Have you noticed? The air is alive with the sounds of children, kids, students, young people..everywhere you turn...they give us hope, dreams, inspiration, joy, meaning, love, and promise. How marvelous and fortunate we are. We have our future all around us in these little people and we can help to fulfill all their life's expectations. We are the "ones that we have been waiting for". Today, we step into our schools, community centers, businesses, churches, neighborhoods and our own homes with the opportunity to be intentional in the lives of the chlldren whose "sounds are in the air" ARK (Adults Relating to Kids) programs and processes are here to help.

Bill
William R. Duffy
National Executive Director
281-537-1301

Don't forget: New training DVDs are available: ARK Facilitator Training, The ARK Group Process and an Introduction to ARK hosted by Pat Summerall. Order yours today at www.thearkgroup.org. This excellent training guides will supplement the ARK lessons DVD's, manuals, workbooks, texts and advertising materials -- equipping you to begin ARK programs today. ARK programs provide breakthrough parenting and teaching "skills courses." With your help, we can make ARKrelationships the norm for the 21st century family, church, school and community.

For our Friends and Followers in the Dallas area, we are excited about our ARK for Churches Programs / with our next Facilitator Training set for Saturday, October 20. Thanks to a wonderful gift by a local benefactor, we are able to provide ARK for Parents Programs to local churches. The program includes facilitator training, lessons on DVDs, books, and a host of supporting materials and services. We invite you to take advantage of this wonderful opportunity. Contact us today by e-mail, letter or by telephone in Dallas at 817- 268-2100 or Houston at 281-537-1301 to reserve a spot for your church. The seminars will take place at a central location in the 1800 block of North Washington Ave thanks to the generosity of Dr. Curtis Wallace and the Pilgrim's Rest Baptist Church. Commit now, to enable your church family to become the parents and intentional adults in the lives of children that will change the world through your care.

In the early 80's, Arthur Hicks roamed the halls as a student in Madison High School in the Houston Independent School District. Twenty years later, he was teaching school in HISD and had a Rotary Club, "Houston Teacher of the Year" award in his pocket.

Arthur holds his students' attention with humor and stories of his own past experiences He told me that he was a minor league comedian. "I am that way to hold my kids attention", he said. But I noticed something else when I visited his classroom at Furr High School ih Houston. His students' said he was tough, but they noted: "if something is going on in our school, the classroom, at home, in Houston or in the world and we have concerns - - after we have finished crunching the math- -he moves on to the topics that are burning in our minds". "Arthur relates to us, he is funny, and he cares" one student signaled me.

"When we finish studying" ...and I noticed Arthur had all of the students desks in a circle with each student able to look at everyone as they spoke..."Mr. Hicks joins us in talking about what is going on in the world. If we had any problems, he always helps. I think he almost always has an answer that works".

Houstin ISD is doing a lot of things right these days, to address a lot of issues. I have noticed a lot of administrators, superiintendents,executive principals, principals, teachers and yes, Mr. Arthur Hicks and Dr. Bertie Simmons, Principal at Furr High School. A lot of caring staff in HISD who have "stepped up" to the desks of their students, who engage them in the halls and on the way home, who visit them at home to ask them to return to the campus when they didn't show up the first week of school. They have "stepped in" to caring relationships with their students and have not only made "Calculus as easy as pie", but are making a real difference in the lives of their students.

What a difference they are makling to all the members of their community. These educators, as members of our community, are willing to commit in order to enrich our neighborhood, schools, families, students and each individual therein. What common passions fills your life that you might help a student fulfill to be all that she may be and to benefit the greater good?

To this end, we at ARK salute Arthur and Dr. Simmons and the thousands like them who are daily making a difference in the lives of their students and challenging each one of us to think and act for the growth and betterment of our children, our students, and the larger world. and our common world.

How can we help?

Our relationships with one another, makes the world just "perfect enough" for our students and children and holds the promise for contributing to each of our children's and student's future. A future we will build together.

Thank you to Dr. Carl Sagan for his words: "Earth may just be a speck of dust among the stars, but the answer to who we are is as big as the universe". and I would add and the answer begins when we "step-in" to children's lives, especially in the classroom in the middle of conjugating a verb and solving a calcalus problem.

Read on...

• Who is in the business
• Of helping dreams come true.
• Building self-esteem and character
• With all you say and do?
• Always there to help, you dedicate yourself, to molding boys and girls.
• My friend your occupation is
• The most important in the world!

• No other profession changes more lives.
• No other profession instills more pride.
• Through adolescent eyes you're a guiding light.
• A beacon down life's road/
• Your work is like no other profession that I know.

• You never do receive
• The praise that you deserve.
• Still you carry on with dignity
• Never paid quite what you're worth.
• Hard work and dedication
• Day in and day out.
• With all the lives you've touched
• Are the jewels in your crown.

• No othe profession changes more lives.
• No other profession instills more pride.
• Through adolescent eyes you're a guiding light,
• A beacon down life's road.
• Your work is like no other profession that I know.

Yes, your work is like no other profession that I know.

As I reflect on Garre and Brenda's song, I am reminded of the little things in our lives that we do that have such large impacts on the lives of our kids. I am thankful for those teachers and parents who give their lives to in those powerful and most important relationships with our children. .

Please share your ideas and read on...

Parents and Teachers have a key ingredient to give in raising a child: discipline.

Discipline derives from the word disciple and has two major functions. The first is to provide a safe and secure environment. A student / child needs this foundation that is just, decent and reasonable with limits and consequences that permits him / her to learn from their mistakes. Separating the person from the behavior while affirming the worth of the child is the ARK lingo. The second function of discipline is to nurture self-control. What we want is for the child to be capable of identifying the issues and reaching their own decisions and actions when we are not with them. Kids have trouble developing self- expectations for positive behaviors.

Given these two fuctions of discipline as presented in Drs. Brooks and Goldstein's book, we might ask: what skills must adults have to be effective disciplinaians? A key lies in our abilities to show empathy, use good communication techniques, adaptability, and change management when our actions become negative. Finally, an apprection for each child's temperament is important. We also need to be realistic as to age-appropriate goals. This remarkable book expands the knowledge and understanding of what it means to be a resilent person. To quote Drs. Brooks and Goldstein: " a resilent mindset consists of assumptions and attitudes about ourselves that support the development of behaviors and skills that make us more resilient. In turn, our behavior and skills influence our set of assumptions, so we become a living dynamic process."

We encourage all of you to begin ARK for Parenting and ARK for Teachers classes in your church, school and/or community centers. ARK Teaching and Parenting is for "Great Teachers and Great Parents and Other Intentional Adults" who are searching for a place to grow in a networked, small group environment where ideas can be exchanged and examined without judgement.

Good questions to raise as we think about What skills and attitudes we might want to reinforce in our students and children.

1. What do wish the end result of your discipline to be?
2. What are main characteristics of a child that has a resilient mindset?
3. What disciplinary techniques are most likely to nurture a child who will make sound decisions?
4. What are the characteristics of sound decision making?
5. What do you hope for your student or child?

Check out this website for Kid Friendly ideas

• Become a program sponsor by funding an ARK for Teachers Program in School Districts: Electronic Packages for $950.
• Funding an ARK for Parents Program in Schools, Community Centers, Churches, Neighborhood Centers, Sunday Schools, Youth Centers: Facilitator Training Programs for $500.
• Purchasing individual manuals for $30 each to support organizations who need materials.
• Purchasing ARK for Kids or Teens workbooks for $30 each for deserving kids' networks.

Your support of The ARKGroup, Inc. creates possibilities in our churches, community centers, and public and private schools. If you have an opportunity, idea, challenge, or destiny to fulfill through helping children to grow into their full potential, please contact us. Together we can improve the quality of life in our communities--one child, one family, one classroom, one school at a time. Helping other people lifts one's spirits and gives hope for the future.

Read on...