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Combinations: Opening the Door to Student Leadership
Combinations is a must have for teens! This fun and easy to read book is filled with powerful stories, strategies, action steps, and leadership challenges. Teens will discover and develop leadership principles that will empower them to lead with character, make positive choices, and take action toward their goals and dreams.
162 pages, Paperback
First published April 1, 2003
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April 1, 2018
How to Become a Student Leader and a Respectable Person
College is not that far off once you enter High School. Perfecting the right qualities which make yourself presentable to colleges is essential. That is if you want to follow the path of furthering your education. Ed Gerety goes into great detail in what colleges and employers look for in rising adults. The traits he discusses can be used anywhere and it is a great mix of his stories and really inspires the desire to change. I suggest that all rising High School graduates read this book or anyone that is struggling and needs to hear the voice or stories of others.
The book Opening the Door to Student Leadership, written by Ed Gerety goes into depth about experiences that made him a better person. He also talks about good leadership traits and life lessons that everyone should try to follow. Gerety lists the six “combinations to student leadership,” throughout the book. Gerety goes into great detail about gratitude, attitude, goals, respect, kindness, and believing. Along with describing these traits, he includes short stories on how students learn from bad experiences and build off of them. These students become stronger for these challenges and hopefully in the long run successful.
Possessing the six traits introduced in the paragraph above can help benefit anyone. Gratitude is an appreciation for your abilities and people in your life and goes hand in hand with attitude. Goal setting is the action that allows you to set and achieve things in your life. Respect is taking responsibility for consequences and having admiration for others with more or less experience. Kindness is looking to make a positive impact in others lives and believing is being a leader no matter where you go. Following these traits can make you a positive person and someone that everyone wants to be around. When you become the person everyone wants to be around you have found all the traits for yourself. Most importantly respect because it works both ways, and you will become a happier person with the support and knowledge of others.
The reason I love this nonfiction piece is the stories he includes in the lessons. I realized that I’m not the only student that has struggles and there are many people that live in the same scenario. One example of not being alone is goal setting and more specifically sports. Gerety included a story about a girl in High School who was striving to become captain for varsity soccer. She didn’t achieve this goal but she received a scholarship to play in college. Gerety helped her realize how she did achieve her goal in the end because she put her best effort forward.
I can relate to not achieving an important goal because I worked over the summer to try and make varsity basketball. I put my best effort forward in tryouts and in the season but was not successful. I was upset for a long time because I was on junior varsity basketball. Gerety helped me realize it didn’t matter that I was unsuccessful in achieving that goal because I tried my hardest and became a better person for it. I ended up the second-best scorer, assist leader, steals leader, and blocks leader. I also became captain of the JV team and help us get to the semi-finals in our basketball tournament. Gerety said “If you put forth your best effort toward whatever goal you are trying to achieve, then you did succeed. Why? You are a better person inside because you made that attempt.”
The book Opening the Door to Student Leadership was a book created by Ed Gerety to help struggling students or those looking for the right path. I agree with each of the six traits he introduced in the book because they are very important human characteristics to have. This book is good for those who need to know they are not alone in their times of need. I recommend this book to students that are near graduation and those ready to start their career as well. I also recommend anyone read this who needs team building skills or just people skills in general.
College is not that far off once you enter High School. Perfecting the right qualities which make yourself presentable to colleges is essential. That is if you want to follow the path of furthering your education. Ed Gerety goes into great detail in what colleges and employers look for in rising adults. The traits he discusses can be used anywhere and it is a great mix of his stories and really inspires the desire to change. I suggest that all rising High School graduates read this book or anyone that is struggling and needs to hear the voice or stories of others.
The book Opening the Door to Student Leadership, written by Ed Gerety goes into depth about experiences that made him a better person. He also talks about good leadership traits and life lessons that everyone should try to follow. Gerety lists the six “combinations to student leadership,” throughout the book. Gerety goes into great detail about gratitude, attitude, goals, respect, kindness, and believing. Along with describing these traits, he includes short stories on how students learn from bad experiences and build off of them. These students become stronger for these challenges and hopefully in the long run successful.
Possessing the six traits introduced in the paragraph above can help benefit anyone. Gratitude is an appreciation for your abilities and people in your life and goes hand in hand with attitude. Goal setting is the action that allows you to set and achieve things in your life. Respect is taking responsibility for consequences and having admiration for others with more or less experience. Kindness is looking to make a positive impact in others lives and believing is being a leader no matter where you go. Following these traits can make you a positive person and someone that everyone wants to be around. When you become the person everyone wants to be around you have found all the traits for yourself. Most importantly respect because it works both ways, and you will become a happier person with the support and knowledge of others.
The reason I love this nonfiction piece is the stories he includes in the lessons. I realized that I’m not the only student that has struggles and there are many people that live in the same scenario. One example of not being alone is goal setting and more specifically sports. Gerety included a story about a girl in High School who was striving to become captain for varsity soccer. She didn’t achieve this goal but she received a scholarship to play in college. Gerety helped her realize how she did achieve her goal in the end because she put her best effort forward.
I can relate to not achieving an important goal because I worked over the summer to try and make varsity basketball. I put my best effort forward in tryouts and in the season but was not successful. I was upset for a long time because I was on junior varsity basketball. Gerety helped me realize it didn’t matter that I was unsuccessful in achieving that goal because I tried my hardest and became a better person for it. I ended up the second-best scorer, assist leader, steals leader, and blocks leader. I also became captain of the JV team and help us get to the semi-finals in our basketball tournament. Gerety said “If you put forth your best effort toward whatever goal you are trying to achieve, then you did succeed. Why? You are a better person inside because you made that attempt.”
The book Opening the Door to Student Leadership was a book created by Ed Gerety to help struggling students or those looking for the right path. I agree with each of the six traits he introduced in the book because they are very important human characteristics to have. This book is good for those who need to know they are not alone in their times of need. I recommend this book to students that are near graduation and those ready to start their career as well. I also recommend anyone read this who needs team building skills or just people skills in general.
March 26, 2016
Combinations
The best way to learn about student leadership is through this book. I’ve just read the book Combinations by Ed Gerety. This book is about the skills needed to have leadership. Every chapter is a different skill someone would need in order to be a good leader. Also in each chapter, there is quotes that tie into the chapter topic and true short stories about the chapter topic. I am very fond of this book, because it has three different parts to it. There’s inspirational quotes, inspirational short stories, and there’s a write in section where you can try to apply the skills to yourself and your life. This book has many lessons tied into it, and they are very important to learn about.
One of my favorite parts about this book is the inspirational quotes included in each chapter. One of the quotes of this book was in the kindness chapter. This quote is, “What I know for sure is that what you give comes back to you.” Another quote that I liked is in the goal setting chapter. This quote is, “People with goals succeed because they know where they're going.” These quotes are very meaningful and inspiring. These quotes included makes the whole book’s meaning even stronger.
Another one of my favorite parts about this book is the short stories included in each chapter. One of the short stories included in this book was in the attitude chapter. This short story is about a boy named Mike who at first didn’t get good grades in school because he had a bad attitude. But once Mike started caring about his schoolwork and changed his attitude, he started to achieve better grades than before. This short story along with many others in this book are very meaningful and important to the overall lesson of the book.
The last part I really liked about this book is the write in sections at the end of each chapter. At the end of any chapter, there is two pages full of questions and ideas of how someone can include the skills given in this book to their life, and how certain skills in this book apply to them. For example, at the end of the chapter gratitude, there’s an idea at the end to call someone you love and tell them how much they mean to you. At the end of the kindness chapter, there’s a write in section that asks you to write in five kind things you can do or say this week to someone. These ideas and questions along with others in this book are very important and also make the book very memorable.
The book Combinations by Ed Gretery is a very good book and not like any other book I've ever read. The book has so much meaning and thought behind it, and I would give it five out of five stars. My favorite parts of this story would be the quotes, short stories, and the write in sections at the end of each chapter. This book has countless good qualities to it and I would recommend it to everyone, especially those who wish to gain leadership skills.
The best way to learn about student leadership is through this book. I’ve just read the book Combinations by Ed Gerety. This book is about the skills needed to have leadership. Every chapter is a different skill someone would need in order to be a good leader. Also in each chapter, there is quotes that tie into the chapter topic and true short stories about the chapter topic. I am very fond of this book, because it has three different parts to it. There’s inspirational quotes, inspirational short stories, and there’s a write in section where you can try to apply the skills to yourself and your life. This book has many lessons tied into it, and they are very important to learn about.
One of my favorite parts about this book is the inspirational quotes included in each chapter. One of the quotes of this book was in the kindness chapter. This quote is, “What I know for sure is that what you give comes back to you.” Another quote that I liked is in the goal setting chapter. This quote is, “People with goals succeed because they know where they're going.” These quotes are very meaningful and inspiring. These quotes included makes the whole book’s meaning even stronger.
Another one of my favorite parts about this book is the short stories included in each chapter. One of the short stories included in this book was in the attitude chapter. This short story is about a boy named Mike who at first didn’t get good grades in school because he had a bad attitude. But once Mike started caring about his schoolwork and changed his attitude, he started to achieve better grades than before. This short story along with many others in this book are very meaningful and important to the overall lesson of the book.
The last part I really liked about this book is the write in sections at the end of each chapter. At the end of any chapter, there is two pages full of questions and ideas of how someone can include the skills given in this book to their life, and how certain skills in this book apply to them. For example, at the end of the chapter gratitude, there’s an idea at the end to call someone you love and tell them how much they mean to you. At the end of the kindness chapter, there’s a write in section that asks you to write in five kind things you can do or say this week to someone. These ideas and questions along with others in this book are very important and also make the book very memorable.
The book Combinations by Ed Gretery is a very good book and not like any other book I've ever read. The book has so much meaning and thought behind it, and I would give it five out of five stars. My favorite parts of this story would be the quotes, short stories, and the write in sections at the end of each chapter. This book has countless good qualities to it and I would recommend it to everyone, especially those who wish to gain leadership skills.
April 9, 2019
Combinations: Opening The Door To Student Leadership Review
Combinations by Ed Gerety is an informational and inspiring book. It’s goal is to communicate to the reader the important skills, values, and virtues a successful student leader must possess. This book does a wonderful job explaining why each skill is important, and gives examples of each put into practice. Combinations is a great book for students to learn leadership skills at a young age. The values and skills taught are important in life, and I learned a lot from reading it, and doing the activities inside the book.
There are six values that are covered in the book. All of them can be paired together and, the first group is Gratitude and Attitude. These two qualities relate because one leads to the other. Gratitude is showing appreciation and thankfulness. “ We often don't realize how important it is to express our feelings until it’s too late (Gerety 25).”The book teaches that the importance of gratitude is the effect it has on your attitude. The more you can appreciate other people, the more positive your outlook will be. Attitude is a huge part in being a student leader.
Having the right mindset, and a good attitude is a huge role in being a leader of any age. “ Having a positive attitude is not letting others make you feel down (Gerety 47).”The book explains this concept through an old folktale about three frogs. Two frogs jump into a bucket that is a challenge to get out of. While trying to get out another frog comes along and starts to say mean things to two frogs in the bucket and, says they will never get out and they will die in there. Only one frog made it out, because he was deaf and couldn’t hear the negativity of the mean frog. Leaders can’t let their own struggles or doubts affect their confidence. It is a domino effect and when they let it happen to them, the whole group will fall. This is why attitude is such an important part in being a leader.
The next group of eachings in this book are goals and believing. To be a good leader, establishing goals is key. These goals should be very specific and focused. Instead of of saying “ I want to go into medicine”, say “ I want to be a pediatric doctor in New York, and work at the office my dad once did.” When we focus on our goals, and they are very specific, it is easier to accomplish them. We know exactly what we need to work on in order to be properly equipped. “ On the path of leadership write down your goals and look at them often. Encourage yourself and make sure your eyes are always on the prize (Gerety 74).” Making goals are key to being a good student leader, but believing in them are important as well.
Believing is related to goals because you need to believe that your dreams will come true. This also has a lot to do with attitude. “ Believe in yourself, and believe in others (Gerety 127).” The book talks about the difference between having a good work ethic, desire, and believing. If you work hard and want something but don’t believe you will get it, there is no point in trying for anything. Believing that your hard work and desire will pay off is key. “ Believing means that statements will start with ‘ I am going to.’” If I want to by a doctor then I would say “ I am going to be a doctor.” Believing in your goals is key.
The last grouping in the book is kindness and respect. To master respect, kindness is the first step. As a leader, treating others as kindly is key. It is the golden rule. “ Treat others as you would like to be treated(Gerety 109).” Being kind will help others feel like they can trust you, and help them to see that you’re a good person. To get people to buy into a leader, kindness is important. But don’t be fake with your group. This is why respect is so hard to earn. It takes a perfect amount of kindness and honesty.
Respect is one of the hardest things to earn in life. It’s the largest section of the book, because it is key to becoming a good leader. “ Being talented is a gift and hard work is a choice, but you will never become a leader if your aren’t respected ( Gerety 144).” Respect isn’t only treating your group with respect. It also means treating yourself with respect. Eating right, and going to bed at the right time all is important and will show your group that you really care about them.
Overall Combinations has taught me a lot about being a good student leader. Through different stories and analogies, the book did a great job of getting through key aspects of what is needed to become a leader. The activities in the book may seem cheesy, but do them. Think them through and you will learn something about yourself and how to become a better leader.
Combinations by Ed Gerety is an informational and inspiring book. It’s goal is to communicate to the reader the important skills, values, and virtues a successful student leader must possess. This book does a wonderful job explaining why each skill is important, and gives examples of each put into practice. Combinations is a great book for students to learn leadership skills at a young age. The values and skills taught are important in life, and I learned a lot from reading it, and doing the activities inside the book.
There are six values that are covered in the book. All of them can be paired together and, the first group is Gratitude and Attitude. These two qualities relate because one leads to the other. Gratitude is showing appreciation and thankfulness. “ We often don't realize how important it is to express our feelings until it’s too late (Gerety 25).”The book teaches that the importance of gratitude is the effect it has on your attitude. The more you can appreciate other people, the more positive your outlook will be. Attitude is a huge part in being a student leader.
Having the right mindset, and a good attitude is a huge role in being a leader of any age. “ Having a positive attitude is not letting others make you feel down (Gerety 47).”The book explains this concept through an old folktale about three frogs. Two frogs jump into a bucket that is a challenge to get out of. While trying to get out another frog comes along and starts to say mean things to two frogs in the bucket and, says they will never get out and they will die in there. Only one frog made it out, because he was deaf and couldn’t hear the negativity of the mean frog. Leaders can’t let their own struggles or doubts affect their confidence. It is a domino effect and when they let it happen to them, the whole group will fall. This is why attitude is such an important part in being a leader.
The next group of eachings in this book are goals and believing. To be a good leader, establishing goals is key. These goals should be very specific and focused. Instead of of saying “ I want to go into medicine”, say “ I want to be a pediatric doctor in New York, and work at the office my dad once did.” When we focus on our goals, and they are very specific, it is easier to accomplish them. We know exactly what we need to work on in order to be properly equipped. “ On the path of leadership write down your goals and look at them often. Encourage yourself and make sure your eyes are always on the prize (Gerety 74).” Making goals are key to being a good student leader, but believing in them are important as well.
Believing is related to goals because you need to believe that your dreams will come true. This also has a lot to do with attitude. “ Believe in yourself, and believe in others (Gerety 127).” The book talks about the difference between having a good work ethic, desire, and believing. If you work hard and want something but don’t believe you will get it, there is no point in trying for anything. Believing that your hard work and desire will pay off is key. “ Believing means that statements will start with ‘ I am going to.’” If I want to by a doctor then I would say “ I am going to be a doctor.” Believing in your goals is key.
The last grouping in the book is kindness and respect. To master respect, kindness is the first step. As a leader, treating others as kindly is key. It is the golden rule. “ Treat others as you would like to be treated(Gerety 109).” Being kind will help others feel like they can trust you, and help them to see that you’re a good person. To get people to buy into a leader, kindness is important. But don’t be fake with your group. This is why respect is so hard to earn. It takes a perfect amount of kindness and honesty.
Respect is one of the hardest things to earn in life. It’s the largest section of the book, because it is key to becoming a good leader. “ Being talented is a gift and hard work is a choice, but you will never become a leader if your aren’t respected ( Gerety 144).” Respect isn’t only treating your group with respect. It also means treating yourself with respect. Eating right, and going to bed at the right time all is important and will show your group that you really care about them.
Overall Combinations has taught me a lot about being a good student leader. Through different stories and analogies, the book did a great job of getting through key aspects of what is needed to become a leader. The activities in the book may seem cheesy, but do them. Think them through and you will learn something about yourself and how to become a better leader.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 12, 2019
⭐ Spoilers⭐ !! SPOILERS!!
Combinations; Opening The Door To Student Leadership By Ed Gerety.
Combinations by Ed Gerety is a information and inspiring Nonfiction book that he has created about a teens life in High school and how to make it more uplifting then it could be. The most important thing about this book is that the author Ed Gerety was talking about other teens life and what they went through then the author Ed Gerety would talk about how they could look at the positive side of the negative thing. In this essay I will talk about what I really like in this book and how i compared too it from a teens perspective.
One of my favorite parts in this book was when Ed was talking to the crowd and he picked a person in the crowd and asked them to come down to where he was and call there mom. When the teenager called his mom Ed put the mic up to the phone and when the mom answered Ed told the teenager to say ‘’ Thank you mom, for everything and I love you.’’ When that happened Ed told him that the teen just put the biggest smile on his moms face and that teenager just made the mom's day better by just saying those two big things.
Another one of my favorite parts was when Ed was talking about when he went to a kindergarten class and did a talk in the class, and there was this one little boy that got all excited and he showed them what they did. They did these little plants and they didn't right there names on any of them so everyone had to take care of everyone's. This really brought attention to Ed because when the little boy said that Ed had the thought that the kindergarten teacher was teaching all the kids that supporting and taking care of others takes care of the community.
My last favorite part in the book was when he went back to his high school that he went to back then and he talked in front of the entire school. This part of the book brought him back to his childhood where he lived in Exeter NH, and he got to see all of his old teachers. This reminded me of when i graduated eighth grade and I went to go see all of my old teachers during my year as a freshman in High school. It brought back a lot of memories when we had all those funny times in the classroom so I really related what he was going through.
In conclusion the book Combinations; Opening The Door To Student Leadership by Ed Gerety was a very great book. It taught me that what I go through is something that he talked about in the book. My final thoughts of the book was that it is going to help me through a lot in the long run with how I see myself and how I can pursue a great ending to my high school years.
Combinations; Opening The Door To Student Leadership By Ed Gerety.
Combinations by Ed Gerety is a information and inspiring Nonfiction book that he has created about a teens life in High school and how to make it more uplifting then it could be. The most important thing about this book is that the author Ed Gerety was talking about other teens life and what they went through then the author Ed Gerety would talk about how they could look at the positive side of the negative thing. In this essay I will talk about what I really like in this book and how i compared too it from a teens perspective.
One of my favorite parts in this book was when Ed was talking to the crowd and he picked a person in the crowd and asked them to come down to where he was and call there mom. When the teenager called his mom Ed put the mic up to the phone and when the mom answered Ed told the teenager to say ‘’ Thank you mom, for everything and I love you.’’ When that happened Ed told him that the teen just put the biggest smile on his moms face and that teenager just made the mom's day better by just saying those two big things.
Another one of my favorite parts was when Ed was talking about when he went to a kindergarten class and did a talk in the class, and there was this one little boy that got all excited and he showed them what they did. They did these little plants and they didn't right there names on any of them so everyone had to take care of everyone's. This really brought attention to Ed because when the little boy said that Ed had the thought that the kindergarten teacher was teaching all the kids that supporting and taking care of others takes care of the community.
My last favorite part in the book was when he went back to his high school that he went to back then and he talked in front of the entire school. This part of the book brought him back to his childhood where he lived in Exeter NH, and he got to see all of his old teachers. This reminded me of when i graduated eighth grade and I went to go see all of my old teachers during my year as a freshman in High school. It brought back a lot of memories when we had all those funny times in the classroom so I really related what he was going through.
In conclusion the book Combinations; Opening The Door To Student Leadership by Ed Gerety was a very great book. It taught me that what I go through is something that he talked about in the book. My final thoughts of the book was that it is going to help me through a lot in the long run with how I see myself and how I can pursue a great ending to my high school years.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 2, 2015
I loved this book! Though it was a short easy read, it was extremely inspirational and I loved this book for it.I would recommend this to anyone who is pessimistic, boring or just plain stuck. I think in the near future I will be re-reading this book many, many times. Ed Gerety did a great job portraying leadership and I, personally found his philosophical ideas, very similar to my own.
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