November 30th, 2009
Many of you are aware of the fact that our family just hosted a rather large So. Cal. tour for a friend speaking on Ameri ca and principles that are needed to return her to her glory while securing our freedoms.
We had a lot of help from wonderful hosts and it was amazing…
And quite a bit of work…
I’m not complaining…
Just trying to convince you based on today’s post that I’m not completely insane…
At least not just yet…
The tour officially ended Saturday evening in Escondido…
Monday morning found my husband, Sons #1 and #2, and myself at the Riverside Convention Center…
To decorate a tree and fulfill a commitment to charity and our community…
The Festival of the Trees is quite an event.
It benefits the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at the Riverside Regional Medical Center, our county hospital.
One of the pillars of Leadership Education is Field Experience.
Here is a partial explanation of it: Students seek opportunities outside the classroom where they can serve, learn and generally experience with an eye toward greater understanding of people, organizations, the world and their unique role in it.
I seek permission to digress for a moment…
Many people ask me “what Leadership Education looks like”…
Or a personal favorite…“How did you get so lucky to have five great kids?”
Here are but two of the overriding objectives for this blog…
1. We would like you to know that we are not extraordinary as far as human capabilities are concerned…
We are, however, diligent…
We have chosen to parent purposefully…
We are far from perfect, but where our children and family are concerned
we intentionally and carefully plan…
2. With the above in mind, please don’t attribute our children to “luck.”
Moving along…
On top of what this looks like, there seems to be a concern amongst others as to how one would incorporate leadership education objectives with multiple ages…
Excellent question!…
The first thing I did, was to approach Son #1, who is a highly creative being…
In many ways…
And a HUGE lover of babies…
I “convinced” him, that yes, he DID need this experience in life, and that the county hospital’s needs were as much his issue as they are mine where responsible citizenship is concerned…
How did I do this?
With a “field trip”, of course!
He attended The Festival of the Trees information meeting with me in September…
I cannot recall what he enjoyed more…
The ER receptionist blowing Bazooka bubbles in his face as a rather impromptu greeting…
Or the profile of “any and all” whose needs are met through county hospital services…
A quick debrief with a couple of minutes for pondering the “success” of preemies advocating for themselves…
and he was “in!”
Now for the family “buy in”…
remember, 4 other sons and a large age span…
It’s really pretty simple…
Not to be confused with easy…
Can anyone say age appropriate skills?
Time consuming?…
Yes.
Efficient?
Hardly.
“Messy?”
Well…
Purposeful?…
Rewarding?…
To be continued Wednesday…
Comments?
Filed under Holiday Happenings, Leadership Education | Comments (3)
stephanie » Monday, November 30, 2009, 9:13 am
What a great experience for the entire family! Thanks for sharing.
[Reply]
Deena » Tuesday, December 1, 2009, 2:36 pm
I love the way you are interjecting the elements of a leadership education right into daily life. It means that the reader needs to follow along regularly to get the big picture, but each element is so clear when viewed in the context of your experiences.
[Reply]
We interrupt this winning frenzy… at Tommy Mom » Friday, December 11, 2009, 3:17 am
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