Silken Laumann's Keynote Address at the DC Conference
Monday, June 11, 2007 I began taking notes at the beginning of Silken's presentation, A Shift in Attitude: Finding Your Passion, but I soon put down my pen and just listened. Did she speak for 30 minutes? 60 minutes? 600 minutes? I had no sense of time. Yes, she was that engaging.
Even if I had taken detailed notes and could tell you exactly what Silken said, I would not be able to convey how she said it. With vitality, warmth, and honesty, she shared personal stories about her dreams and fears, successes and failures, and commitment to improving children's health through activity. She is an exceptional person. A truly great Canadian, athlete, and mom. A role model for girls and women.
"We want to be good at what we do." According to Silken, this is the answer to "What connects us all?". So even though I'm neither an athlete nor a mom, I was able to relate to Silken's stories, which are now inspiring me to get uncomfortable and push outward, to dream and move beyond what I think is realistic.
Some Silken links:
Her web site: Silken Laumann
Her book: Child's Play
Her thoughts on lifelong learning: The Confidence to Dare: Silken Laumann’s Bold Approach to Learning