Grade schools were an interesting stop for Lucy. Her agent advised against such engagements. They were cash sinkholes. Her book, Dynamic Habits for Dynamic Kids: The Young Gain-A-Life System, was rare, in that it failed to reach the bestseller list. Not because it was poorly received, it was simply harder to market self-help to children than adults. Lucy would be lucky to sell five books today. Her appearance fee would just barely cover her flight and car rental. Elementary school assemblies were simply not profitable.
But there was more to life than money. Better study habits, time management skills, and positive life assessment needed to be instilled in people early. The younger, the better. She was proud of her book, even if it didn't sell well. She knew she could help kids, even if she needed to give away her advice for free. And that is why she spoke at elementary schools.
One small benefit to youth seminars, Lucy could speak in a more casual, relaxed attitude. If she wore a power suit today, kids would only see her as another adult authority, talking down to them. Judging them. Demeaning them. She wanted to have a dialogue with the kids. She wore a pair of slacks, bright yellow tennis shoes, and a t-shirt that said "Success" in a fun script. Today's seminar featured less psychology and statistics, and more stories punctuated with jokes. Humor was the easiest way to capture a child's attention.
After enough speeches, Lucy recognized a distinct pattern. The kids would politely listen, mostly thankful for an assembly and a half hour outside of class. But only 20% were actively hanging on her words, taking in her advice. 79% would try to pay attention, they'd laugh at the jokes, but would drift off and daydream throughout the presentation. Lucy didn't fault them. That's just life as a child. But then there was the final 1%.
That final percent were the troublemakers. Whether they were starved for attention, conceited smart-alecks, vocally rude, or just bad seeds, there was always one boy who tried to derail the assembly. And it was always a boy. Lucy didn't pay them any attention. She was a professional. She soldiered forth, continuing on, letting teachers remove the problematic child.
Today's seminar was no different. Just as always, she delivered her presentation, had a brief Q&A session, and thanked the kids. The teachers would guide the students back to class, go over the major talking points together, and hand out fliers advertising Lucy's website store.
Lucy, meanwhile, would have a one-on-one session with today's problematic student. The Young Gain-A-Life System was tried and tested. And today, Lucy would help a brand new Young GAL graduate.
What kind of boy is Lucy helping today?
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