The Journey of the ATOMIC Model-Passport to Success - Chapter Six

“With the new day comes new strength and new thoughts.” Eleanor Roosevelt

The Seeds Continue to Grow and Expand – 2008

Before I begin this installment, I would like to take a moment and introduce the words of Eleanor Roosevelt who said: “With the new day comes new strength and new thoughts.”

The above quote should remind all of us that despite the obstacles in life, there will always be a new day. It helped me to keep going during this time of attempting to help students with the CITD grant. Yes, the days, weeks, and months that had passed since the first contact with the Principal created anxiety and anticipation for me. The grant required a school to come on line by August/September 2008 to be able to execute on its requirements in a timely manner. Up until the day that the Principal called and informed me that two teachers wanted to speak with me about the program, it did not seem that it would become a reality. Indeed, as Eleanor Roosevelt said, I acquired a new strength and a new hope, and immediately I called each teacher.

Do you remember the question from the previous chapter: What do you think the teachers said? Choose an answer:

1. The Principal talked to us about your program and you are welcome to come.
2. You can come and present once. If our students like you, you can come again.
3. We look forward to bringing this program to benefit our students. They really need this program!

 Now, let us continue our journey together as we raise the curtain on the opening act.

The Opening Act

The day had come and I met with the two teachers in early September. Both Teachers said: “You can come and present once. If our students like you, you can come again.” This reminded me of the Chinese proverb: “A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.” I accepted the challenge and started to prepare for the opening act, that single step, on September 18, 2008. If you notice the emblem to the side, the Mascot of the school is the Vikings. This mascot recalled to my mind that the Age of the Vikings in Norway and Scandinavia was an age of expansion and exploration. You could say that it gave me some hope about the project with VVHS.

Finally, the curtain lifted with the opening act on September 18, 2008.

The first act was entitled: A Treasure Hunt with Otis.

The teachers volunteered to use the TEAM time for the journeys with OTIS. According to Mr. Joseph Piscioneri, the counselor for the students, TEAM is a special class for the students intended to encourage them to gain high self-confidence and self-esteem and to stay connected. That concept fit ideally into the goal of the students becoming an OTIS. The TEAM class met every Thursday from 1:30 – 2:18 PM. So, under the sponsorship of Mr. Robert Corona and CITD, the program was developed especially for Valley View High School (VVHS), a continuation school in Ontario, California. 

This opening act highlighted the importance of the OTIS Principle and the OTIS FACTOR. It underscored the significance of becoming an OTIS. The students were introduced to the value of having a dream and living a balanced life in the pursuit of that dream.

Furthermore, the importance of becoming an OTIS was highlighted, and students were acquainted with the Mantra, which goes as follows!

In today’s economy, it is an imperative that we become an OTIS. We all need to be open-minded to seize the opportunity. We need traditional trust in the digital and highly technological landscape of the 21st century. And, yes, we need integrity to inspire confidence. Lastly, in the World Wide Web and the Internet superhighways, we need to search and seek the truth with reliability. We need to search for true, lasting and reliable solutions.

During that first session, I also presented the power of relationships and the wealth that the word relationship contains within it. The word relationship, composed of 12 letters, creates an acronym that comprises 28 strands that make the rope of relationships strong. This reminds us of Aesop’s fable about the sticks. 

The fable says that he ordered his servants to bring in a bundle of sticks wrapped together. To his eldest son, he commanded, "Break it." The son strained and strained, but with all his efforts was unable to break the bundle. Each son in turn tried, but none of them was successful. "Untie the bundle," said the father, "and each of you take a stick." When they had done so, he called out to them: "Now, break," and each stick was easily broken. The lesson: "Individually, you can easily be conquered, but together, you are invincible. Union gives strength."

Likewise, when we examine the twenty-eight strands of the word relationship, we can see that together they make a relationship indispensable, meaningful and sustainable. The twenty-eight strands are: 

1. Rapport, Reliability, Respect
2. Empathy, Expertise
3. Listen, Learn
4. Attitude, Action, Assurance
5. Trust, Time
6. Inspiring, Inviting
7. Open-minded, Opportunity
8. Nurture
9. Sacrifice, Service, Sincerity
10. Heart, Humility, Humor
11. Inter-dependent, Important
12. Patience, Perseverance, Passion

When we create a web of relationships, we add strength and success to the mix. Each relationship becomes invincible, unconquerable!

What do you think about the word relationship? What other strands can you add? Please share your thoughts!

In addition, I introduced two exercises to be performed at the beginning of the session:

The Breathing Exercise

Purpose: to let the students relax and prepare them to embark on the journey with Otis in such a way that they would feel comfortable, safe, secure, and at ease. This will also set the stage for exercise # 2 where we will be able to discover any hidden fears, prejudices, attitudes, and unmet expectations.

I ask the students: stand up and stretch your legs…

Close your eyes and breathe in slowly…breathe deep! Inhale (3secs) …hold (4secs) …exhale (5secs)! Inhale…hold…exhale again! (3 times)

Ask: How do you feel? 

Comments: You feel the tension leaving you…you feel the stress exiting your body…We live in a world filled with stress, yet the OTIS FACTOR will help you to become the best you can become.

The Keep Standing Exercise

Purpose: to see which student(s) will not keep standing and then have the opportunity to ask for the reason(s) so as to gain insight into why the student(s) opted to sit down. This would help us to direct the session to address real needs and concerns.  

After exercise # 1, I asked the students to keep standing and then started by saying: Keep standing …

• If you know who your teachers are
• If you have a goal
• If you have a dream
• If you believe in your dream
• If you believe you can make a difference
• If you agree that your past should not dictate your future
• If you are determined to change your life for the better and shape your future
• If you are convinced that tomorrow is a better day
• If you know your strengths and talents
• If you see yourself becoming the best you could become

What was enlightening to me was that no student sat down. All students kept standing.

So, let us keep standing in doing what is right and moving forward to help our youth to be the best they can become!

Let us all breathe and relax!

Lessons Learned:

• There is always a new day; never give up
• One single opening act is better than none
• Expansion and exploration do not come through inaction and procrastination
• We cannot lose hope; then our power will be scanty. Keep hoping and it will give you the energy and the will to persevere
• Be an OTIS and seize the opportunity
• Breathe and relax

 I hope you have enjoyed this leg of the journey! Please keep on the journey with me!

 Until next time, I bid you peace and harmony! 

Stay tuned! Did the Curtain Close for Good? is next. 

Eddy—Master OTIS

“The man who moves a mountain begins by carrying away small stones.” Confucius