Tips for the Beginning of the School Year

Hey, everybody!

For most people classes started a few weeks ago, and we are finally beginning to settle into some sort of a rhythm when it comes to our schedules. What most people forget is that the beginning of the semester sets the tone/rhythm for the rest of the semester, so it is important that we are smart about what choices what we are making. It is very hard to dig yourself out of a hole later in the semester, so adhere to these tips to make sure you are on top of everything!

1) KEEP A SCHEDULE. This could be a planner, the calendar on your phone, or something online, but it is ESSENTIAL to keep a schedule somewhere! True, you may not need to look at it everyday, but it will come in handy when you forget the start time of an important meeting.

2) WRITE DOWN YOUR ASSIGNMENTS. Writing down any assignments you have will not only remind you to complete them, but it will also give you the specifics that are required to receive a good grade. If you trust your memory for every assignment, you will eventually forget something and negatively affect your grade.

3) DO YOUR HOMEWORK... I really don't think I need to talk about this one.

4) GO TO CLASS. For some people this can be very hard... especially when it is a morning class. I understand the feeling you get when your alarm goes off. It is a winged demon from hell that wants nothing more to ruin your day! However, you have to vanquish that demon and get out of bed.

5) HAVE FUN. Part of going to college is socializing with your peers. HOWEVER, this should be done in a safe and responsible manner. Hang out with your friends and come up with some fun activities to do. Everyone needs to unwind from a stressful day. This being said, make sure you have done your homework before you do anything else!

If you follow these five simple steps I can guarantee that you will be starting your semester off right!

Now, I know that there are times during each semester where things get exceedingly difficult or something happens in your life that affects your life at school. As I like to say, "life happens." Realize that you have resources that can help you along your way! For example you have friends, family, sisters, university staff/counseling services... the list is ongoing! There are a great deal of people who care about you and how well you succeed in school. So, when things get hard, don't be afraid to ask for help!

Have a great week everyone :)

Señor Anthony

Changes

Well this post is being done a lot later than I had hoped it would, but better late than never. Here's a little update on my hectic life seeing as though I haven't posted in a while. I have officially accepted a part-time teaching position at a high school where I have 3 classes, one of them is just students that I have on my case-load and the other two are classes that I co-teach in the subject area of History. Who knew that in a few short weeks I'd go from working at Walgreen's to finally doing what I've been dreaming of, teaching, and not only teaching Special Education, but I also get to teach History (my favorite subject in school!). I am also going to be substitute teaching when needed so woo extra money.

These past few weeks have been full of change for me and it has made me ponder a few things. Some of the changes I have been thinking of are the changes that I want to make in my own personal life (moving out of my parents house, which seems like it will never happen), what relationships I need to start rethinking and moving on with, and what changes I can bring to the NCD this year.

When some people talk about making changes there can be some hesitation, or some resistance from others. Trust me I know change can be scary, some changes scare me half to death, but then I think that change is something that we all will have to deal with in some point in our lives. When I talk about "changes" to the NCD, I'm not talking about making these drastic changes, I just mean some changes to how we fund-raise and ways to get us closer to being out of the red than we are right now. I have been given some great ideas that we are going to pursue this year, but I know there are a lot more ideas out there that some people have and they may not know how to bring them up or even who to tell. Well if you have any ideas for the District level you can feel free to email me at jane.koch89@gmail.com. If you need some help coming up with ideas for your chapter feel free to contact me as well. When I was at BG we did some pretty good fundraisers and they may have been simple, but they helped us out a lot.

So you may have noticed that I have yet to say what these fundraisers are, well here you go:

1. We will be raffling off a breakfast with the District Officers at District Convention! Haven't you always wondered what the officers are like in a one-on-one setting? Well you can win a breakfast for you and your chapter for the Saturday of District Convention. 
2. We will be raffling off ONE table for your chapter at Convention as well! This will take place at District Convention only. 
3. We will do a Penny Wars at all District Events this year and the winner BEFORE District Convention will win enough seats for their ENTIRE chapter. 
4. Per usual, we will be doing our regular Penny Wars at District Convention and I am going to come up with a surprise prize for the winning chapter. 
5. Do you remember those old District Tees? Well those are being turned into pillows that you can buy for the low price of $5! Those will be available at MER and all other events until they are sold out! 
6. We will also still be selling the TBS stickers for your car, or whatever your heart desires to stick them on (of course being appropriate!) 
7. The final, and biggest one that I will need help from EVERY CHAPTER with is making a District Blanket. This will be raffled off at District Convention. How can you help since I need it? Please bring a T-Shirt from either your chapter, or school to ANY District event and it shall be ready by District Convention! I will be emailing presidents about this within the next few days since MER is a month away! 

If you have any idea's or questions don't hesitate to contact me at the email listed above. I hope everyone is enjoying the start of school!! 

MLITB,

Jane 

Leadership

            Hello everyone!  It seems this is the time of year that we band members are starting to get back into the swing of things and begin the upcoming marching band season, and I offer my best of well wishes to all of the bands working hard across the country.  Here at Michigan, we began our Band Week on Tuesday with the new members and are thrilled with how it’s going so far.

            For my blog this week, I wanted to talk a little bit about leadership.  As a rank leader candidate for marching band, I had to go to a leadership retreat last weekend where we not only went over marching fundamentals but also talked a lot about different strategies and tools to use to become better leaders.  We as sisters of Tau Beta Sigma have already proven ourselves as leaders, be it in our chapters, our bands, or across the district, and it is important to hone in on those skills to forge the path for the next batch of leaders to be welcomed to our organization.

            Being a leader takes more than simply knowing what the protocol is and abiding by it.  You must set the example and be the trend setter for those following in your footsteps, and often that means going the extra mile to ensure the success of your organization.  You can tell someone they’re doing something poorly or incorrectly, or you can show them and demonstrate how they can improve.  You can jump in with your opinion when you disagree with something, or you can listen and try to understand where this opinion is coming from.  Being a leader is about respect, dignity, and courage to stand for what you believe in and what is morally right.

            It takes more than letters on a shirt to be a sister.  We all represent Tau Beta Sigma in everything that we do.  Keep this in mind, and always remember the 8 and 5 because they’re not just words, they’re guidelines for how to live a happy and successful life.  With that in mind, I wish everyone the best of luck this semester and enjoy this wonderful time of year.

            If you have any comments or recommendations on what you’d like to see the district officers blog about, feel free to leave a comment below!

MLITB,

Zach

Let's Get Excited!

Hello All!

I am sorry that this blog is coming to you so late this week. I have started Pre-Season Camp here in Akron! I hope that everyone is/had/or will have a great camp experience this year! Remember that this is the first time that we are making impressions on new members for our organization. Did anyone have any good recruiting tools that you all used for your band camps?

Also, with the new semester getting ready to start, that means Membership Education Retreat will soon be approaching!!! We have a great day planned for you all! I am planning on having a workshop to help you all prepare in all Membership Education areas. We have some special guests to help present on all the various topics like, Continuing Membership Education, Ritual, Membership Education Process and recruitment!

MER is on October 6! It is also starting at 9AM in the morning! I know that we have some people with games on the 5th. However, I hope to see you all! It will be such a great experience for EVERYONE!!! I would love to see all chapters there!

If anyone has any questions, please contact me as soon as you can! Can't wait for a great year!

MLITB

Dallas

NatCon Hangover and Planning

Sisters,

It has been a little over a week since National Convention ended, and I am still at a loss for words. Over the past week I have tried to articulate the experience over and over an have come up with less than ideal phrasings of what actually happened. I made so many new friends, developed so many old and new ideas, and learned that there are people around the country who want to see our district thrive. With all of this support, I know that we will succeed in the future.

The one thing that I do want to talk about is planning for the year. At District Leadership Conference (DLC), we learned so many new ways to plan, and how to plan well (Don't worry! We are going to have a workshop on this at some point throughout the year). That's why I have come up with a "checklist" of sorts:

1) Plan early! Trust me, I understand procrastination. I am a pro. However, whenever I procrastinate my project is never as well-developed as it should be. No matter what you are doing this year, make sure you give it the necessary amount of time it deserves. Not only does it make the project better, but it helps you develop important planning skills for the future! Believe me, employers love someone who can plan things well in advance.

Planning early also allows you to trouble shoot. Whenever you are developing an idea, your path is going to shift over time. It is only natural! However, if you plan early you won't be surprised when your original idea doesn't work and you have to reevaluate.

2) Plan SMART! SMART stands for Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, and Timely. If your goals do not meet any of these criteria, then maybe it is time for you to reevaluate what you are trying to do. Think about it this way:

Specific - If you told your goal/idea to somebody else would they know what you want to do? Do you know what you are wanting to do? A good way to see if your goal is specific is to write it out. Don't forget about the Who? What? When? Where? Why? and How? that you learned about in middle school!

Measurable - Are you able to measure if you have been successful? This can come through a survey, visible improvement in a certain area, or increased morale. Figure out the best tool that fits your needs!

Attainable - Given the amount of time you have, are you able to complete your goal well? Make sure you are able to complete your goal well, otherwise, you are just wasting your own time.

Realistic - Is you idea/goal something you can actually do? Or, is it something you would like to see, but know it cannot be implemented right away? Remember, change takes time. If you goal doesn't seem realistic, then alter it so that it puts you on the path that will lead to your ultimate goal. Long-term goals are OK!

Timely - Do you have a set time frame for your idea/goal? If you don't then you should create one. Not only does having a time frame motivate you to complete things, but it also stops people from wasting each others time. If something takes too long then people lose interest!

3) Use you resources! Here are just a few resources that you have in TBS alone: Active Sisters, Exec Board, Sponsor, DOB, District Officers, District Counselor, friends in other chapters, TBS website, NCD website... the list goes on! No matter what you are trying to do there are people and places that you can use in order to ensure your success!

http://kkytbsncd.org/contact.html

Above is the contact section of the NCD website. PLEASE USE THIS! Any and all of the District Officers would be more than happy to talk to you about anything. Even if you just want to talk about nothing in particular... we would still love to hear from you!

I will leave you with this. There is a plan already in motion for this year, and I could not be more excited for the direction in which it is headed. MER, Leadership, Blocks, and NCDCon are going to be some of the greatest things you have ever experienced! We are planning these in advance (and being SMART about them), so that YOU benefit from what we have to say! Information on these will be given out at a later date.

I cannot wait to spend more time with my wonderful Sisters!

MLITB,

Anthony

Fortitude and Courage

Sisters of the Nation's Classiest District :)

Now is the time that we are gearing up for National Convention! This will be my second National Convention, and if you asked me then that I would be president of the best district ever... Well, I wouldn't have believed you!

What I want to talk about is, in my opinion, one of the most powerful 8&5: "Fortitude and courage to see an ideal, to seize upon it, and follow it wherever it may lead you in Tau Beta Sigma."

Our wonderful organization is full of leaders, but everyone is a leader in their own way. In other words, not all leaders have a title. This does not make them any less influential. However, in order to make a positive change, it is important that follow the steps listed in the above 8&5.

1) See an ideal. This can be difficult because our fears can blind us from something that is right in front of our noses. But, when we allow ourselves to see an opportunity, we give ourselves and others a chance to succeed. These opportunities come in a multitude of packages: the opportunity to run for an exec board position, the opportunity to be on a committee, the opportunity to serve above and beyond what is asked of you, the opportunity to share an idea... There is an endless list of possibilities!

2) Seize upon it. Now that you have seen an ideal or opportunity, you need to take a chance and take full advantage! Take the leap of faith and try something new or try something that you have tried before. As leaders, we grow through our experiences. So, we will not grow and improve unless we take chances. Think about it!

3) Follow it wherever it leads you in Tau Beta Sigma. No matter what happens when you take your leap of faith, you will learn something from the experience. So, take what you learn and apply it to the future. Succeed or fail, you are able to take something away that will help you in future endeavors.

I decided to discuss this 8&5 with you because we are coming up on a wonderful opportunity for sisters: National Convention. As you have no doubt heard, convention is a time where sisters can come together and learn a plethora of things that will help improve us as sisters and leaders.

If you are going to National Convention, then I urge you to see this as an opportunity, to seize upon it and learn as much as you can, so that you can take what you learn and follow it wherever it may lead you in Tau Beta Sigma. You will not regret it!

If you are unable to attend National Convention, then I urge you to see this as an opportunity, to seize upon it and learn as much as you can, so that you can take what you learn and follow it wherever it may lead you in Tau Beta Sigma. You are still able to learn from this opportunity! Ask your friends who are attending what they learned at convention, ask questions, seek out answers... This is still an opportunity for you!

Remember we are all leaders in Tau Beta Sigma as well as in life. It is what we do with these opportunities that really matters. :)

MLITB,

Anthony

Leadership

Wonderful, Sisters -

The summer has proven to be a blur of work, planning, rehearsal, communicating, and making sure everything is going the way it needs to. I have a full-time job this summer at a Spanish speaking summer camp located at a local elementary school. I am surrounded by 5-12 year olds all day but we are having a blast! Also, after work I go home for about an hour and then head off to musical rehearsal. As some of you know, I am a involved with "Cabaret" at a local community theater (pictures coming soon).

Now, I am telling all of you this because I do not want to keep anything from you. At the beginning of the summer I made a schedule of when I would work, rehearse, and do TBS work. However, as the summer has gone along my plan has deteriorated for one reason or another. A few easy things have slipped through the cracks because I let them, which I think is unacceptable.

But, instead of beat myself up about it and get myself down I am taking a different approach: I apologize for my mistakes and plan better. Personally, I believe a big mistake leaders make is to not apologize. No matter what position a person holds they are still human. Mistakes will be made no matter what; it is the way they handle them that speaks to their ability as a leader.

So, here is what I'm doing. Currently, I am revamping my summer plan so that it will be easy to work with. I am creating a daily schedule when I go to bed at night so that I know exactly what needs to be done the next day. But, most of all I am making sure that I have time to myself. Too often leaders can become overwhelmed and not take time to decompress, which is important!

In my life, I know many different leaders. Lately, I have heard some of them beat themselves up because of some mistake they had made. When any of these people come to me for advice on what to do, I tell them to bounce back with a vengeance. Figure out what isn't working and fix it, seek help when you need it, and don't be afraid to apologize. These steps are guaranteed to put you onto the right track!

After saying all of that, I wanted to remind you of our relationship. If any of you ever have a question for me, I wan to know what I am doing, let me know! Contact me any way that you want. I will respond as soon as I possibly can!!

Have a fantastic June :)

MLITB,

Anthony