There’s a certain humor in the image of a motivational speaker standing on stage to share his message with an audience—and then finding that no one is listening.

That’s gotta hurt.

Then again, when you’re speaking in an auditorium filled with high school students, you know you’ve got your work cut out for you.

According to the Tulsa World (www.tulsaworld.com/news/article.aspx?articleID=071117_1_A16_hMany00454), motivational speaker Stan Pearson gave it a good try last month when he visited McLain High School for Science and Technology. His goal: to talk to young people about the importance of personal success and “believing in oneself in spite of other people’s perceptions or judgments.”

Alas, the judgment of the young audience was one of total disregard. “Pearson was repeatedly interrupted by students laughing and talking among themselves as he tried to speak,” the World reported.

The general public will read this story and, in too many cases, assume that today’s kids (and schools) are worse than ever. But thankfully that’s not true. As every school board member knows, a lot of today’s kids are respectful, thoughtful, and caring individuals.

Yes, they forget at times. Put two kids together, and they’ll start yapping at a moment’s notice—if given half a chance. But that’s where adults are supposed to step in. You set the expectations. You hold kids accountable. You make them understand why it’s important to show respect and consideration for others—and when to shut up.

So what happened at McLain High? Did the kids fall short of expectations? Or did the adults fail to set those expectations—and fail to hold kids accountable while a guest was trying to speak?

To me, these are interesting questions. And school board members might want to ask similar ones about their own schools. Are you confident that your students know how to behave when guests visit your schools?

And, if not, does that say something about your students—or your educators?

Del Stover, Senior Editor