Return On Investment Part II

There are more ways to invest in our youth besides monetarily (However, monetary investments are great!  And if you would like to make one or more, please contact us.) 

Mrs. Norma, the Founder and Director of Girls and Boys of Character has this gift that causes even the most 'at odd' of individuals to come together and work for the benefit of everyone. I'll explain.

Boys Will Be Boys

So, we had two male Mentees that would for whatever reason, 'rub each other' the wrong way. 

One would say something and the other would comment. As the older generation would call it, "Couldn't set horses with one another." 

They were two years apart in age difference, didn't have much that we could see that would cause so much friction. 

And as the saying goes, "Boys will be boys."  But we couldn't leave that saying on the table without addressing it. 

Mrs. Norma to the rescue. 

Now I'm always an optimist, always believing the best in any situation is possible, you know, 'walking by faith and not by sight'...but I'm going to be honest with you, I said in my mind, "I don't know how she's going to pull this one off!"

A Deposit Was Made

When Mrs. Norma came back into the class with both of them, they had these huge smiles on their faces. 

I wasn't the only one to notice the change in their countenance, the other Mentees noticed it to! 

She stated they had an announcement to make to everyone. No one knew what to expect next. 

Introducing The Group's Police

The younger one began to speak, (Now if you know him, you know to prepare yourself for what's coming next. He's very 'matter of fact', not in a disrespectful way, but he speaks to situations as his childlike mind processes them. 

He says, "______ and I are going to be the "Class Police".

Hold up, how can this be? The two of you, the Class Police."

The second one continues to explain, the two of them, will be responsible for helping to keep order in the group. The first one nods his head in agreement.

They further explain their role, which is to remind us of all of the 6 Pillars of Character which the program is founded on.

They will remind us to be kind and respectful to one another. Now they were only with Mrs. Norma for a max of ten minutes. How could such a drastic change in attitude happen so suddenly?

We Are More Alike Than We Are Different

I couldn't wait to ask Mrs. Norma how she pulled that off!

She explained that she saw something on the inside of both the Mentees, an innate gift of leadership.  

She also had them to talk it out, one didn't realize that he'd hurt the other's feelings. When she posed the question of, "How do you feel when someone hurts your feelings?", he could then relate.

They apologized to one another and now are working together as a team, to help the rest of us.

What Was the Investment?

Mrs. Norma invested time. She took the time to listen and hear them out.  Giving them both an opportunity and a space to air out their differences and learn their likeness. They had more in common than they ever thought about. 

Imagine if we adults would practice this? Let's intentionally make and take the time to listen and make a quality investment in the lives of other.