I like to draw when I listen to talks, but I didn't draw much today. Today, I listened intently. Drew told a great story about a small act, one he didn't even remember, that was a life altering moment for a girl at a college he was at.
The general gist was that he was handing out lollipops in a bucket while this new student was at registration or something. She was second guessing coming to college. He apparently stared at her, gave a lollipop to a gentleman near her and said, "You need to give a lollipop to the beautiful woman standing next to you." He embarrassed the guy, told her parents she took candy from a stranger, and this broke the ice for her and helped her decide to stay in school (oh, and she was still dating that boy four years later and eventually married him!).
This moment--he doesn't remember it. It was a little blip on the event radar in his life. His lollipop moment.
His points--
- Anyone can be a leader. Do something nice. Reach out to people. You may be a leader to someone and not even know it.
- Tell people you appreciate them. If someone makes your life better, tell them.
As a teacher, I get "big moments" here and there. Many students come back and thank their teachers or send a nice Facebook message later in life. But, this does remind me the importance of really reaching students. Telling students thank you. Making small steps to let people know they are important in the world.
And, it makes me want to hand out lollipops when school starts. Perhaps I'll reward great work or great discussion or great improvement with a simple lollipop and a note this year. I think that's a way to at least start. :)
No comments:
Post a Comment