Minnesota PTA State Conference

I was invited to the Minnesota PTA state conference on July 16th. I was given a few minutes to speak after lunch.  With just a few minutes to work with, I spoke about the importance of eating together as a family.  Most families wouldn't consider mealtime as a predictor for academic success, but it is.  The dinner table is a great place for connecting with your kids.  It's not always easy and it is rarely pretty, especially when your kids are small.  I spent years wondering if one of my daughters would ever finish a meal without tipping her chair back on two legs. 

The lessons learned at the dinner table including manners, waiting your turn, healthy portions, civics and vocablulary, to name a few all transfer well to a classroom.  Most importantly, knowing that your parent (or parents or caregiver) is available for conversation, for homework help or for just being there is a safety net for kids.  Dinnertime is a ritual worth the effort.

It was great to see Linda and Richard from Winona at the conference.  They were full of ideas about how to use social media in the PTA at the Winona Middle School.  Thanks for the work that you do in the PTA!

Thanks Comcast!

It was such a treat for us, the Minnesota Teacher of the Year finalists and staff from Education Minnesota, to attend the Twins game compliments of Comcast.  We were treated like royalty! The Minnesota Teacher of the Year class of 2011 is a fun bunch.  We had the opportunity to catch up with one another and to see the Twins win against the Los Angeles Dodgers 1-0. Thank you Comcast, it was a wonderful day!



Visualization

When I realized that I would be meeting the President next spring, I put a call out to some of my friends.  I needed a 6'1", 180 pound man!  It didn't take long to find one (thanks Dean).  I needed to see what I would look like standing next to President Obama for many reasons, mostly to keep myself motivated to set some goals.  Who do I want to be when I meet him?  How do I want to look?  What on Earth will I wear?  Oh my goodness, what do I want to say?  So much to think about, and so little time.... I have always been the kind of person who prepares by visualization. Here is the picture of me and the President!