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Monday, August 6, 2007

3 KINDS OF PEOPLE IN THIS WORLD

Training Troops to Teachers w/Americorps Tutors
Rachel and Rose: 3 kinds of people in this world

Every new cycle, I'm enlisted to prepare troops to enter the battlefield that is the PSS. I take the opportunity to do some team building, orient them with the new "chain of command" and talk about the things they never tell you when you sign your contract. Mostly, I try to impress on them that they are going to be impacting childrens' lives and that choosing a career in education is a test of mental, physical and ethical endurance. Before I end, I always make a point to do a visual presentation with Tylenol, Beroca and Alka Selter to demonstrate 3 kinds of people: those who watch things happen, those who make things happen and those who wonder what the heck just happened.

Tylenol: takes time to dissolve, you can't take another for hours, doesn't always work and sometimes you need more than the recommended dose.
Tylenol people: take time to absorb things, can't be counted on regularly, make others wait for a response, and sometimes depend on others to make decisions.

Beroca: dissolves quickly but loses it's fizz just as fast.
Beroca people: have intermittent spurts and occasional bursts of energy, but lose their energy just as quickly as the first.

Alka Seltzer: dissolves and continues to keep it's fizz.
Alka Seltzer people: are consistent and dependable, exhibit perseverance.

The question posed: as you move into your new role, what type of person will you be and how can that contribute to the school you work in? I think we all need to reflect on our own "effectiveness" from time to time. What type of person are you?

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

I love those examples! What a great way to help the teachers "see" and learn.

Saipan Writer said...

Gee, I use Tylenol and not the other two meds. Because I don't even know what Beroca is or what it is used for, and I never need Alka Seltzer!

So in general, I'd always choose Tylenol, as at least useful.

Does that make me a (bad) Tylenol person?

I do take time to absorb things, and I also sometimes make people wait for a response (because I'm deliberate, not hasty, and good responses take time). I think I can be counted on, but no one's perfect in this department. And I depend on others to make some decisions (hell, I'm an attorney and that involves a lot of waiting for judges to decide!).

I'd never be Alka Seltzer since I don't have much fizz--a lot of fuzz, and possibly some fazz, but no on the fizz. I've envied those with bubbly personalities, but long ago learned to play to my strengths and give up the dream to be something else.

So hell yes-I'm a Tylenol and proud of it.

Oops. Bad person. Wrong response. ;-)

Bon said...

Jane: Don't worry, just cause you take Tylenol doesn't mean you're a Tylenol person. I was just using the medicine as analogies because of their dissolving qualities. I am a rapid response extra strength tylenol person myself:) Beroca is an orange flavored seltzer tablet with vitamins. You may not think you're bubbly, but your eyes are. They're sparkly with energy, intelligent and kind.

Steve: Have you seen Sandy Cheeks yet? He, he,he. She's from Texas you know!

Bruce A. Bateman said...

Fizz Fizz Plop Plop

Silly Socrates said...

Are you promoting Alka Seltzer? Because Silly Socrates thinks Alka Seltzer is yum.

Bon said...

Beroca is yummier, but whatever rocks your boat