Categories
Children Activities Museums Reading

October 30 . Issue #62

Bobcat

One night long ago, in Ohio, a bobcat leaped like a quick clawed whirlwind of light from the pines beside the road and our hearts thudded and stopped –
those lightning eyes! that dappled jaw! those plush paws!

Mary Oliver (1935 – 2019)

In this weeks newsletter, a children’s book festival, tree museum’s, bullfighting and more…

My Weekly Journal

A weekly newsletter that gives you 5 personal interests that I share with you.

1. An invisibility cloak, that is what interested me this week. I came across one in the forest of The Tree Museum last year. So cool. Pictured below is an invisible outhouse located in the forest. Can you see it?

2. The inspiration for my interest, the 12th Annual – Telling Tales Festival. A literary festival for children and a great discussion on invisibility cloaks.

3. My viewing pleasure this week, choreography, dance and movement. Netflix original documentary, Move.

4. Karate – one of my passions. I have been training in karate for many years. And since August I have been leading a group in outdoor martial arts training. The cold temperature is coming and soon training will have to be done at home. For my students, I recommend Karate at Home with Shinji Akita. Sensei has compiled 32 video’s to keep you inspired and training with his qualified guidance.

5. My reading this week has taken me back (1949) to a book, a favourite of my mothers, The Brave Bulls, by Tom Lea. This is a first edition copy, not signed. My mother studied Mexican folk dance and culture.

I visited Mexico with my parents when I was a teen. Climbing the pyramids, exploring the jungle ruins and loving the beaches.  Great fun, an incredible experience. I attended a concert, the Ray Charles band at an intimate, swanky club in the Zona Rosa, Mexico City. After the show, I hung with the guys in the band at a small cafè.

I went to the bullfights and I spoke to the young rock star bull-fighters.

I drove from Mexico City to Isla Mujeres, Quintana Roo, about 1,600 thrilling kilometres. Have you ever been pursued by the Mexican military? My father didn’t like the idea of trying to outrun them. We pulled over. “Tourista,” they said.

They waved us on our way. Mexico at that time, 1974, took care of their tourist’s. Tourist dollars were number one.

Thanks for reading, if you think someone you know would like my newsletter please share it with them. If you’re looking for a great children’s book, check out my book, Samba on a Snowy Day. Available online at all Chapters-Indigo stores and in selected stores, Markham, Richmond Hill and Newmarket.

Please consider a contribution to our next book project; scheduled for release February of 2021. You can contribute by buying me a coffee, just swing by Ko-fi.com.  You know I appreciate my coffee and in these crazy times every coffee really helps out.

Check out my weekly journal, follow the link to subscribe. Get the weekly happenings in your inbox, no spam I promise.

Copyright © 2020 Paul Yanuziello, All rights reserved.

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Categories
Books Children's Books Nature

Newsletter 51

Newsletter 51

Hello all and welcome. Taking in all manner of festivals this week, listening to happy blues, thinking about school and more…

Here are the five things I found interesting this week and I want to share with you all.

1. The Stratford Summer Gala 2020, a performance art festival hosted by the city of Stratford.

Yorkshire Festival of Story continues and the talent is wonderful, this week I  watched the fantastic storyteller, Mara Menzies weave her magic. Rebroadcast from a live show, similar to this one, done at the 2019 National Storytelling Festival.

2.  For my listening and practising pleasure, harmonica, not drums, I found myself jamming with Gary Clark Jr., a great blues guitar player. Hopefully, I can catch him for real someday. I also listened to one of my favourite piano players, Oscar Peterson (August 15, 1925 – December 23, 2007), it’s coming up to the 95th anniversary of his birth. One of Oscar’s best albums, in my opinion, Night Train, check it out.

Back To School Blues

3. The days are getting shorter and thoughts of returning to school are on plenty of folks minds. Prior to the pandemic, I was teaching karate at a Montessori school. And not that I have been invited back to teach, but even if so, I am seriously questioning if I want to subject myself to a possible COVID 19 infection. The chances of me making a mistake and getting coughed on by my students, quite high. And from the Centre for disease control and prevention (CDC) — Your Back To School Decisions Guide, something I am paying close attention to.

4. My reading pleasure this week, all about children’s books. To read what I thought of the books I downloaded check out my book reviews.

So far I have downloaded Follow the Breadcrumbs by Chris  Stead, Abigail and her pet Zombie – Spring, by Marie F. Crow,  I actually received Zoo Day though, and Short or Tall, Doesn’t Matter At All by Asaf Rozanes. 

https://books.bookfunnel.com/celebratingoutdoors/dkdb12fxv7

 

The free book promo that I participated in “Celebrating Nature and the Outdoors” concludes this week, and I hope you had a chance to get a free E-Book. If you liked our book Samba on a Snowy Day it would mean the world to us if you would rate it and take a moment to leave a review.

Click here to leave your review:
Your reviews help us authors in so many ways, including the ability to create more books for your reading enjoyment.

5. Salome Bey, Canada’s first lady of the blues passed away on Saturday, August 8, 2020. Born in the USA in October of 1933, she came to Toronto and made this her home for the past 56 years. Salome Bey wrote and starred in “Indigo”, a cabaret about the history of Black music. Rest in Peace Ms. Bey, we honour your memory and thank you for the many wonderful performances.  

 

Thanks for reading, if you think someone you know would like my newsletter please share it with them. If you’re looking for a great children’s book check what Readers’ Favorites reviewers say about my book, Samba on a Snowy Day

Please consider a contribution to our next book project by buying me a coffee, swing by Ko-fi.com. Every coffee helps out during these challenging times.

Check out my blog, follow the link, sign in. Get the weekly newsletter in your inbox, no spam I promise.

Copyright © 2020 Paul Yanuziello, All rights reserved.

Please subscribe to my newsletter below. Just enter your email address and you're in! Join all my other subscribers who get my news, my writing, and interesting links delivered to their inboxes on the last Friday of each month:

 

Categories
Children Children Activities Coaching Karate kids Lunchtime Karate Martial Arts Ontario Coaches Association Ontario Coaching Conference Transformational Coaching

Transformational Coaching

Ontario Coaching Conference 19

Marriott Markham, Ont.

Kicking It Into High Gear:

Using Evidence To Transform Your Coaching Practice

Presenter: Dr. Jean Coté – Queen’s University

My first Ontario Coaching Conference, I am a coach and a member of the Coaches Association of Ontario, so I thought this is something I should attend. As an active coach I have a busy schedule and I registered for one day only. I planned to attend from 3 PM onwards. I am very happy I attended even though I only managed to attend one seminar. My intention had been to attend a few of the seminars but some unexpected issues came up that required my attention. If I had not felt a sense of satisfaction with the first seminar I attended I likely would have made more of an effort to attend other seminars that day.

The seminar I attended, Using Evidence To Transform Your Coaching Practice, was presented by Dr. Jean Coté in a clear and concise manner, well laid out and easy to grasp. The seminar was a confirmation to me that I was on the correct path with my coaching practice. 

To summarize the seminar content, the following was discussed.

Transformational Coaching is Effective Coaching, to define Effective Coaching qualities, as Professional, Interpersonal and Intra-personal, which equals Knowledge and Behaviours. That knowledge and those behaviours have a direct effect on the athletes – competence,  confidence, connection and character. These are the four C’s of an athletes development.    

Dr. Coté reviewed how the three coaching qualities are related to the four-C’s. Using an overhead projector, a diagram of a circle came up and in the centre ring you have professional, the inner ring had the term interpersonal within it, and the outer ring intra-personal.

The terms were explained as, professional is the knowledge the coach brings to the practice. Interpersonal is the coaching style, the type of coach, the personality, if you will. Intra-personal is the review of how your coaching practice has worked, what works and what doesn’t work and how you will change it, or make it work, a review of the practice plan.

A form of graph was projected on the screen, a plus sign, “+” and it was labelled with “Effective” at the top and “Ineffective” at the bottom. The right side of the cross was labeled “Engaged” and the left side “Not Engaged”.

Interpersonal leadership/coaching behaviours were charted on the graph and Coté discussed how these were arrived at. In the bottom right hand section was indicated Toxic Leadership and gave some examples of how this could be considered engaged, yet ineffective. In the opposite section was indicated Dis-interested Leadership, which would be located in the not engaged and ineffective section. In the centre you have Neutral Leadership such as Transactional Leadership. The reward punishment style of coaching. In the top right side quadrant was located Transformational Leadership and some examples were given of how this style is most effective and engaged.

Dr. Coté discussed how the four – I’s of Transformational Leadership qualities should be incorporated.

The four – I’s are:

1.) Idealized Influence = Practice What You Preach

2.) Inspired Motivation = Believe In Your Athletes

3.) Intellectual Stimulation = Involve Athletes in the Coaching Process

4.) Individualized Consideration = Person Centred Approach

He then went on to discuss the eleven behaviours of Transformational Leadership.

1.) Discuss and model pro-social values and procedures

2.) Showing vulnerability and humility

3.) Discussing goals and expectations

4.) Expressing confidence in athletes

5.) Implementing a collective vision

6.) Providing meaningful and challenging tasks

7.) Eliciting athlete input

8.) Sharing decision making and leadership

9.) Emphasizing the learning process

10.) Showing interest in athletes feelings and perspectives

11.) Recognizing the athletes accomplishments and contributions

During the seminar Dr. Coté touched briefly on the 10,000 hour rule to perfection and how that idea had been recently debunked. This was in relation to performing repetition to perfection. Have a child do 10,000 front kicks and he/she will have a perfect front kick, however you may never see them at practice again.

He spoke of diversity between sports and diversity within sport. Having children vary the sport, trying different sports and sampling other sports.

The idea of retention of athletes and how to go about that.  Make the sport enjoyable so that the athletes want to return. Have a balance in your coaching practice that incorporates skill, leadership and fun in your program. Incorporate more focus on the individual and how the athlete of today can become the coach of tomorrow.

In conclusion, I found the seminar enjoyable, educational and most importantly, affirming my coaching style. I also noted areas that I can certainly improve upon. I am going to make every effort to refine my coaching skills and to polish the eleven behaviours of Transformational Leadership. 

 

Copyright © 2019 Paul Yanuziello, All rights reserved.