Capable Kids
Saturday I was watching my son (16) run in a 5K/10K race near Montery, CA. He was doing it for fun, but one of the top finalists in this race was an 11 year old boy. I was listening to someone congratulate him and his dad. His dad, also in the race but who finished behind his son said, "Yeah, we refer to him as our little FON; freak of nature. The guy he beat runs 70 miles a week. This week, our son ran 17, including this race (6.2 miles). He's amazing."
I wondered what it would be like if parents had such acute antenna for kids with leadership aptitude, the ones who always seem to be giving direction, catalyzing their peers toward action, and influencing others. I wonder what it would be like for these parents to seek out lessons and training and events that would help them fulfill their potential, as parents do for athletics, academics, and the arts. I hope that someday, we will have a league of parents who are attune with the leadership acumen of their kids. I hope that KidLead can become that tool through which they seek serious development of these life-long skills whether they be FONs or just plain gifted.
Next week (April 23) I'm in Colorado to do 2 live previews, 1 in Colorado Springs (10-11AM) and one in Highlands Ranch (1-2PM). We have ten 4th and 5th graders from Benjamin-Eaton public school, demonstrating this active learning curriculum. Eaton is a little town of 4500 just east of Fort Collins. We had our pilot program there, now starting its 3rd year. At 4PM, we'll have a rally at the school with about 100 people, 60 of whom are kids who've been in 1-4 of the training modules. There will be TV and newspaper reporters there from Denver, broadcasting the story of this little town that has been significantly impacted by a group of students trained to be leaders. Nina Lewis, our trainer there, reports amazing stories of projects accomplished, parents and educators enthralled, and city leaders buzzing about these kids. I fear we've set the bar far too low in our culture for kids gifted at leading. We must change that. We must run to win.
I wondered what it would be like if parents had such acute antenna for kids with leadership aptitude, the ones who always seem to be giving direction, catalyzing their peers toward action, and influencing others. I wonder what it would be like for these parents to seek out lessons and training and events that would help them fulfill their potential, as parents do for athletics, academics, and the arts. I hope that someday, we will have a league of parents who are attune with the leadership acumen of their kids. I hope that KidLead can become that tool through which they seek serious development of these life-long skills whether they be FONs or just plain gifted.
Next week (April 23) I'm in Colorado to do 2 live previews, 1 in Colorado Springs (10-11AM) and one in Highlands Ranch (1-2PM). We have ten 4th and 5th graders from Benjamin-Eaton public school, demonstrating this active learning curriculum. Eaton is a little town of 4500 just east of Fort Collins. We had our pilot program there, now starting its 3rd year. At 4PM, we'll have a rally at the school with about 100 people, 60 of whom are kids who've been in 1-4 of the training modules. There will be TV and newspaper reporters there from Denver, broadcasting the story of this little town that has been significantly impacted by a group of students trained to be leaders. Nina Lewis, our trainer there, reports amazing stories of projects accomplished, parents and educators enthralled, and city leaders buzzing about these kids. I fear we've set the bar far too low in our culture for kids gifted at leading. We must change that. We must run to win.
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