Simply Ben Glenn | The Simple ADHD Expert

This event was a huge success thanks in large part to Sherry and Barb. I definitely owe them a huge “thank-you”, not only for this event… but for the past 7 years that we have partnered. These ladies are dedicated to connecting students with careers they are passionate about.

Man was there some energy in that gymnasium!! The students were absolutely amazing. There were some students there that had seen me last year which was pretty exciting. I also got to perform one of my favorite drawings which was a real treat for me.

Every year with this group continues to get better. This was, by far, the best year yet and I am really looking forward to what next year has in store!

Wow – it’s been a hectic few weeks! As you can tell, I am way behind on keeping you guys and gals updated. I’m actually preparing right now to leave for a whirlwind tour where Larry and I will be doing events in Vincennes, IN, Chicago, IL, Katy, TX and Washington, DC…all in the next 4 days! Phew! All that means is I don’t have a lot of time to say everything I’d like to say.

I would, however, like to take just a minute to reflect back on the past few weeks and thank the many people that coordinate the events where I speak. I know the amount of effort it takes to pull an event off – and everything has gone so smoothly. I wish I had the time to sit down and write a blog for each event I’ve had since August 20th.  Instead, I would just like to say a sincere “thank you” to all of the participants and coordinators for each of these events:

The Kentucky Migrant Education Program in Louisville, KY

Emerson Technologies in Sydney, OH

Sussex Technical High School, Georgetown, DE

Heritage School in Provo, UT

Brady Middle School, Cleveland, OH

SpringHill Camps, Evart, MI

Alabama Department of Education in Montgomery, AL

The Ft. Wayne Association for the Education of Young Children in Ft. Wayne, IN

Shawnee College in Ullin, IL

Grace Community Church in Raleigh, NC

Thank you to each and every one of you for your hard work.  You each make a difference in someone’s life every day!

Title: Hobart School District
Location: Hobart, IN
Description: Teacher In-Service
Date: 2009-08-19

Had a blast at Hobart! What a great school you have – I wish my school had been so well designed! And those brick scupltures were super cool!

Peggy! Thank you so much for your passion and enthusiasm for education – it’s always great working with folks like yourself! And thanks for the totally unexpected “pitch” for my ADHD-friendly “brain bombs” – looking forward to your ideas on a good name for these nutritious energy snacks.

Tony, Alley, Kathy – you guys were a tremendous help! Thank you!

As far as getting some sample “brain bombs” – please check back in a couple of days – we’ll try and get something set-up in our store.

 You’ll be able to order samples and just pay shipping…for a little while anyway – the condition is that you complete a quick survey about your “experience” with the snack. I’m especially interested in parents with kids who have ADHD giving it a shot. I’d love to know if having one of these earlier in the day helps with concentration.

Let me know if you have any questions about it.

Have a great school year!

Title: Atherton High School
Location: Louisville, KY
Description: Teacher In-service (private event)
Date: 2009-07-31

It’s been a few weeks since I’ve spoken to a group of teachers, so yesterday was a real treat – nothing better than giving teachers a pep talk to kick off a new school year! I really hope you all enjoyed the presentation and that you will go into the school year with a sense of anticipation of how you can influence and impact so many young lives.

A big thank you for Donna Buttice of TCO speakers for booking the event and also to Paulette for pulling together all the details.

Title: Centers for New Horizons Conference
Location: Alsip, IL
Description: Conference for Day care Home Providers and Center Staff (private event)
Date: 2009-06-20

The Centers for New Horizons conference was a blast! It’s been a long time since I’ve had an adult audience with all the energy of a large group of middle schoolers, but you ladies know how to party! I got a little nervous when I took my jacket off to draw and there was whooping from the audience, but it’s all good.

Sabrina, Cheryl, thank you both for seeing to Larry and my every need. And Valerie, thanks for being such a go-getter – I know you were a little worried about all the requirements, but everything was flawless!

I hope everyone walked away encouraged and inspired – I know it was a pleasure to spend the afternoon with you all.

Have a great summer!

Title: 5th Annual Lakes Health Conference
Location: Okoboji, SD
Description: Continuing Ed event for healthcare professionals. Registration required.
Start Time: 8:30
Date: 2009-06-05

Had a great time at this event today, even if I almost did have a heartattack when I arrived into Sioux Falls thinking that I should have flown into Sioux City instead because those were the driving directions that my office had given me. It was stressful and freaky for about 2 minutes while I tried to figure out where I was and where I was supposed to be. In the end, I was at the right place and two hours later, I was checking into Arrowwood Resort in Okoboji. It would have been a long drive except that I was fascinated by all those electrical windmill thingies. Almost drove off the road a couple of times from staring at them for too long – they’re huge!! Major distraction too. I kept thinking about alien abductions and bees in a cornfield…don’t ask me why. ANYway, that there was what I like to refer to as an ADD Moment – total detour from my original thought which was to say how much I enjoyed the event and meeting all the fine people who made it possible.

A huge thank you to Marilyn and Rosie for putting it all together and for having the faith to book someone based on a recommendation and no first-hand experience – I’m glad that you guys were so brave! Massive kudos to Brendan Frasier…oh wait! I meant Nate, who took care of all of my A/V needs, going above and beyond! (Nate, man, I’m going to be watching The Mummy tonight – you inspired me!) My gratitude also to Peg and Berny, who were amazingly efficient at my table – they sold everything out!! Speaking off: I’ve had the office add the bundle I made available today to the store. Twenty five bucks including shipping…and if you leave me a nice comment, I will throw in an additional print as a thank you gift for stopping by!

It is always a pleasure to address health professionals from all different discplines and today was no exception! I hope that you guys remember the encouragement and take it to heart. Life is all about making a difference and you all certainly do that! Keep on, keepin’ on!

Title: McCormick Tribune Center For Early Childhood Education
Location: Chicago, IL
Link out: Click here
Description: Leadership Conference (registration required)
Date: 2009-05-16

What an awesome event this was! I’m about to run out and hop on a plane for a trip to NYC, but I did want to let you all know how much I enjoyed being a part of your event! I looooooove speaking to educators – it’s fun and gratifying on so many levels. Thank you all for attending and for wanting to be your absolute best. Paula, Donna – you guys are the best! Thanks for making it come togeter. And Lila, that was one of the most moving and memorable intros that I’ve ever gotten – WOW!

Here’s a little clip of our time together; remember: Teachers can make a huge difference in their students’ lives!

God bless you guys!

Educator Conference 09 from Ben Glenn, The Simple ADHD Xpert on Vimeo.

Title: W. Carrollton Middle & High Schools
Location: W. Carrollton, OH
Description: Assemblies (Private events)
Date: 2009-05-14

Larry and I drove up to Dayton, the night before, in the middle of a pretty bad thunderstorm with 70 mile per hour winds whipping our car from side to side. That was fun! (not really) I had a really hard time falling asleep at the hotel because the wind and rain made it sound like some dude was driving his souped up John Deere tractor outside my window. It would have been a good time to have some earplugs or something.

I was at W. Carrollton 2 years ago and my painting from that event was still hanging up in the high school cafeteria – cool! I guess I have the high school students to thank for my return visit – thanks for requesting me guys!

It was great to meet the superintendent of the school district, Rusty Clifford! Now here’s a guy who truly has a passion for students, teachers and for providing a positive environment for learning AND teaching.

A special thanks to Connie for making sure that everything was ready for the events; Haley, keep movin’ forward – wishing you a speedy recovery!

Guys, school break is just around the corner – finish strong, okay? and remember: Keep moving forward!

ps. Check out this video of Larry leading a clap-a-thon with the Elementary school kids. Who knew that clapping could be so tricky?

W. Carroltton School District Assembly from Ben Glenn, The Simple ADHD Xpert on Vimeo.

Title: Kankakee County Teen Conference.
Location: Olivet Nazarene University
Description: Teen Conference (Private Event)
Date: 2009-05-12

Life has been hectic to say the least! To get out to the Kankakee County Teen Conference, I got up at 4:30am. Technically I could have slept till 5am, but for some reason my 2 year old thinks it’s fun to get up at 4:30am and play the ‘let’s wake daddy by repeatedly slapping his face in the dark’ game. Kids!

Thankfully, Larry was driving so I was able to sleep the entire 2.5 hour drive.

The conference went great! I kicked everything off with a keynote to the 900 8th and 9th graders who were actually, amazingly awake! After the keynote, the group broke up into a bunch of worskhops and I also did 2 of those. It was nice to have smaller groups to speak to as we could do Q&A and make it more interractive.

I really enjoyed meeting everyone and want to do a special shout out to Shelby and her mom, Karen, fellow ADDers! Shelby’s a writer, putting her wild, ADD imagination to good use. Send me a copy of your book when it’s published, ok?

A big thank you, to our sponsor, Linda! I’m glad that the frame building exercise doubled as laughter therapy for you guys – you did an excellent job by the way!

Last, but not least, I ran into my good friend Steve Troglio, who was one of the other workshop speakers at the conference. Steve and I have known each other for about a  decade, our path crossing at various events. Steve has a phenomenal program for youth – if you’re looking for a great presenter for your next teen event, look Steve up. Tell him I sent you!. Check out his website: CLICK HERE!

After the last workshop, Larry and I packed everything up and headed right back home! Long day, but well worth it!