Inviting Success
by
Ronnie Knutson, Secretary
The 37th annual NAPSA Conference began with keynote speaker,
Betty Siegel, member of the international Alliance for International Education.
She delivered a
motivating, energizing speech challenging all educators to remain psychologically
young. Ms. Siegel is a coal miner's daughter from Kentucky who excelled
because she "dared to dream and do." This is the message we
need to convey to our students.
Her strong message to those in the audience was to create an environment that invites students to learn. The conditions that help to establish this environment include:
- Belief and trust for those in the group
- Respect for all because everyone is able, responsible and valuable
- Optimism for life
- Intentionality in developing the people, places, programs, policies and procedures to create an educationally exciting environment.
NAPSA President Charlotte Roberts with Keynote Presenter Betty Siegel, "Inviting Success"
Ms. Siegel emphasized that all educators need to take care of themselves. She suggested that to do this we must professionally invite challenge into our life, continue to learn, give up stakes and boundaries in our lives regarding age, beauty, time and wealth.
Our goal should be to personally invite others into our lives and always remember that we are "not making a living but we are making a life: we must remember that children are the living message we will not see." Her inspirational challenge is to trust and believe that we can influence more than we realize with each person we invite into our lives.