9 Secrets to Public Speaking

If you enjoy watching the spread of ideas via TED Talks, do yourself a favor and read Talk Like TED, especially if you do presentations. Author Carmine Gallo draws upon many TED Talks to illustrate his 9 secrets to public speaking.

1. Passion
2. Stories
3. Practice
4. Teach the audience something new
5. Creating jaw-dropping moments
6. Humor
7. It's all about the numbers
8. Engage all the senses
9. Stay in your lane (do what you do best)

Debate With Respect

As we roll through the political debate/banter quagmire, teachers and parents are perplexed by how to answer their children's questions about the behavior of our candidates.

"Debate With Respect" by head of school Susan Kambrich gives excellent perspective and advice on how we can do this with our children.

Resilience

I first became intimately acquainted with the word resilience when I listened to Angela Duckworth's TED Talk.

If you have a similar interest, especially if you have or work with children, you will want to read Maria Konnikova's New Yorker article "How People Learn to Become Resilient." Here is how she begins the piece:

"Norman Garmezy, a developmental psychologist and clinician at the University of Minnesota, met thousands of children in his four decades of research. But one boy in particular stuck with him. He was nine years old, with an alcoholic mother and an absent father. Each day, he would arrive at school with the exact same sandwich: two slices of bread with nothing in between. At home, there was no other food available, and no one to make any. Even so, Garmezy would later recall, the boy wanted to make sure that “no one would feel pity for him and no one would know the ineptitude of his mother.” Each day, without fail, he would walk in with a smile on his face and a “bread sandwich” tucked into his bag."

5 Myths and Truths About Kids' Internet Safety

I came across "5 Myths and Truths About Kids' Internet Safety" by Caroline Knorr. I think you will find it helpful and enlightening. For example, here are the first and second myths and truths:

"Myth: Social media turns kids into cyberbullies.

Truth: There are many reasons why a kid might cyberbully, and social media is just a convenient way to do the dirty work.

The reality is that kids who engage in this behavior typically have something else going on that compels them to act out. They might be in crisis -- at home, at school, or otherwise socially. They may also be bullying in person, or they may have an underdeveloped sense of empathy. Awareness of a cyberbully's circumstances -- though not excusing the behavior -- can help parents and educators recognize the warning signs and potentially intervene before it goes too far.

Myth: Teaching kids not to talk to strangers is the best way to keep them safe online.
Truth: Teaching kids to recognize predatory behavior will help them avoid unwelcome advances."

Click on the article above, read the other three, and see if you agree.