How To Make A Bully Resign - Advice From A Former Bully | Kristen Geez | TEDxPleasantGrove
TLDRKristen's mentoring program, 'Advising Generation Z,' aims to transform challenging students into leaders. Once a bully herself, Kristen was given a chance to lead by Dr. Linda Parker, which redirected her life. Her program has since impacted over 5,200 students across 11 school districts, proving that leadership opportunities can inspire behavioral change in students who are often misunderstood as merely bullies or troublemakers.
Takeaways
- 📅 In 2010, Kristen created a mentoring program called Advising Generation Z, aimed at improving behaviors of students from fifth to twelfth grade.
- 🎯 The program’s goal is to transform challenging students into leaders, with the first client being a school district and a municipal court.
- 📖 Kristen shares her personal story of being a bully from sixth grade to freshman year, facing numerous disciplinary actions.
- 👩👧 Kristen's mother played a significant role in her discipline, making her write chapters from the dictionary for each offense.
- 💔 Kristen’s behavior was influenced by her desire for her father, who moved to South Africa after a divorce, to come back home.
- 📹 Kristen was expelled from her school for bullying, which led her to Northwest High School where she met Dr. Linda Parker.
- 💼 Dr. Parker saw potential in Kristen and gave her a leadership role to organize Black History Month celebrations, despite her past behavior.
- 💪 Kristen faced racism and challenges while leading the initiative, but Dr. Parker taught her to focus on her goals and not stay offended.
- 🏅 The leadership opportunity allowed Kristen to transform her self-image from a bully to a leader, demonstrating her potential.
- 🌍 Today, Kristen’s program has expanded to assist multiple school districts and courts, serving over 5,217 students by giving them leadership opportunities.
Q & A
What is the name of the mentoring program created by the speaker in 2010?
-The mentoring program is called 'Advising Generation Z'.
What was the primary focus of the 'Advising Generation Z' program?
-The program focused on improving the behaviors of fifth through twelfth grade students.
Who were the first clients of the 'Advising Generation Z' program?
-The first clients were a school district and a municipal court that hired the program to work with 150 of their roughest students.
What was the speaker's personal history before creating the mentoring program?
-The speaker was a bully from the sixth grade until her freshman year in high school, described as a ringleader, plotter, and two headstrong.
What was the unique punishment the speaker received from her mother for misbehaving?
-The speaker's mother, a VP at a Fortune 500 company, punished her by making her write chapters out of the dictionary for every offense.
Why did the speaker continue her bullying behavior despite the consequences at school?
-The speaker hoped that by getting into trouble at school, both her parents would be contacted, as she missed her father who had moved to South Africa after his divorce from her mother.
How did the speaker's school attempt to manage her bullying behavior?
-The school installed cameras to catch her in the act, which eventually led to her expulsion and a new start at Northwest High School.
Who was Dr. Linda Parker and what role did she play in the speaker's life?
-Dr. Linda Parker was an administrator at Northwest High School who inspired the speaker to improve her behavior and gave her the first shot at leadership.
What was the task Dr. Parker assigned to the speaker at Northwest High School?
-Dr. Parker assigned the speaker to lead the initiative of celebrating Black History Month at the school, which had never been done before.
How did Dr. Parker's approach to leadership inspire the speaker to change her behavior?
-Dr. Parker was straightforward about the problem, gave the speaker an assignment bigger than herself, taught her how to be offenseless, and provided an opportunity for the speaker to see herself transform.
What is the speaker's current belief about giving challenging students a shot at leadership?
-The speaker believes that providing leadership opportunities to challenging students can inspire them to improve their behavior and positively impact the world, as it did for her.
How many students has the 'Advising Generation Z' program served over the years?
-The program has served over 5217 students.
What is the speaker's message to youth practitioners?
-The speaker encourages youth practitioners to be as bold and courageous as Dr. Parker was, in giving challenging students a chance at leadership.
What does the speaker consider the core of every bully and challenging student?
-The speaker believes that at the core of every bully and challenging student is a misguided leader waiting to be redirected.
Outlines
🎓 From Bully to Leader: Kristen's Transformation
Kristen shares the inception of her mentoring program, 'Advising Generation Z,' aimed at improving behaviors of students. She recounts her own transformation from being a bully to becoming a leader, emphasizing the pivotal role her mother's unique discipline and the school's intervention played. Kristen details a significant incident that led to her expulsion and eventual positive change at a new school, highlighting how she was given a chance to lead by Dr. Linda Parker.
📚 A Challenge and an Opportunity
At her new school, Kristen is approached by Dr. Parker with a unique challenge: to help initiate and lead the celebration of Black History Month. Despite her initial reluctance and disbelief, Dr. Parker's belief in Kristen's potential and a strategic call to Kristen's mother compel her to accept the responsibility. Kristen outlines the preparations and initiatives for the event, which include involving peers and creating impactful programs, demonstrating her shift from defiance to leadership.
💪 Facing Racism and Growing Stronger
Kristen describes the backlash she faced, including racist attacks from peers, during her efforts to celebrate Black History Month. Dr. Parker's support and advice helped Kristen manage her emotions and stay focused on her goals. This experience taught her resilience and how to channel anger constructively. Kristen recounts the successful culmination of the events with a pep rally, marking a significant personal transformation from a bully to a recognized leader.
🌟 Inspiring Future Leaders
Kristen concludes by reflecting on the impact of her mentoring program over the past nine years, which has reached over 5,217 students. She emphasizes the importance of redirecting misguided leaders and thanks those who, like Dr. Parker, have given students a chance at leadership. Kristen reaffirms her belief in the effectiveness of empowering challenging students, drawing from her own journey as evidence of the transformative power of leadership opportunities.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Mentoring Program
💡Leadership
💡Bullying
💡Behavior Improvement
💡Self-identity
💡Inspiration
💡Empathy
💡Transformation
💡Community
💡Support System
Highlights
In 2010, Kristen created a mentoring program called Advising Generation Z to improve the behaviors of fifth through twelfth grade students.
September 5th, 2010, was the day Kristen signed her first client: a school district and a municipal court.
Kristen was asked what made her believe that giving challenging students a shot at leadership would improve their behavior.
From sixth grade until her freshman year in high school, Kristen was a bully, described by teachers as a ringleader, plotter, and too headstrong.
Kristen's mother punished her by making her write chapters out of the dictionary for every offense.
Kristen's behavior was partly driven by her desire for her father, who moved to South Africa, to return home.
Kristen was expelled from her school after being caught on camera bullying and peer-pressuring other students.
Being expelled led Kristen to Northwest High School, where she met Dr. Linda Parker, who inspired her to change.
Dr. Parker asked Kristen to help plan Black History Month initiatives, despite her negative past record.
Kristen initially resisted but was persuaded by her mother and Dr. Parker's support.
Dr. Parker's four methods to inspire Kristen: being straightforward, pulling at heartstrings, teaching offenselessness, and providing transformation opportunities.
Kristen led Black History Month celebrations at Northwest High School, encountering racism but learning to stay focused.
Kristen successfully completed the Black History Month initiatives and transformed her self-perception.
Kristen's program has since assisted over 11 school districts, four municipal courts, and served over 5,217 students.
Kristen believes that giving challenging students a shot at leadership will work because it worked for her.
Transcripts
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