There aren't many like my dad

"Wow, I wish they'd invite me to be a keynote speaker." Dad rubbed his eyes, trying to keep his heavy lids from shutting permanently.

It was only 9:00 AM but the packed room of hundreds of educators, a dimly lit stage with statistics of high school and college graduate median incomes splashed across a large screen not quite big enough to read from the back of the room and a droning voice of an ex-superintendent discussing the need to get more kids to go to college had a very sleepy effect on all of us in the audience. Throw in the fact that dad had just raced back from Nebraska the night before in order to get up by 6:00 AM, drive to this conference with 2 presentations of his own he had to give that afternoon, all the while smiling and excitedly telling the people visiting our Education: Catch the Dream! booth why we were so great.

I chuckled. "Dad, there aren't many people that would wish for the chance to speak in front of a room filled of hundreds of strangers. You are unique."

There are many talents my father has. His positive attitude, his ability to make you feel important, his strength in talking to strangers, his drive toward helping the world, his business sense, etc. etc. The talent of public speaking is one I've known my father has all my life. In his career he spoke in front of large groups all the time and I knew even as a young child that he was good at it. In fact he found public speaking so important he spent many family nights teaching us kids how to give good talks and important points in presenting ourselves. He started our annual Curtis Convention (Curticon) when we were young. We went to the local Holiday Inn, excited about the great indoor pool, and were instead all given an agenda indicating what topic we would present or other talent we would share in front of everyone in the family. This opportunity still happens every year, now including our spouses and children in the presentations.

I have learned a lot from his example and when I get an opportunity like I did last Friday to actually watch him in action, I am very proud. His afternoon presentations were a dramatic difference from the morning's key-note speaker. He had laughter, applause, an overflowing room, and shining feedback. His second presentation was about 80% full of people that had already attended his first session, wanting to take part in his speech again. I definitely recognized the unique talent that public speakers have, one I hope to continue to develop in my life time.

As we packed up our materials for the day, I told him how great I thought he did. He returned the compliment, recognizing me for some of my abilities to talk to others and enthusiastically engage them. (thank you, I am glad I take after him a little bit.)

"So are you taking this week off? I'm sure you're exhausted from all your traveling, presenting and other stuff." I asked, knowing that he had been training in Wyoming a couple weeks before and back and forth from Nebraska in those same two weeks.

"Well, I have a few days to rest. I'm off to the Congo on Wednesday." I laughed at my retired father. A man who doesn't embrace the world's view of retirement in any way. A man that starts social businesses for fun, and yearns to speak in front of hundreds of people just for kicks. A man I'm proud to call my dad.

What the 9 year old said about 11

School is officially in session. We are a few weeks in, learning the ropes to Grayson's 4th grade class and Asher's Kindergarten room. It is so fun to see the different personalities of my school children and especially fun to find joy in the talents they each posses. After a couple hours of homework tonight, I was reminded of the pride I take in Grayson's academic skills and wanted to now take my chance to brag about his abilities. Hopefully this post might help some of you other mothers, struggling with ways to help your children learn their times tables- especially their 11's.

So earlier in the summer, my boys found the DVD set "School House Rock". Do you remember those Saturday morning cartoon segments?

"School House Rock" is a compilation of unique educational songs that teach everything from the importance of saving money, to what conjunctions are, to math, to history. They would play during Saturday morning cartoons when I was a kid- made in the late 70's early 80's and full of catchy tunes.

Well they found the DVDs we have and decided to put them in DVD player in the car. We spent the next few weeks listening to the songs of "School House Rock" as we drove in the car and I was amazed at how much my kids learned! Grayson can sing a whole song about the revolutionary war, Asher and Beck learned what pronouns are, and all 3 of them are very much aware of what interest is if they were to ever take out a loan. During one of our drives, Grayson said to me, "Mom, I know a trick to multiply by 11's."

He had just watched a song about 11's on the DVD, so I supposed he was going to tell me what it had told him- but I was wrong. As he watched the cartoon numbers fly across the screen, he visually saw a trick that I had never heard of- and all I've told since, have never heard of it either.

"It goes like this," he explained. "If you're multiplying a double digit number by 11 all you have to do is add the 2 numbers together and put it in the middle. For example, 23 x 11 equals 253. You add 2 + 3 and get 5. You put the 5 in the middle of 2 and 3 and you get your answer!"

I was skeptical- "Are you sure that always works? What if it is a double digit number that adds up to a double digit number? For example, 77 x 11? The answer to that is obviously not 7147." I thought I'd stumped him, as I quickly tried to do the problem in my head by visualizing myself writing the problem down and carrying the 1, etc. etc."

"Easy." Grayson responded. "If you add 7 + 7 you get 14. Just put the 4 in the middle and add the 1 to the first 7. So you get 847."

"No way, we have to try this with a calculator," I said.
It worked- every time it works. Just carry the extra number and add it to the hundreds place.

Gray taught me this trick as we drove in the car. He didn't learn it at school, he saw it as the numbers flew across the screen from "School House Rock". Pretty impressive huh? It is fun to see a little mind work and teach his old mom something already- at the age of 9!

I hope this little tidbit helps any of you out there in your future school year- I know the more shortcuts and tricks we know as mothers, the better. I also know that I'm in for it, my kids will be able to outsmart me quicker than I ever imagined.