Teachable Moment Speech

Good afternoon to everyone and congratulations to the class of 2018, thank you all for being here today. From your very first day of school as a child, to the last exam of your senior year, your primary goal was to learn so that you could graduate. At home, maybe you learned how to cook from your mom. Maybe you learned how to change the oil in your car from your dad. You may have even learned how to sneak out of the house from your older brother or sister. These are all considered teachable moments. Throughout your lifetime, there will be many teachable moments, my wish for you today is that you identify those teachable moments and apply them to your life.

Last summer, I took a trip to Amelia Island, Florida to spend a few days with family.

Sydney, being the deal-maker that she is, had a business plan for Lily. She could get a cell phone as long as she worked and made her own money to pay for it. Many of you may remember the ice pop molds made by Tupperware many years ago. My aunt Sydney took to selling Tupperware at the age of 16 to earn extra money for college, so she had three sets of the ice pop molds that she had kept over the years. Sydney and Lily came up with a business model to sell Kool-Aid ice pops to the kids in the neighborhood throughout the summer. Hopefully, by the end of the summer, Lily would have enough money to pay for a cell phone. All summer long, between the hours of 10:00 a.m – 7:00 p.m., kids could walk up to my aunt Sydney’s house, ring the door bell and purchase a Kool-Aid pop for ¢25. Living in a very large neighborhood, the doorbell rang at least 12 times a day. Impressed by my Aunt/cousin’s business model, I had my own ideas as for how to increase sales for their business. While adding fresh fruit to some of the flavors was a real bonus, it cut into the profit margins. I also thought they could easily raise the price since they were selling so many Kool-Aid pops per day. However, my aunt quickly shut my ideas down and explained to me that this business was not only about success and achievement, it was about everyday experiences and lessons