Daniel+Blanchard


 * Responses to Daniel Blanchard, guest speaker**

“I think that he [Daniel Blanchard] is a very interesting person. He is very outgoing. He did a very good job talking to people. He has the knowledge to help people accomplish their needs. By the way he talked to us he made me realize that I can accomplish anything I want in life. Nothing in this life is easy but if I put my heart and soul I could make it. If he can accomplish many things in life why can’t I do the same?” L.B.

“Last Thursday we had a guest speaker named Dan. He talked to the class about ‘problem… challenge… opportunity.’ He was talking about how he turned his problems from being obstacles that kept him back to being a challenge and looking at it from another point of view. Like saying how can this help me with what I’m trying to achieve. Then the next part is to take it a step further and take that problem, which is now a challenge to being an opportunity. To see in what ways you may turn it into a way to make it.” W.G.

“He talked about making a good change in your life and to make that change today rather than to make a difference the next day… To go down the right road to make good goals in life… He wrote a book about a changed life with some good ideas [on] how you can start to make that change and lead good things down on the right track or the right path.” C.B.

“I felt the guy who came got successful off of writing. I think the point of Dan coming was to show that you can do anything you want just like he wrote the book but you have to put your mind to it and just do it. Everyone can do something; they just have to want it enough to make it happen. This showed me that no one can hold you back except you.” J.H.

“I thought that he was pretty funny… It’s pretty cool that he wrote a book for kids to relate to kids. I like the little sharing activity about what you want to do in life and what’s holding you back… How he explained to turn problems into opportunities and things like that.” K.M.

“I thought he was a great speaker. He was able to relate and communicate with the audience well. He was a pretty cool and interesting guy.” A.S.

“He talked about how lie can be cruel and upsetting but you dust yourself off and you try again. You apply yourself to goals to have a starting point. My life [hasn’t] been fair to me lately and to hear his speech helped remind me that there is always a positive outcome when you apply yourself. He gave me confidence to wake up in the morning and tell myself, “Just a couple weeks more and I finish school, so I can better myself.” Without those encouraging words to myself I probably will not apply myself like I should.” L.Q.

“He was an okay speaker; I’ve heard it all and have seen plenty of speakers so it wasn’t anything new to me. Nothing that he said really stood out to me, only when he talked abut pursuing your careers, inventions, beliefs, etc. like the guy who invented cones for construction workers.” M.M.

“Listening to the speaker was very interesting to me. Knowing he came from an alcoholic family and dealing with an abusive parent made me connect to him, feel how he felt, and made want to read his book. I was actually very happy I won it during the game. I find it inspiring to talk to others who have had these kinds of experiences and managed to be successful, upstanding citizens trying to induce a change in our world. I would like to find a way to work with your people in those situations to try to make a difference of my own. I wish there was more time to hear all of his points and how he really decided on teaching as his career even though at the beginning he hated it.” K.B.