Learning with YouTube Day 3: How Laughing at Yourself Can Change the World @bradjenkins #busedu #31daysofPD #personalizedPD

For Day 3 if my summer #personalizedPD effort, I selected How Laughing at Yourself Can Change the World by Brad Jenkins  from TEDxCapeMay in 2015.

This speaker was apparently hired by Obama for four years to work in the office of public engagement to connect (and inspire to action) the millions of Americans who could benefit from his policies. He gave an example of a summer basketball camp experience and the "lessons" his dad taught him as a result.

Poppa J's three words of wisdom shared in this talk:

1. Don't take yourself so seriously. Laugh at yourself.
2. Be good at what you do. Never give up; be an active participant and "play" as hard as you can.
3. Be good to people. Be nice. Be friendly. If you are honest and genuine, that will come back to you.

He was a really interesting speaker, even showing how when they rolled out the health care website and it was a big mess how they had to combat that setback. He discussed President Obama's appearance on "Between Two Ferns" and how it made tens of millions of people laugh (and got people to sign up for health care despite the bad rollout).

As for how I can use this as an educator, I think that the old adage of "don't smile until Christmas" is just that--old. Teachers need to follow these words. With technology so readily available, anything you say can easily be checked online. A teacher might accidentally share a piece of false information, spell a word wrong on a handout or bubble the answer key wrong on a test.  But, the reaction is important. Don't take those moments too seriously. Laugh at yourself, be friendly to others, and be good to people. Fix the mistakes.

Another great example of how relationships are key to success.