It's a book. It's a conversation.
It's success for our kids!
A statewide campaign led by MESPA
The MESPA
(Minnesota elementary and middle level school principals) and MASSP
(Minnesota secondary school principals) boards of directors -- along
with a coalition of parent, education, and health organizations,
enthusiastically support Minnesota Say Yes to "No", a statewide
campaign to read Dr. David Walsh’s "No, Why Kids -- of All Ages -- Need
to Hear It and Ways Parents Can Say It" during the 2007-2008 school
year. The optional program is highly encouraged for your PTAs, parent
groups, and staff as a tool that will help develop self-discipline in
students – resulting in greater student achievement.
Minnesota Say Yes to No is a grassroots campaign igniting
community conversations around raising healthy, self-reliant kids so
they will be successful in school and life. The right work for principals
"This book campaign is the right work for principals. It is what we
should be doing,” said P. Fred Storti, MESPA executive director. “Dave
Walsh makes a compelling case; studies have shown that self-discipline
can be a greater factor in student achievement than intelligence. His
book is appropriate for pre-K through high school, and will resonate
with parents, students, and teachers. If I could pick one book to give
to my daughters when they have children, this would be it.”
Check out the Say Yes to No buzz in U.S. News and World Report!
Visit "Say Yes to NO" to get your school started in the campaign today!
To register for a Say Yes to No Toolkit with everything you
need to get conversations started today, visit the campaign Web site at
www.SayYestoNo.org (click on the link above). Check this Web site often
for more resources, strategies and opportunities to share. For a brochure describing the campaign to distribute throughout your school community, click on the PDF link below.
Order bulk quantities of the "Say Yes to No" book at a discount rate
Click here for instructions on ordering books at volume discount pricing!
- 25-99 books at $8.40 per book
- 100-999 books at $7.00 per book
- 1,000-2,499 at $6.30 per book
If you have questions about placing an order, please contact the campaign coordinator: Alissa Peichel, alissa@peichel.com, 612-385-1565.
Statewide Self-Discipline Campaign for Kids Launched
More than a dozen parent, educator and health organizations join campaign to say “No” and raise healthy, successful kids Minneapolis
– To help parents combat the culture of “More, Easy, Fast, and Fun,”
the National Institute on Media and the Family and the Minnesota PTA
today announced the launch of Minnesota Say Yes to No, a statewide
campaign led by a coalition of more than a dozen parent, educator and
health organizations to ignite powerful community conversations across
the state and to raise successful, healthy and self-reliant kids.
Starting in September, the coalition will offer parents an arsenal of
tactics, explanations, and examples for using No the right way with
their kids. “Say Yes to No gives parents and educators the
tools they need to instill self-discipline in our children,” said Dr.
David Walsh, president of the National Institute on Media and the
Family. “Too often our kids get caught up in the culture of ‘More,
Easy, Fast, and Fun’ and develop Discipline Deficit Disorder. By
helping parents become stronger parents, we can ensure our kids can
succeed in life and school.”Using Dr. Walsh’s latest book, No: Why Kids – of All Ages – Need to Hear It and Ways Parents Can Say It,
as a guide, the Minnesota Say Yes to No campaign emphasizes
self-discipline as the most important life skill that parents and
educational leaders can instill in children to help them achieve future
success. The coalition is urging parents and educators to read the book
and then seek meaningful ways to reverse Discipline Deficit Disorder.
The symptoms of Discipline Deficit Disorder range from impatience, a
lack of respect, and a need for instant gratification to inflated
expectations, a sense of entitlement, selfishness, and falling test
scores. Throughout the year, the coalition will provide parents
with useful tactics, explanations, and examples for using No the right
way with their kids, from the first years of their lives through high
school. Many of the tactics and helpful tips will be available on the
campaign’s Web site, www.SayYestoNo.org. The site also will have a blog
where parents and educators can provide feedback and questions to Dr.
Walsh and the other coalition members. Locally, educators and
community leaders will host discussion groups and town hall meetings to
broaden the importance of the concept of self-discipline in academic
performance and life success. “Parents have been looking for
solutions on how to compete with MySpace, text messaging and the
television for a long time,” said P. Fred Storti, MESPA Executive
Director. “Say Yes to No will give parents and educators answers and tactics that puts them back into control of their homes and classrooms.” Today,
kids spend an average of 44.5 hours a week in front of electronic
screens, more time than any other activity except sleeping. As a
result, each year children are exposed to more than one million Yes
messages and a culture of “More, Easy, Fast, Fun” that nurtures a
rising epidemic of Discipline Deficit Disorder. Research shows that
self-discipline is twice as strong a predictor of school success as
intelligence. Our kids may be as smart as ever, but a culture of “More,
Easy, Fast and Fun” is undermining what really counts in the classroom
and what will carry our children into thriving adult lives. Along
with the National Institute on Media and the Family and the Minnesota
Elementary School Principals' Association, the coalition consists of
fifteen organizations:
--Minnesota Association of Secondary School Principals
--Minnesota Elementary School Principals’ Association
--Association of Metropolitan School Districts
--Education Minnesota
--Fairview Health Services
--Minnesota Association for Family and Early Education
--Minnesota Association of School Administrators
--Minnesota Minority Education Partnership
--Minnesota PTA
--Minnesota School Counselors’ Association
--Northern Star Council of the Boy Scouts of America
--Pacer Center and Pacer’s Minnesota Parent Center/Minnesota Perk
--Parents United
--Putting Family First
--The Working Family Resource Center About the National Institute on Media and the Family
The
National Institute on Media and the Family is an independent
non-partisan, non-sectarian, nonprofit organization. The Institute’s
mission is to maximize the benefits and minimize the harm mass media
have on children through research and education. For more information,
visit www.mediawise.org.
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