This summer has been...well....busy. As most of you know, Danielle and I finished our last summer of classes at UNL, and will be graduating this August with our Masters Degrees. What I love most about the summer is the opportunities to grow as a professional, and the past few years I have had the pleasure of finishing my 5 weeks of classes and going straight from that to the NCDA summer conference.
As a choral director in Nebraska, I feel it is imperative to be a member and active participant of the NCDA organization and all of the wonderful opportunities they provide. I thought about explaining everything NCDA does, but decided rather to focus on the summer conference that we hold every year on the wonderful Doane campus. I can't even begin to express the impact that the NCDA summer conference has had on my career and personal life. When I began teaching 6 years ago, I was naive. I was not connected with the state of music education and I was riding on the excitement of my high school experiences and college life. I quickly realized, after stepping into my first classroom, that these experiences would not sustain me forever. I survived my first year simply because I was still excited and ready to light the world on fire with music. I was newly married, and the energy from all of these first experiences pushed me on.
Then stress hit. I didn't realize that administrators weren't always going to make decisions for the benefit of your students and your program. I was taken aback when I realized that not all of my students were going to like me, and that in turn created animosity between parents and myself. The time commitments of a K-12 Vocal Music position was starting to wear on me, and it didn't help that I was driving 30 minutes to work everyday(which in retrospect is NOT that big of a deal).
I was looking for something to get me involved, somewhere to network, and an organization that was bursting with energy. I found that in NCDA! The first summer I attended NCDA, I vividly remember that I was scared, and intimidated by all of the "whos whos"of vocal music. I wanted to talk to them, but didn't know how. I would just sit and watch them, jealous of how energetic they were and impressed with how connected they were. Writing the check for my first summer conference was hard, as most teachers understand that money is not exactly flowing into the bank accounts.
But praise God that I did write that check, and will continue to write it! In my short 4-5 years of attending the summer conference, I have grown more than I could have imagined. I have met WONDERFUL colleagues that I know have the privilege of calling my friends. I have been given opportunities...opportunities to serve the organization and it's members.
So why do I share this? I share it because I fear that SOME people are missing this opportunity. Some don't feel that NCDA is for them. Some are afraid to write that check. I know there is a young teacher who is intimidated by the veterans, yet so eagerly wants to learn from them. I share this to encourage. I encourage active members to continue to promote this organization. I encourage new members to take a chance. I encourage you to strive to always make a difference. Jon (Pete) Peterson talked a bit about leaving a legacy at this past conference. I share these thoughts to encourage you to continually work towards YOUR legacy, whatever that may be.
If you have ANY questions about NCDA and involvement, please do not hesitate to contact me. Visit the website. Take the chance to introduce yourself to your NCDA district representative. If you have a question about literature or standards, email an R&S chair for the specific area. NCDA is nothing but an amazing organization that strives to serve the state of Nebraska through the promotion of fine choral arts. Get involved!
Showing posts with label education. Show all posts
Showing posts with label education. Show all posts
Friday, July 13, 2012
Saturday, June 30, 2012
Masters Degree
It is official....kind of! Four years ago I decided to begin my Masters Degree in Music Education, and it has been one of the best choices I have made for my career. More on that aspect in a later post...
At the end of the program, each student participates in a Comprehensive Exam. Luckily, I didn't have to take a paper test. Rather, I had the opportunity to do a 90 minute Oral Exam along with a 90 minute score study. I will quickly talk through this process so you all know what kind of a week I had. This past Thursday was the day of my comps...and after completion I felt a tid-bit better!
For comps, you start with a score study. After picking up my score from the secretary, I was escorted to a practice room where I was left with all the allowed resources...a piano and pencil! I spent the next 90 minutes analyzing the score, both the macro-analysis (form) and the micro-analysis (harmonic structures). Along with analysis, I was expected to come up with an idea of what time period this piece was composed. Did I mention that the title AND composer/arranger was not provided. A small portion of my oral comps would also revolve around my "findings" on the score study. I was lucky to have a small direction of study provided for my study, which means my committee provided me with some questions to kind of get the ball rolling on the study. To my surprise, the 90 minutes flew by and before I knew it the next student was knocking at the door to replace me and scoot me on to the oral comps.
So I made the trek down the stairs to room 109, where my committee was waiting for me. Before I go on, I do have to say that the comps weren't near as bad as I thought they would be...I think! Anyway, at the end of week 1 all students taking their comps were provided with "Directions of Study", which are essentially study guides of what we should look over from the past 4,5,6, etc. years we have been in the Masters Program. I spent the past 3 weeks studying, stressing, studying, and stressing over these directions of studies. Luckily I had a couple other colleagues taking the comps, and we spent numerous hours in the library talking over the information.
So...back to the oral comps. The four of us spent the next 90 minutes having "scholarly conversation" over the materials. I'm not going to lie, there were moments in the comps where I flat out had to tell my committee that I didn't know the information. There were other times where I would provide them an unsure answer, only to have silence as a response. THOSE were the moments that made the comps difficult. But overall, the committee did a great job of making me feel at ease and guiding me along the way. After about 80 minutes of comps, it became apparent that they had heard as much as they needed and that we were coming to a conclusion. The next part of the comps was the most nerve-racking. The committee asks you to step out of the room so they can discuss what they feel the next step should be. The options are as follows 1) pass with no need to continue with study, 2) partial pass, but you are required to review some information and come back the following week to finish up, or 3) not pass and have to return the fall to make up any areas that the committee feels you need help in. Well needless to say, that was the longest wait of the day. After what seemed like an eternity, the chair of my committee (Dr. Fuelberth) came out, gave me a hug, and congratulated me. Dr. Nierman and Dr. Woody proceeded to congratulate me as well!
THEN I relaxed...for the most part. You see, I was one of 9 students who took their comps this summer, and although I didn't know them all that well...I was nervous for them. I wanted them to succeed. For some reason I hung some of my success on how our group did. So I didn't get to relax completely, because 4 other colleagues still needed to complete their comps. Long story short, everybody who took their comps during the summer of 2012 passed...and I can safely say we were all nervous before hand and relieved afterwards.
As I said in the beginning of this post, deciding to obtain a Masters Degree was one of the best decisions I have made for my career, and I am extremely proud that I finished it. Not saying I had doubts...I'm just proud that I did! I am nervous to see what my life consists of next summer without classes. I already have had thoughts about what my next level of schooling will be...another Masters, a Doctorate, or just classes to stay involved. I would be more than happy to have suggestions or ideas from my most faithful followers :)
At the end of the program, each student participates in a Comprehensive Exam. Luckily, I didn't have to take a paper test. Rather, I had the opportunity to do a 90 minute Oral Exam along with a 90 minute score study. I will quickly talk through this process so you all know what kind of a week I had. This past Thursday was the day of my comps...and after completion I felt a tid-bit better!
For comps, you start with a score study. After picking up my score from the secretary, I was escorted to a practice room where I was left with all the allowed resources...a piano and pencil! I spent the next 90 minutes analyzing the score, both the macro-analysis (form) and the micro-analysis (harmonic structures). Along with analysis, I was expected to come up with an idea of what time period this piece was composed. Did I mention that the title AND composer/arranger was not provided. A small portion of my oral comps would also revolve around my "findings" on the score study. I was lucky to have a small direction of study provided for my study, which means my committee provided me with some questions to kind of get the ball rolling on the study. To my surprise, the 90 minutes flew by and before I knew it the next student was knocking at the door to replace me and scoot me on to the oral comps.
So I made the trek down the stairs to room 109, where my committee was waiting for me. Before I go on, I do have to say that the comps weren't near as bad as I thought they would be...I think! Anyway, at the end of week 1 all students taking their comps were provided with "Directions of Study", which are essentially study guides of what we should look over from the past 4,5,6, etc. years we have been in the Masters Program. I spent the past 3 weeks studying, stressing, studying, and stressing over these directions of studies. Luckily I had a couple other colleagues taking the comps, and we spent numerous hours in the library talking over the information.
So...back to the oral comps. The four of us spent the next 90 minutes having "scholarly conversation" over the materials. I'm not going to lie, there were moments in the comps where I flat out had to tell my committee that I didn't know the information. There were other times where I would provide them an unsure answer, only to have silence as a response. THOSE were the moments that made the comps difficult. But overall, the committee did a great job of making me feel at ease and guiding me along the way. After about 80 minutes of comps, it became apparent that they had heard as much as they needed and that we were coming to a conclusion. The next part of the comps was the most nerve-racking. The committee asks you to step out of the room so they can discuss what they feel the next step should be. The options are as follows 1) pass with no need to continue with study, 2) partial pass, but you are required to review some information and come back the following week to finish up, or 3) not pass and have to return the fall to make up any areas that the committee feels you need help in. Well needless to say, that was the longest wait of the day. After what seemed like an eternity, the chair of my committee (Dr. Fuelberth) came out, gave me a hug, and congratulated me. Dr. Nierman and Dr. Woody proceeded to congratulate me as well!
THEN I relaxed...for the most part. You see, I was one of 9 students who took their comps this summer, and although I didn't know them all that well...I was nervous for them. I wanted them to succeed. For some reason I hung some of my success on how our group did. So I didn't get to relax completely, because 4 other colleagues still needed to complete their comps. Long story short, everybody who took their comps during the summer of 2012 passed...and I can safely say we were all nervous before hand and relieved afterwards.
As I said in the beginning of this post, deciding to obtain a Masters Degree was one of the best decisions I have made for my career, and I am extremely proud that I finished it. Not saying I had doubts...I'm just proud that I did! I am nervous to see what my life consists of next summer without classes. I already have had thoughts about what my next level of schooling will be...another Masters, a Doctorate, or just classes to stay involved. I would be more than happy to have suggestions or ideas from my most faithful followers :)
Saturday, May 12, 2012
Bigger & Better...
Please...don't jump to conclusions until after you read the blog. This week God answered a prayer that many of our close friends and families were praying, and that is that a job would open up for me. On Friday, May 4th I had the opportunity to go to Omaha and interview for a vocal music position at Omaha Burke. Long story short, I received a phone call on Thursday from Human Resources and was asked if I was interested in being a Burke Bulldog. Of course I was overwhelmed with excitement and happily accepted the position.
After my adrenaline decreased, I took some time to email some of my colleagues and let them know of the change. One colleague emailed me back and said congratulations, and that I was off to bigger and better things. That phrase got me thinking..."bigger and better"...
I want to make sure people understand that bigger does NOT equal better! That has NEVER been my mindset. What opportunities I will gain from living in a large city/teaching in a small district will be offset by the things I will lose by NOT living in a small community. I believe better can be achieved regardless of size. I have seen and experienced greatness in communities of 650 and I have read stories of disappointment from communities of 500,000.
I guess my point is not to get caught up in the size or population of a location. Don't believe that this population has a direct relationship with the success. Measure success in growth! I believe that we all have opportunity to grow. I always tell my students that a stagnant lake will quickly start to smell like "poo" because it is not moving. I also believe strongly that you are either moving forward or backwards, and rarely do we simply maintain and not move. As my wife and I move out to Eastern Nebraska to start the next phase of our life, we will take many great lessons and memories with us that we have received from the wonderful community of Ogallala.
After my adrenaline decreased, I took some time to email some of my colleagues and let them know of the change. One colleague emailed me back and said congratulations, and that I was off to bigger and better things. That phrase got me thinking..."bigger and better"...
I want to make sure people understand that bigger does NOT equal better! That has NEVER been my mindset. What opportunities I will gain from living in a large city/teaching in a small district will be offset by the things I will lose by NOT living in a small community. I believe better can be achieved regardless of size. I have seen and experienced greatness in communities of 650 and I have read stories of disappointment from communities of 500,000.
I guess my point is not to get caught up in the size or population of a location. Don't believe that this population has a direct relationship with the success. Measure success in growth! I believe that we all have opportunity to grow. I always tell my students that a stagnant lake will quickly start to smell like "poo" because it is not moving. I also believe strongly that you are either moving forward or backwards, and rarely do we simply maintain and not move. As my wife and I move out to Eastern Nebraska to start the next phase of our life, we will take many great lessons and memories with us that we have received from the wonderful community of Ogallala.
Tuesday, April 24, 2012
Making a Difference
As I sit here and wind down before going to bed, it suddenly dawns on me that I have 21 more days as the director of choirs at Ogallala Public Schools. For the seniors, we only have 11 days left before we part ways. The past few weeks I have really been reflecting on our time that we have spent in Ogallala. It seems like a short 4 years ago we were packing up our few items in Kearney and moving out West, ready to take on "rural" Nebraska. Now I lay here, watching the days quickly pass before our time here dwindles.
As most of you know, I take a lot of pride and put a lot of stock into my job. I really don't know why that is. I would be the first to admit that musically, I am nothing but average. Educationally, I am not outstanding and creative in what I do. I'm not saying I am a lousy teacher, but my classroom is not that unique and earth shattering. Regardless, I take pride in what I do and want to make a difference in my job. I'm not at all like my wife in the fact that she attacks "big" issues, like social action and the entire SAT program. It seems like my one and only focus is my students.
I am concerned with whether I have taught them what is TRULY important. Yes, it is important for them to be able to sing properly, to understanding correct vowel modification, how to adjust the tuning of a difficult interval, what a picardy third is, etc. Have they left my room understanding the importance of integrity. Do they understand that popularity isn't important. Have I taught them that your actions are a clear indication of who you truly are. I lay here in bed running questions upon questions that I am afraid I haven't clearly educated my students on. I lay here in frustration at the number of times I have blatantly acted the opposite of how I expect my students to act.
So what do I do? I embrace the next 21 days. I let my students see that I love them and care for them by NOT letting up. I push through until the zero hour, when we all part ways for summer break, only then REALLY understanding that next year is not the same. I spend the next 21 days absorbing everything that my students are teaching me. I am so thankful and praise God for the opportunities I have had here in Ogallala to grow as a teacher, husband, Christian, and friend. I pray that God will always keep Ogallala and my students near to my heart, and help to to always keep in practice all I have learned while here. Lastly, I pray that God will do the same for my students. It has been a great 4 years, and I will be the same for the next 21 days with my students...focused on imparting as much knowledge as possible into them until the next time, although there will be no next time! Thank you to my students for the wonderful 4 years!
As most of you know, I take a lot of pride and put a lot of stock into my job. I really don't know why that is. I would be the first to admit that musically, I am nothing but average. Educationally, I am not outstanding and creative in what I do. I'm not saying I am a lousy teacher, but my classroom is not that unique and earth shattering. Regardless, I take pride in what I do and want to make a difference in my job. I'm not at all like my wife in the fact that she attacks "big" issues, like social action and the entire SAT program. It seems like my one and only focus is my students.
I am concerned with whether I have taught them what is TRULY important. Yes, it is important for them to be able to sing properly, to understanding correct vowel modification, how to adjust the tuning of a difficult interval, what a picardy third is, etc. Have they left my room understanding the importance of integrity. Do they understand that popularity isn't important. Have I taught them that your actions are a clear indication of who you truly are. I lay here in bed running questions upon questions that I am afraid I haven't clearly educated my students on. I lay here in frustration at the number of times I have blatantly acted the opposite of how I expect my students to act.
So what do I do? I embrace the next 21 days. I let my students see that I love them and care for them by NOT letting up. I push through until the zero hour, when we all part ways for summer break, only then REALLY understanding that next year is not the same. I spend the next 21 days absorbing everything that my students are teaching me. I am so thankful and praise God for the opportunities I have had here in Ogallala to grow as a teacher, husband, Christian, and friend. I pray that God will always keep Ogallala and my students near to my heart, and help to to always keep in practice all I have learned while here. Lastly, I pray that God will do the same for my students. It has been a great 4 years, and I will be the same for the next 21 days with my students...focused on imparting as much knowledge as possible into them until the next time, although there will be no next time! Thank you to my students for the wonderful 4 years!
Thursday, July 22, 2010
Talent is Never Enough Chapter 2: "Passion Energizes Your Talent"
The focus of Chapter two is PASSION! For my students, you know that I am very enthusiastic when it comes to passion. Before sharing my thoughts on passion, let's review some of Maxwell's thoughts on passion.
Maxwell argues that a passionate person with limited talent will outperform a passive person who possesses great talent. He feels this is because passionate people act with boundless enthusiasm, and they just keep going. One research studied showed the correlation between following passion and financial success
1) Passion is the First Step to Achievement: loving what you do is the key that opens the door for achievement; it's difficult to achieve when you don't have the desire to do so; the only way you can achieve anything of significance is to really want it. Passion provides that.
2) Passion Increases Willpower: what we accomplish in life is based less on what we want and more on how much we want it; people who want something enough usually find the willpower to achieve it; you can't help people become winners unless they want to win
3) Passion Produces Energy: with passion, you don't have to produce perseverance because it is naturally present in you. If somebody claims to feel "burnt out", the truth is that they probably never were on fire.
4) Passion Is the Foundation for Excellence
5) Passion Is the Key to Success: People are such that whenever anything fires their souls, impossibilities vanish; When 200 executives were asked what makes people successful, the #1 quality given was enthusiasm, NOT TALENT! 80% recognized that there needed to be a fire within to achieve success
6) Passion Makes a Person Contagious: people are instructed by reason, but they are inspired by passion.
1) Prioritize Your Life According to Your Passion: don't spend too much time doing tasks for which you neither possess talent or passion. You must align what you are doing with your passions. This will not eliminate struggles, but you can face them with greater energy & enthusiasm. Makings this changes will involve risk, but it is so important to have your priorities line up with your passions.
2)Protect Your Passions: In life, there are two types of people when it comes to YOUR passions, they are either firelighters or firefighters. Firelighters are those who encourage you to follow your passions & dreams. Firefighters are those who throw cold water on your fire of passion and put it out. These are the individuals you want to distance yourself from, and they always find the negative in a situation. Firefighters use phrases like: "It's not in the budget", "That's not practical", "It'll never work", "That's not how we do things around here". These individuals, plain and simple, keep people from reaching their potential by trying to put out their fore of their passion.
3) Pursue Your Passion with Everything You've Got: Do you want to focus your energy on survival, success, or significance? You need to dream big. Maxwell ends by saying, "Your passion has the potential to provide you energy far beyond the limitations of your talent. In the end, you will be remembered for your passion.
Helzer's Thoughts
Living a passionate life is so much more rewarding than going through the motions of an mundane job that you are collecting paychecks for. What is mundane to me may be a passion for somebody else, so pursue your personal passion. Life is NOT about how big your bank account is or how nice your house is. Now I understand those MAY be byproducts of living a passionate life, but to me following your passions is living a fulfilling life. Just through the process of talking about passion I feel more uplifted and able to handle more difficult situations. The point Maxwell made that hit hard with me was to "Protect Your Passion." It is so important to have the strength to cut yourself off from those who are stomping on your passions. Unfortunately, those could be superiors who you can't avoid, but strive to surround yourself with MORE firelighters than firefighters. I LOVE taking Master's Classes because for 5 weeks, I am surrounded by other professionals who share some of the same passions. I LOVE attend NCDA or NMEA conventions because if feels like I just juiced up on 'roids or something. I return to my everyday life fired up. The goal then is to remain fired up, but SURROUNDING yourself with lighter fluid. In 7 days, Danielle and I leave for Poland for a missions trip. My hopes and prayers is that we return with a uncontrollable fire for Christ and can keep that fire burning strong in Ogallala.
If anybody out there feels they need that "lifeline" or connection with somebody who shares the same passions, seek them out. You know how to get a hold of me (or should). Please remember to follow your passion, prioritize your life around them, and PROTECT them. What you are passionate about will help determine what life you will live and be happy!
Maxwell argues that a passionate person with limited talent will outperform a passive person who possesses great talent. He feels this is because passionate people act with boundless enthusiasm, and they just keep going. One research studied showed the correlation between following passion and financial success
- 1500 people participated in this study. 83%(group A) of them embarked on a career chosen for the prospects of making money now in order to do what they wanted later. 17%(group B) pursued what they wanted to do now and worry about money later. At the end of 2o years, 101 had become millionaires. Of the 101 millionaires, only 1 was from group A
1) Passion is the First Step to Achievement: loving what you do is the key that opens the door for achievement; it's difficult to achieve when you don't have the desire to do so; the only way you can achieve anything of significance is to really want it. Passion provides that.
2) Passion Increases Willpower: what we accomplish in life is based less on what we want and more on how much we want it; people who want something enough usually find the willpower to achieve it; you can't help people become winners unless they want to win
3) Passion Produces Energy: with passion, you don't have to produce perseverance because it is naturally present in you. If somebody claims to feel "burnt out", the truth is that they probably never were on fire.
"Death isn't the greatest loss in life. The greatest loss is what dies inside of us while we live" - Norman Cousins
4) Passion Is the Foundation for Excellence
5) Passion Is the Key to Success: People are such that whenever anything fires their souls, impossibilities vanish; When 200 executives were asked what makes people successful, the #1 quality given was enthusiasm, NOT TALENT! 80% recognized that there needed to be a fire within to achieve success
6) Passion Makes a Person Contagious: people are instructed by reason, but they are inspired by passion.
"You cannot kindle a fire in any other heart until it is burning within your own" - Eleanor DoanMaxwell Then goes on to explain how to fire up your passion. I found this part of the chapter to be especially rewarding and motivating.
1) Prioritize Your Life According to Your Passion: don't spend too much time doing tasks for which you neither possess talent or passion. You must align what you are doing with your passions. This will not eliminate struggles, but you can face them with greater energy & enthusiasm. Makings this changes will involve risk, but it is so important to have your priorities line up with your passions.
2)Protect Your Passions: In life, there are two types of people when it comes to YOUR passions, they are either firelighters or firefighters. Firelighters are those who encourage you to follow your passions & dreams. Firefighters are those who throw cold water on your fire of passion and put it out. These are the individuals you want to distance yourself from, and they always find the negative in a situation. Firefighters use phrases like: "It's not in the budget", "That's not practical", "It'll never work", "That's not how we do things around here". These individuals, plain and simple, keep people from reaching their potential by trying to put out their fore of their passion.
3) Pursue Your Passion with Everything You've Got: Do you want to focus your energy on survival, success, or significance? You need to dream big. Maxwell ends by saying, "Your passion has the potential to provide you energy far beyond the limitations of your talent. In the end, you will be remembered for your passion.
Helzer's Thoughts
Living a passionate life is so much more rewarding than going through the motions of an mundane job that you are collecting paychecks for. What is mundane to me may be a passion for somebody else, so pursue your personal passion. Life is NOT about how big your bank account is or how nice your house is. Now I understand those MAY be byproducts of living a passionate life, but to me following your passions is living a fulfilling life. Just through the process of talking about passion I feel more uplifted and able to handle more difficult situations. The point Maxwell made that hit hard with me was to "Protect Your Passion." It is so important to have the strength to cut yourself off from those who are stomping on your passions. Unfortunately, those could be superiors who you can't avoid, but strive to surround yourself with MORE firelighters than firefighters. I LOVE taking Master's Classes because for 5 weeks, I am surrounded by other professionals who share some of the same passions. I LOVE attend NCDA or NMEA conventions because if feels like I just juiced up on 'roids or something. I return to my everyday life fired up. The goal then is to remain fired up, but SURROUNDING yourself with lighter fluid. In 7 days, Danielle and I leave for Poland for a missions trip. My hopes and prayers is that we return with a uncontrollable fire for Christ and can keep that fire burning strong in Ogallala.
If anybody out there feels they need that "lifeline" or connection with somebody who shares the same passions, seek them out. You know how to get a hold of me (or should). Please remember to follow your passion, prioritize your life around them, and PROTECT them. What you are passionate about will help determine what life you will live and be happy!
Sunday, July 18, 2010
Talent is Never Enough: Preface
So I have actually read the first two chapters of this book, and can't recall a whole lot of information that I digested. Like I said....bad memory. So before continuing with reading, I'm going to skim through the first two chapters and refresh my memory, blogging my thoughts and important quotes I find along the way.
The book Talent is Never Enough starts with a preface to the first chapter. Within this opening, Maxwell asks the question: DO YOU HAVE WHAT IT TAKES? He is talking about succeeding. Do "I" have the necessary tools to be successful. Maxwell then goes on to share some of his beliefs in regards to talent & success:
1) EVERYONE HAS TALENT: "people have equal value, but not equal giftedness" As an educator, this quote really hits home. There are times I find my students values in their gifts. I need to strive to view ALL of my students as equal regardless of their abilities. Maxwell also reassures the believe that "all of us have something we can do well" If this is true, it is my responsibility to find that "something" within myself and within those who I live with and am around daily.
2)DEVELOP THE TALENT YOU HAVE, NOT THE ONE YOU WANT: "why do most people spend the majority of their time focused on strengthening their weaknesses?" Maxwell teaches people to stop working on weaknesses & start working on strengths. To be completely honest, I don't know how I feel about this. It really forces me to forget the feeling that I shouldn't have weaknesses. Human condition provides the opportunity for ALL to have weaknesses, so why should we focus on them? If I were to focus on this approach to talent, I would NOT be blogging right now, I would NOT be making a conscious effort to read more, and I would DEFINITELY not be focusing on my piano skills. I think I would be continue to focus on relationships. I would look more at character education. My life would be even MORE engrossed with the youth of America! This is still a tough point for me to continue to chew on...any outside thoughts?
3)ANYONE CAN MAKE CHOICES THAT WILL ADD VALUE TO TALENT: "the key choices you make - apart from the natural talent you already have - will set you apart from others ho have talent alone" Maxwell adds 13 key choices that can be made to maximize any person's talent. For the sake of simplicity, I'm focusing on the token word of each choices: Belief, Passion, Initiative, Focus, Preparation, Practice, Perseverance, Courage, Teachability, Character, Relationships, Responsibility, & Teamwork. Talent alone will help you along the path of success, but focusing on the above words will help you to stand out in your field of choice. Make it a goal to weekly focus on one of the above terms & see what difference it can make in your successes.
So what does all of this mean? Talent is truly NEVER enough. You have to make a decision to work at those talents to maximize true growth. As I continue to read this blog, I'm really going to strive to find ways to apply this to ALL areas of my life. It is easy to find the connection to my career, but what about my walk with God, my service to my wife, my relationships with friends & families. Success, leadership, and talent play important roles in ALL of these areas of life, so don't neglect majority to gain growth in just one!
Dr. Suess said it best in the book "Oh the Places You'll Go!" when he said:
The book Talent is Never Enough starts with a preface to the first chapter. Within this opening, Maxwell asks the question: DO YOU HAVE WHAT IT TAKES? He is talking about succeeding. Do "I" have the necessary tools to be successful. Maxwell then goes on to share some of his beliefs in regards to talent & success:
1) EVERYONE HAS TALENT: "people have equal value, but not equal giftedness" As an educator, this quote really hits home. There are times I find my students values in their gifts. I need to strive to view ALL of my students as equal regardless of their abilities. Maxwell also reassures the believe that "all of us have something we can do well" If this is true, it is my responsibility to find that "something" within myself and within those who I live with and am around daily.
2)DEVELOP THE TALENT YOU HAVE, NOT THE ONE YOU WANT: "why do most people spend the majority of their time focused on strengthening their weaknesses?" Maxwell teaches people to stop working on weaknesses & start working on strengths. To be completely honest, I don't know how I feel about this. It really forces me to forget the feeling that I shouldn't have weaknesses. Human condition provides the opportunity for ALL to have weaknesses, so why should we focus on them? If I were to focus on this approach to talent, I would NOT be blogging right now, I would NOT be making a conscious effort to read more, and I would DEFINITELY not be focusing on my piano skills. I think I would be continue to focus on relationships. I would look more at character education. My life would be even MORE engrossed with the youth of America! This is still a tough point for me to continue to chew on...any outside thoughts?
3)ANYONE CAN MAKE CHOICES THAT WILL ADD VALUE TO TALENT: "the key choices you make - apart from the natural talent you already have - will set you apart from others ho have talent alone" Maxwell adds 13 key choices that can be made to maximize any person's talent. For the sake of simplicity, I'm focusing on the token word of each choices: Belief, Passion, Initiative, Focus, Preparation, Practice, Perseverance, Courage, Teachability, Character, Relationships, Responsibility, & Teamwork. Talent alone will help you along the path of success, but focusing on the above words will help you to stand out in your field of choice. Make it a goal to weekly focus on one of the above terms & see what difference it can make in your successes.
So what does all of this mean? Talent is truly NEVER enough. You have to make a decision to work at those talents to maximize true growth. As I continue to read this blog, I'm really going to strive to find ways to apply this to ALL areas of my life. It is easy to find the connection to my career, but what about my walk with God, my service to my wife, my relationships with friends & families. Success, leadership, and talent play important roles in ALL of these areas of life, so don't neglect majority to gain growth in just one!
Dr. Suess said it best in the book "Oh the Places You'll Go!" when he said:
You have brains in your head.
You have feet in your shoes
You can steer yoruself
Any direction you choose.
You have feet in your shoes
You can steer yoruself
Any direction you choose.
So I ask you...which direction are you steering your life?
Saturday, July 17, 2010
Attempt At Intellect
So here I sit, hesitantly diving into the realms of blogging. My wife has been blogging for quite some time now, as has my sister...and I have felt the pressure to take a stab at this whole blogging thing myself. For those of you who know me, I'm not eloquent with words. Most of the time, I don't have anything of importance to say, and I would prefer to make some snide or sarcastic remark to participate in a conversation. So why the change of heart?
PEER PRESSURE! kind of. My wife always talks about how much it helps her to put her thought into words. I also had the opportunity to complete my second summer of Master's Classes and really enjoyed learning! Don't get me wrong, I missed my summer...but being surrounded by scholarly individuals who have a passion for learning and music really inspired me to grow personally & professionally. Also, for those of you who DON'T know me, I have a horrible memory. I hope by synthesizing my thoughts it will help me to submit more information to memory.
So what do I post on? Should I post on the day in the life of Helzer? Do I post my thoughts on politics & religion? Do I post the most random information I can possibly think of? Or do I just strive to post, not letting this idea vanish within a week of conception?
I'm going to begin my first posting series on Leadership. This summer I decided to do some more reading into leadership, hoping to grow my leadership abilities & my ability to lead my students to productive leadership. I will be keeping you up-to-date with my current reading and thoughts. I encourage any followers (I can't help but laugh at the thought of somebody following my blog) to post questions, comments, or arguments that will force me to think even more! The first book that I bought concerning leadership is by John C. Maxwell. It is actually a piece of literature containing two books, "Becoming an person of Influence" & Talent is Never Enough."
Please enjoy the readings and I hope you can find something of worth in it...whether it be a great idea or HORRIBLE grammar!
PEER PRESSURE! kind of. My wife always talks about how much it helps her to put her thought into words. I also had the opportunity to complete my second summer of Master's Classes and really enjoyed learning! Don't get me wrong, I missed my summer...but being surrounded by scholarly individuals who have a passion for learning and music really inspired me to grow personally & professionally. Also, for those of you who DON'T know me, I have a horrible memory. I hope by synthesizing my thoughts it will help me to submit more information to memory.
So what do I post on? Should I post on the day in the life of Helzer? Do I post my thoughts on politics & religion? Do I post the most random information I can possibly think of? Or do I just strive to post, not letting this idea vanish within a week of conception?
I'm going to begin my first posting series on Leadership. This summer I decided to do some more reading into leadership, hoping to grow my leadership abilities & my ability to lead my students to productive leadership. I will be keeping you up-to-date with my current reading and thoughts. I encourage any followers (I can't help but laugh at the thought of somebody following my blog) to post questions, comments, or arguments that will force me to think even more! The first book that I bought concerning leadership is by John C. Maxwell. It is actually a piece of literature containing two books, "Becoming an person of Influence" & Talent is Never Enough."
Please enjoy the readings and I hope you can find something of worth in it...whether it be a great idea or HORRIBLE grammar!
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