Are the Next Great Leaders At P.S. 22?

ABC's The View celebrated Martin Luther King, Jr. Day by asking Staten Island's P.S. 22 Chorus to appear on their show to sing, "We Shall Overcome."  The song was interspersed with students reciting  lines from Dr. King's famous "I Have A Dream" speech.

P.S. 22 is known for its famous chorus.  They've sung with incredible musical artists as well as making appearances at The White House and the Oscars, among many other incredible venues, thanks to the passion of their musical director, Gregg Breinberg (or affectionately called, Mr. B.)  Mr. B. took a small elementary school job on Staten Island and did it so well that eventually the world took notice.  That's a lesson in loving what you do and doing the best job possible.  That's leadership.

But P.S. 22 is more than the famous chorus.  It's a school full of students learning to be leaders.  I was speaking with the school last week, and they are equally enthusiastic about the many projects they do with the entire student body to ensure that they are contributing to society and becoming the best people possible.

Among other efforts, students from Kindergarten through 5th grade have recently participated in the Warm and Cozy Drive, a winter clothing collection for children in need, they've collected books, blankets and stuffed animals for kids living in shelters, visited nursing homes forging relationships with the residents and working together on art projects, hosted food drives and collected various items for our soldiers.

In other words, all the students at P.S. 22 are stars.  Stars burn bright for many reasons.  It could be using a talent to perform or performing acts of kindness.  Both bring joy to others.  Congratulations to the hard working P.S. 22 staff and their efforts in bringing out the best in these little leaders.  (Leadership is the anti-bully.)

It doesn't have to be Martin Luther King, Jr. Day to appreciate that every child has their own dream.

                        

The Worst Kind of Bullying

Child abuse is the worst form of bullying.

Each one of us has the power to be the Go-To Adult.  To me, the biggest concern is kids suffering in silence.  How do we get them to talk to a "trusted adult."  We become worthy of their trust.

If kids know we care and they won't be criticized, they will be more likely to talk with us.  There are many reasons kids don't tell an adult about a problem.  One of them is shame.  Another is fear that they won't be understood.

People, including children, are vulnerable and don't want to risk feeling worse than they already feel.  Our culture is becoming a judgmental one.  Just look at our television programs.   We've gotten to the point that everything is a competition (cupcakes aren't even safe) and we're always ready to put someone down.  It's becoming common to pick people apart.

The bottom line is that kids need to feel safe and we're responsible for creating a culture that nurtures their safety.

To change a culture, we need to start young and it begins with teaching leadership.  In order to do that, we have to start valuing leadership ourselves.

If we don't, kids will not have a safe place and no child deserves to suffer or feel alone.

Teach Teachers Tech: A Platform for Good

Raise your hand if you think we're experiencing a generation gap in this country.  How many of you admit that your child (even your young child) knows more about navigating cyberspace than you do -- a lot more.

Our kids are throwing themselves headlong into this new neighborhood of technology while many of us are holding on to the comfort of the old country (and things are moving so fast that email could be considered an old-fashioned way to communicate!).

Although we're catching up, our kids have raced ahead.  

We have two options on how we feel about this:  

Door #1:   total paralyzing fear

or

Door #2:   acceptance and embracing it as a teachable moment for both you and your child or student

(If we're experiencing this at home, make no mistake, teachers are feeling the gap, too, and there are so many benefits to using technology in the classroom.)

If you can give in and choose Door #2, I have a great tip for you.  Go to the newly-launched Platform for Good, created by the Family Online Safety Institute (FOSI).  The teacher's site, in particular, is awesome. It introduces a concept that I totally believe in:  Make the Kids the Teachers.  It's called Teach Teachers Tech (TTT). 

This is a great idea because adults need the help and kids want to show us what they know.   (In my pilot program -- Be the One -- older kids teach the younger ones about leadership and how to step up for one another.  Kids are the experts in their own worlds.)

It's ok to give up a little control.  It's ok that they're better than us at something.  It doesn't mean that they don't still need us to help them navigate but we need to know where they're going first.  It's also the best online safety tool.  I always suggest that parents ask kids to take them for a tour of their online world.  Be proud of them.  It's the quickest way to get the inside scoop...and gain their trust.

There's a lot of good in the new neighborhood.  We need to be familiar with all aspects and not just the negative ones.  If we only focus on the dangers, we'll lose out on all it has to offer.  And speaking of the dangers, if we understand the new neighborhood better, we are more skilled in steering them away from the dark alleys.

A final tip:  Be a Good Student because that will make you a Better Parent and a Fantastic Teacher.

Eureka!  The gap gets smaller.

In the words of A Platform for Good, this is your chance to Connect, Share and Do Good.