Friday, June 15, 2012

One of "those" kids


What follows is a composite of over 2 decades of teaching in public schools; these four students are a blend of many unique tapestries woven together over time and memory; each of of them is also a little piece of myself.

Meet one of my students. She is amazing, a great writer—especially with dialect, reads more than I do, knows every fact there is to fathom about Harry Potter and The Hunger Games, is a wiz on the computer, but prefers to hand write things, burns through Kindle titles faster than anything, volunteers at the library, talks about Rachel’s Challenge…and hides in the bathroom during lunchtime because she doesn’t know how to talk to other kids.

Meet one of my students. He is amazing, a karate and art enthusiast, can throw and sculpt a piece of pottery better than any local artisan, but is pigeon toed and sometimes trips over his own feet. Knows Algebra without actually having to work out the problems because he does them in his head, watches The Big Bang Theory every night, is quick to help with a dropped backpack, an errant piece of paper, an unopened door, but is sometimes made fun of because of his tripping…and spent the last semester of school with a “stomach ache” during gym class.

Meet one of my students. She is amazing. Walking before she was 12 months old, an athlete from the time she was two, a shelf full of trophies and medals, private lessons, coaches, training, “select” never “rec” teams. Perfectly styled hair, Miss Me jeans, coordinates everything from her Vera Bradley purse to her pencil case, can text without looking at her phone, is always in the middle of the fun…and spends her morning time before school trying not to chew off her nails because someone told someone else that they thought she was fat.

Meet one of my students. He is amazing. A pleaser, a hard worker, a kid that feels bad when he doesn’t get picked by the  captains, a kid that works his tail off to get good grades because they don’t come easy, and can cry when he gets less than an “A” on his homework . A kid who stands up for the underdog, but not himself. A kid that’s worried about his hair, his batting average, and being on a winning team—and has insomnia at night before a game because he suffers from low self-esteem.

Meet one of my students. This kid is amazing. Aces all of the tests without studying, reads voraciously, takes advanced placement math courses, loves all things science, and gets the lead in the school play.  Handles maintaining first chair in band, two select sport teams, gets recruited by the older teams, plays “up.” Blends in well with all crowds, understands adult humor, is known by all of the students and teachers (even if not in the same class), wears an “I love my mom” t-shirt. Wants to be the next Michael Jordan or Mary Lou Retton; needs to be challenged to dig deeper and is afraid of staying stagnant—but no one notices because the kid seems so confidant.

I’ve been teaching in large public schools since 1991. These are my children, these are your children. These are America’s children. Don’t get me wrong, I am by no means saying that your kid is fat. I am by no means saying that your kid has a problem.  I am by no means saying that your kid has low self-esteem.  I am by no means asserting that you recognized your child in the introductions. 

I see first-hand what happens to children who are even or slightly different. Trust me; they won’t talk about it with you, the parent. They won’t talk about it with their friends. They won’t say anything to address their concerns out loud. However, THEY WILL CHANGE. Their hearts will shatter if left unaddressed.

The change happens slowly at first, as a parent, you may not even recognize it.  They might have few friends, not get invited to parties like they did in kinder, have trouble sleeping at night.  They might be moody towards you, teary when you ask them what’s wrong, have headaches, stomach aches, panic attacks. The signs are slight and insidious—and they become good at coping: tips of the ears turning red, eyes watering, hair twirling, nail biting, eye lash pulling, refusal to eat, excessive sleepiness. Sarcastic.   Combative.  Rocking. Withdrawal. Stuttering. Non-participatory. Excluded. Ostracized. Lost. Victimized. Bullied. Depressed. Abandoned.   

And thus, Kids Performance Camp was born. Kids Performance Camp gets those kids. Kids Performance Camp understands those kids. We can help those kids. These are MY kids. These are YOUR kids. These are our kids. These are America’s kids. And, many of them are in crisis. Get them to Kids Performance Camp—we are slightly different, too. Let us help them awaken their pride, bolster their confidence, value their coordination, and celebrate the slightly differentness that makes us each strong and beautiful. Let us help your child find their inner athlete. 

bbbrig.com

Bring it with Blessings,

Wednesday, June 13, 2012

Cut the C.R.A.P.


Okay boys and girls…I’m talking about food now.  Why? You and your diet are important to me. You and your diet are important for your children. You and your diet are important for your future.


Why your “diet” matters is important to understand when it comes to tweaking it.But, first things first--let's stop calling it a diet.  Nutrients or fuel represent every single food and drink you put in your body. I can remember my step-dad calling it “rabbit food” any time my mother dared stray from the ubiquitous roast beef, potato, corn combination plate.  The key to nutrition is simple:   the better you eat, the better you’ll feel, the better you’ll feel, the more you do (and for some strange reason, Beans, beans the musical fruit…is running through my brain right now.)

What do you eat, and when? First things first, toss out all the C.R.A.P. (Carbonated, Refined, Artificial, Processed foods) I know it is a daunting task which flies in the face of excuses like, "I'm wasting money if I throw this food out," "I'll wait until I need groceries again," and my all time fave: "I'm too busy to cook." Toss it. Get it over with. Do it to live longer, feel better, relax easier, perform smoother. If you need me to come over to your house,  scrounge through your cabinets, and throw out your junk, I will do it for you.  Make a list of all of the C.R.A.P that infiltrates your house. Then, cross off 2 or 3 things you can immediately toss. Make it a small goal each week to get rid of one  item on your list of C.R.A.P—embed this process into your goals for the month.

Have an eating schedule—and I’m writing this to myself right now because since June 4, I’ve been all over the map with my nutrient timing, and need to get a handle on it. Once you figure out how many calories per day you will be eating, next you will need to decide how many meals you will eat a day, then you can distribute the calories accordingly. If you need my help with calories, I will help you.


Keeping a schedule and eating even if you do not feel hungry is important because it will keep your blood sugar regulated.  Nutrient timing is the application of knowing when to eat and what to eat before, during and after exercise. It is designed to help athletes, recreational competitors, and exercise enthusiasts achieve their most advantageous exercise performance and recovery. Not an exerciser? Nutrient timing still applies. This avoids the peaks and falls which can happen and then lead to over eating and making poor eating choices. Think about the last time you “were good” all day until you got home from work, and then raided the pantry and ate everything in sight. Or the last time you committed to a "diet" and ate perfect portions of everything until the kids slammed into the room with a project that was due the next morning, and you lost it. Or the last time that Chick Fil-A looked and smelled so good as you were driving by--and running late--and did not plan--and did not feel like cooking---that you drove through the drive-through and got a party platter of nuggets for yourself?

 If you need me to help with nutrient timing, I will help you.

Cut the C.R.A.P.

Bringing it with Blessings,
Brig