Chicken Soup for the Teacher?s Soul is the latest best-selling book by 2003 ACTE Convention speaker Jack Canfield. Copies of his book will be available at the convention and attendees can meet Jack and have their books signed after his presentation. To order your copy today call ACTE at 800-826-9972.

ACTE is proud to announce that best-selling author and long-time educator, Jack Canfield, will speak at the ACTE 2003 Annual Convention in Orlando in December. Jack is the founder and co-creator of the New York Times #1 best-selling book series Chicken Soup for the Soul. With more than 70 titles in print and over 80 million copies sold in 39 languages, Jack is a world-renowned expert at warming hearts and changing lives. His latest educational book, Chicken Soup for the Teacher?s Soul: Stories to Open the Hearts and Rekindle the Spirits of Educators, has inspired educators everywhere with treasured lessons on the importance of encouragement, the power of love, the value of taking risks in the classroom, and the need for mentors and allies.

Jack has deep roots in education. As a former high school teacher for both mainstream and at-risk kids, Jack knows from firsthand experience the trials that teachers experience and how to motivate and inspire students. Two of his books for educators have become proven classics, 100 Ways to Enhance Self-Concept in the Classroom (co-author Harold C.Wells, Ed.D.) and Self-Esteem in the Classroom: A Curriculum Guide.

In his presentation at the convention on Sunday, December 14, Jack Canfield will deliver what promises to be a truly uplifting message designed to rekindle the enjoyment and excitement that career and technical education teachers, administrators and guidance professionals have for their work. Using stories and principles from Chicken Soup for the Teacher?s Soul and other books, Jack?s presentation will focus on four areas:

• How educators can empower themselves to stop settling for mediocrity and commit to a life of vision, impact and excellence.
• How to build high self-esteem.
• How to make a difference in your life and the lives of others.
• How administrators can become peak performers.

Following his presentation, attendees will have an opportunity to meet Jack Canfield during a book signing. Copies of his book Chicken Soup for the Teacher?s Soul will be available.

Techniques: You talk about the importance of acknowledging your own success. What does that mean?

Canfield: High self-esteem and high self-confidence come from acknowledging our successes. Teachers are no different. One problem we all share is that people think they should only talk about the big successes in their lives, that only the big successes are worth focusing on, and this can be self-defeating. Teachers and parents both need to acknowledge everyday successes, which are just as important for self-esteem and self-confidence as the big successes.

Think about it. For some kids, just handing in homework is a success. Just coming to class every day is a success. Too many parents see a B on their child?s report card and ask,"Why didn?t you get an A?" This is self-defeating. Instead of focusing only on the big successes, which are few and far between, use smaller mileposts along the way to help measure success.

Techniques: What are some tips for acknowledging success?

Canfield: You can do it verbally by talking to colleagues to give and receive positive feedback. You can also do it by talking to yourself. I teach a technique where you talk to yourself in the mirror once a day as a way to remind yourself of your daily accomplishments. It?s also important that we acknowledge each other in writing, if only briefly. Supervisors should acknowledge teachers, teachers should acknowledge students, parents can acknowledge teachers.

Recognizing your own daily success is a form of what I call keeping a "victory log." This technique can be carried into your classroom, too. Ask your students to keep a daily log of what they learned. If they write it down, even in small bits, it will help them to verbalize it. And being able to verbalize it makes it possible for them to go home and verbalize it to their parents.

The problem is that most people focus on their failures rather than their successes. But the truth is that most people have many more successes than failures, if only they count all the small daily successes we all achieve ? driving to work without an accident, getting the kids to and from school, making dinner for the family.

Techniques: How can educators build higher self-esteem in their students?

Canfield: Self-esteem is based on feeling capable and feeling lovable. Teachers need to create an environment that encourages students to feel this way. There are lots of mini activities you can do. For example, create opportunities for your kids to interact on a personal level, in the controlled environment of the class, in groups that cut across the typical boundaries that kids often set up among themselves. Our job as educators is to help kids feel connected. Think about scuba diving, where you always go out with a partner because of the unexpected dangers you may run into. Kids in their lives face equally dangerous situations both emotionally and psychologically. Set up a buddy system to support them.

We have to teach kids to be responsible. Most kids think they can do what they please because they?re here and they?re breathing. We have to teach kids to be responsible for themselves and not always blame someone else. It?s something we all do. If a teacher is talking too fast for them to keep up, teach them that it?s up to them to raise their hand and ask the teacher to slow down.

Responsibility means that changing a bad situation always comes back to us, rather than being someone else?s fault or someone else?s problem.

A great self-esteem technique for high school teachers is a password system for students to enter the classroom. You begin by telling the students that to get into class the next day they will need to answer a question such as, "What?s one thing you?re good at?" It can be anything. "I?m good at throwing a baseball." The next day you stand at the classroom door and ask, "What?s the password?" He or she has to answer, "I?m good at throwing a baseball." Each day you give them a new question such as, "What?s one thing you?re looking forward to?" or "What is your favorite TV show?"

You need to focus back on the kid to help them think positive things about themselves. When you give kids positive feedback, they are more willing to participate in class and more willing to take a risk. Anytime your student does something right?or even close to being right?acknowledge their effort and then help them find the right answer.

Techniques: How would you inspire and empower CTE educators to rekindle their passion for teaching and counseling?

Canfield: This is the very purpose of Chicken Soup for the Teacher?s Soul. This may sound simplistic, but I recommend that teachers become lifelong learners. We expect kids to be learners, but many of us have stopped. If I?m continually learning new things, that spills over to the kids.

The average American watches six hours of TV a day, which is kind of sad. By age 60, you?ve spent 15 years watching TV! Cut out one hour a day and spend the time reading a book. If you were to read one education book a week, you would be ranked among the top one percent of your profession.

One thing I?ll do at the convention, for those who give me a business card, I?ll send them my personal list of the best 60 books on how to become a peak performer in your life, successful, motivated and inspired.

Techniques: What will your message to CTE administrators be?

Canfield: If you?re an administrator, you need to be part of the process of acknowledging people?s success. Acknowledge your teachers for their successes. Good administrators don?t sit in their offices all day long. They walk around and observe. Catch people doing something right. Usually it?s the other way around. This will help people be more supportive and less afraid to fail.

In one school district I know of, all the parents are asked to write letters to all their kids? teachers to express appreciation for something good the teacher has done. All the letters are collected, then they?re separated and distributed to each teacher in a shoe box. That school district is distinguished by having virtually no teacher turnover.

Another administrator I know of would invite teachers into the auditorium for an ice cream party to celebrate their successes. He would speak to each teacher to learn about their successes. Then he would produce press releases about the accomplishments of his teachers or their kids and send them out to the local papers. You can imagine how good it makes the teacher feel to pick up the paper and see a positive story about his or her accomplishments. Even a story not about an individual but about something good that the school did has the same effect of building and maintaining the self-esteem of staff.

Techniques: Any final thoughts?

Canfield: Two things. First, eliminate the word "can?t" from your vocabulary. Make it a four-letter word for your students.

Secondly, get directional feedback from your key players every week by asking the following question: "On a scale of 1 to 10, how would you rate [ ?? ] this week?" If you?re a teacher, ask your students how they would rate your teaching ? and vice versa. If you?re an administrator, the question would be exchanged between your staff and yourself. If the answer is anything other than a 10, respond with the follow-up question: "What would it take to make it a 10?"