Monthly Archives: November 2011

FBLA President Taylor Sarman Addresses ACTE Business Education Division [Video]

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Taylor Sarman, FBLA National President, delivers his prepared remarks to approximately 75 teachers during the Business Education Division meeting at the 2011 ACTE Conference.

[Due to poor audio quality, Taylor Sarman's speech is included below the video]

“The future is dependent on you.” I’ll forever remember these words that my 5th Grade teacher said to us one day before class started. The future is dependent on you. His words served as the inspiration I needed, to realize that if change was to be made in the world, it was to happen in the very place I was sitting—a classroom.

My 5th grade teacher inspired me to believe that the world could be changed. Lives could be made better and the future could be brighter, but that responsibility lied within each of us. I reflect back on that moment as the time I knew that Public Service lied deep in my heart, and it was the career path for me.

You see, I share this story as a reminder of the role that an educator plays in the classroom. As educators, you provide the solid direction and focus that students need to lead our generation into a brighter future. People do not vary greatly in their abilities to achieve success. Instead they vary in their desires to achieve that success. But just like my 5th grade teacher did for me, every day you all inspire students to achieve the desire that will move them to the next level. For many of you, you are the igniters of change in student’s lives. You provide the hope that the world can be changed and that their lives and futures can be better. And you do it every day through Career and Technical Education.

Through Career and Technical Education, you equip students with valuable real-life skills and show them exactly where they can apply these skills in the workforce post-graduation. As a student, that’s inspiring. It’s a reminder that in our careers, we can change the world, make lives better, and create a brighter future.

It is often said that education opens the door to the future, but what isn’t frequently mentioned is that Career and Technical Education is the framework that supports that door. For some, Career and Technical Education courses are the driving force for students to be successful. Career and Technical Education serves as the reminder that what we’re doing in the classroom applies to what is happening in the real world.

For me, my personal commitment to Career and Technical Education and Career and Technical Student Organizations is derived from my involvement in the Future Business Leaders of America. For over 70 years FBLA has been committed to the same idea that my 5th grade teacher lectured about—“The future is dependent on you.” In FBLA we have been committed to providing our over 250,000 members with the skills they need to have successful occupations and impact the world through our over 60 competitive events. 13,000 communities across the United States have Local FBLA Chapters—that’s 13,000 communities that are being positively impacted by community service, youth leadership, and career-driven students. The only thing greater than these breath-taking statistics are the countless personal stories I have heard as the National President of FBLA. It the story of the students from all across this nation who’s lives have been impacted that truly make being National President so rewarding.

As I leave you, I want to thank you for your continual commitment to your classrooms, students, and career and technical education. Thank you for taking the spark of student organizations and lighting up your curriculum and providing your students with invaluable tools that will ensure their preparation for the future.  Thank you for always reminding your students that the future is dependent on them and always giving insight to a brighter future.

FBLA and the March of Dimes

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Drew Marx, 2011-2012 National Treasurer

As FBLA members, we are presented with endless opportunities to lead, compete, network, and showcase our talents.  Another way that FBLA gives us the ability to grow as individuals is by providing members with powerful ways to give back and help the world.  From disaster relief to food drives, FBLA members are always contributing to those in need.

For over 30 years, FBLA-PBL has been involved with the March of Dimes and continues to be its largest youth fund-raiser. March of Dimes is the leading nonprofit organization for pregnancy and baby health and is dedicated to improving the health of babies by preventing birth defects, premature birth, and infant mortality. In total, local FBLA chapters have raised over $15 million for the March of Dimes and we are excited to see that number continue to grow.

Across the nation, local FBLA chapters have held many successful fund-raisers for the March of Dimes and we know that more chapters would like to get involved.  To start, talk to your chapter, ask for their ideas, and build enthusiasm for the cause.  The possibilities are endless and some great ideas include holding a sports tournament with a fee to play, a breakfast for babies, or even a “purple day” to raise awareness for the March of Dimes mission.

Prematurity Awareness Month in November is a prefect time to get involved. Click here for ideas.

With your support, FBLA-PBL can continue to be a great contributor to the March of Dimes and help babies everywhere.

You’ve reeled them in… Now snap the trap.

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Alex Blodgett, 2011-2012 North Central Region Vice President

For most people, the rush to gain new members for your chapter is gradually beginning to slow down. You’ve probably had a few chapter meetings, a few thousand officer meetings, and now you’re wondering… Where do we go next?

If your chapter is anything like mine, getting new members isn’t the hard part. People join readily, if only to put one more thing on their college applications. So you’ve got the members, and now it’s up to you to decide what to do with them. I’ve got one word for you: Fun. In the words of Dale Carnegie, “People rarely succeed unless they have fun in what they are doing.” At my high school, the first activity we plan for the year is simply fun. This year, we chose to take our chapter to the corn maze near town. Before we got too wild, we sat down and planned out our activities for the year. There was lively discussion, and the weather was so beautiful that no one even noticed that we were actually doing work. After all planning ceased, we roasted weenies and raced through the maze until the sun went down.

As the cold starts to settle in, people—myself included—start to get cantankerous. It gets downright chilly here in Missouri, and we like to warm up with a hot chocolate social. Warm drinks, good friends, and great conversation. What’s not to love? But it gets better. You can use this social activity as an opportunity to plan for a winter community service event. The holiday season is a perfect time to give back to the communities that give so much to our organizations. From ringing bells, to adopting a family, there’s something out there for every chapter.

This year, I challenge you to not let your chapter get in a rut. You’ve got the people in the chairs… Now get those people out of the chairs, and doing something!

Learning to “Parli like a Pro” at the NAP Biennial Convention

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Nadine Goldberg, FBLA National Parliamentarian

Last month, I had the distinct privilege of representing FBLA as an intern at the National Association of Parliamentarians’s Biennial Convention. I worked as a page at their perfectly engineered business sessions and shared a wonderful meal with two of the authors of Robert’s Rules of Order Newly Revised. I had the chance to attend several engaging workshops and got to know the national parliamentarians from other Career and Technical Student Organizations. I witnessed the official announcement of the 11th edition of RONOR and the election of new NAP officers, and even participated in my first live auction!

 

Me and Henry M. Robert III

I was tremendously impressed by the efficiency of the NAP business sessions, especially considering that a significant bylaws revision was on the agenda for the weekend. Volunteers at a “motion table” screened and organized motions before they were put on the floor, and we pages carried all messages and motion forms around the room in order to avoid traffic jams between delegates. The parliamentarian had prepared the chair with pages upon pages of scripts for possible scenarios, and electronic voting procedures streamlined the decision-making process. I can only hope that my own meetings might someday be that efficient!

Another enlightening part of the experience was speaking to all of the convention delegates. They came from Florida, Hawaii, and everywhere in between (I even got to meet the only registered parliamentarian in Asia!) and ranged in age from their early twenties to the more than ninety years of author Henry M. Robert III. They all had different levels of experience with parliamentary procedure, and vastly different careers; some volunteer as parliamentarians in their spare time, while others have turned “parli pro” into full-time careers.

Interns from HOSA, PBL, FBLA, BPA, and FCCLA

Networking with these remarkable individuals taught me that no matter where I live, no matter what I study in college, and no matter what career path I end up taking, there will always be a use for parliamentary procedure in my life – it doesn’t end here!

If you’re interested in attending a NAP event (I would highly recommend it!) you can find more information here: http://parliamentarians.org/eventlist.php. They even offer a student scholarship for certain conventions!