Castaic hosts welcome-back event
Best-selling author visits Castaic Union School District to share a positive message with staff, families
Castaic Union School District staff offered the community help, hope and laughter by presenting “Counterintuitive” on Tuesday night. Bestselling author Tyler Durman spoke to parents, teachers and staff to help them prepare and share “a positive message” for the upcoming school year.
All CUSD employees were invited to a welcome-back meeting and breakfast Tuesday morning, when Durman spoke to the educators.
Durman’s presentation was “about making connections for kids,” said Steve Doyle, Castaic Union School District superintendent. “We have an obligation to connect to every kid and make them successful. It was really a positive message.”
After a busy day of meetings, training and back-to-school preparations, a few of the same teachers joined nearly 180 community members for a barbecue dinner and a second speech from Durman.
District employees opened the doors of Castaic Middle School handing out free Tshirts, food and offering child-care to parents as they listened to Durman’s presentation. His message was based off of his best-selling book “Counterintuitive: What 4 Million Teenagers Wish We Knew.”
Durman himself is a former teacher and a parent of five children. He connected with educators and parents by sharing his own experiences and giving advice about children through their teenage years.
“We need to do the counterintuitive,” Durman said. “Providing and protecting feels good to parents, but preparing doesn’t because we have to let them fail.”
His main message reminded parents and teachers to be encouraging and engaging with children, so that they reach their fullest potential and find success.
“They need us to be their parent, not their peer. They need us to be stronger than them,” Durman said. “They need us to stand behind the things we say, even if they don’t like us. That is the foundational point.”