Minnesota Council for Exceptional Children

Thank you to all who attended and helped make our Annual MN CEC Conference a great success! For those of you who missed the opportunity to enjoy our Keynote Speaker Richard Lavoie, here are a few of the priceless words of wisdom he shared with us that day. It is our hope that you are nourished by these wonderful words, further enabling you to continue well in the important work you do for our children with disabilities.

The child doesn’t want any of your power; she just wants some of her own.

Hurt people hurt people.

If you wouldn’t to it to an adult, don’t do it to a kid.

At any given moment, any kid prefers to be a bad kid than a dumb kid.

The pain that a troubled child causes is never more than the pain that s/he feels.

You needn’t attend every fight to which you have been invited.

Only pick the fights that are big enough to matter and small enough to win.

The squeaky wheel gets the grease. Well, it’s the squeaky wheel that needs the grease.

You can ignore the behavior, but you can’t ignore the need.

Take their behavior seriously, but don’t take it personally.

A child’s ultimate success will be determined by the quality of his social skills, not the quality of his academic skills.

I’m pretty sure we are going to heaven, but one thing is sure – the kids will be there.