Rio Olympic Athletes: Our School Kids Need to Hear Your Message of Hope

I wrote this article in the early 90's for the 25th Anniversary Event Program, honoring Bob Beamon for the Greatest Track & Field Feat in Olympic History. (Mexico City, 1968)  Its message still resonates today.

WIND BENEATH MY WINGS
by Bob Beamon with Perry Zane Binder

Sometimes when I get home after a particularly hectic day, I'll put on some jazz and take out my African drums to strike up a beat. As I close my eyes, my body succumbs to the rhythmic vibrations of pounding drums. With the stress of the day draining off, I kick back and try to reflect on where I've been and where I'm going. Sometimes my mind wanders back to Mexico City and 1968; but mostly, I think about today and tomorrow, one day at a time.

I work up a good beat and follow the flow. This morning, I went to an elementary school to talk with a few hundred children about precious opportunities. The kids cheered when I showed a replay of the jump. That got their attention. But then one kid laughed when I confided that I couldn't read a book at his age. He didn't mean anything by it, but it's hard to know sometimes who listens closely to the lessons of the past - who we can reach and who remains lost in America's school corridors and neighborhood back alleys.

As a kid growing up in Jamaica, Queens, I could barely find a positive role model in the neighborhood. The money and fancy clothes flashed around by local drug dealers and pimps were tempting and offered a quick way out. The message of sacrifice offered by parents, guardians and teachers who toil anonymously in the trenches was brushed aside to satisfy the appetite of the moment. When a young man today wonders if he'll live to see his twenty-fifth birthday and our babies are having babies, it's easy to identify such an overwhelming sense of resignation on our nation's street corners.

The statistics are mind blowing. Nationwide, an estimated 270,000 firearms are brought to our kids' schools every day. While a recent United Way survey identified that non-profit groups reach out to an estimated 15,000 "at-risk" youth in Dade County, Florida, another 120,000 needy kids aren't getting proper attention. Let's get one thing straight - in some way, all of our youth are at risk. Before we can isolate what makes children tick, their parents must first discover what makes themselves function effectively. Before parents can instill a sense of pride and dignity in a child, before we can talk about molding model citizens, mothers and fathers must feel good about who they are. A stable home life is the first priority our country must address before we can consider the active role that athletes can play in developing healthy minds and bodies.

Obviously, each kid is not going to cross the finish line first, but as Baron Pierre de Courbertin of France (the inspiration behind holding the modern Olympic Games) stated: "The important thing in the Olympic Games is not to win but to take part; the important thing in life is not the triumph but the struggle. "

Ultimately, the lesson for our youth to gather is that it is not imperative to take home the gold medal. Champions are not made on the field or track; champions are made according to your accomplishments and abilities in every day life situations. The same tools that I used to succeed athletically can be applied to succeeding personally. Just as practice in long jumping made me successful, practice in whatever your profession or hobby may be will make you equally as successful. A sound work ethic will offer a framework for a youth's self-worth and the impetus to stand up and scream: "I am a Champion!"

One key to my athletic accomplishments, however, is that someone was eventually there to give me an opportunity. Whether it was Larry Ellis, my high school track and field coach, or Ralph Boston, Mr. Long Jump, a helping hand guided me to focus out distractions and concentrate on honing my skills.

While an Olympic jump gave me notoriety and stature, that success does not define who I am. But sports did give me a backdrop of discipline to apply each day. This stable force helps me to face the realities of keeping up with today's rigors. Our children must be taught such lessons from sports - how to set realistic goals, stick to them, work through them and redefine them to stretch their talents to new heights.

Because as the image of an eternal Olympic torch burns an indelible message of hope and respect in our hearts and minds, the flame is beginning to flicker. The fire in our neighborhood streets is simply suffocating the spirit and dreams of every kid who is taken for granted and not given an opportunity to flourish.

The great news is that high profile athletes are anxious to offer their time to find solutions. From Nate Archibald in Harlem to James Worthy in Compton and everyone in between the two coasts, athletes are coming to the rescue of young people in vast numbers. The simple point is that we have the ability to attract a kid's attention. Let's use our gifts constructively.

The boys and girls growing up in America are the wind beneath my wings. They are my motivation for rising each morning with an inspired outlook. So tonight, my eyes are open as I allow the drum beat to guide my thoughts about yesterday and today. About Mexico City. About some anonymous kids marking time by hanging out on the corner. About tomorrow's journey.

My beat is strong and fluid now, yet it seeks interpretation and clarity. It reaches out for your understanding and support.

The beat goes on. It simply has to.

1994 Bio: Perry Zane Binder is a sports radio talk show host on WSBH in Miami Beach (Love of the Game).

c 1994-2016 Perry Binder

Speaking at GSU Summer Leadership Academy on Career Paths, Majors & Leadership

Looking forward to speaking again with talented and motivated Atlanta high school students on June 23!  

Career Tips for High School Students

99 Motivators for College Success – Excerpts

© 2012-2016 Perry Binder, LLC

www.99Motivators.com

1. Don't let anyone crush your dreams.  However, the riskier your dream, the better your backup plan must be.

2. There is a huge difference between a childhood dream and a dream job. If you dreamed of being a lawyer since the age of twelve, you better make sure you know exactly what attorneys do on a given twelve hour work day. 

3. Make sure your dream job is not an avocation (a hobby). An avocation is a vacation from a vocation, because the pay ranges from little to nothing.

4. No matter what your part-time jobs or summer jobs are, always be thinking about how those experiences will enhance your resume and work skills.

5. The most important thing for deciding on a major or career path is to get out of the classroom and into an internship which exposes you to the day-to-day ups and downs of that profession. "Learning by doing" will give you a better appreciation of the job than learning through textbooks.

6. Do what you love but don't let your career choices jeopardize anyone you love. Including yourself. Translation: Take care of others but don't forget to take care of yourself, sometimes before others. Listen to our airline flight attendants: "Put your own oxygen mask on first before assisting others with their masks."

7. Determine whether you are driven to be your own boss or if you crave the stability of a steady paycheck. Assess your personality traits and the risks inherent with both paths. (e.g., the risk of putting up your own money as your own boss versus the risk of losing a job in a company you work for) 

8. Rather than casually asking career advice from parents or other relatives, set up a time to interview them, with prepared general and specific questions. This approach will make them think more thoughtfully about their responses, and may reveal their personal career challenges and triumphs.

9. Don't rely on luck or fate in your career. Professional success is about putting yourself in a position to create numerous opportunities.

10. Over the course of your lifetime, there may only be a handful of impactful career opportunities. Assemble an inner circle team of advisors now, so you'll be able to act quickly to objectively assess the pluses and minuses of future opportunities.

And finally, clean up your social media presence online!  What's publicly available might not bode well for your future employment. 

Signed Book Giveaway: 99 Motivators for College Success

Three (3) Signed Books!  Makes a great high school graduation gift.
Free Giveaway: 99 Motivators for College Success

Enter here at Goodreads by May 1, 2016

High School Graduation Gift Book

Pictured below is me at age 25, playing against that year's NBA Defensive Player of the Year.  This pic is the basis of Motivator #4 - Don't let anyone crush your dreams.

Perry

Click here to purchase on Amazon:
99 Motivators for College Success

Click here to purchase on Amazon:
99 Motivators for College Success

10 Classroom Tips for Your First College Semester

High school seniors will be starting their college careers before they know it!  I wrote this article with them in mind:

10 Classroom Tips for Your First College Semester
As a freshman, it is not only okay to have no idea what to major in, it's also a sign of an open mind to the diverse menu that college has to offer. Hopefully, you are choosing courses which seem interesting to you rather than classes that parents or peers say you have to take immediately.
To me, a college class is just like a Hollywood screenplay, with peaks, valleys, and escalating conflicts along the way. Your professor may be the writer, director, and critic, but you are the lead actor and protagonist who must navigate the obstacles and perform well on each test thrown at you. Try to keep in mind though, that professors are actually rooting for you to succeed. When you fail, they fail.
1- The first day of class is the most important session because it sets the tone for the semester. Rather than grabbing a syllabus, tuning out, and leaving, expect more from yourself that day. You have the power to stay in or drop the class, so intently gauge the course relevance, workload, and potential deliverables.

Continue Reading Here

New Year's Motivation: Never Crush Anyone's Dreams (Including Your Own)

Dr. J at the James L. Knight Center in Miami, before an exhibition game to attract an NBA team (Miami Heat)

CAREER PATH MOTIVATOR #4

(99 Motivators for College Success)

Don’t let anyone crush your dreams.  However, the riskier your dream, the better your backup plan must be.

Never crush anyone’s dreams

When I was a little kid, I dreamed about playing professional basketball.  In third grade, we had to write an essay on what we wanted to be when we grew up.  I wrote that I wanted to be 6’10” and play in Madison Square Garden.  When the teacher handed back my paper, she laughed out loud and said: “You can’t do that!”

That was the first time someone had crushed my professional dream.  The teacher may have been right about the 6’10” part, but this molder of young minds lacked the understanding of what negative reinforcement can do to little kids.  She also lacked the understanding that height isn’t everything for a basketball player.  Teachers, especially in the impressionable K-12 years, are my personal heroes.  Yet they need to be dream builders, not dream destroyers.  It’s healthy to discuss rational backup career plans, but why spoil youthful exuberance which could flower into the unexpected?

            Postscript:  When I was 25 years old, I met the great Dr. J and got to play one-on-one with 7’4” center Mark Eaton of the Utah Jazz, that year’s NBA Defensive Player of the Year.  I’ll leave the game results to your active imagination.

What is Your Biggest Fear about College? (Finals are around the corner)

I asked this question to some readers and got the following responses:

What is/was Your Biggest Fear about Starting College?

My biggest fear was failure.  Finding certain material too hard and not being able to find the right help.  I am about to start my third year in college and I still have the fear of failure. 

My biggest fear is not doing as well as I did went I was younger and had less responsibility; as a single mother, it's just hard to pick a up a book to read.

I have always had a fear of failure since all I ever heard from people in my family was you will never amount to anything.  I am now in college, married, children, and I am enjoying life.  Classes are going great.  My oldest son graduates in four years.  The same year I do.  I am not letting fear get in the way of something that has been my dream for the last 10 years.

Quote from my former student:
Two essential lessons that Perry's class taught me are: important information is everywhere if we spend the time to look closer; and it's more meaningful to find humor in our daily lives than to live with fear, pessimism, or divisiveness. Those lessons go a long way toward finding happiness and reaching the success that we all imagine.

My Thoughts on Fear and Education:
        To me, the greatest barriers to success, however you define that, are a fear of the unknown, a fear of change, and a fear of failure.  But you need a game plan, and hopefully you can lean a little on what you learned in school to figure out that route. No matter what you do in life, you always will have your education.
        You have already accomplished a huge milestone.  The biggest step was just showing up.  That’s it.  The secret most people don’t get until it’s too late.  Just showing up as young freshmen is a threshold event.  Trying something which may be hard for the first time.  Experiencing new things, even if it’s unknown whether the objective is attainable.
        Many times the things you do won’t work.  And you will fail at some things you try. That’s just a fact of life. Abraham Lincoln once said: “My great concern is not whether you have failed, but whether you are content with your failure.”  And you will make mistakes. A lot of them! Both in your careers and your lives. That’s just another fact of life. But that’s okay. The trick is figuring out how to deal with setbacks. Your family and friends will always be there for you. And your education will continually serve as a foundation to get you back on track.
        Franklin D. Roosevelt said: “We are not prisoners of fate, but only prisoners of our own minds.” Students, each of you must unlock your mind and blaze a path built on reason and purpose. Life is too short to spend it bouncing around like a random and aimless ball in a game of Pong.  Whether you are 17, 18, 19, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, 70, or 80 years young, it is never too late to test the boundaries of your dreams. 

Wishing you a great Thanksgiving and a motivated Final Exam week.

Excerpt: 99 Motivators for College Success

Hank Aaron Given IP Legends Award

I was proud to be a part of the GSU IP Legends Award ceremony, in which Hank Aaron and others received this prestigious recognition for their business contributions.  I was a little kid when Mr. Aaron hit homerun number 715.  Here I am, feeling like a little kid once again.

FLIPPING A LAW CLASS SESSION: CREATING EFFECTIVE ONLINE CONTENT AND REAL WORLD IN-CLASS TEAM MODULES

I'm speaking at an academic conference on this topic soon.  This article details my experience flipping a class last year.  It is available in Volume 17 of The Atlantic Law Journal (click link).

Abstract

This paper discusses the teaching and learning experience of flipping a business law and ethics class session in a hybrid format.  While this experiment was done at the graduate level, the lessons are easily applicable to and adaptable for use at the undergraduate level.  Part I discusses the online video content; the coordination of university technology personnel to create the video; the software platform to capture material and password protect it; and the intellectual property issues relating to that content.  Part II provides a description of each team module, the tasks that students completed outside of class for the modules, and specific instructions on team presentations in class. 

Tips for Ensuring a Successful Video Capture Session in an Empty Classroom:

-          Dress as you would for a typical class;

-          Look directly into the camera as much as possible;

-          Do not stand behind a computer podium (For PowerPoint, use a remote clicker to advance slides.);

-      Understand that there is a different dynamic when speaking to a camera, without the synergy presented by an inquisitive audience;

-          Slow down;

-          Aim to be as natural as you are in class; and

     Edit the presentation with the assistance of the IT staff if you stumble during the session

The Case for Humor in the College Classroom

I wrote this Op-Ed in 2009 for The Atlanta Journal Constitution's Education section (2009), which was reprinted in The Huffington Post (2010).

The Case for Humor in the College Classroom
c 2009-2015 Perry Binder

As college professors nationwide prepare for a new academic year, my message for them is simple: Lighten up! Your students just might engage and learn.

I never dreamed of being a college professor. Does anybody? When my third grade teacher asked us about our dream job, Molly said an astronaut; Evan, an actor. Perry: Obtain a terminal degree and lecture on legal morasses.

Whether the subject is law or nuclear physics, every student wants a good laugh. As teacher accountability objectives collide with shorter attention spans, laughter is the secret ingredient to keep everyone on task. Humor can even be found in the most stressful situations. For example, I tell students that I can't offer legal advice. But that didn't stop "Steve" from calling me after class in a panic: The judge gave me ten days for speeding; they're taking me away! So that night, I drove to the county jail, where the innkeeper ushered me into a tiny drab room facing glass. Steve appeared on the other side, looking weary and wearing an ugly orange jumpsuit. I never practiced criminal law, so I just put my hand up to the glass and spread my fingers apart because I saw that done on TV. Steve finally smiled and put his hand up to mine. He told me what happened, but all I could do was stare at our mitts and think: Hey, this TV hand thing really works!

While Steve's dilemma was no laughing matter, I use that story on the first day of class to set the tone for the semester: Understanding the law is serious business and applied unequally to funny, young college students without counsel. But we will laugh and learn a lot together.

To me, humor in the classroom mixes audience participation with storytelling about the quirky world around us. The professor and students form an improv troupe, working on the day's subject. Here are my rules of classroom engagement:

Exaggerate to Illustrate. Paint an implausible mental picture to reinforce a topic. When we study "self defense," a limping crazy man wields a lumberman's axe and approaches a student track star limbering up for a run. If the wild man is 200 feet away, does the student have a duty to retreat or can she pick up and use a submachine gun conveniently left on a park bench?

Expect the Unexpected. When a cell phone rings, the classroom rule is that I get to answer it. And when MY phone rang once, the students got to answer it. Another time, students were nervous for an exam, so I asked a student to stand up as I gave her my whiteboard marker. I then ran to the front of the classroom, back to the students, and instructed her to wing the marker at my head (missed me, wide right). One time I wore a pair of Sketchers to class but was skeptical on how they looked. I asked for student opinions by jumping on the computer console table and placing a sole on the document camera, which projected an Imax theater-size image. The original 360° Tour.

Now you might be thinking that your college won't let profs be jailhouse lawyers, encourage students to fling objects, or stand on expensive technology. That's not the point. The most important rule is to always be yourself in the classroom. You don't need to have a funny bone; the world around us is a gold mine of material. Consider this recent headline, Man pleads guilty to DUI in Motorized Recliner. If the law is funny, so is any subject and thus, an opportunity to humor up classrooms.

Postscript. I referred Steve to a criminal defense lawyer but my student still spent three days in jail for speeding. It would've been zero if he had an attorney at the outset, which shows that maybe nothing is funny about the law after all.