Training a Child for Good Works

Train up a child in the way he should go:

and when he is old, he will not depart from it.

(Proverbs 22:6)

I cannot believe that today is the last day of May. This month has passed by so quickly, that I never got to provide an update that our son was selected to attend the National Flight Academy program. I am excited to share that he was one of one hundred lucky students selected to represent the Memphis metro area. I am even more excited to share that the expense of the program was sponsored and paid for by FedEx, strong community advocates for STEM education.

So with that news, we entered a new season. As a corporate sponsor, FedEx provided transportation from Memphis to the naval base in Pensacola, FL. As the parents of an only child, last night was our first time handing off our child to complete strangers for a nine hour bus ride that crossed five state lines. Sure, he has attended sleep away camps before (in 2013, he was selected to attend the Lonestar Leadership Academy near Dallas, but we dropped him off and made sure that a he and the camp had the emergency contact number of a close family member, if needed). In this situation, we had to trust that we have raised a good child and prepared him to represent his family, his city, and the program well.

Although sending our child off for a week was semi-new to us, the NFA program provided parents and students with a handbook that clearly explained all protocols and procedures. That came as no surprise, considering that the camp takes place on a military base. I am sharing the guidelines for anyone with children attending their first sleep away camp:

Conquering Home Sickness

The key to dealing with homesickness is to prepare the child in advance:

• Do ask a close friend or relative to register for the same session your child is attending.
• Do have your child spend the night with friends or relatives.
• Do discuss what the program will be like before your child leaves home, addressing any concerns.
• Do not tell children you will rescue them if they do not like the program.
• Do assure your child of your love.
• Do send along a favorite stuffed animal.
• Do not go into great detail about what your child may be missing at home.

If, despite all efforts, your child does become homesick:

• Do acknowledge your child’s feelings.
• Do reassure your child of your love.
• Do reassure your child the program is an opportunity for children to grow, mature and gain independence.
• Do not mention how much you miss your child.

It’s been over twelve hours since the departure. He has sent us a couple of text messages, but no calls as of yet. My mother reminded me that I acted the same way when I attended my first sleep away camp (Camp Couchdale), not calling as a way of demonstrating my independence, so, I had to laugh at the way that life as a way of repeating itself. We prepared him for this moment to prove that when required, he will not depart from the home training instilled in him. How are you training the children in for family or community to be prepared for the good works and opportunities afforded to them? Please comment or send me an email to latanyua.robinson@gmail.com. If you like this post and want to catch up on some of my previous discussions, please visit the full Purposed Work blog at http://ltr-latrobe-mfg.blogspot.com/.

Women In Manufacturing Summit

Save the dates: September 23 - 25, 2015

Attract!

Retain!

Advance!

It is hard to believe that almost four years have passed since I participated in the inaugural Women in Manufacturing symposium. In lieu of a blog post this week, I am passing on information about the upcoming 2015 summit and sharing a #ThrowbackThursday picture of the amazing women who contributed with me on the 2011 Best Practices Discussion Panel:

Women in Manufacturing™ is a nearly 500-member-strong national organization dedicated to the attraction, retention and advancement of women who are pursuing or have chosen a career in the manufacturing industry.  This group encourages the engagement of women who want to share perspectives, gain cutting-edge manufacturing information, improve leadership and communication skills, and participate in sponsoring programs and network with industry peers. - See more at: http://www.womeninmanufacturing.org/

The Women in Manufacturing SUMMIT will be held September 23 - 25, 2015 in Minneapolis, MN. This annual SUMMIT is geared toward women who have chosen careers in manufacturing and want to share perspectives and network with others in the industry. SUMMIT 2015 is expected to attract more than 300 professional women in manufacturing with titles ranging from production to CEO. The agenda includes optional plant tours of Medtronics, Valspar, Pentair, or Caterpillar; a discussion of Generations & Gender; Transforming Your Manufacturing Business for the Digital Age; Smart Girls in STEM; Workforce Development, and much more! – To register: http://www.womeninmanufacturing.org/summit2015/register-now

If you like this post and want to catch up on some of my previous discussions, please visit the full Purposed Work blog at http://ltr-latrobe-mfg.blogspot.com/.

Habit Forming Good Works

…rather let him labor, doing honest work with his own hands,

so that he may have something to share…

(Ephesians 4:28)

 

I am wired a certain way and I cannot deny it if I try. I like order, routine, consistency, and predictability.  A few weeks ago, I shared that I had a technology breakdown and decided that I would no longer be a slave to my gadgets (http://ltr-latrobe-mfg.blogspot.com/2015/03/it-really-is-good-works_4.html). The reality is that I am so process driven that detaching from technology is not an option for me. I am wired so that most things in my life become an opportunity for process improvement. Let’s use my 10k steps per day goal to explain this more.

I am not concerned about distance, but I am obsessed about averaging 10k steps per day every month. If I miss the goal one day, I calculate how many additional steps I need to take the next day to stay on pace. And speaking of pace, I have predicted that if I have 5000 steps completed before I leave the house in the mornings, I have a high probability of reaching 10k steps for the day. Thus my morning begins with a walk around our neighborhood where I have a set route equivalent to 3500 steps. I walk the same path everyday, so I know the landmarks for where I should be after 10, 20, and 30 minutes.

After that event in March, I made a purposed decision to be more attuned to my surroundings. That is really how I discovered and started monitoring my takt time (process time for me to 3500 steps in 30 minutes). I leave the house at the top of the hour and I have a hard stop at 30 minutes. The first couple of weeks, it took me 32 minutes to get the steps on the predetermined path. Because I was adamant about 30 minutes, I knew I had to increase my walking pace (I am not a runner). So, I started walking faster and realized after a few days that my step count and landmarks changed at the 10, 20, and 30 minute time/process checks. Over several weeks, I improved from 32 minutes to 30 minutes to 29 minutes, to my current 27 minutes. If I can adjust my speed to comfortably walk the route in 26 minutes, I am planning on adding another segment to my set course, thus my new outside morning routine would become 4000 steps in 30 minutes. That gives me a little wiggle room in the other steps I take around the house in the morning to make sure that I have a minimum of 5000 steps before I leave home for the day.

I am a firm believer in establishing repeatable processes for achieving sustained results. A habit is defined as a regular tendency that occurs unconsciously. Some things we are naturally pre-disposed (or wired) to do; other things require purposed effort, or work. The following is a good process to follow when trying to establish a habit, or a repeatable process:

 

 

 
In my example for attaining 10k steps per day: The reminder is that I begin at the same time everyday. The routine is that I have a set route that I follow and monitor process checks throughout the activity. The reward is that I am on track of predictably increasing my morning step count from 3500 to 4000. I use this walking example to demonstrate that process improvement techniques can be applied to any process, whether business, home, or personal activities. How can you use these habit formation guidelines to improve some process in your purposed work? Feel free to comment, or, send me an email at latanyua.robinson@gmail.com. If you like this post and want to catch up on some of my previous discussions, please visit the full Purposed Work blog at http://ltr-latrobe-mfg.blogspot.com/

Service in Good Works

So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, 

and especially to those who are of the household of faith.

(Galatians 6:10)

I am a mom, so I have earned the right to brag on the good things that our son does. For the past couple of weeks, he has been working on applications for various organizations and summer programs. He solicited his own adults to write letters of recommendation. It did my heart good to hear other adults and parents confirm about our child what we already know to be true. He completed the applications and wrote all of his essays with little input from us. One of the things that I was most proud of was that he could pick and choose which of his community service activities to include with his application packages.

What exactly is he applying to be selected?  I am glad you asked.

• He was nominated by his school for membership into the James H. Carter Chapter of the National Junior Honor Society. NJHS serves to honor those students who have demonstrated excellence in the areas of scholarship, leadership, service, citizenship and character. Five main purposes have guided chapters of NJHS from the beginning: to create enthusiasm for scholarship; to stimulate a desire to render service; to promote leadership; to encourage responsible citizenship; and to develop character in the students of secondary schools. 

Source: https://www.njhs.us/about-us.aspx

• He was nominated by his mommy (because he must engage in something besides play video games during the summer months) to apply for the Leaders of Tomorrow Program. LOT is a national network of high school students and MBA professionals / mentors who focus on student empowerment. The mission is to develop positive and socially aware high school students for transformative leadership in college, careers, and community service. Throughout the summer and fall term, leaders participate in a variety of activities, workshops, and events that emphasize growth in the leadership areas of academics, professional development, community service,  securing internships & scholarships, and goal setting & attainment.

• He was informed of the local opportunity to apply to participate in the National Flight Academy Program. The information brochure stated: Across the country, communities are rallying support to focus on student success in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) education. The NFA Centers of Inspiration provide a holistic approach to inspiring student interest and engaging them in order to keep them challenged and excited about pursing STEM curriculum.  The A.I.R. program takes place onboard Ambition, located on the grounds of the National Naval Aviation museum in Pensacola, Florida. For multiple days, 8th – 11th graders compete against each other in engaging and intense real-life scenarios that combine the thrill of flight with critical thinking techniques. To apply online:   http://hub.obap.org/home/nfa

While we are still waiting to hear back on whether or not he was accepted into the latter two programs, we are proud to attend his induction ceremony for NJHS next week. With his acceptance letter was a form to return, indicating how he will serve the school next year among other things. His selection: leading the community service outreach efforts. How are you encouraging your children on the importance of community service in their purposed work? Feel free to comment, or send me an email at latanyua.robinson@gmail.com. If you like this post, and want to  catch up on some of my previous discussion, please visit the full Purposed Work blog at http://ltr-latrobe-mfg.blogspot.com.