This coming Saturday, April 24, 2010, is the long anticipated Thomas Jefferson Leadership Education Conference in Rancho Cucamonga, at the Goldy S. Lewis Center.  You may still register to attend, or simply show up at the door.  Please know that those that are not pre-registered, will need to make arrangements for their own lunch.  Simply go to www. fatjef.com for further details and to see the line up of speakers.

Today, we are joined by Benjamin Muhelstein, founder of the Quintillian School of Oratory, located at www.youthorator.com

Ben, we are delighted to feature you today and thank you for your time.

Teri, thank you so much for the opportunity to briefly share my passion and a little bit about what I will be doing at the upcoming forum.  May I just say that I haven’t ever been given an opportunity like this before any conference and so appreciate your willingness to conduct all of these interviews.

Well, thank you, Ben!  I really do believe the pleasure is all mine.  I did initially start this in order for the attendees to be able to familiarize themselves with the speakers and the sessions that would most meet their needs.  However, I must confess, that I have thoroughly enjoyed this; getting to know each individual presenter ahead of time as well.  I love to talk, and love people so this is pretty much a hand-in-glove fit!

I’m sure we would all like to know how the name of your business was chosen.  Would you care to explain?

Certainly.  Oratory, if we were to define it, is the art of writing, speaking, thinking, listening and ultimately, understanding the human character.  Those are inseparably connected to understanding the other arts.

I have studied and read many of the great classics and created the Quintillian School of Oratory, which is named after a Roman teacher.  Dr. James J. Murphy of Berkeley made the bold statement that he is among the first of the Roman teachers, and I would have to agree with him.  Quintillian wrote 12 books prior to his death entitled, “The Intitutio Oratoria” in the 90′s A.D.

Only fragments of his writings still existed until the 1400′s A.D., when a set was found fully preserved in a basement of a monastery tower.

Along with these, were works of Cicero and others.  I truly believe that these classics were preserved for our time.

It is the principles housed in these works that I utilize in my curriculum.

Books 1, 2, and 10 are the sum of the substance of these sources.  They help communicate oratory in its truest sense.

The calibur of skill that they help to produce would be along the lines of Dr. Martin Luther, the Founding Fathers, and others.

My program addresses the what, why and how of communication; why it is foundational to our lives in our ability to influence others, bring about change and become better individuals.

Can you share with us a couple of examples of what people will do when they enroll in this program?

I mentor both youth and adults internationally.  I also offer instruction on other levels, and enjoy both very much.

What I teach does not just encompass speaking skills.  I teach principles that enable individuals to bring about transformation when they communicate.  Again, this is done through classes, seminars and webinar formats.

I find out what the student is passionate about and help them identify the great classics that would help them to unlock creativity, ingenuity, and passion; thus helping them to accomplish their personal missions.

My students go one of two ways.  They go through the classes that I offer in order to understand oratory, building upon a process of understanding the principles that they have learned.  They will practice and utilize them in their religion, their profession, and essentially in every area of their lives.

There is also the option of going through an advance mentoring program, to include the 8 major arts of learning.  People learn to build their personal mission through years of highlighting each one.  Essentially, an art a year is taken, going into serious depth; while making connections and annotations in line with their personal mission, as well as the other arts of learning.

It is an amazing process.

What do you enjoy doing in your free time, Ben?

I like to have fun with my children.  We love to watch movies, and practice famous quotations together.  We laugh and have quite a good time.  I enjoy the company of my family very much.

I also like to act, sing and perform.  Reading is not only a hobby for me, but is a passion in life, and I also enjoy doing this with my children as well.

Well, it is obvious that you are very passionate about what you do and we thank you for being with us today.

Well, thank you, Teri.  For me, communication is so important to my life and the business that I have created.  I struggled tremendously with communication in my youth and was very shy and introverted.  It was a tremendous weakness.

I had a mentor that approached me, saw the potential in me and showed me where I could become better through working on my communication skills.  The result is a process I began many, many years ago, looking to improve those skills.

Now, I so enjoy helping others to do the same.

It’s been a pleasure.  Thank you again for being willing to come.

It is both my pleasure and privilege to feature my dear friend, Beth Lambdin, on TommyMom today.  She is a tremendous writer: but is still swamped with her preparations for an upcoming auction that she chairs annually.  However, she posted this, and I asked to plagiarize borrow it here for today.   Before you read her excellent piece, I ask you to consider the following, taken from the Preface of “The Great Conversation”, which is in the Great Books series; from which Dr. Shanon Brooks is mentoring.  It is so very relevant to Beth’s commentary.  What a great way to begin the week!   Comments?

“We believe that the reduction of the citizen to an object of propaganda, private and public, is one of the greatest dangers to democracy. A prevalent notion is that the great mass of the people cannot understand and cannot form an independent judgment upon any matter; they cannot be educated, in the sense of developing their intellectual powers, but they can be bamboozled.  The reiteration of slogans, the distortion of the news, the great storm of propaganda that beats upon the citizen twenty-four hours a day all his life long mean either that democracy must fall a prey to the loudest and most persistent propagandists or that the people must save themselves by strengthening their minds so that they can appraise the issues for themselves.” -emphasis mine.

Another tax day come & gone.

Another Tax Day Tea Party that my family attended (despite it being at the worse possible time for me to not be working on the upcoming JECHS auction fundraiser…sometimes ya just gotta do what ya gotta do)

So this morning I read a CBS article describing those who affiliate themselves with the Tea Party Movement…

They are white.  They are old. They are angry.

Since a picture paints a thousand words and I have no time for a thousand words this morning.  Here you go!

White

cutest and sweetest All American Tea Party Patriot ever!

Old

These “old” Tea Party Patriots will be voting for the first time  this fall in 2010 and in 2012 respectively. (can I tell you how happy that makes this Mom)

Angry

This was the angriest Tea Party Patriot at the event

Just in case you do not know what the Tea Party Patriots believe. Here it is in a “nutshell”

Core Values
Fiscal Responsibility
Constitutionally Limited Government
Free Markets
Fiscal Responsibility: Fiscal Responsibility by government honors and respects the freedom of the individual to spend the money that is the fruit of their own labor. A constitutionally limited government, designed to protect the blessings of liberty, must be fiscally responsible or it must subject its citizenry to high levels of taxation that unjustly restrict the liberty our Constitution was designed to protect. Such runaway deficit spending as we now see in Washington D.C. compels us to take action as the increasing national debt is a grave threat to our national sovereignty and the personal and economic liberty of future generations.

Constitutionally Limited Government: We, the members of The Tea Party Patriots, are inspired by our founding documents and regard the Constitution of the United States to be the supreme law of the land. We believe that it is possible to know the original intent of the government our founders set forth, and stand in support of that intent. Like the founders, we support states’ rights for those powers not expressly stated in the Constitution. As the government is of the people, by the people and for the people, in all other matters we support the personal liberty of the individual, within the rule of law.

Free Markets: A free market is the economic consequence of personal liberty. The founders believed that personal and economic freedom were indivisible, as do we. Our current government’s interference distorts the free market and inhibits the pursuit of individual and economic liberty. Therefore, we support a return to the free market principles on which this nation was founded and oppose government intervention into the operations of private business.

I agree with these principles and I believe in being active in my community, state and national government.

As a Mom I want to pass these beliefs, principles and passions on to my children.

Therefore I attend every tea party I possibly can. It is that simple.

Ok I am off to:

A well baby doctor appointment for the cutest baby on the planet…my sweet 1 year old daughter
To get immunizations for my amazing 14 year old daughter who is going to Uganda in two weeks to serve the orphans (and am I ever so proud)
To work tirelessly the rest of the day on the Jim Elliot Christian High School Auction fundraiser that is happening two weeks from tonight and where I must, with the Lord’s help raise $50,000.
And then just the “normal” life of a mother of eight….running the home front, picking up & dropping off kids for various activities all over the city and on & on & on
All in the day of the life of one Tea Party Patriot…me!

There is still time to register for the upcoming FATJEF in Rancho Cucamonga, being held on Saturday, April 24, 2010.  Go to www.fatjef.com for further details, as well as a list and description of each speaker that will be presenting.

Today, we are pleased to feature Kathy Mellor of  Unleashing Your Voice. As you will see, she will be presenting several workshop opportunities, not only to adults but also to the youth forum.

Hey, Kathy!  I’m so glad that we have finally had the chance to hook up!  You are presenting several times at the upcoming FATJEF.  Can you tell us a little bit about what you’re going to be doing?

I’m actually doing four different things, Teri.  I’m presenting two sessions on coaching the forgotten environments; which involve speech, debate, writing and simulations.

I’m not saying that there aren’t other environments, but I have personally specialized in scholar age youth finding their voice in these given modalities.

In the above mentioned sessions, I will be having a young man named Andrew Humiston do an impromptu speech and will then coach him, so that people can see “live and in person” how this is done.  It’s rather unique.  It will give people the opportunity to see what a scholar age youth is capable of doing.  Andrew is very inspiring in that he’s 17 years old and is already a great coach.  There is power in that.  He has turned out super well and this gives him a chance to practice leadership as well as confirm that this really does work.

This can’t be theoretical.  It has to be practiced and put to use!  I have also found that in providing youth with an elder peer that is one step ahead; it gives youth an opportunity to relate; as well as to work and develop a step or skill that isn’t easy.

We are also going to present on impromptu speaking; teaching some basics of why it’s important and how it is done.  We will be taking volunteers to do some interactive things.  The goal here is to lessen the anxiety that tends to be associated with public speaking and not cause physical harm while doing so!

Boy, isn’t that a true statement? There are so many people that are terrified to speak publicly.

I am going to also present a session on debate.  It is so important to learn to debate and to understand and master the skills that bring it out.

This will also involve volunteers and do some interactive things involving activities surrounding the art of effective debate.

We also have some impromptu speaking activities planned for our time with the youth.

Wow!  Busy day.  May I ask what caused you to focus on this, Kathy?

I have a background in it.  I competed in high school and I have to say that it is by far the most valuable thing that I took from my high school experience.  It serves me in every area of my life.

It also happens to be something that tends to be difficult to do well in home educating.  We need to create environments where youth develop this skill, especially if they feel that they have a message to get out to the world.

In the kids that I work with I see great content; and a need for executing how to communicate that effectively to others.  I had a gift and saw a way to use it.

I believe that we’re raising an important generation that has a need to be prepared not only to think; but to persuade in order to move the cause of liberty.

How long have you home educated?

For 14 years.  I have 6 children, so I will definitely be doing what I do for awhile!

Unleashing Your Voice is what I do professionally; but my greatest passion is mentoring the youth in my community.  I teach TJYC and am grateful for being a part in helping to transform these individuals into future leaders.

My oldest is 19 and my youngest is 4, so I have a good decade or so ahead of me here!

We appreciate you joining us here today.  Thank you so much.

My pleasure.