… and they liked people. They were well-rounded and knew how to work with people. Only in a small school can you do this.
Okay..so what do you need?
I’ve spent the last 35 years of my life working with high school seniors. I love teens more than any other age group but if I had one wish for them: Loosen Up!
Yes, you’re the best and the brightest and the most active and most talented and without doubt the best-looking, but if you’re academically successful, chances are you’re too uptight. Today…How to loosen up.
You want to be successful, get an education, have 2 ½ kids, get an IRA…..blah, blah, blah..but if you want to be happy, loosen up!
Quest class…two fingers. Be yourself!
Watch 3rd graders get off a bus.....energy, fun...war! Watch 7th-graders: pushing, kidding, laughing...mayhem, blood Watch adults...no more pushing and shoving, but smiling and talking to each other... anxious to get on with things.... Watch 80-year-olds...Hardees parking lot , nearly all smiling....friendly. slower, but happy. Watch teenagers....God..where are we now? How long is this gonna last? Is this gonna be boring? Do they have anything to drink? AND MOST OF ALL: What do they think of me? How do I look? Is something gonna happen that we can go back to school and talk about? TIGHT! UPTIGHT! NERVOUS! SELF-CONSCIOUS!
Want to know somebody’s anxieties? Look in their purse...or billfold..or backpack Prepared for everything....Me....draft card...comb!
Want to be successful after you graduate? Simple: Be the only one in your group who’s not afraid to be yourself. Loosen up.
Tony Campello “For most teenagers, who they are depends upon who the most important people in their life think they are.”
First..ask yourself: Who are you trying to please? Hiney The Mule
Self-conscious: mind on self. Constantly conscious of yourself.
If you want to be successful, get your mind off yourself. Becky Smith................ Girl with CFS.
Dale Carnegie: “You will make more friends in one day by being truly interested in other people than in an entire month of trying to get other people interested in you.” Whether getting a boyfriend, getting a job, or running for President. I know an employer...secretly judges by the questions they ask. (My Triopia job...totally unprepared) Mr. Rogers
Loosen up: Go barefoot more often eat nothing but ice cream for an entire day tomorrow, wear your underwear backwards Dairy Queen..”Have a Nice Day” Why? Do some serious coloring Ask the preacher to serve pizza at the next communion. Biggest grouch in your school “I Just want you to know that I feel great!”
Jeff W... free spirit....robbed Walmart singer … farmer Church lady Roger Ebert Matt.. baritone
If you want to be happy… Break the dress code..not the school’s.. at least for another week.. but the one that the world of Abercrombe and Fitch has set up to get your money.
Yesterday… last year’s senior class..for the fun of it we added up the cost of our shoes… 16 kids… could have fed a third world village for 7 months.
If you want to be happy…Stop griping Whoever said.. “Get it off your chest…” …… It brings you down and makes you a real pain in the butt to the rest of us. Charlie Rose… Johnstone.. nation’s leading architect as age 90. The hottest place in hell is reserved for gripers and complainers. “If life were 100 times longer, there would still be no excuse for getting bored.” USA Today.. interviewed a doctor who specialized in aging… “No matter what medicines I prescribe, those who complain less, live longer.”
You’ve got a lot to worry about.. Turn your worry into prayer… Last day of school last year… Travis on drugs… Dylan.. “I’m not sure what you guys are gonna do but I think you oughta pray for him.” The supt. had tears in his eyes. Atheist? Hire a Baptist to do it for you.
And finally…if you want to be successful, get to know people. Find out what makes them tick.
There are people in this room that you’ve been going to school with for a long, long time and you still don’t know them…time is short.
some of the people in this room, you will never seen again after graduation.
So Let’s do it. Here. Let me show you how it’s done.
Stand up....month of birth. (say Hi) Cannot stand anchovies sleeps in only their underwear Used to take one large step into bed Used to cover up all but a place to breathe Is scared to death of college Has ever faked being sick so you wouldn’t have to go to school Wearing red underwear...blue, green, grey, pink, purple, white
End:
Bill Gates said recently… “Please don’t send me any more computer geeks. I’ve got plenty of them. Send me people who know and care about people.”
I’m a teacher so I’m going to give you an assignment… In the few precious days you’ve got left before the end of school, start practicing being happy.. loosen up and get to know people.
Somewhere in this room there’s somebody who’d love to get to know you. What’s stopping you? Time is short. One of the most precious things you have is your friends. What’s stopping you from getting more? The world needs you so badly...it needs you to lead it....Loosen up, be yourself, so you can be happy. What’s stopping you?
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