CAN

To view the video: under video, google CAN.

What does a farther do when his son, who has never been out of a wheelchair, says he loves to race?  He becomes his boy’s hands and feet.  That was the day the “Team Hoyt” was born.  Dick brought Rick a more sophisticated racing chair. 

Rick was born in 1962 to Dick and Judy Hoyt. As a result of oxygen deprivation to Rick’s brain at the time of his birth, Rick was diagnosed as a spastic quadriplegic with cerebral palsy. Dick and Judy were advised to institutionalize Rick because there was no chance of him recovering, and little hope for Rick to live a “normal” life. This was just the beginning of Dick and Judy’s quest for Rick’s inclusion in community, sports, education and one day, the workplace.

Dick and Judy soon realized that though Rick couldn’t walk or speak; he was quite astute and his

eyes would follow them around the room. They fought to integrate Rick into the public school system, pushing administrators to see beyond Rick’s physical limitations. Dick and Judy would take Rick sledding and swimming, and even taught him the alphabet and basic words, like any other child. After providing concrete evidence of Rick’s intellect and ability to learn like everyone else, Dick and Judy needed to find a way to help Rick communicate for himself.

With $5,000 in 1972 and a skilled group of engineers at Tufts University, an interactive computer was built for Rick. This computer consisted of a cursor being used to highlight every letter of the alphabet. Once the letter Rick wanted was highlighted, he was able to select it by just a simple tap with his head against a head piece attached to his wheelchair. When the computer was originally first brought home, Rick surprised everyone with his first words. Instead of saying, “Hi, Mom,” or “Hi, Dad,” Rick’s first “spoken” words were: “Go, Bruins!” The Boston Bruins were in the Stanley Cup finals that season. It was clear from that moment on, that Rick loved sports and followed the game just like anyone else.

Rick graduated from Boston College in 1993 with a
degree in special education.

In 1975, at the age of 13, Rick was finally admitted into public school. After high school, Rick attended Boston University, and he graduated with a degree in Special Education in 1993. Dick retired in 1995 as a Lt. Colonel from the Air National Guard, after serving his country for 37 years.

In the spring of 1977, Rick told his father that he wanted to participate in a 5-mile benefit run for a Lacrosse player who had been paralyzed in an accident. Far from being a long-distance runner, Dick agreed to push Rick in his wheelchair and they finished all 5 miles, coming in next to last. That night, Rick told his father, “Dad, when I’m running, it feels like I’m not handicapped.”

This realization was just the beginning of what would become over 1,000 races completed, including marathons, duathlons and triathlons (6 of them being Ironman competitions). Also adding to their list of achievements, Dick and Rick biked and ran across the U.S. in 1992, completing a full 3,735 miles in 45 days.

In a triathlon, Dick will pull Rick in a boat with a bungee cord attached to a vest around his waist and to the front of the boat for the swimming stage. For the biking stage, Rick will ride a special two-seater bicycle, and then Dick will push Rick in his custom made running chair (for the running stage).

Rick was once asked, if he could give his father one thing, what would it be? Rick responded, “The thing I’d most like is for my dad to sit in the chair and I would push him for once.”

The 2009 Boston Marathon was officially Team Hoyt’s 1000th race. Rick always says if it comes down to doing one race a year he would like it to be the Boston Marathon: his favorite race.

2013 was going to be Dick and Rick's last Boston Marathon together, but they were not able to finish due to the bombings. They vowed to be back in 2014 to finish "Boston Strong" with all the other runners, which they did; stopping many times along the 26.2 distance to take photos and shake hands of the many well-wishers, and finishing with several of the runners from their Hoyt Foundation Boston Marathon team.

Vision of Victory: Process & Product

There are those who believe that all you have to do is order from the universe and it comes.  Where I come from, you have to pay for all that you order.  Since school began, you and your students have paid the price.  The effort, in spite of distraction and outside noise, has been sustained.   We have engaged the students in the learning process and have taught the standards to mastery.  What an enjoyable and fulfilling process, the process of educating young people.   And I love paying for it, and I know you do, too!  

Actor Bruce Lee

At Planet Hollywood in New York City, there is a letter hanging on the wall that actor and martial artist Bruce Lee wrote to himself. The top of the letter, which Lee wrote in 1970, has stamped on it "secret." It starts out, "By 1980 I will be the best known oriental movie star in the United States and will have secured 10 million dollars." The most interesting part of this letter, however, was the second part–the part often omitted.  Lee goes on to write, "And in return I will give the very best acting I could possibly give every single time I am in front of the camera and I will live in peace and harmony." How fascinating that Lee wrote he would have peace and harmony after he said what he would do to obtain his goal.

Olympian Michael Johnson

Similarly, Michael Johnson, the Olympic champion sprinter, had a goal to win the 200 and 400 meters sprint at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta. The problem, however, was that the 200 and the 400 were traditionally run on the same day. This would have made it almost impossible for him to win because of recovery time. After setting this goal, Johnson remembered something his father asked him every time he set a goal when he was a young person. "What are you going to do about it? and "Now that you have a goal, how are you going to achieve it?" Johnson developed a workout regime with his coach that involved specific weight training, stretching and running intervals five days a week. In addition, he petitioned the Olympic Committee daily to move the 200 and the 400 meters to different days.  The Committee did move the events and Michael took home the gold both in the 200 and 400.

There are two kinds of goals: product and process. A product goal is what you are going to achieve, such as, "I will instruct my students so that all will demonstrate math and reading proficiency," or "I will teach to mastery all of the science standards.” A process goal is what we will do to get it, which means developing a "prescription for success." This is a plan (lesson plan, curriculum guide) that teachers follow very closely in their daily work habits and periodically evaluate themselves on. The teacher must fall in love, not with what they are trying to accomplish, but with the process of accomplishing it.  All the great ones have. Not that they always love the work, but they have regard for the process. 

Soon, we will begin a new educational process.  Know that life is all about processes.  Life has a lot of endings and should have many exciting beginnings.    Learn to love the processes.  When I was a child, we cut timber from our land to build our house.  On an occasion, I would get together with a few cousins and build a tree house of sorts in the tops of downed pines. When we were building and collecting scraps of wood we were so excited. We were running here and there to get what we could. Then we started building and the excitement kept growing while we were constructing, eagerly awaiting to see the end product. And, finally, it was done. It was not anything Donald Trump would claim, but it was as well as we could do. Then there was a letdown. Without knowing it, we were more interested in building something, and the excitement of the process, than we were the product.

The process of test prep has occurred and been sustained.  Goals have been set and plans have been made for success.  The product of our labor is forthcoming.  Today, as the camera begins to roll, according to Bruce Lee, is a day of peace and harmony.

I Said to Myself- Time is My Wealth

How do you talk to yourself? What do you say? Start thinking about what you think about and what you tell yourself.   Rid the mind of clutter, and hear yourself.

Ask yourself of a time in which you faced adversity.  (Know the best predictor of the future is the past).  How did you overcome?  Well, I said to myself, “If my mother-in-law with an open wound in her chest from cobalt treatments of the 1970’s, breast cancer, heart valve replacement and continual staph infection, can do….then I can….”  Lena Pearl Carr was a most virtuous person who never complained. She passed away April 6, 2011.

How should you talk to you if you really wanted to be great; if you really wanted to serve others; if you really want to experience the blessings of life?  Happy people talk to themselves a certain way.  They have learned, as my mother-in-law, how to enjoy life. Learn to be happy.   Miserable people are a burden to other people. Do not be a drain.

A man came home to his wife who was dragging her luggage to the car.  He ask her what was wrong and she said she had just had enough and that she was leaving.  He asked, “Is there someone else.”  She responded, “There just has to be.”

Don't be a drag.

Your time is your wealth.  How would you live your life if you had one year to live?   What would matter to you?  Would you spend a year quacking like a duck?  Would you spend the next year at the duck pond (Happy Hour at the local bar)? At the end of the day today, your bank account has 1 less day. 

A doctor tells patient he has one year to live. The patient asks the doctor, “What should I do?” The doctor says, “Give all your money to charity, move into a shack, and marry the first woman you meet with nine children.” The patient asks, "Will that save me?" The doctor responds, "No, but it will be the longest year of your life."

Given one year to live, would you spend it as you are now? Everything has a shelf life: material and non material objects alike. You have a shelf life. 

A woman is dying to cancer.  Her husband knows it.  She knows it. He gathers his courage and asks her, “I want to ask you a question: What does it feel like knowing that you are dying?”  She thinks and responds, “What does it feel like pretending that you are not?”

You may live to be 81 years of age, just like Pearl, or you may have one year to live or one day--you never know.

A week before Mother’s Day, AT&T asked Coach Bryant to do a commercial.  The script read, “This is Paul Bear Bryant, the head football coach at the University of Alabama, this weekend is Mother’s Day, call your mamma.”  The Bear says, “I got it, I do not need a script.”  Here is what he said, “This Paul Bear Bryant, head football coach at the University of Alabama, Roll Tide, Roll! This weekend is Mothers’ Day, call your mamma. I sure wish I could.”

Your time is your wealth. Teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts to wisdom. Go laugh, smile, and love. Go serve. Whatever you are designed to do, go do it.  Go preach and use words only when you have to.