Joe Fingerhut teaches students they can

MT. PLEASANT — Mt. Pleasant Middle School student council partnered with several local businesses and the Mt. Pleasant Chamber to bring motivational speaker Joe Fingerhut to their school this past Monday.

Monday morning, unsuspecting students attended a slightly different kind of assembly which resulted in ridiculous activities, silliness, and an important lesson.

Fingerhut, an author and international speaker at schools and conferences, engaged the middle school students with a presentation which focused on changing their mindsets from “I can’t,” to “How can I?”

Throughout the assembly, Fingerhut taught students about the seven habits of successful people, growth mindset, leadership, making good choices, and respecting others in unique ways.

“A lot of people when they focus on something they keep telling themselves that they can’t,” Fingerhut said.

The author of Permission to Play: How Teens Can Build a Life That is Fun, Fulfilling, and Promising, Fingerhut engaged the middle school students in unexpected and silly ways.

At one point during his presentation, these creative and silly methods included inviting a student to the center of gym floor to help him balance on a unicycle.

Fingerhut told of his experience seeing others riding a unicycle.

“I really wanted to do that, but I had to ask myself, how can I?” Fingerhut said. “So, I got my hands on a unicycle.”

He then helped the students see that they can do a difficult thing when he invited them to try riding the unicycle themselves, with the support of their peers.

Fingerhut used this opportunity to connect these students on the cusp of young adulthood with parts of their childhood they may have already given up.

Later he brought a whole line of students to join him as he led them in silly dance moves which caused the assembly to fill with laughter.

Even Superintendent John Henriksen could be seen moving his body to Fingerhut silly dance prompts to “go grocery shopping,” “cut the coupons,” “unload the shopping cart,” and more.

As he engaged the students he encouraged them saying, “The only person who can pop your dream, is you.”

This whole assembly came together thanks to the hard work of the middle school student council who partnered with the Mt. Pleasant Instructional coaches.

They received donations from Duraclean, Pilot Grove Savings Bank, Hy-Vee, Addington Place, Brad Holtkamp Auto Repair, and Old Threshers to make this possible.

The student council themselves even made contributions to bring this inspirational speaker to their school in an effort to better the community of their peers.

Comments: AnnaMarie.Ward@southeastiowaunion.com