Drug Education Successes from Teachers

From a principal of a school in Southern California:

On Thursday, August 30, 2012, you sponsored an assembly on drug education for the _________ Community Day School. The presenters were Tony and Jesse, two talented speakers who easily related to the CDS crowd with their engaging and affable personalities.

Their message about drugs was not the usual turn-off, "drugs are bad-don't do drugs". Users and non-users know that. Instead, they used the "Knowledge is Power" strategy and EDUCATED our kids about the history, chemistry and effects of drugs on the body, the family and on society so our kids could arrive at their own conclusions and make smart decisions about drug use.

The presentation included a popular post-presentation Q and A that allowed some of the more bashful students to ask questions after most of the students had adjourned to their classes.

I plan to contact your organization to arrange another presentation at the beginning of the second semester to raise awareness and to educate our new crop of students to the facts about drug use; and for our students who remain with us - to refresh and remind them because like life, education doesn't end with the closing of a book or the end of a lecture. Education is a perpetual process.

Sincerely,

Principal, ___Community Day School

Dear Tony,

Thank you for coming to our school again this year. We consider ourselves blessed to have a working relationship with such a thoughtful, proactive organization. From the point of view of our teachers, your presentations provide much needed details about the damaging effects of drug usage, and ways for coping with the temptations that are to be found around every corner. To have an organization speak with authority on such a sensitive topic is a support and relief.

Even more so than our teachers, our students found Tony Bylsma's presentations to be entertaining and accessible. To put it in the words of one of our twelfth graders, "We like him because he talks to us the way we like to be talked to." Tony offered the students facts and choices. He didn't talk down to them and he didn't sugar-coat what he had to say. They were very appreciative of this, and therefore very attentive to what he had to say.

After the presentations our students debriefed it with their advisory classes. I had the privilege of participating in one of those conversations. The students were thoughtful and reflective. Clearly one of the outcomes of Tony's presentation is that our students are talking with adults about drug use: a first step for some and possible a step toward recovery for others.

As an urban school, we depend on our relationships with organizations such as yours to even begin to meet the needs of our students. We thank you again for coming and look forward to working with you again next year.

Sincerely,

Assistant Principal
Los Angeles, California

Dear Sirs,

Our learning center is thrilled to have had the benefit of a your Drug Education presentation to our staff, elementary, middle school and high school students on three separate occasions. The presenters were EXCELLENT! Not only were they knowledgeable of the subject, but the content was delivered humorously on a cognitive level of all attending.

Students were engaged, attentive and responsive. This is quite remarkable given that we are a non-public school servicing students with emotional problems, attention deficit disorder and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Many of the high school students are at risk for drug/alcohol abuse and are on probation for various reasons. The presenters answered all questions satisfactorily. They assured the students there were no stupid questions.

Our learning center is thankful to you for sponsoring this valuable program. It is well needed. As an educator, I am quite aware of the precarious financial situation facing education. I strongly urge you to make a concentrated effort to deliver this drug education program to the many schools in need of it.

I truly thank you, thank you again.

Teacher & Administrators

Dear Tony,

I would like to thank you for your participation in the Student Support Service Summer Bridge 2012 program at our College on August 15, 2012.

It was a pleasure to have had such a wonderful speaker as Mr. Bylsma who truly provided the students with an excellent presentation on the topic of "Drug Prevention and Education". Through his passion, experience and knowledge Mr. Bylsma was able to capture student's interest and keep them involved in the subject matter.

He provided students with important and relevant information, which students will use to make appropriate decisions when it comes to the use of drugs. Our students were truly engaged and were quite excited to learn of such extensive and important issues. I have received positive feedback from our participants, who have requested additional workshops on this topic.

Your organization is such an important organization to our community. You need to continue providing drug prevention and educational workshops to all our college students, as well as our local communities. Hence, I will be forwarding your information to our faculty and scheduling future workshops.

Sincerely,

Student Support Services - Counselor

To whom it may concern,

It is with great gratitude that I write this letter expressing my thanks for a wonderful presentation sponsored by your organization. The drug/alcohol presentation put on by Tony and Jesse was very informative and extremely well received by my high school students.

The information that was shared proved to be very helpful to my peer counselors as they begin to address the substance abuse issues of the students at my high school.

Thank you for sponsoring this wonderful presentation. It is so valuable and has given my students a great foundation to begin their research. In addition, it will give them tools to help them address the needs of our high school students who are currently using or thinking about using illegal substances.

Respectfully,
Peer Coordinator

Dear Mr. Bylsma,

I can't thank you enough for coming to my classroom today to educate my students about drug use. I wish I would have known about this program years ago. Your message was effective because you made every student feel comfortable enough to participate and ask questions. You have a wonderful connection with the students, grabbing them with humor and then following up with important, educational information. I truly believe that you have changed a lot of my students' minds about drugs and helped them to make good choices in the future.

In the past, I have attended drug prevention conferences that want me to educate my high school students by teaching them refusal skills such as "No Thanks". In my opinion, this is not very realistic and effective and it sometimes frustrates me because we need to be doing more than that for young people. Having someone like you come in is very beneficial and I believe that you have taught each of my students something new today.

I would really like to thank the sponsors for this presentation. As I'm sure you know, most public schools can't afford to pay for outside organizations to come to our classrooms. It is such an amazing opportunity for my students to be exposed to new people who can educate them. Your organization is by far the most organization I have worked with. I never have to worry about the reliability of the program. Communication and scheduling of speakers is outstanding and that makes my life as a teacher a lot easier. Thank you.

Sincerely,
Health Teacher

Dear Drug Educators,

This is our second year having you speak to our students. Last year our students really enjoyed the informative conversations led by Tony and Jesse. As a result, we decided to have them speak again this year. Our students truly enjoy and appreciate the information. I would like to thank you for making it all possible. If it were not for them, our students would not receive the information they critically need.

I thought the presentations were fresh and informative just like the first time I ever heard Tony speak. Overall on Wednesday we had six different presentations and at each one it was as if it was the first time I was listening to the information. I read several student evaluations and thank-you letters and they were all positive. One student wrote, "I will always remember the things you taught us" another said, "You taught us many values of life and I appreciate this." Many students wrote similar statements. Other students mentioned how for the first time they were being talked to versus being told not to do things.

Thank you again for making this possible, it is greatly appreciated.

Sincerely,
Counselor

To whom it may concern,

The information that was shared proved to be very helpful to my peer counselors as they begin to address the substance abuse issues of the students at my high school.

Respectfully,
Peer Coordinator

Dear Tony,

I wanted to write this letter expressing my appreciation for your drug education program. I wanted to have you come to my classroom because in the particular community my school is in most drugs are readily available. I have overheard many students having conversations that involve substance use or abuse and I felt it was important to empower my students with knowledge of the substances they are being exposed to. I was a bit apprehensive at first because I was not sure my students would respond positively to an adult telling them what they should or should not do in their personal lives.

I'm so glad I didn't give in to apprehension however because the presentation was not much of a presentation, it was more of a facilitated conversation. The presenters were knowledgeable about not only the scientific terms related to any drug, but they spoke the same street slang as the students. My students love to push to see how much someone knows and both presenters were able to field any question or comment my students had. What made this presentation something really special for me was the emphasis of the presenters to empower the students to make their own "informed" decisions. The presenters did not waste time by trying to convince students not to do drugs; instead, they informed them of how each of the drugs the students brought up acted upon the body. There was no judgment of students or substances, the information was presented and then as it is in real life, the choice of what to do or not do will lie with the students.

Once again, thank you so much for sponsoring this presentation for my students. I feel confident that the students who were fortunate enough to be a part of the experience learned valuable information that will empower them to make more informed decisions about what they put into their bodies. By being informal, and not trying to force the students into thinking a certain way, I really feel that your organization has made a positive impact on the lives of my students.

Sincerely,
FTQ Math and Biology Teacher
ATE School
Los Angeles, CA

Dear Mr. Bylsma,

We had the privilege of having Tony B as a guest speaker for three periods of my Medical Sciences Academy today, here at E High School and my students LOVED the presentations. The first year was extremely successful and this year was the same.

Once again I sat in my classes and watched and listened to the interaction between Tony and my students, I realized that high-schooler's have not received correct information as well as an education about drugs. My student's were engaged and focused on the presentation given to them today. Some of their faces were priceless, as they realized how ignorant they were when it comes to the hard facts (although coming into the class they thought they knew everything there was to know about these drugs). I'm guessing many have experimented with tobacco, drugs and alcohol and I believe they were surprised and maybe a little shocked when they learned about the important statistics surrounding these drugs. I saw some student's taking notes, which I'm sure they want to share with others. I can truly say that many of these students will not experiment with drugs as a result of this presentation! So many students feel that marijuana is an innocent drug and that it is completely natural and relatively harmless, their minds were changed today!

Thank you again for the opportunity you make available for my students to benefit from this powerful program. I wish all students had the opportunity to hear what my student's heard today!

Very Sincerely,

VE
Medical Sciences Academy Instructor

To Tony and Jesse;

Thank you so much for sponsoring the Drug/Alcohol Education class for our 6-8th graders through your organization. I have been working with them for about 12 years now, relying upon their expertise and resources in providing valuable information for all our students. We always appreciate speakers addressing education, prevention, and intervention on different types of drugs with a different perspective.

Our speakers, Tony and Jesse, truly gave our students a reality based view on drugs, were engaging, knowledgeable, and appeared to make true connections with students.

Again, thank you for your commitment in providing the opportunity for our students to learn more about drugs and alcohol.

We look forward to having you at our school next year!

Respectfully,

DB
School Counselor
A. Middle School

To whom it may concern:

I am writing this letter in recognition for Mr. D, a Registered Addiction Specialist. I strongly believe Mr. D is an outstanding professional and the type of person who demonstrates passion and conscientiousness toward his work. He has presented information on drug awareness to my health classes at N V Charter School. Our school for at-risk students is in a low income part of town and serves students who need extra attention and support. Mr. D has gained the trust of these students during his visits and has engaged the students with his positive, informative and dynamic presentations. He is very sincere in communicating with our students and his classroom management is excellent. He is well organized and very knowledgeable of the topics he presents.

In the 34 years I have been a teacher, it is apparent Mr. D is an outstanding guest speaker. His interaction with the students is amazing and his patience with our students is very refreshing. I have enjoyed having him at our school sharing his experience and knowledge with our students. He has demonstrated to be very competent and highly qualified in his profession. We are very fortunate to have Mr. D as a guest speaker.

I strongly recommend the Drug Education program and Mr. D as a guest speaker not only because he is such a good presenter, but because the topic of drug awareness is so vital for our youth. With this being said, the students and I thank Mr. D and the Drug Education Program for their efforts.

D. R.

| Privacy Policy |