Thought #79 on Ending Terrorism ~ Be the Thing that Stops Bad Things From Happening to Them ~ Like a Poor Education

KICKSTARTING OUR HEARTS ~ Thought #79 on Ending Terrorism ~ Be the Thing that Stops Bad Things From Happening to Them ~ Like a Poor Education

*After he told me I reminded him of Hancock and I realized the impact I had on him, I wrote his full name on a piece of paper and practiced saying it every day until I could say it correctly when I called his name during the 5th-grade graduation ceremony. 

Here are parts of our Facebook messaging since 2009:

“Hey Mr. Stuart, it’s me, Abder (Abderrahmane Echchalhi) lol. How r u doin? I miss u because u always pushed me to higher limits. Plz write back as soon as u can. Ty, bye.

I’m really hating the 6th grade right now because all our teachers are getting crazy about the FCAT and giving us so much homework each nite. I really miss the way that YOU teach!!!!!!!!!!! How’s ur life going on with ur students? I’m sure their growth is powerful!”

Ur a good man Abder. It's not as much fun 4 me this year becuz I don't have just one group of students to work with. It's more like middle school where I only have @hour with each group. 

I know u'll pull thru and do well. I miss having u in class.

“Hey Mr. Stuart, don’t think I forgot you! Dream big, be big, do big ~ livin by that motto. Happy bday!

I hope you know you've had a great impact on my life. 

I still remember when you lifted me up and put me against the white board joking around. lol good times good times.

And how we had to finish our homework so we can play 4 square (WHICH I LOVED)

Dream big, do big , be big will forever be engraved in my heart thanks to you and breaking away from the school’s curriculum.

Also, you told me once , "If someone says you have a lot of potential don't take it as a compliment (because it means you aren’t using your potential)! Haha! 5th grade with you was the memory I get even in high school, and how much you loved Bella which if I do recall correctly is your daughter!

Just to let you know I'm majoring in sports science now, still have that super long name (Abderrahmane Echchalhi), also going to minor in psychology and my brother Mohamed is doing great, got a manager job at Holiday Inn !

Even though I was so young your class and your name are all I remember when thinking about elementary school.”

It's the Size of the FIGHT in the Cat

You guys have heard this before from me. Since the cat's in the picture instead of the dog, I changed it a little.

They say it's not the size of the cat in the fight, but the size of fight in the cat that determines the outcome.

This is more than true for us humans as well. Anyone who has studied history can tell you numerous stories of those with great desire accomplishing great things.

Think back on the times when you were able to accomplish something you didn't think you could this past year. You and I know it was because you had great desire.

I was the smallest kid in my class up till high school. After I grew Freshman year I was still the skinniest kid. At home I used to ask my one-year-older sister to pretend she was a girl at school coming down the hallway, and ask her if she could tell if I had any muscles.

She was nice, but honest, and told me "no". I kept asking her, pretending to open my locker and "flexing" my arms, but still no muscles could be seen. After three years she said maybe I needed to lose all my fat before I could gain muscle. I had no fat to lose, and gave up asking her.

But I loved football and wanted to play so badly (and did for three years) that I ran my summer workouts with a weight jacket and asked every big guy at the local YMCA about their workouts. I finally made the varsity team my Senior Year, and we even made the playoffs for the first time in years.

I ran the next summer workouts again with a weight jacket and never missed going to the gym. I ended up being the only one from my high school to go on to play college ball, even though I only played varsity in high school one year.

"I didn't have any special gift, and I'll say that to anyone out there who thinks they need a special gift. Focus, and a little bit of obsession helps. When I was young I thought 'there will be a changing of the guard and someone is going to take over'. Why not me?" - Steve Martin

Someone today is going to take one step closer to achieving their dreams. Why not you?

Kepler's Supernova

In the News

Supernova Outshines Others

Using a variety of Earth and space telescopes, astronomers found a giant exploding star that they figure has shined about five times brighter than any of the hundreds of supernovae ever seen before. The discovery was first made last September by a graduate student in Texas. The star, SN2006gy, is 150 times the mass of the sun. Unlike other exploding stars, which peak at brightness for a couple of weeks at most, it peaked for 70 days.

1. What is a Supernova?

Are You Developing International Skills?

I've mentioned how the world is becoming "flat", and that you're not just in school to get "A's". Each day is a chance to think at higher levels and make what we're learning a part of you. As you do this, you are building a strong mental skill base that will allow you to operate globally.

Tony Blair

British Labour Party leader Tony Blair, born this day in 1953, became in 1997 the youngest British prime minister since 1812, and in 2005 he led his party to its third successive general election victory.

"We live in a world where isolationism has ceased to have a reason to exist.…We are all internationalists now, whether we like it or not. We cannot refuse to participate in global markets if we want to prosper. We cannot ignore new political ideas in other countries if we want to innovate. We cannot turn our backs on conflicts and the violation of human rights within other countries if we want still to be secure." British Prime Minister Tony Blair, addressing the Economic Club of Chicago, April 22, 1999

Antartica Anomaly or Grave Concern?

Melting Ice Sheet Worries Scientists

Scientists are monitoring Antarctica's Amundsen Sea Embayment, a Texas-sized piece of the Antarctic ice sheet that is thinning, possibly due to global warming. The scientists blamed the melting ice on changing winds around Antarctica that they said were causing warmer waters to flow beneath ice shelves. They believe the wind change is the result of several factors, including global warming, ozone depletion in the atmosphere, and natural variability. More ...


**What do you think? Is this an anomaly or a grave concern? Tell me why you think so. (yes.....first make an educated guess as to what the word "anomaly" means if you don't know......hint - my use of the word "or" in the title is a clue that it's the opposite of a "grave concern")

Your Inner Child

May our inner child never grow old and die,

Lest we do too;

Living without being alive.


*Students, always hold on to that sense of wonder; of what things mean and what things could be. Your child-like curiosity is what will keep you alive inside as you become adults. All the greats had this child-like wonder with the world; from Aristotle to Zoroaster, and everyone in between.



Copyright © 2007 by Adam Stuart
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