What Shaped the World We Live in Today…
I had an interesting hour at Starbucks the other week with my friend, Derwood Snead. In the midst of our conversation, I had an epiphany. When we stop and think about the events that have shaped our world today -- we see defining moments took place at least once a decade. Consider the following: 1979 – Step one. Iran was in the
Please Say No
I recently finished doing some staff training with a great group of leaders who serve in a non-profit organization. They work with young adult volunteers between 17-and 25-years-old. During our discussion, one of the staff members told me that her roommate is an elementary school teacher who was also going through training as an educator. What she told me next was
Generation iY
Those of you who know me, recognize the title above. I’ve been calling the latter half of Generation Y (or the Millennials): iY for more than two years now. I do this because of the impact of the “I” world -- the Internet world, full of iTunes, iPhones, iMacs, iMovies, iChat, iPods, and now iPads. This new batch of kids, born
Would You Like to Check that Bag, Sir?
An Examination of Ownership and Incentive I just boarded a plane destined to fly from Kansas City to my home in Atlanta, and I learned a little leadership lesson. It was quite amusing. A passenger worked to stuff his oversized bag into the overhead bin. It clearly didn’t fit. He grew frustrated. No matter how hard he tried, that bag would just
Signs of the Times
Are you keeping up on cultural trends in American society? Examine the issue of teens obtaining a drivers license. The legal age for getting a license is 16 in most states in the U.S. In 1978, 50% of 16-year-olds had one, and 75% of 17-years-old had one. In 2008, only 31% of 16-year-olds had one and a mere 49% of 17-year-olds
Why Can’t Johnny Read?
I just met with a superintendent and her associate for a school district event in Georgia. My respect for them went up as we talked. We found ourselves drifting to the topic of student success and the ineffectiveness of schools today. As educators, I suspected they might be a bit defensive. They were not in the least. In fact, they got
My Fourth Concern for the Year 2030
Here is my fourth and final concern for the year 2030. To read my previous blog posts on the previous three concerns, click here for the first one, here for the second and here for the third. 4. The inability to remain in a long-term commitment. Because our world talks in sound bites, tweets and texts, we have reduced our capacity to
My Third Concern for the Year 2030
Here is my third concern for the year 2030. For my first concern, click here, and for my second concern, click here. 3. Immediate responses they receive for any craving or inquiry they express. Receiving instant response to any and all requests is not healthy for any human being, yet we’ve all become accustomed to it. By and large, our
My Second Concern for the Year 2030
Here is my second concern for the year 2030. 2. The homogenous interactions limited to their own age group. I mention this one in a previous post. It used to be that students attended a one-room schoolhouse. While there are some downsides to this environment, one of the upsides is that they were forced to interact all the time with younger kids
My Concerns for the Year 2030
Here is the first of four blog posts. This is my first concern for the year 2030. I will do more than 80 events this year, most of them at schools. At these campuses, I will often host informal focus groups to allow students to weigh in on the issues that are front and center in their lives. I will tell these
My “Blog Comments” Policy
Some time ago, my friend, Michael Hyatt, posted a “comments policy” on his blog site. I liked it so much -- I decided to tweak it and use it here for your consideration. Thanks Mike for your inspiration. 1. You may comment without registering. You can log in via IntenseDebate, OpenID, Twitter, Facebook -- or not at all. It’s up to
Ideas to Beat the Problem of Adolescence
I believe in kids -- but I see a problem. I believe kids today are growing up too fast and too slow at the same time. They're exposed to loads of data that accelerates their growth; at the same time they're postponing adulthood. This poses a problem for the adults who lead them. Abandonment or Abundance During their childhood and adolescent years,
A Narcissistic World
This is the final word of a six word blog series that describes the world our kids are growing up in. Whether they’ve entered college, still in high school, middle school, or elementary school, these words explain why they end up the way they do as young adults. Let me know your thoughts and what’s happening in your part of