MENTOR FORCE NUGGETS OF WISDOM
Mentor Force is a collaboration of Mentors who work with teachers to reinforce study skills needed for a satisfactory education. Through the Common Core of Character Education, we help students deal with social and emotional issues that are barriers to learning. Our team approach to mentoring helps to raise grades, reduce suspensions and minimize behavioral problems. We mentor in the mountains. We mentor in the classroom. We teach mentors. mentorforcebuffalo@gmail.com

Wednesday, October 29, 2014 
The Calm of Discombobulation 
A Lesson for Teachers

           Your lesson took hours to plan as you painstakingly crafted each detail to maximize its teaching potential. You eagerly anticipate the moment you'd deliver your masterpiece to a captivated audience of young scholars. The students trickle into your classroom like a stream seeping down a mountainside in late Summer. Patiently, eagerly you wait for them to settle into their seats.
          Suddenly on the horizon of their emotions, a storm cloud appears. Pat Hetic* saunters into the classroom just as the bell rings. His slumped shoulders, gruff demeanor and tear stained face give rise to an emotional volcano about to erupt. "I hate this school!" He screams and slams his books down on his desk. Your perfectly planned lesson wasn't designed to withstand the lava flow of Pat Hetic's emotional eruption.   
          Condes Cending* gives her loud opinion regarding Pat's immaturity. "That creep will never grow up." She spews her words in a venomous verbal judgement. Pat's friends glare at her and raise their voices in reply, their words are tipped with barbs of negativity. "Leave him alone, he's having a bad day! Besides you're no better than he is!" Soon, the serenity you had envisioned for your lesson has percolated into a waterfall cascading into confusion. Your painstakingly crafted lesson left no room for volcanic eruptions.
          Discombobulated might be a good description of your own emotional state as you grapple with the storm that's escalating with each verbal jab. The most basic definitions for discombobulate include words like: "to throw into confusion," "to frustrate," It's a scenario that is played out almost everyday in classrooms across the world. As a Teacher you understand the ebb and flow of emotional management in the classroom. If you haven't figured out how to teach amidst the storms of  adolescent volatility, here are a few secrets for you:

• Every interruption is an opportunity. There is value and a lesson in every emotional state. If you have built trust with your students, you'll probably face more storms than the miserable coot who only teaches for a paycheck. Knowing your students and giving them your presence allows you to forecast the emotional weather patterns in your class. 

• "Teacher know thy student." Make it a point to keep a written record of the interests, talents and challenges in a child's life. By investing time into forming a personal relationship with each student, you'll open the door to their heart.  You will know when something is wrong and it's usually related to a challenge that child has yet to overcome. Children want to know you care and then they allow you to speak into their hearts.

•  Recognize manipulating behaviors and set boundaries. Compassion and empathy are not to be confused with complacency and fear. Be confident in your ability to make a child feel valued as you set behavioral expectations for your classroom.

          It's a simple formula of "D=O" or "Discombobulation = Opportunity." There must be conflict for there to be growth. The Heart Farmer has to have broken ground before he can plant seeds of love for young hearts to grow. The muscle must tear before it becomes stronger. The butterfly must struggle to be able to fly. The diamond is made from stress and pressure. The pearl is made from an irritant. 


"Discombobulants are touch-points
that calm the storm in a child's heart."


Thanks for your time. 
Go do something nice for somebody.  

*Disclaimer
Pat Hetic (pathetic) and Condes Cending (condescending) are fictitious student names.
Any resemblance to actual students, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

Bob Kuebler
Founder / Mentor Force

How may we help you?
Mentor Force is an organization of initiators.
We help young people who are at risk of leading impoverished and violent lives.
We teach teachers, mentors, coaches, parents and youth leaders how to build healthy relationships that make young people feel valued.
Our goal is to ensure that every student has the benefit of being guided by a Mentor.
 If we can help you reach your potential as a Mentoring organization please contact us: 716-830-8240 
 mentorforcebuffalo@gmail.com. 
www.youthwithapurpose.org


We are available for school assemblies and educator conferences.  

YWAP will be here! The YWAP Director will lead a session on Building Relationships with hard to reach children.

2014 Annual Conference 
Heroes Big and Small

Dear Child Care Professional, 
We are excited to offer a conference where everyone is a hero. Visit our 
marketplace with over 30 vendors. Learn many skills and receive many 
resources to see the heroes around you. 
Sincerely, 
Conference Planning Committee 
• High quality professional development 
• 15 outstanding workshop choices each day 
• 6 hours of training each day 
• Continental breakfast and full lunch 
• Free, convenient parking 

Friday, October 24 Session 3 Choices 2:45-4:00 pm

3B Building Relationships with Hard to Reach Children 
Bob Kuebler, Director and Founder, Youth with a Purpose 
We will offer tips on how to keep your sanity as well as teach how to form positive relationships with the at risk children who need you the most. Using humor can be an effective way to engage youth.

BILLS NIGHT OUT is happening soon! Come and listen to a group of Bills Players and their wives talk about character, faith and morals. Afterward you can get up close and personal as they share their autographs.The tickets arrived today and some are already gone. There are only 970 tickets left. Call Youth With A Purpose Inc.716-830-8240 to get your tickets now.

Bills Night Out
www.timeanddate.com
Countdown to Nov 21, 2014 7:00 PM. Showing days, hours, minutes and seconds ticking down to 0

     YWAP assisted Mrs. Triggs and her None Like You organization during Saturday's community service project. Students from Daemen, Buffalo State, Canisius College and the University of Buffalo along with folks from the Courts Program were hard at work in the rain on Saturday (10-18-14.) They cleaned up the George K Arthur Community Center and the Schiller Park Senior Center.

     City Comptroller Mark Schroeder brought donuts and did something extraordinary: he arrived while we were trying to assemble some weed whackers. We needed screwdrivers and he immediately saw the need and left for the store to buy some. Mark is an outstanding servant.

     Bryan Bollman from Buffalo Councilman Richard Fontana's office was a major force in making things happen for us. He opened the garage to give us access to tools, he filled wheel barrows with tools and brought them out to us. He also drove to the Director's house to retrieve a key to the building so that the volunteers would have access to restrooms. Councilman Fontana is a big supporter of community service- he makes things happen.

     We had a fruitful day in the rain and both properties looked 100% better than the day before. A Canisius student who also happens to be a professional landscaper for FGI Landscaping Lawn Maintenance volunteered his time as well. None of this would have happened without the persevering dedication and commitment of Mrs. Elizabeth Triggs. Buffalo is a City of Better Neighbors because of what she does with her heart!

Thanks for your time. Go do something nice for somebody.
JLYASDW

     Sometimes there are schools with students who help make teachers become better teachers. At LaSalle Prep in Niagara Falls today we met a group of students like that. They were energetic and shared their energy constructively and enthusiastically during our YWAP Mentoring program. They asked deep questions and gave very thoughtful answers. These young people were eager to learn and grow; it doesn't get much better than this! 
     Mary Pat Young has the respect and admiration of every student that walked in the door. She's a Teacher who makes them feel special and those students made the YWAP Directors feel special. Thanks Mary Pat for paving the way for a great future for these young folks. You are changing the world from your classroom.