The concept that we are discussing today is kind of tough to understand upon hearing its name: ignorant intelligence. While this is a confusing name, the concept isn’t complicated, and it is something with which we all likely have an experience. Ignorant intelligence is the idea that we don’t know that we cannot do something because someone has not told us we can’t do it. Because someone hasn’t yet told us that we cannot do something, we continue to try to do that thing. 

We likely all have an experience in our past where we did not realize a limit until someone else placed it on us. Maybe you used to have a passion for art until one day someone else told you that you had no talent. Comments like that can completely shake a person’s confidence and cause him to give up the pursuit of something he really loves. That feeling before someone else limits you is so pure and rare, and it’s something I wish people could experience more frequently. 

This ignorant intelligence is seen most often in children and adolescents. Because we protect children (to an extent) from adversity, they get to spend some time in this blissful ignorance, free of negative commentary. While this feeling sounds idealistic, it’s so healthy for children to experience it. A great example of this concept happened a few weeks ago in our elementary school. Every student in our kindergarten class prepared a presentation on a notable African American person in history for Black History Month. Not only did they prepare the presentation, but they also traveled from classroom to classroom giving their presentation in front of older elementary students. Several teachers commented on how confidently these children spoke. They also correctly used and pronounced vocabulary words that were way above their level. Overall, they did a great job and showcased a command of the subject matter that you would not expect from five-year-olds. 

This is a great example of what kids can do when they don’t know that they are not supposed to be able to do something. Public speaking is a very difficult skill, and they covered a serious topic with advanced concepts and spoke in front of older students. It did not shake them. There were no tears, no stage fright, just thorough, well-delivered presentations. I think that is so amazing. So what happens between kindergarten and middle school that makes public speaking so terrifying? The ignorant intelligence is lost somewhere during that time. 

By the time students reach upper elementary, many would not be able to give this level of presentation. We see confident students develop stage fright and begin to add fillers throughout their sentences like, “uh” and “um.” Students give nervous, anxious, and in some cases physically sick before having to speak in front of their peers, let alone older students. The shift in this scenario is an outside opinion. Somewhere along the way that student was told he wasn’t a good speaker, or he didn’t know what he was talking about, or he saw another student go through this and internalized that feeling. Whether or not the student is aware of that, that opinion is now with him in the back of his head every time he gets up to speak in front of people. 

Unfortunately, I don’t have great advice for overcoming this once it has occurred. Obviously, you can look at the facts and focus on past successful moments. But one thing that you can definitely do is make sure you do not do this to someone else. You don’t need to give children an inflated ego, but think twice before you criticize. If your younger sibling shows you a drawing of an alligator that looks more like the swamp than the animal, the first thing out of your mouth shouldn’t be, “Wow, that’s terrible. I can’t even tell what I am looking at.” You don’t have to lie to them and tell them it is the best alligator you have ever seen, but you can find something positive to say. Maybe you compliment his creativity or his color choice. Criticizing his realism will not make him better, it will just make him insecure to show you his next masterpiece. When you see ignorant intelligence in people, do what you can to preserve it. It’s amazing what people can do when they don’t know that they aren’t supposed to be able to do it. 

-          Bria

     This week’s aspect of this month’s leadership trait is an oxymoron:  ignorant intelligence.  It simply means “not knowing you can’t do something,” and it speaks to those times when our desire carries us far into an accomplishment simply because we do not have anything telling us it can’t.  I told the kids that it was like when they first started walking.  They didn’t know their little legs couldn’t stand well, so they pulled themselves up on every couch and coffee table until the legs kept them up.  I reminded them that their parents did not push them down and say, “You can’t do that” to try to keep them from trying.  On the contrary, they probably took video!

     Knowing when to fuel our children’s desires and when to give them a dose of reality is a very hard skill to acquire.  It requires lots of guidance so that your child does not end up on a couch, discussing either your lack of support or his failure due to your allowing him to believe that he could do anything.  So, how do we navigate this narrow strait? 

    First of all, look back at your own life and how your parents taught you.  My mother taught piano lessons at our house.  I wanted desperately to play the piano, but I did not want lessons.  Being on the gifted side, I was also stubborn, and I had it in my mind that lessons meant more practice, and I wanted to be free to play when I wanted to.  I played for my middle school choir and sometimes my high school choir.  I accompanied soloists in band and choir, and I played for myself when I sang at church.  I was a musician, and my goal was to be a high school music teacher.  No one had told me I couldn’t.  In fact, everyone, including my parents, told me that I was very talented, and they provided a way for me to go to one of the best vocal music schools in the state.

   When I got to that school, I did make the varsity choir and I was chosen to be in an a cappella vocal group, but my vocal coach was one of the lesser teachers, and I practically had to start over in piano.  The only thing the music department ever told me that I did really well was reading music.  This was the first time I’ve ever been told that I wasn’t up to snuff… and it killed my dream.  Okay, that’s not completely true. I killed my dream.  The university told me that, if I wanted to do what I dreamed, I was going to have to put a whole lot more effort into my piano skills and my vocal lessons.  I didn’t want to.  That cut into my social time!  So, I didn’t, and I lost getting to go to that school.

   Now, I wouldn’t trade any of that journey.  It led me to elementary education, which has led me to all areas of education… even eventually to high school music teacher!  And I didn’t need a couch to come to this conclusion.  So, here are some lessons from what my parents did: 

1)       They had a piano available so that I could learn, even though it was on my own terms.

2)       They gave me many opportunities to sing in public. (It helped that my dad was a minister of music!)

3)       They applauded my accomplishments in music:  honor choirs, solos, a senior schedule that included varsity choir, jazz ensemble, and honors theory!

4)       They sent me to the private school where some of the best musicians were cultivated.

And this is the most important one…

5)      They told me the requirements for staying there, and when I didn’t meet them, took that opportunity away.

   Every year as my daughter and I counsel high schoolers as to where to apply for college, I am amazed at the number of kids who have totally unrealistic goals.  They’ve got a 3.0 GPA and an ACT score below 20, and they are convinced they will go to a service academy or go to medical school.  That’s not going to happen.  Where did the parents mess up?  It was back in seventh or eighth grade when they did not have a conversation with their child about career and future desires. 

    Now, I will tell you that neither of my kids had settled on what they would eventually choose as a major by their eighth grade year, but both had strong ideas.  In 6th and 7th grade, my son’s grades were A’s and B’s with maybe a C in there.  He could have been a straight-A student, but he wanted to “fit in.” Right before his eighth grade year, he announced that he would like to go to West Point like his dad had.  I knew that was highly unlikely because I knew he wouldn’t want to later based upon things only moms see.  I didn’t tell him he couldn’t do it, though.  I took him to West Point for a tour. They thought he was in high school.  They told him to be the captain of every team, to be the president of every council, and to get good grades and high scores on his college entrance exams.  He never made less than an A after that visit.  He did, however, end up going to the School of the Art Institute at Chicago instead of West Point.  Impressive in and of itself, it was a full 180 from a service academy.  Because I had allowed him to investigate his idea, he got advice that led to a standard that translates to any major in any school.

   My daughter knew she had a head for leadership and business very early.  By her junior year, she had declared that she would major in business.  As people learned of this, they kept saying, “Wow!  You must be good at math.”  She didn’t like math.  This led to a tearful conversation about losing her plan and not having a back-up.  She and I began to investigate in what she had strengths, and all of her marketing during the six years she had done BEST Robotics led us to explore public relations.  Her exact words were, “I can major in that?” Not only did she major in it, she finished her bachelors and masters in four years and won the prestigious Jack Coten Page Principles Case Study Award from the Arthur W. Page Society and the Institute for Public Relations.

   If you want to be a part of the conversation, you have to be IN the conversation.  Kids from families who have never actually discussed college rarely end up in a great college.  They’ve just “ never really thought about it.”  The conversation can be an ongoing discussion about possibilities. That means that family trips should also include visits to colleges in the area once your kids are late middle school.  It means that you should investigate their strengths with them, and when they express interest in a certain area, you have to resist the urge to take charge of making that happen.  Offer to help them explore the idea, but let them take the lead in how to do that (as long as it is reasonable, of course).  If you will create a dialogue about your child’s future with your child, you will be able to know about which dreams you can let them have ignorant intelligence and about which you should be very frank about the possibilities. 

-          Michelle

Desire: Converting Mediocrity to Outstanding Success

The desire to be successful must be great enough to overcome the many negative influences which surround us and scream out to us every day of our lives.  The “mob mentality” which is so prevalent today, thanks to the interconnectivity of the Internet, works to push down on any desire one might have to rise beyond the average.

    I believe a person has to believe in his/her self-worth in order to achieve anything in life.  As we have looked at Zig Ziglar’s steps to the top, we have noted self-image is very important.  As I have been teaching my students about contributions of African Americans this month, I was reminded of the great achievements of Dr. George Washington Carver.  This son of slaves was born at the end of the civil war in Diamond, Missouri.  His great accomplishments included finding over three hundred uses for the lowly peanut.  These uses included milk, flour, soap, dye, chalk, and paint.  He was a man of faith.  From an early age, he felt God helping him to fulfill his purpose in life.

    In his own words, “…When I read the Scriptures, “In Him we live and move and have our being,” I knew what the writer meant.  Never since have I been without this consciousness of the Creator speaking to me…”  “Man, who needed a purpose a mission, to keep him alive, had one.  He could be…God’s co-worker…My attitude toward life was also my attitude toward science.  My purpose alone must be God’s purpose – to increase the welfare and happiness of His people.  Nature will not permit a vacuum.  It will be filled with something.  Human need is really a great spiritual vacuum which God seeks to fill…  As I worked on projects which fulfilled a real human need, forces were working through me which amazed me.  I would often go to sleep with an apparently insoluble problem.  When I woke the answer was there.”  “Service is the real measure of success.”

    Dr. Carver’s attitude was one filled with desire to be successful in helping humanity.  He was the first African American to have a national memorial funded by the government.  

While I am quoting Dr. Carver and thinking about his desire to help others, I want to pass along this list he once compiled of eight cardinal virtues for his students to strive toward, which sum up his own approach to life:

·         Be clean both inside and out.

·         Neither look up to the rich nor down on the poor.

·         Lose, if need be, without squealing.

·         Win without bragging.

·         Always be considerate of women, children, and older people.

·         Be too brave to lie.

·         Be too generous to cheat.

·         Take your share of the world and let others take theirs               

                                                          -Kay

    Nothing disappoints me more than my own mediocrity.  I can remember one teacher evaluation system by which I was evaluated as a music teacher in Texas.  There were several items on the list that did not pertain to music classes, so the principal just gave me 3’s, which equated to a “C.”  I had a fit.  I felt that I should not be labeled as “mediocre” when I had no way to be able to score high.  Often, we did not live on the military posts at which my husband was stationed.  Know why?  All the houses looked the same.  Mine couldn’t stand out.

    My first few years of teaching, I felt the need to stand out from all the rest so strongly that I wrote and produced dinner theater musicals, designed t-shirts for my students, and even organized a district-wide bike ride to support D.A.R.E.  I wanted to be the best teacher my school had ever seen.

    It wasn’t until I was pregnant with Bria and asked to slow down that I realized how little it takes to be above average nowadays.  I had to rely on workbooks and worksheets, which I do not normally do; yet, people were still calling me an outstanding teacher. 

    I still do a lot more than the average teacher, but my motivation is not to impress.  Instead, I do all of this because someone has to!  I do it well because I want people to be impressed, but the amount of work I do is a necessity.

    Our whole program at our school is based on doing more than what is required.  We show kids all the time how little it takes to be above average nowadays.  The kids know that their A’s don’t come cheaply; they have to actually work for them.  They don’t desire to go out and make easy A’s in the public schools because they know they won’t get where they want to go. 

    I have been having my kids (6th- 10th) reflect upon the pandemic quarantine time and what they’ve learned.  Can I just tell you that the kids are going to be okay?!  I am really impressed with what our kids have learned about themselves, the nature of people, and how to use given time well since it is a gift.  So many of the kids set goals, developed new interests, and began major projects.  I am very impressed!  For the first time in a long time, I see kids with hope for their futures.  I’m saying that many before them felt the world was getting worse.  This group is excited about the road ahead and the opportunities.  Because we have been in school this whole time, they see the advantage they’ve had, and they don’t plan to waste this opportunity that propelled them out in front.  These are truly exceptional kids!

-          Michelle

Have you ever gone through a period of being complacent and getting into a routine, then you make a big move that changes a lot of things in your life? Doesn’t that feel great? For me, I will go through periods where I get stuck in a rut and I am accomplishing what I need to, but I am not pushing myself. Then, seemingly out of nowhere, inspiration hits me and I knock out a bunch of those evergreen to-do list items that aren’t urgent but will improve your life upon completion. Every time this happens, I feel on top of the world and very accomplished, but I also feel stupid for not doing these things earlier. 

A great example that is somewhat embarrassing to share is my recent struggle with my garage door opener. Sometime about six or seven months ago my one and only remote for the garage door opener broke. We switched the batteries, messed with the wiring, tried to reset it, and nothing worked. At that point, most normal humans would buy a new garage door opener. That is not what my husband and I did. We opened the garage door from the wall-mounted opener in the garage, backed the car into the driveway, and then went back inside to close the garage. Once inside the garage, we then would run at the closing garage door and try to step over the sensor while also ducking so as not to be decapitated by the closing garage door. At first, we could do this successfully about 2 out of 3 times. Sometimes we would give up, close the garage, go back in the house and come out the front door. 

Eventually, we got pretty good at jumping the sensor. That’s not the point of this. We did this stupid practice for six months! A mix of laziness and uncertainty about how to get a new garage door opener for our very specific off-brand garage door opening system kept us doing this ridiculous ritual for half of a year. So what, you ask, finally convinced us to figure this situation out? We had company coming to stay with us and the embarrassment of others viewing this, now completely routine, stupid thing we were doing was enough to push us to action. We both dreaded fixing this problem. What if it wasn’t the remote and it was actually an issue with the garage door opener? What if we couldn’t find the right remote for this really specific off-brand garage door opener? Guess what it took to significantly improve our lives? $30 at Lowe’s and 10 minutes of effort setting it up…$30 and 10 minutes versus half a year of what we were doing to work around it. 

So what is the point of this long-winded window into my home life? Well, this week we are talking about converting mediocrity into success. Mediocrity is running and jumping (while ducking) over a sensor in your garage for six months rather than spending $30 and 10 minutes to fix something. But why did I do that? Ultimately, it was a fear and a lack of understanding of the issue. I was worried that the problem was bigger than the remote. I didn’t want to know what it could take to fix it if it was bigger than just replacing a remote. I think this is what gets in the way of a lot of people’s success and keeps people living in mediocrity. It’s fear and lack of motivation. 

So how do we get past that? Well, sometimes life will provide your needed kick in the pants (like your in-laws coming to stay at your house). But a lot of times this won’t be the case. You are going to have to find a way to motivate yourself to achieve success. One thing that really works for me is to-do lists. Physical to-do lists that sit on my desk remind made of what I need to accomplish and encourage me to keep moving forward. The way that the mediocre part of my brain “hacks” this hack is that I can convince myself that certain things don’t actually need to go on the to-do list. So I will put things like, “write your blog, make lesson plans, grade essays,” on the to-do list, but I won’t put things like, “significantly improve your life by spending $30 and 10 minutes to fix your garage.” By keeping these things off my to-do list I still get the reward of crossing off things that I know I will do anyway. This is not advice-do not do as I do. 

So here is my challenge to you this week. Sit down, make a to-do list. Start with the things you will finish immediately, but make sure to include the garage doors in your life. What are those things that you can do in school or in your career or your personal life that are hard or scare you, but will ultimately improve your life? Let’s tackle those together. Conquering those to-do list items is the way you convert mediocrity to success.

                                                                                -Bria

Desire: The Great "Equalizer"

This month we are discussing the final step on the ladder to success. This step is arguably the most important because without it you will not have the motivation to see your goals through. That step is desire. The desire to succeed is vital to the process of succeeding. Without it, you will likely burn out or get off track somewhere along your journey. 

Think about how you performed in school. Did you give every single subject your full commitment and attention? More than likely there were some subjects that you were more dedicated to and some that you did what you needed to do to survive. Generally, this can be linked to interest. If you liked literature, it was easier to motivate yourself to complete that work quickly and thoroughly. If you hated math, you might have procrastinated or put less effort into the classwork for that subject. The difference there is a desire to exceed in certain subjects. 

This can also be seen in our work. If you have been in a job that you truly are passionate about, you know that it is much easier to motivate yourself to work hard. Whereas when you are unhappy at work, it can be difficult to even drag yourself out of bed in the morning. It is a good feeling when you can enjoy the work you do and desire to continue that work. So, what do we do if we do not desire to continue our current job? 

This is where the desire to succeed comes into play. If you truly desire success, you will be able to motivate yourself at any stage of that journey. Whether you are in your dream job, or you are an intern for someone who has your dream job, your desire to succeed can help move you forward in your journey. Without this desire to succeed you might find yourself burning out or losing interest in your career. 

Take all of the skills we have talked about so far and pair them with a desire to succeed. That is the recipe for success. You need the other steps. You have to have a great attitude, you have to be willing to put in the work, and you need to set goals for yourself. But without a desire for success, these other steps have a great chance of falling flat. If you do not currently have that desire within yourself, try to examine why that is. Maybe you are pursuing the wrong career or life plan. Maybe there are other stressors in your life that are suppressing this desire. Take some time and really sit with that thought and try to get to the bottom of the issue. Before you take that next big step in your journey, make sure that you are setting your intentions on success. 

-       Bria

   Is there any group more interested in fairness than gifted kids? (Except, of course, when they’re about to lose!) Well, evidentially we have within us a built-in equalizer, and that is desire. 

   Our school is designed for gifted students, but highly-driven students do well, too. I often have parents tell me that they don’t know if their child is gifted, but he/she sure does work hard. I always tell them how much more I love working with that type of student. Gifted children don’t always feel the need to prove to teachers that they are smart.  But a highly-driven student wants to prove he’s just as smart as a gifted kid.  Because of that desire, he will outperform many gifted kids nine times out of ten.  That’s my kind of student!

    As parents of gifted kids, it is important that we cultivate desire.  It’s also the trickiest thing we will ever have to do with our gifted kids. If we seem too excited about an activity, most gifted will pass.  When we feign disinterest, and our gifted kid joins the activity, we have to be careful not to support too much.  If we go “all in” and buy the best equipment and lessons, our gifted kids suddenly want to quit.  

   My advice is to support your gifted child’s endeavors but set some ground rules for all activities.  

1. Once started, you cannot quit for the length of the season (or a year, if no season exists).

2. Should you decide to just quit trying since I won’t let you quit the activity, I will (fill in the blank) (... stop paying you allowance OR ...put you on restriction until you begin trying again OR … make you do so many hours of community service to make up for my wasted investment OR something like that.)

   To promote desire regarding attending a good college and getting a good job, actually visiting college campuses and sticking around for an event is a great way to build desire.  When a youth can get a vision of his future, it is amazing how much he will do to attain it.

   The greatest thing about desire is that it can beat intelligence and unfair advantages to give pretty much anyone a fighting chance!

-       Michelle

   Mary Crowley was the CEO of the highly successful Home Interiors company during the 1970s.  One of the quotes attributed to her was that a person needed to find something he/she loved to do; practice it until you were good at it; give the product away to others for free until people were willing to pay you for it; and then fulfill your dream successfully. (This is a very loosely stated version of her quote.)

    The desire to do something successfully must be the fuel driving a person’s dream.  Zig Ziglar talks of having “intellectual ignorance” which means not accepting the fact that something “new” can’t be done.  With the “desire” driving the engine of invention, a person can press on until he/she reaches success.

    I must admit that I haven’t met too many students in the past decade who have shown me such “desire” or “drive.”  I can think of two who have not only achieved their dreams…but both of them did so at an unusually young age.  One of these young men actually opened his own company while he was a student at Lawton Academy.

    In my own life, I had two “desires” which drove me to the successes I have enjoyed during my lifetime.  One of the major “desires” was just as Zig Ziglar talks about: “when life gives you lemons…make lemonade out of it!”  My desire to get out of the inner city where I lived my childhood, and out of the poverty my family endured was a “burning” desire which I fed by consuming every book and National Geographic Magazine I could lay my hands on in the school libraries.  The other driving force was to be able to help children who have been victims of abuse and/or neglect.  My path to success has come about as my faith in Jesus grew and I claimed the Bible promise: “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”  

    I have journaled much of my life, and these journals attest to the phenomenal answers to prayer and guidance in my life.  So, I agree with Mary Crowley on one more factor.  She said, “I turn my troubles over to God every night…because He’s going to be up all night anyway!”

    Finally, I can say this has been a wonderful ride…all the ups and downs have not prevented me from realizing my dream.  No, it is not an easy task to climb the steps to success; however, it is well worth the effort!         Kay

Final Thoughts on Work

Have you ever been in a relationship (either romantic or platonic) in which you feel like you have put more work in than the other person? Maybe you always remember their birthday, anniversary, or other special “big days” in that person’s life and you make them feel special during those times. You were probably the one that that person turned to in times of need and you were always right there when they needed you. You validated them and made them feel important, and they made you feel less than that. Maybe they forget your birthday, or even worse, they remembered your birthday and didn’t do anything to celebrate. Or maybe they just weren’t as supportive of you as you were of them. However it goes, an unbalanced relationship can lead to major problems. 

The same is true at your work. If you did not find yourself relating to the above example, you are a very fortunate person, but you likely have experienced unbalanced relationships at work. Starting in college we are constantly forced into group projects in which a small percentage of the group does the majority of the work while the rest of the group slacks off. If you do not have the memory of doing the lion’s share of a group, then you likely were the one not pulling your weight. It is very hard to assemble a completely balanced team. Sometimes it goes beyond the normal and there is one person who just refuses to contribute. When this problem occurs in the workplace it can lead to one person feeling unfair pressure to take on another person’s additional work. 

I don’t want to focus on the person who willingly takes on the extra work to make up for slacking coworkers. I want to talk about the person who does not pull their weight. In anything you do, you must put something in to get something out. In the case of work, when you put in the extra effort you are eventually rewarded. When the opposite occurs you are not always immediately confronted with the negative effects of your behavior. Sometimes a person can go years without seeing what they would define as real consequences of your actions. Often times, especially in big companies, it is easy for these type of workers to remain under the radar. This scenario can be incredibly frustrating for the workers who are complying and performing because it can seem like it is not worth it to go above and beyond. 

Generally in these types of scenarios, there are things occurring behind the scenes. Sure that unproductive employee might keep their cubicle space in the office regardless of whether or not they are completing their work, but there can be other things going on. Maybe that employee was in the running for a promotion and the management team passed him over. Similarly, there might have been more exclusive/exciting projects that that person was considered for and ultimately overlooked for not being a team player. While the employee may or may not be privy to all these occurrences, there is evidence building against them that will continue to add up. 

For the people who are consistently doing their work, it can be really difficult to remain motivated while they see unproductive coworkers keeping their job. Likely another thing that is going unseen is that the productive worker is getting steady pay increases while the other employee remains at the same salary. There are a lot of little things like this that can all be occurring simultaneously but largely behind the scenes. The moral of this story is that the worker who doesn’t put in the work will not reap the same benefits as the workers who do. If you want to move up in your career and receive promotions and raises, you have to be willing to put in the work. These things do not come from showing up and sitting at your desk all day. You have to be proactive and efficient and thorough. Doing more in your job will get you more. Doing less will get you less. You have to put in the effort to receive rewards.

-          Bria

“Work” has become a changed paradigm with the Corona Virus pandemic.  We can no longer imagine a workstation or workplace which resembles our past experiences.  Almost all experts agree that things will not return to what we may have called “normal” before the virus hit last year.  So, as we finish our “work” step in Zig Zigler’s See You at the Top focus, I want to make some observations of my own.  Am I an expert? No.  However, as a professional educator in my fifty-sixth year of teaching, I think I can make some valid observations.

    Dressing for work or for a job interview is now pretty much a thing of the past.  It is now popular to dress “half-way” or from the neck-up to present a “computer view” only.  I think this will have a lasting effect upon dressing in general.  For me, this is rather sad.  I love to see the special dress or suit etc. which signify “something special.”  It seems that the t-shirt informality which has been with us for quite some time is now just part of the whole attitude of fashion.  I have noted the new popular fad of using sequins which change colors when rubbed for dressing up clothing.  However, I have also noticed that my most hyperactive children are the main ones wearing these creations as well as the shoes which light up with every move.  Thus, attention is not on classwork, but upon the tactual pleasure of making both of these fads light up the room or grab the attention of others.

    There is no such thing as an inside voice and an outside voice.  Children seem to have to scream for attention all the time.  Some say their parents are too busy on the internet or playing video games, and they have to get their attention.  Whatever the problem there, it is very hard to have a normal conversation a great percentage of the time.  One parent told me they use noise-reduction headphones to keep the noise down for them.  I also wonder if the need for parents to work from home has caused a stronger squelching of sounds from the kids and thus caused the children to really “let loose” upon entering the vast expanse of new places outside the home office!

    “Entertain me because I’m bored,” is the desire and spoken request of many students these days.  Oh yes, it’s been there for some years.  However, it is now apparent that attention spans are about five minutes to ten minutes long.  We used to expect fidgeting to occur about twenty minutes into a lesson.  Today, we barely get started on a lesson when the fidgeting starts.  Students are likewise less attentive with technology and manipulatives.  There just seems to be an unquenchable thirst for entertainment which children express loudly and repeatedly.

    With the necessity of zoom and online virtual classes, communication seems to be marked by short, irratic bits and pieces of information.  There doesn’t seem to be a consistent flow of language and communication.  This carries over to thinking skills.  I won’t even touch upon the subject of “inventive spelling,” emoji use in writing, and the great disregard for standard language conventions.

    Yes, I realize change must take place.  Yet, I am not sure the new changes brought about by this pandemic are for the better.  I can be sure of one thing.  There is now a great teacher shortage.  I hear and witness more and more excellent teachers throwing in the towel…too tired of fighting for some semblance of continuity in learning.  

    Today, more than ever, I see people placing their hopes in a lottery prize or a title won in some TV contest which will bring them “success.”  I wonder how Zig Zigler would see his steps to the top if he were alive today.  My other great mentor, Walter Williams, economic professor from George Mason University, recently died.  He, too, was sounding the clarion call to battle some of these changes within the education of our young people.  With the loss of some of these great minds and advocates for educational validity now gone, I wonder more than ever before: what does tomorrow hold for mankind?  My immediate response is more and more time spent in prayer for this great nation I love and for the children who are the hope for the future.  

-          Kay

So… I jumped the gun last week and wrote about this week’s topic!  I really confused everyone!  This week, I think I will just talk about work in general.  When’s the last time you met someone who thought they were underworked? I haven’t met anyone who describes himself in that manor either.  All of us see parts of our job that aren’t really in our job description or parts that we end up having to do after the workday ends to fulfill the requirements. 

   A few years back, the administrators in our area panicked because a new idea was threatening to become law.  The law would be that teachers had to be able to accomplish all of their work within the workday.  They could NOT take homework home.  The public schools in our area took all teachers’ keys to the building away from them so that they could not come back up after hours to do homework.  Thank heavens someone came to his sense and didn’t pursue this law.  There is no way to be a good teacher and make this happen.  If one is a good teacher, he is interacting with students throughout the lesson, not sitting at his desk grading.  An elementary teacher might be able to get all grading done in a planning period, but secondary papers take hours and hours to grade.  Thus, the need to take homework home.

   Even if there is not paperwork involved, you know doctors take home thoughts about what a particular case might be.  Scientists think of alternative variable they can use to test their theories the next day.  And social workers keep up with kids they’ve places and people they help.  Pretty much anyone who doesn’t do a repetitive task for work ends up “working” overtime.

   When did this begin?  I think it became a real trend in the 90’s when everyone was “down-sizing.”  I think bosses found a way to pile on more jobs without having to hire another employee by telling the employee that the company has to downsize, and we all have to pitch in to make up for the fewer workers.  We thought it was a temporary fix, but we’re still living it!

   For this reason, it is so very important to set up boundaries.  The boundaries cannot be unrealistic.  The work will have to get done, so just NOT doing it is not an option… at least, not if you want to keep that job!  But making a set day or time when you stop working and do something else is great for you.

   I know, I know.  I’m sitting here on a Sunday evening after another tough weekend of working both days.  Physician, heal thyself.  Can’t.  That would be even more working!  Lol!

-          Michelle

Work: Putting Something into Life to Get Something Out

Priming the pump is the analogy used by Zig Zigler in the “See You At The Top Program” to illustrate that you must first “put in” before you can “take out” or receive all the rewards of your work.  Most people today wouldn’t understand that analogy.  I certainly do since I was a child when running water and indoor bathrooms were considered a luxury by some of my country cousins in Missouri.  To get the pump working and the water flowing, a person had to pour water into the pump and then pump and pump for long periods of time before the suction brought the water out freely flowing.  After the flow started, it didn’t take much more than an occasional pump motion to keep it flowing.

    This is true in life.  Another way of saying this might be: you get out of it what you put into it…plus some!  Many students cry out at report card time, “Look at the grade s(he) gave me!”  This is usually for a grade lower than wanted.  But if it was an A or A+, that same person often crowed with pride, “Look at the grade I made!”

    I have never discovered an “easy” road to success.  When one of our patrons kidded my husband and me about our school on its 20th Anniversary, he said, “Congratulations for being an overnight success…and it only took you twenty years to do it!”

    The majority of workers I have hired over the fifty plus years of my career have had one thing in common: a willingness to work beyond the expectations of the job descriptions.  Those are the workers who will not give up because a difficult situation arises.  Those are the people who have committed to the success of the school and its program…and thus are willing to do whatever it takes to make it work.  Most of these people have had success in their own lives as those qualities which I admired were sought by other employers for the same reasons.

    Putting the effort into the task or the mission is the key to success.  I think of the oyster which becomes uncomfortable with the grain of sand irritating him, and thus begins to coat the sand with his mother of pearl substance.  The result is not only a removal of pain, but the production of a priceless pearl sought by many!  Such is life!

    I see this principle at work every day of school as I watch children in extended day activities.  We have many toys which we have purchased and which have been donated to our school by caring parents.  The children love the toys, but many do not take very good care of the toys.  Often I stop some children from just out and out breaking the toys.  It appears that not having to work to purchase the toys, they do not appreciate them very much.  They also figure that “easy come…easy goes.”  What is not worked for, usually is never fully appreciated!

    Many students just cannot see working harder if that is needed to improve his/her grades.  They prefer to complain that “It’s not fair!” or “It’s too hard!”  While such protests might bring some action on the part of parents and or teachers…it often does not yield long lasting results.  What it all comes down to is that effort and work equal success.  This moral has been taught over and over in fables such as the grasshopper and the ants.  Now that technology is so advanced, priming a pump for water may not convince a student to put more effort into his/her work.  However, I cannot think of many successful people who have not worked hard to achieve success.  And, the “self-made man” usually gets the head too big!   Kay

Priming the pump is the analogy used by Zig Zigler in the “See You At The Top Program” to illustrate that you must first “put in” before you can “take out” or receive all the rewards of your work.  Most people today wouldn’t understand that analogy.  I certainly do since I was a child when running water and indoor bathrooms were considered a luxury by some of my country cousins in Missouri.  To get the pump working and the water flowing, a person had to pour water into the pump and then pump and pump for long periods of time before the suction brought the water out freely flowing.  After the flow started, it didn’t take much more than an occasional pump motion to keep it flowing.

    This is true in life.  Another way of saying this might be: you get out of it what you put into it…plus some!  Many students cry out at report card time, “Look at the grade s(he) gave me!”  This is usually for a grade lower than wanted.  But if it was an A or A+, that same person often crowed with pride, “Look at the grade I made!”

    I have never discovered an “easy” road to success.  When one of our patrons kidded my husband and me about our school on its 20th Anniversary, he said, “Congratulations for being an overnight success…and it only took you twenty years to do it!”

    The majority of workers I have hired over the fifty plus years of my career have had one thing in common: a willingness to work beyond the expectations of the job descriptions.  Those are the workers who will not give up because a difficult situation arises.  Those are the people who have committed to the success of the school and its program…and thus are willing to do whatever it takes to make it work.  Most of these people have had success in their own lives as those qualities which I admired were sought by other employers for the same reasons.

    Putting the effort into the task or the mission is the key to success.  I think of the oyster which becomes uncomfortable with the grain of sand irritating him, and thus begins to coat the sand with his mother of pearl substance.  The result is not only a removal of pain, but the production of a priceless pearl sought by many!  Such is life!

    I see this principle at work every day of school as I watch children in extended day activities.  We have many toys which we have purchased and which have been donated to our school by caring parents.  The children love the toys, but many do not take very good care of the toys.  Often I stop some children from just out and out breaking the toys.  It appears that not having to work to purchase the toys, they do not appreciate them very much.  They also figure that “easy come…easy goes.”  What is not worked for, usually is never fully appreciated!

    Many students just cannot see working harder if that is needed to improve his/her grades.  They prefer to complain that “It’s not fair!” or “It’s too hard!”  While such protests might bring some action on the part of parents and or teachers…it often does not yield long lasting results.  What it all comes down to is that effort and work equal success.  This moral has been taught over and over in fables such as the grasshopper and the ants.  Now that technology is so advanced, priming a pump for water may not convince a student to put more effort into his/her work.  However, I cannot think of many successful people who have not worked hard to achieve success.  And, the “self-made man” usually gets the head too big!   Kay

If you do what you need to do now, you can do what you want to do later.

  This is a shortened version of a quote from the very man whose book our school is studying this year:  Zig Zigler.  I have it up all around my school.  There is no shortcut to success.  Put in the hard work now, take the courses you need to take, be involved in leadership, volunteer in the community, and be active in extra-curriculars.  The students who have done this have gotten really good scholarships to some of the best schools in the nation.  It’s common sense:  the more work-like experiences in which you are involved, the more you become a good worker.  And that’s what America wants, right?  Good workers.  Do we want our doctor to be good?  Our child’s teacher?  Our leadership?  Of course, we do!  Then why do so many see the training to become good workers as “kowtowing” to the government or some other powerful entity?

  Well, if you’re the teen, then it’s almost a rite of passage to believe that becoming a good worker is all an evil plan by the “powers that be.”  Why else would someone want you to give up some of the comforts of being a child?  Yet, if we look back on our country’s history, we do not find kids enjoying “the comforts of being a kid” well into their teen years.  How did kids come to the notion that they should be able to go home after school and pursue only their own interests for the rest of the evening and all weekend till the day they graduate college?  That’s where we come in, Parents!

  More and more, I see some parents not actively raising their kids.  They’re not reading to/with them, teaching them to tie their shoes and ride bikes, or helping them learn how to run a household through help with the chores.  For some, it’s bitterness about their own lack of down time or the desire to give their kids a “better childhood than they had.”   Others simply don’t like the teen they created.  It’s easier to just keep the kid busy on video games than to have to listen to him whine about chores and family time all evening.

   Our school is designed to train our area’s smartest kids to be future leaders.  I almost never have a girl whose parents don’t come alongside our program and encourage her to succeed.  In fact, the only cases where a girl has actually been excused by the parent for lackluster effort have been cases involving divorce and a perceived “bad father.”  I attribute the cooperation of the rest of the girls’ families to this:  their mothers know the hard road ahead for them and don’t coddle them.

   Boys are a different story.  We have had some great young men come through our program.  We have had a good number, though, who do not make it to the end of our program because of mothers who have pulled them out at the least sight of discomfort.  Many of their dads want them stronger, but moms tend to make the education decisions. 

   Because of this phenomenon, I am seeing a trend toward superstar girls (girls who are smart, athletic, involved in leadership, and volunteering at every opportunity), and I am increasingly seeing boys who do not feel like they “measure up” to the girls’ standards.  This situation causes depression in the boys, which, in turn, causes moms to pull the boys and put them somewhere where the girls are not quite so threatening.

   The problem with this trend I’m seeing is that it is based on some really old-fashioned ideas.  There is no reason girls and boys can’t both be strong.  In fact, I have some very strong boys who are not at all threatened by our strong girls but, instead, see the situation as iron sharpening iron.

  So, here is my suggestion, Parents, for making sure your daughters and sons put in what they need to to get out what they want later in life.  Encourage them to take the harder classes.  Help them set up study time, but also plan some “get away” time for relaxation.  If you encourage your child to do what is necessary now, the options they want will be available to them when it comes time for college and a job.

-          Michelle

Work: Paying the Price vs. Enjoying the Price

The steps to success in life which we have been discussing with our students are compared by Zig Zigler to a ladder in this way: “...you must remember that each rung of the ladder was placed there for the purpose of holding your foot just long enough to step higher.  It wasn’t put there for you to rest on.” 

    The step of “work” is a difficult one for many people.  Some choose to stop at this point and settle for life as it is at that moment.  Many people then go through life wondering, “What if?...”  Many unsatisfied people might have been successful if they had stopped wasting time in thinking they could do other people’s jobs better and used those times to improve their own work performances.

    My friend, Dr. Obra Hulsey, noted that successful individuals who get things done have learned to conquer these four common “time wasters.”

    Laziness – time put to no useful purpose, not even relaxation.  Procrastination – putting off things that should be done now.  Distraction – letting time be frittered away on details or side issues to the detriment of the main objective.  Impatience – a lack of preparation, thoroughness or perseverance, usually resulting in time consuming mistakes.

    Dr. Hulsey went on to add these words of wisdom which are good for keeping us at work with a good mental attitude.  “There is nothing wrong with making mistakes; just don’t respond with encores.  Small deeds done are better than great deeds planned.  People can be divided into three groups: those who make things happen, those who watch things happen, and those who wonder what happened. Find out what you want to do, then do it!  It is boredom that wears a man down, not the fatigue of sustained effort he enjoys.”

    At my age of seventy-six years (at least for three more months) I find that persistence in doing my daily work brings me great satisfaction.  I enjoy the process of working to make each day a little better than the day before.  That has been my life pattern all these years.  My faith in God who called me to teach allows me to enjoy this life journey.  The reality I face each day is that I may never pass this way again…so with God’s help, I will do whatever I can to help others whom I encounter along life’s path.  Thus, I enjoy the work.  

    “Life is not easy for any of us.  We must have perseverance and above all, confidence in ourselves.  We must believe that we are gifted for some things, and that this thing, at whatever cost, must be attained.” *

*Dr. Hulsey explained his many verses of wisdom which I readily pass on in these blogs this way: I have had the unique opportunity to meet, listen to, work with, learn under, and read about some of the leading experts in the field of human development.  The authors of statements have not been identified.  The compiler believes they would say, “If the material is useful and helpful to someone, use it!”                           Kay

     Just before writing this week’s blog, I accepted the resignation of a new teacher before she had even stepped into the classroom.  It was a little unnerving because I really thought the Lord had sent her.  I find myself wondering if it wasn’t for her sake that He sent her… that maybe, before she went back to college to get a second degree, she could see just how much being a teacher entails. 

     I’ve always known that my mother, my daughter, and I can handle a terrific work load and still deal with the emergencies that inevitably crop up each day.  I am learning that this is not as common as I would have thought.  I can honestly look back through my career, though, and say that I have enjoyed the price.  What has my work ethic cost me? 

    Well, right now I am typing without the ability to feel my thumbs or the two fingers next to them on both hands due to carpel tunnel syndrome.  I have moved to more practical shoes because of plantar fasciitis, heel spurs, and a high bridge.  I cannot remember the last time I took an entire day off from work. And, after 33 years of teaching, I still make less than some first-year teachers. 

    But take a look at what I’ve enjoyed.  I have helped grow my parents’ school from about forty kids (when I first came) to a little over two hundred.  I have helped kids from all over the world understand that schools can do so much more and that learning is actually fun.  I am fulfilling my dream to change education. I get to teach some of the smartest kids in town.  And all of this has come without ever lowering my standards.

    No, I would not recommend sixteen-hour days seven days a week to all.  Yes, I will most likely not be able to keep up this pace forever.  But, God has provided the strength to build this program, and He will provide the people to do what he has asked a few of us to carry so far.  And I have thoroughly enjoyed being a part of building this program.  It has been my honor!

-          Michelle

We’ve talked about the importance of hard work and how working hard will help you get ahead in your career. What we haven’t discussed as much is enjoying the work along the way. We hear this idea over and over again - that if you like what you are doing, it won’t feel like work. This is slightly idealistic, but the intention is correct. It is easier to motivate yourself to work hard if you are doing something you enjoy. 

To get to a point in which you are happy with the job you are doing, you must pick a career path that will bring you happiness. Working with upperclassmen, I understand that sometimes it takes some time to narrow down career options. Students have to filter through what their parents want for them, what their teachers want for them, what society wants for them, and what they think they should want for themselves. It’s only after filtering out everyone else’s opinions that we can actually start to narrow what the student might be interested in. Now, many times students will still go on to change their career trajectories at a later date, but I think it is really important to this seriously about what you will do with your life. A problem occurs when people do not put in the work to seriously think about what will make them happy. Perhaps a pushy parent has led them into a certain career because of the assumed financial stability. Similarly, some people make choices that aren’t completely aligned with what they want to do because they feel like it is safer or the right thing to do. 

When you make compromises or do not try hard enough to find the right career match for yourself, it is going to be harder to push yourself to work hard in that job. On the flipside, you have the chance to fulfill the notion of doing something you love and never working a day in your life. These are two extremes, and most of us find ourselves somewhere in the middle. Some days we love what we are doing and feel like we are making a difference in the world, and sometimes we are ready to walk out the door and never come back. So, how do you motivate yourself on the days where it does not feel like your dream job? The answer is that you have to look at the pros and cons. Think about the good things about your job and compare them to the negative aspects. In this practice, you will often find that the good outweighs the bad, and you can enjoy the process of working hard in light of those good things. If you find yourself in a situation where the bad outweighs the good or the good and bad are fairly equal, it is probably time for you to think about your next career move. 

I truly believe that people who are hard workers will continue to work hard until something negative impacts their sense of security or worth in a job. If you are a traditionally hard worker and something has happened at your job that takes the joy out of your work, it is okay to move on to something else. Work is important, but it is not the only thing that matters. Too often in our society, we are told to stick it out and do our dues. While there are certain things that are inherent to being young in the workforce, you should not stay in a job that makes you unhappy. 

Once you put in the work to find a job that truly suits you, the work won’t feel as oppressive. You can go to work feeling positive about your role and do everything to the best of your abilities because you feel good about your work. If you are a student, start thinking now about what really makes you happy. Finding the right job for you is a great step towards putting 100% into everything you do.

-          Bria

Work: No Free Rides

Work. That is a concept that has been wildly challenged during this pandemic. For so many people, the concept of work has completely changed this year. Whether you are working from home, working in masks, or not working at all, the concept of work is even more stressful than normal this year. 

Even though most people think of work as their job, today we are actually focusing more on work as a verb. The lesson today is about putting in the work. In whatever you do, it is important that you put in the work. This is a phrase that gets used a lot. Putting in the work is right up there with “the hustle,” “the grind,” and all things related to “boss culture.” It’s a little overused and idealistic, but the intent behind these concepts is good. All of the notions remind us that nothing in life comes for free. 

If you want a good life you either need to be born into the elusive “1%,” or you need to be prepared to work. This applies to whatever you end up doing, whether you are a lawyer, a salesperson, or a dog groomer. The way to advance your career is to show your colleagues, clients, and bosses that you are a hard worker. Nobody likes a slacker. Very seldomly does a lazy worker get rewarded. Putting in your best effort will help you climb the ladder of whatever industry you find yourself in. Once you are at the top, working hard can help maintain loyal customers and employees.

It’s characteristic that every generation thinks the generation beneath it is lazy. There are differences in the ways each generation works, communicates, etc, and there is also a psychology of comparison that comes into play here. There are major differences in the younger generations that are largely correlated to changes in technology. Being fully indoctrinated in the technological age has done a few things to our youngest generations. The most influential change is the difference in attention span and communication style. 

One major harmful difference in our youngest generations is influencer culture. These children and young adults have been raised around the notion that if you just film your life and put it on the Internet, you can be rich and famous. This can create a feeling that it is easy to attain that lifestyle. The reality is that it is not easy to attain that life, and it is not as fulfilling as it is depicted as being. What this does for people who do not achieve that unreachable goal is it causes them to be unhappy in their own jobs. The other thing that can come out of this is a sense of entitlement. We are seeing this more and more with our young people.

When you enter the workforce with feelings of entitlement that are misplaced, you are not putting your best foot forward. Oftentimes, individuals in this situation come in with completely the wrong attitude. Their motivations are misplaced and the more they focus on what they don’t have, the less productive they become. What they really need to do is buckle down, refocus on their goals, and put in the work. This is the only way to get what you want out of life. I’m not saying you should stay in a job that doesn’t make you happy, but you should do whatever you find yourself doing to the best of your ability. This is a tried and true way to advance your career and move towards a more successful future. 

-          Bria

Of the six steps Zig Zigler says one must climb to reach “the top,” this step called “work” is the one most often skipped or is the one least thought about by people seeking success.  Other people think it might be one of the first steps in the climb to success.  However, if you think about it for any length of time, you soon realize that the previous steps are necessary to even begin taking this step.

    If I don’t have a good self-image, I won’t look at “work” as a pleasant activity.  I might even falsely think that if I were a “better” person, I wouldn’t have to work so hard.  If I don’t have a good relationship with others, I may be constantly comparing and equating “work” with position in life.  Without goals, I may not match “work” to effectiveness or accomplishment.  And finally, if I have a negative attitude, I might only think of “work” as a punishment to be endured!

    I can’t even count how many people my husband and I have interviewed during our careers who began their interview with, “I want a salary in the $.... range, hours between nine and five, no week-end work, and paid vacation time.”  Do I need to even say that those interviews did not last very long at all?  As the old adage says, “There’s no such thing as a free ride in life!”  However, this day and time has found almost every TV commercial pushing “instant success” and one even spells it out: “instant gratification!”

    If my long career of over fifty-five years has taught me anything, it is that “work” is a must in the equation of life.  Success comes to those who do not avoid it, to those who embrace it and “whistle while I work” and never feel too successful or proud to roll up the sleeves and jump in to do whatever work the moment calls for or demands.

    I never dreamed of building a private school.  When the community came to my husband and asked if we would put in such a school, I wasn’t even sure we could.  But I can tell you one thing: I still go to work every day and “work” in this school the same way I did when I was on the public school payroll.  I see what has to be done…and I do it!  I hardly think of it as “my school.”  I do refer to it as “mine” when I am reprimanding a student who is defacing the building or furnishings because I want them to understand that I have worked hard to make it nice for them and to keep it nice for them takes a lot of “work” on my part…not to mention money!

    Each morning as my husband and I pray for our students and staff, we thank God for giving us this garden in which to work.  We often just sit on the porch swing and listen to the birds in the trees and watch the rabbits and geese in the soccer field.  Such a peace and calm is empowering to us.  With that “balm” we get busy and go to “work” doing whatever needs to be done besides our regular lesson plans, etc.  We thank God that our children, Mr. and Mrs. Smith, and our grandchildren, Mr. and Mrs. Saintcross have the same willingness to take that fifth step and “work.”

-          Kay

          I absolutely love the topic this month!  So few people are willing to put in the work required for excellence.  I believe the statistic is 20%. Or is that just the saying?  20% of the people in an organization do 100% of the work.

         There is nothing I value more from my students or staff than work.  When someone is willing to invest time in a project or job, I know he is committed.  That makes me want to reward… if I’m in a supervisory role.  And, even though I do not believe we get to heaven through our good works, I do want to hear God say, “Job well done, my good and faithful servant.”

         Getting gifted elementary students to work usually isn’t hard.  They like the idea of having adult responsibilities.  But by the time they are preteens, that allure is gone.  So, how do you get your gifted teen not to be a slacker?  The answer is: expectations, flavored with a bit of choice.  Let me expound.

        When my kids were still at home, they had chores that matched their ages.  There were the usual:  taking out the trash, setting the table, helping with dishes, feeding the pets.  When the kids reached 3rd grade, I added helping with the laundry and the yard work.  I never paid the kids for any of this work.  I did give an allowance, but the chores and allowance were never tied together.  My kids were part of the family.  As part of the family, they got some of the money to use for their desires, and they helped with the chores that needed to be done, just like the rest of the family.

      But when it came to keeping their rooms clean, I gave some “choice.”  I provided several storage places, like a large container that could double as kind of a “coffee table”-like piece and plastic drawers in the closet.  The kids could “clean” their rooms by simply shoving everything into those containers.  The only stipulation I had was that no food or laundry could go in the containers.  It gave my kids a way to clean quickly for me without having to do a major, day-long project.  They met my expectation without having to give up their plans for the day.

       How do kids become entitled?  Through the actions of parents.  When a parent pays a kid to get good grades, the child believes he is entitled to pay for good work.  ALL work a person does should be good work, not just the work for which we get a bonus.  I expect my kids to get A’s.  Yes, I might tell them I am proud of them, but I certainly don’t set it up to seem that they have done something fantastic to get an A.  All children who utilize all of the resources available to them should be getting A’s at school.  If parents would expect that, as opposed to acting as if it was some great feat, students would not feel that they were entitled to a reward for doing their job well.

      Talk to any manager whose hiring pool includes teenagers, and he will tell you that he would rather hire retirees nowadays.  Just like Pavlov’s dogs, our kids have been trained to ask what is in it for them.  Well, if you do your job, you will get your pay.  Should there be a bonus for just doing your job? No.  That’s how you keep the job.

       Start now.  Teach your little one that any job worth doing is worth doing well.  I mentioned how really good work makes me want to reward in the first paragraph.  That reward comes for the person being such a good worker, not for the job he did.  Every good worker loves to be recognized.  Same your reward for the person, not the job he did.

-          Michelle