Choosing Sides

One of my favorite stories concerns a young lad who was confronted by three bullies with violence in mind. Quickly the little guy drew a line on the ground, stepped back several feet, looked the biggest bully in the eye and said, "Now, you just step over that line." Confidently, the big bully stepped over the line, preparing to commit mayhem on the little guy. Quickly the little fellow grinned and said, "Now we're both on the same side."

Physically, they were both on the same side. But emotionally they were still some little distance apart. The smaller boy improved his chances of getting on the same side emotionally by his touch of wit and wisdom. This is an excellent combination to diffuse most crisis situations and represents a major step in solving whatever problems exist.

There are several lessons parents, managers and educators can learn from this little vignette. First, whether it is a parent/child, management/labor or teacher/student situation, both really are on the same side and the best way for either side to win is for both sides to win.

Second, a sense of humor can be very helpful in removing communications barriers by revealing your human side and establishing rapport.
Third, sometimes it's necessary for the big bully (the person in authority) to move to the other side of the table (across the line). This lets associates, children or employees clearly understand that they really are on the same side and open to listening to ideas from both sides of that line.

The fourth message is that it is always important to maintain our perspective by being open and fair-minded as we look at life from the other person's perspective. Think about it and I'll SEE YOU AT THE TOP!

Zig Ziglar is a well-loved motivational speaker and author. You can find more pearls of wisdom from Zig on his weekly newsletter. To find out more about Zig’s books and CDs and to subscribe to the free newsletter go to his website, www.ziglar.com

Want to Play a Game?

The school started playing a new social network game to see if we can get an act of kindness all of the way around the world. Here is how it works:
Ask Denny or Andrea for a card that has an act of kindness on it. Enter the code number on the card on our website to begin the game. When you complete that act, you hand the card to the person and ask them if they would like to play the game. If they say, “Yes.” give them the card and that’s it!

Some of the acts of cards include: Thank Someone, Make Someone Smile, Invite Someone for Coffee, Give Someone Flowers, Give Someone a Surprise Gift, and several more.

Do you want to play? Ask us and we will be happy to get you started.

Hey, Look- It's Me!

A group of students and their parents recently enjoyed a “special” art class conducted by local artists Amanda and Fran Thiel.

Students and parents were taught several great and fun ways to create a self-portrait. Amanda and Fran focused on teaching the students how to get in touch with their creative sides and feel free to explore the world of art.

Students were free to use construction paper, markers, yarn, glue, tissue paper and several other items to create a picture of themselves.

It was difficult to tell who was having more fun - the kids or the parents. You could see the focus and concentration on each participant’s face as they worked hard on their creation. At the end of the class, everyone had produced a fantastic and unique portrait of themselves.

All portraits have been framed and are now on display in the main gallery at Denny Strecker’s Karate. Many thanks to Amanda and Fran for teaching the class and showing everyone how to have fun with art!

Catch Your Child Doing It Right!

“Children will have the confidence to move out of their comfort zone when they know that they are encouraged and free from criticism.”

The other day I saw a father talking to his daughter after she finished her karate class. It was easy to see that he loved his daughter and wanted her to do well… but his desire to see her do well was the very thing that made her feel like a failure - like she couldn’t do anything right. The girl looked like she wanted to run off and cry.

Children, more than anything else, want to be loved and appreciated - especially by busy parents. The amount of approval a child gets from her parents is often the measuring stick by which the child gauge how much they are loved. That’s why children often check to see if Mom and Dad are watching…

As grown-ups, we know how important it is for our children to pay attention while they’re in class… to not miss any piece of information that could be critical to their success. As loving parents, we want our children to do well.

And that’s where the mistake is often made - kids, looking up to see if mom and dad are watching, are sometimes met with a scowl and a quick gesture to turn around and pay attention to the instructor, when all they were looking for was a smile and a thumbs up.

Of course, parents would be horrified to learn that they were unintentionally hurting their child -- out of concern and love! None of our “Karate Parents” want to see their children’s self esteem dashed.

You see, people (and children especially!) learn much more efficiently and stay more focused when they are praised for doing something right, rather than criticized for doing something wrong. Children will have the confidence to move out of their comfort zone when they know that they are encouraged and free from criticism.

Parents who want to support their children in class will have the most success when giving their child a quick thumbs up and encouraging their child - loving them with their smile!

Making corrections is our second most important job - please leave it up to us!
You see, developing life skills in children is our number one priority and when working with kids, it’s important to “put first things first” - striving for long term benefits, like Black Belt Excellence, a strong self image, respect, courage, modesty, perseverance, and integrity.

Making corrections in the physical side of the Martial Arts (stances, techniques, etc.) is our second most important job. Especially in the beginning!

We were very excited to learn that this “first things first” system also brings about a very positive side effect.

Just think how excited we were when we realized that when we put positive character development first, excellent physical Martial Arts skills followed! When our teachers “put first things first,” the physical skills of the Martial Arts eventually develop to exciting levels!

Sherlock Holmes - Elementary Dear Watson

Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson go on a camping trip, set up their tent, and fall asleep. Some hours later, Holmes wakes his faithful friend.

'Watson, look up at the sky and tell me what you see.'
Watson replies, 'I see millions of stars.'
'What does that tell you?'

Watson ponders for a minute.' Astronomically speaking, it tells me that there are millions of galaxies and potentially billions of planets. Astrologically, it tells me that Saturn is in Leo. Time wise, it appears to be approximately a quarter past three. Theologically, it's evident the Lord is all-powerful and we are small and insignificant. Meteorologically, it seems we will have a beautiful day tomorrow. What does it tell you?

Holmes is silent for a moment, then speaks.
'Watson, you idiot, someone has stolen our tent.'