Articles

Guest Blogger: Making WhyTry Work For You

One of the great things about the WhyTry program is its versatility.  The program was designed to be adapted and changed in order to meet the unique and diverse needs of students around the world. 

Tom McCollum, of Oxnard, California, shared with us a little of how he was able to not only adapt the WhyTry Program for his students but also how he used these adaptations to help his students achieve measurable success.  He talks “making WhyTry work for you.” 

Tom says, “After 29 years in the classroom and on the court as a basketball coach, I cannot tell you how many times I heard a frustrated kid, and parents for that matter, pose [the question] ‘Why should I even try?.'”

Tom continues, “I have taught at the junior high, high school, community college, California State University, and University of California levels.  This query was not confined to any one of those levels.  The answer that WhyTry provided was simply, ‘Because you are worth the effort.’  The key is introducing the individual to just what an amazing person they are.”

Not long after he attended a WhyTry training, Tom found himself as the head of a program that aimed to help students cope and thrive both socially and in the academic setting. He reviewed the current program then took what he had learned from WhyTry. He created a curriculum that included teaching the WhyTry Program to the other program’s freshman students, based on the idea of “making WhyTry work for you.”

Tom continued with the students and describes that “during their sophomore year, [they] delved more deeply into the [WhyTry] concepts, conducting Socratic seminars on specific issues, and writing reflections on their thoughts on these issues as we explored more deeply those perplexing issues of life that confound teenagers and their parents and teachers. During their junior year, personal statement essays were formulated from these explorations.  By their senior year in the program, students were holding each other accountable using the tenets of the Why Try program.”

Tom’s WhyTry adapted program became highly successful. Before the program was implemented, the college acceptance rate in the area was extremely low.  Within a couple of years of implementing an adaptation of WhyTry and the school’s previous program, students were passing the High School Exit Exam at a rate of 100%. They also had over 90% of seniors get admitted to four-year universities.  

Tom became the recipient of many awards and was acknowledged on both local and state levels for his contribution to education. However, Tom shared that “the greatest acknowledgment, though, came from the parents of my students who said, ‘I don’t know what you are doing with my child, but keep it up – they are growing up right before my eyes!'”

There is no right or wrong way to use WhyTry. Every teacher has students with different needs to be met, and making WhyTry work for you is all about knowing these unique needs. At WhyTry, we encourage you to get creative, get involved, and find the best way that WhyTry can work for YOU!

We would love to hear about your different experiences and adaptations. Email your story to info@whytry.org. 

Teachers, Counselors, Social Workers – and the Defense Mechanisms We Use

Working with youth isn’t always easy. As children begin to test their boundaries, challenging our authority and expanding their understanding of themselves, they can absolutely push us to our limits. This can lead to stress, anger, depression, and disengagement in educators. By letting our emotions get to us and reacting negatively in pressure situations, we aren’t helping ourselves or our students. 

Have you ever yelled in the classroom, or lost your cool and got into an argument in front of the class? If you have, you’re not alone. The first step in combating these problems is to identify the defense mechanisms we use in our daily interactions with students. Sometimes we want to yell, scream, pull our hair out. Other times we want to cry, run away, or give up. By learning about the natural Defense Mechanisms we have when we face negative interactions with students, we can begin to overcome them. 

1. Identify your natural reaction. In a power struggle situation, how do you want to react? If a student insults you, do you lash out or even insult them back? When they close up in a counseling session, do you get frustrated at them? 
   
   
2. Evaluate your feelings after you reacted in a pressure situation. Did you feel like a failure after you yelled back at a student? Did you feel happy after you spoke softly to the student who was crying over his/her failing grade? 
   
   
3. Notice that these are your reactions and not controlled by circumstances. You can’t control the problems your children face. You can’t MAKE them do anything, but you can control how you respond. 
   
   
4. Understand that you have a choice. It may take some practice to choose a positive response over a negative one, but practice makes perfect. This is also part of Christian Moore’s “Flip the Switch” tool.  
   
   
5. Knowing whether you chose the right Defense Mechanism. Now that you know you can make a choice apart from your natural reaction, you must evaluate the right choice. In WhyTry, we identify a positive Defense Mechanisms as a choice that did not hurt yourself or another – such as your student. If you are both happier with better mutual respect, you have chosen the right Defense Mechanism. 

What are some strategies you use in the classroom to “keep your cool” and control your Defense Mechanisms?

What Malala Yousafzai Can Teach Us About Street Resilience

In October of 2014, Malala Yousafzai became, at the age of 17, the youngest winner of the Nobel Peace Prize. “Malala” has quickly become one of the most recognized names and faces in the world. She is the center of a worldwide movement for child education and an inspiration to many. But what has made Malala into the icon she is?

Malala Yousafzai began campaigning for girls’ education at the age of 11 when she wrote as an anonymous blogger for the BBC, but this was the first step in Malala’s journey of change. In the years that followed Malala continued to give voice to her dreams, becoming a beacon of hope and inspiration.

Malala was much more than your average young teenager writing a blog; living in an area that was undergoing a strict Taliban movement and threat, Malala became a crusader for education rights and a symbol of defiance against the Taliban. Despite continuous threats from Taliban leaders Malala refused to be silenced. She courageously continued her outreach and her message was picking up speed. She became the recipient of many awards and international organizations had begun to recognize her efforts. However, the more well known Malala and her message became the more threatened the Taliban felt, and it was only a matter of time before they reacted.

On October 9, 2012, Malala and her classmates were riding the bus home from school when a gunman got onboard and commanded to know which girl was Malala. The man fired his gun, hitting Malala on the left side of her head, and injuring two other girls.

Malala was flown to a military hospital where she underwent extensive surgery at the hands of skilled surgeons hoping to save her life. The shooting left Malala in critical condition and she was eventually flown to Birmingham, England to receive further care.

After a long and painful recovery, Malala was able to start her life again. What happened next in the life of this young heroine is arguably one of the most remarkable stories of the decade. Instead of putting an end to Miss Yousafzai’s cause, getting shot by the Taliban only reinforced Malala’s determination. Malala enrolled in a new school in Birmingham and continued to advocate for the power of education. She wrote an autobiography, spoke at the United Nations, and has been a nominee and recipient of plenty of noteworthy awards, including the Nobel Peace Prize. The Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif said of Malala, “She is (the) pride of Pakistan, she has made her countrymen proud. Her achievement is unparalleled and unequaled. Girls and boys of the world should take lead from her struggle and commitment.”

Malala Yousafzai became a beacon of hope and promise as well as the epitome of what I like to call “Street Resilience”. This type of resilience involves taking the pain of disrespect, discrimination, and regret and using it as fuel to propel me forward. Like Malala, someone with Street Resilience is a fighter. They know it’s up to them to channel their pain and use it as positive energy

Street Resilience is channeling your emotions—guiding them, directing them, and using them for a productive purpose, instead of letting your emotions use you, and that is exactly what Malala Yousafzai did.

Malala used the energy and emotion that followed her attack to do good works. She did not isolate herself or retract into the shadows. Malala was quick to recognize that she is not alone in this fight. She acknowledges that others like her have been hurt and continue to push forward. In one powerful statement, she said, “They thought that the bullets would silence us, but they failed. Out of the silence came thousands of voices. The terrorists thought they would change my aims and stop my ambitions. But nothing changed in my life except this: Weakness, fear, and hopelessness died; strength, fervor, and courage were born.”

Malala has spoken in front of countless world leaders. She has been the subject of news reports and is currently the face of the campaign for children’s education. However, despite Miss Yousafzai’s renowned success and popularity she still fights the same personal battles that each of us fights every day. Malala said, “It’s odd to be so well known but to be lonely at the same time.” While her political and social aspirations and achievements are both inspiring and empowering, I find her ability to be completely transparent and willing to face her loneliness the true mark of greatness and resilience.

Street Resilience allows YOU to be in control of your life. It gives you power over your emotions and helps you channel pain and sadness in a positive direction. We all have the power to be street resilient, we just need to practice and work at it every single day.

Ask A Trainer: WhyTry Corrections and Implementation in Justice System Settings

I was first introduced to the WhyTry program in 2002.  At that time I had been a Juvenile Probation Officer for 14 years.  When I saw the visual metaphors used and key concepts emphasized in WhyTry, I knew immediately that this was something I wanted to use and communicate with the kids and families I was working with.  Over the next 10 years, the “WhyTry approach” dramatically changed the way in which I communicated and worked with my clients.  I moved away from a very rigid, narrow-minded, and authoritative approach where I basically thought my job was just to make sure my clients knew who was the boss and who was running the show; to a much more non-confrontational, educational, and relationship-based approach. WhyTry Corrections made the last 10 years of my career as a probation officer much more enjoyable and effective in working with juveniles who had broken the law and required additional supervision and guidance in making better decisions in their life.

Us vs. Them – As much potential as there is for a “one-up” relationship within a school environment between a teacher and a student, the potential for this to occur between corrections professionals and inmates, probationers, or clients is probably 10 times greater!  There has to be a line of safety drawn in the sand with individuals who have proven a capacity to cross that line and commit crimes against society and other people.  That line, however, in my mind now, is a very delicate one and one that has to be navigated carefully and skillfully if there is any real hope of habilitating someone in the justice system.  Simply drawing a line and then enforcing it with a lock and key, a warrant for arrest, or a documented violation for me got really old after a while!

Tearing Off Labels – I will never forget the 17-year-old young man I was working within one of my WhyTry Corrections Classes.  We had gone through Tearing Off Labels the week before and had done an activity involving a can of tomato sauce that I had altered and filled with mini Snickers candy bars.  The young man arrived early this class to tell what had happened when he took his unopened can home with his “Real Me” labels taped to the surface of the can.  He informed me that he told his father all about the class and the activity and that he realized during the class how much he had done to earn and deserve the negative labels his father had given him over the years.  He apologized for his behaviors and for earning those labels.  He then went on to tell his father about his positive “Real Me” labels that were on the can now.  He said that when he opened the can in front of his father and shook out a handful of mini Snickers candy bars (his father’s favorite snack) tears came to his eyes.  They sat there and had the best conversation they had in years.  A dose of real healing had finally come to these two men, one young and one old while sharing Snickers candy bars together.

“The Flood Zone” – (A person knows they are in the flood zone when they are experiencing less opportunity and freedom, they are hurting themselves and others, their personal energy is dying, their self-respect is getting less and less, or they are taking the path of least resistance.)  I can’t think of a clearer picture of someone being in the flood zone that someone who is locked up in a correctional institution or has to deal with a probation or parole officer in their life.  When a person is under “supervision” of the legal system, it’s easy to think and feel like greater Freedom, Opportunity, and Self-respect are a million miles away!  It wasn’t until I came into contact with and started using WhyTry that these three essential concepts even across my mind as related to what I was doing at the time!  Through the years and the hundreds of clients I have worked with, I have never come across a single person who was not able to identify with the person pictured drowning and in need of help in the flood zone.

WhyTry Corrections is all about helping kids build resilience and develop the tools they need to have hope and be successful in this life. I have seen time and time again how the WhyTry program helps the kids that I worked with as a corrections officer. The more you can encourage the kids to change and see a better life for themselves, the more you will see these kids thrive.

3 Creative Tips for Getting Students Excited Before School Starts Back Up Again

While you may be dreading the return of school this fall, chances are your students haven’t even thought about it. This makes for a great opportunity for you! Are you ready to get them – and yourself – excited about the upcoming school year? These 3 creative tips will help you raise the energy level in your future students from the comfort of your own home. They are fairly easy, and they can absolutely be fun for you if you have the right mindset. 

Connect with students early. Help them relate to you and begin to form that all-important relationship aspect of being their new teacher! If you start today, we are sure you’ll find your first day to be very different this year. 

1. Introduce Yourself – You can begin “surrendering the one-up” before class has even begun. Introduce yourself gradually throughout the summer months or all at once in a unique presentation. EducationWorld suggests the use of podcasts, a personalized website page, and even snail mail letters for your students to enjoy. These personal introductions help students see you as more than just an authoritative figure but also an individual with goals, hobbies, and interests. 
2. Use Your Multimedia Resources – In introducing yourself, absolutely use helpful, funny, and interesting links to modern music, books, videos, and movies. This helps students to know you understand the technological world they live in. Make sure they are appropriate, and bonus points for using multimedia that relates to your school subject (think Dead Poets Society for English classes). Check out these other fun options, you cool teacher you: 
   1. Math Humor
   2. History – Historical Lookalikes
   3. Band – Who Doesn’t Love a Flash Mob
3. Encourage Questions, Suggestions, and Introductions – Let your students join the conversation. If you’ve created a website, you can absolutely include a forum for students to ask questions and get to know one another. Encourage them to include suggestions for class rules and introduce themselves with fun facts, etc. MAKE SURE you are able to moderate these items before they are published for all to see (there’s always a jokester).