Be Simply Fit

The Spiritual Dimension Of Life Proverbs 30: 17 KJV "The eye that mocketh at his father, and despiseth to obey his mother, the ravens of the valley shall pick it out, and the young eagles shall eat it."  What does this mean in very practical terms? If an individual grows up in life with a mocking and contemptible attitude toward their father and despises to obey their mother they will lose th...

Bullying has become epidemic in our schools, and no matter how you slice it, this behavior has gotten out of hand. Teachers, administrators, and parents are all looking to something that will just make the problem go away. There is not one program or intervention that will stop bullying. It takes a concerted effort of teachers, administrators, parents, and students to help create a climate of resp...

Often we don't consider how important we are to our family and at times our friends. Whether we want to believe it or not we are the goose that lays the golden eggs. We can't become so anxious and impatient for all the eggs that we kill the goose in the process. We need to care for ourselves and help our family care for one another. We also need to teach our children some lifelong skills that will...

It never ceases to amaze me how we can believe that an actor/actress on a commercial is really the character he or she portrayed on a sitcom. I was watching TV some years ago and Roseanne Barr was doing a commercial on Retro-TV talking about the importance of having dinner at the “family table.” So the commercial flashed back to her and John Goodman on a Roseanne episode sitting at the dinner tabl...

From a disadvantaged youth to a successful entrepreneur, Tyler Copenhaver-Heath cut his teeth learning what it takes to succeed in the world of small business. With an MBA behind his name and the formal scientific experience of a biochemistry undergrad, Tyler Copenhaver-Heath has cultivated a multi-disciplined mastery that helps him think outside the box. In 2013, Tyler started his first company A...

I had the pleasure of speaking with Toby Karten on The RTC Teacher Toolbox podcast and discovered during this interview that her knowledge base about inclusion and bullying is off the charts. Toby is one of the most positive and passionate people you will ever meet and she can truly turn lemons into lemonade.  Toby is an award-winning special educator, dynamic presenter, and author who is pas...

My daughter who is twelve participates in a variety of different sports, and activities. She is attending middle school right now and is involved with cheerleading both at the school and community level. What never ceases to amaze me is that every sport hands every participant a book on sportsmanship. In other words how should we treat members of the other team and our fellow teammates? What is ev...

Yes that is me in the picture. Probably eight years old or so. Husky for sure. How did I know? Because everyone told me so. Listen in and read the articles associated with this episode.  Oh yeah, I was an overweight little boy. So much so, that when my mother took me to buy clothes I went to what I thought was a special clothing store for boys like me, fat. Why did I think this? Because when...

Rebecca Burd believes bullying is an epidemic we can end. As the CEO of Create Change Productions & Co-Founder of Speak Life Performing Arts Company, she leads a performing arts team to combat bullying in our schools. In 2001 she co-wrote Speak Life End Bullying the Musical, an engaging musical featured in secondary schools across the country. Since the first live performance, more than 375,00...

There is an 800 pound gorilla in the room and he is being ignored and the path of least resistance is being taken. What are these things that educators, parents and society know but for some reason won’t discuss or won’t even admit? This podcast will not only be an eye opener as covers 10 topics, but it gives the listeners an opportunity to purchase the entire 10 hour self study course that provid...

 As a kid the dream was to become a professional baseball player and do it for a living. I am sure that kids today have those same dreams and can see themselves hitting the homerun that wins the World Series or pitching a no-hitter. It was such a fantasy fest and we all did fantasize, but alas none of us made it. We played in and out of uniform, organized and pick up, honed our skills, took b...

Have you ever wondered why your parents did some of the things that they did. I did lots of times. My dad had so many regimented activities that I thought he had a screw lose or something. I’m only going to talk about two here because there are too many to put into one episode of this podcast. As I grew older though I cam to realize that what I learned as a child were the missing puzzle pieces tha...

Once again I had the pleasure of speaking with Dianne DeOliveira from Jersey Shore Matters on the topic of school shootings. We discussed the possible profile of a school shooter, how they are missed, and what parents can do if they suspect their child is exhibiting behaviors that could indicate that they are at risk for violent and or deadly behavior.  The Bully Proof Classroom The Regional...

School Shooting have been around now for over 20 years. My prayers are and always will be with the victims friends and family's. My question is though how do you address the trauma that kids will experience on an ongoing basis because of what they witnessed in their school. Moreover how do you help students' regain the trust and confidence in their teacher's, principals, and in society in general...

"It's easier to build strong children than to repair broken men." Fredrick Douglas . How true, as a follow-up to my episode on the Frankenstein Monster I present to you a 4 part series on how we can build strong children and why it is far more difficult to mend children who lack the qualities of respect, responsibility, resiliency, and compliance. "To educate a man in mind and not in morals is to...

So What do we do about school and other shootings? Schools have done what they can to try and quell the fears of parents and teachers by setting up protocols for active shooters. My wife who is a classroom mother had to go through checkpoints in our daughter's school and had to be escorted to her classroom. Yet yesterday Salvador Ramos walked into Robb Elementary School In Uvalde Texas and shot 19...

Once again I had the pleasure of speaking with Jen Dalton. she has written a terrific article that you can access by clicking on the link at the bottom. Rumors and gossip can destroy a friendship, a family, school, or organization. In this episode we discuss some of the lifelong consequences that can occur from gossiping and why it is so necessary to teach our children the dangers of participating...

Let's build strong children of character so we don't have to mend broken adults. Part 3 of a 4 part series discusses the importance of compliance and why parents need to take on a leadership role in teaching their children that life is a series of gains and losses and why they will always have to ask the question: what am I going to gain and what am I going to lose because of my behavior.  Ji...

Maryanne Christiano-Mistretta is an international traditionally published author, award-winning journalist, and award-winning motivational speaker. Her latest book Be (Extra)Ordinary: 10 Ways to Become Your Own Hero can be found in Barnes & Noble bookstores. She’s a self-employed editor, blogger, ghost writer, and speaker. ( www.peartreeenterprises.com ) Her You Tube channel is dedicated to an...

This is the second in a four part series on how we can build stronger children and stop repairing broken adults. today Ji talks about the importance of accountability and responsibility and how when a child is left to themselves a negative attitude can begin to develop which can be carried over into adulthood. To accompany this podcast Jim is making his book "The Real 3R's: Respect, Responsibility...

"It's easier to build strong children than to repair broken men." Fredrick Douglas . How true, as a follow-up to my episode on the Frankenstein Monster I present to you a 4 part series on how we can build strong children and why it is far more difficult to mend children who lack the qualities of respect, responsibility, resiliency, and compliance. "To educate a man in mind and not in morals is to...

Sometimes in order to be supportive of our kids we need to listen more than we speak. Attention is a commodity and all kids want it but with that attention could come a host of socially related issues. Taking the time to help our children become more socially resilient will help them now and down the road. I have taken the time to curate the article that i have linked below and think that you will...

It is very difficult for victims to forgive, but an angry victim may only seek revenge at a later time on his own. Bullies need to learn how to ask for forgiveness, victims need to accept it. We can be an example by asking for and receiving forgiveness ourselves.

Dr. Frankenstein creation was put together with used body parts from corpses that were buried in a graveyard. The head was that of a criminal who was just executed for his crimes by hanging and the brain used was referred to as abnormal. (It was from a murderer) The perfect head (maybe) and the brain they needed. Well suppose that brain wasn’t that of a criminal. Suppose it was the brain of a coll...

 Kids are going to disagree whether we like it or not. Giving your students a voice helps to reduce anger. The idea here is that “attitude is everything.” Too often kids, when they disagree, will personalize the disagreement, resulting in name-calling or the berating of others. Often bullies will use their power to force their victim into submission. Teaching students the right way to disagre...