volunteers:

The purpose of the speaker program is to communicate the non-academic qualities that are necessary for success in life. Some examples are the importance of being on time, the importance of avoiding drugs and alcohol, and the like. In all, students will be exposed to the positive messages on how to succeed in life, each and every month by volunteer speakers, over their entire academic career (8 interventions per year).

There will be 45-min to 1-hour speaker education/orientation programs at the Heart and Vascular institute of Texas, 1935 N.E. Loop 410, San Antonio, Tx. 78217. Here you will view a video of Dr. Whitney giving a talk to students and incorporating the non-academic keys to success during that talk. Then current and/or former school principals will discuss what speakers can expect from students in various grade levels.

Be sure to bring any pictures or video you want to use in a short power-point presentation to enhance the subject matter of your talk. Virtually all of the schools have Lap-tops & Power-Point projectors. If you want to make a Power Point to use during your talk, we highly encourage it.

MOST staff will be available after orientation for those who want to practice their talk before live people. When you appear before teachers and students, please use the following guidelines.

Dr. Ricardo Romo, PhD., UTSA President, Fox Tech High School Graduate

1) When you meet the children, look professional! Appearance is important in life. Introduce your self and tell them immediately – I love my job! I look forward to going to work every day!. I make good money! Show them some pictures of neat things you own or neat places that you have visited. Show them why they would want to be you.

2) During the next portion of your talk, discuss your job. Talk about what you actually do (did) and what it took for you educationally & socially to get where you are. Discuss the jobs that you had leading up to your current job and the work experience you needed to obtain your position.

It is very important that you discuss the importance of math in your job. One of the biggest problems the public schools have is getting the students to take an interest in math. Everybody uses math in their day to day work in some capacity. Create a math problem or issue in your work and show them how being good in math makes it possible for you to do your job.

Reiterate how much you enjoy your job and how you look forward to going to work. Please tell the children how drugs and alcohol would have kept you from obtaining and keeping your job. Discuss how smoking tobacco decreases productivity (have to go outside to smoke, therefore, can’t be productive), that it is an expensive habit which shortens the average lifespan by 19 years.

3) In the next portion of your talk please discuss Non-Academic Keys to Success which are structured to age groups. For example, if you are giving the third talk to 2nd graders, it will be talk 2-3.

       2-3 a) learn from mistakes
             b) no drugs including tobacco
             c) no alcohol
             d) do not break the law
             e) do not procrastinate

If you are giving the first talk to 3rd graders, it will be talk 3-1. If you are giving the 3rd talk to 4th graders, it will be talk 4-3 (grade number first, followed by the talk number). Teachers will also inform speakers as to which educational talk they will be giving.

4) In the next portion of your talk, I want you to discuss a real life ethics issue or situation which involved you or someone you know personally. Examples I like to talk about are making numerous personal phone calls daily while you are at work or using the Internet inappropriately at work is actually stealing.

The typical ethics issue I talk about is how some people who have had heart surgery try to get permanent disability even though they have healed and are fully able to go back to work. When I refuse to give them disability, they generally leave and find another physician who may give them disability. I lose money but it’s very important to me to do the right thing. It is unethical not to work when a person is able to work. It is a form of stealing.

5) Finally, allow the children to ask questions. If there are none, ask them questions about what they should have learned from your talk. Reiterate how wonderful life can be if they use their intelligence, get education, and made good decisions. We move forward as a society on our brains.

It will be individual school principals or classroom teachers who will contact the speaker the week before and the day before the scheduled talk to confirm the speaking date. Teachers may ask speakers to discuss some special issues that may not be in the structured curriculum as situations arise. For example, if fighting in school is a problem and not scheduled to be addressed in the talk, it can be added on by the speaker.

Motivation Talk Outline in Review
      • Introduction
      • Your job / profession
      • Non-academic Keys to Success
      • Ethics – cases / issues
      • Questions and answers

Thanks again for your willingness to help improve our society.