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Transforming children's inner-language to build self-esteem and perseverance
CHILDREN'S LEARNING RESOURCES
PROGRAM BENEFITS AND IMPACTS
"My son just took out his two-wheeled bike for the season. At first, he asked me to put his support wheels back on, which were removed last fall. But then he changed his mind: he was able to last year, so he won't be like Captain Miserable, and he'll try again on two wheels." - A delighted mother
"From a teacher’s point of view, what I like best about the program is that there is no preparation required. It is all there, ready to go."
- Tonya Ganderton, grade 4 teacher
"Dear Captain Vic has helped a lot over the past year! My son Liam is really empowered and gained a lot of self-confidence. At home, for real, Captain Vic brings a lot of positive things! Thank you for this great initiative, this program is great!" - Kenny L., Liam's mother, six years old
"My grandson Olivier, five years old, asked his uncle to color with him. His uncle told him no, because he's not good at coloring. Olivier replied that he shouldn't say that because his parrot will repeat it in his head: ‘Not good! Not good! Not good!" – Grandma Marlene
"You can use the Awesome Technique in dance. If you try to learn a new step and you can't do it, you can panic and say, ‘I can't do that. It's way too hard!’ You could also choose to calm down and say to yourself, ‘Maybe I could train on the weekends to improve.’"- Sydney, a third-grade student
“Elie was doing the game ‘Find the Seven Differences’ in the newspaper. He found six, but the last one was particularly difficult to find. I offered to help her. Elie answered: ‘No need, Grandma. I'm able to find it, I'm Captain Vic.’ - Grandma
"Mathis wanted to cut circles out of cardboard. The ones he cut were crooked. On the verge of tears, he came to me to tell me that it didn't work, that the circles he cut are ugly. I asked him what Captain Vic would do in his place. He replied that he would do the Awesome Technique. So, he applied it and found the solution on his own, to draw circles with a plate before cutting."
- Mrs. R., kindergarten teacher
“It is winter, and children get dressed in the classroom for recess. As the boots are wet, I tell the students: ‘No boots on the carpet!’ Livia said to me, ‘Mrs., you speak like Captain Miserable. Our parrot repeats in our head: Boots on the carpet! Boots on the mat!’ So together, we found a phrase worthy of Captain Vic: Boots on the floor!” - Kindergarten teacher
“Nathan was having difficulty writing his name in script letters. He threw his pencil and said, ‘I can't write my name.’ I asked him what his parrot hears and repeats in his head. He answered that his parrot repeats the words: ‘I can’t, I can’t’. I asked him what he really wanted and he said, ‘I want to be able to write my name.’ He then applied the Awesome Technique and included the magic phrase. On his own, Nathan found the solution, to practice writing his name on the board every day to become skilled.” - M. P. Teacher
"Imagine you're playing baseball and you're at bat. If you say: ‘I’m going to strike’, you will probably strike. But if you say: ‘I’ll hit the ball’, you are more likely to hit the ball." - Mark, a fourth-grade student
THE STORY BEHIND THE PROGRAM
I stood in front of my class, paralyzed. I had rehearsed my presentation what felt like dozens of times the night before and yet, standing in front of my grade seven class, I could not say a word.
I am not sure if I had forgotten everything, if it was the fact that it was my first time having to speak in front of an audience, or if it was because that audience included the very same kids who had been bullying me since grade five. I was petrified. Instead of eloquently addressing the first sentence of my story, I started to cry. You may be aware that crying in front of your classmates in grade seven is not so cool. I left the room, defeated, feeling stupid, ashamed and terrified as I knew my teacher would not let me off the hook and that I would have to eventually present again in front of my class.
The following day, I attempted it again, and my teacher allowed me to have my notes with me. My hand was shaking so hard that I was unable to make sense of the words written on my cheat sheet. Beyond my desire to salvage what was left of my personal pride, I started to cry again and left the room.
I came home that night experiencing the total opposite of what confidence was supposed to mean. A normal parent would have said: "It’s okay sweetheart, you did your best, you are just shy, that’s all." Fortunately for me (thinking back – as what I am about to say did not feel like a ‘fortunate’ thing at the time) my parents were not ‘normal’. Instead of reinforcing the negative experience that I had experienced at school and creating a new negative belief about my personality – you are shy – they signed me up for a personality contest. They said I just did not have the skills yet in order to be confident in front of an audience. Instead of making excuses about my constantly evolving identity, they taught me that any skill can be learned.
The more skills we acquire, the more our identity is built. Thanks to my learning, my shyness has been transformed into confidence.
I worked hard with the contest coaches, working on my mindset, on my confidence, on my inner thoughts, driven by my desire to reverse the shame and the social status of the lonely timid kid that had poisoned my last few years.
I won the contest and became Miss Personality of the Year for the whole district of Quebec. A few years later, I even ran for the office of Class President and became well-known for my fun speeches in front of the whole school. I now make a living as a professional speaker and have spoken in front of hundreds of thousands of people across North America.
To this day, I know that the fact that I was raised by such amazing and positive parents exponentially affected where I am at today. Teaching children the power of mindset and positive self-talk has been my driving force for founding the THINK Yourself® ACADEMY for KIDS and co-creating this program with Marielle Plamondon.
Introducing these skills to your students, sons, daughters, nieces, nephews, grandchildren, etc. at a young age will not only affect their youth and teenage years, it will positively influence the rest of their lives.
Nathalie Plamondon-Thomas
8 times International Bestselling Author
CEO THINK Yourself® ACADEMY
& THINK Yourself® ACADEMY for KIDS
Transformation Expert, Speaker, Master Coach, Kid at Heart
THE CREATORS OF THINK Yourself® POSITIVE
MARIELLE PLAMONDON
For as long as I can remember, I have wanted to be a teacher. My love of children has been with me for a long time. At the age of ten, I was already babysitting my young cousins. Later, I became involved in leading different groups of children in my community.
Therefore, it was natural for me to choose a career in education. While studying at university, I went to France to improve my skills as a summer camp instructor. I worked there for a summer and came back filled with unique new experiences.
With my bachelor's degree, I left for Ontario to be a teacher. For six years, I taught French immersion: first for the Petawawa Military Base School, then for the Durham School Board of Education in Oshawa. I taught kindergarten to grade seven. I was also a music teacher and a librarian. As I was not satisfied with the French shows offered to our students, I wrote, produced and performed a play suitable to their language level. The show was seen by all the students of the school district’s immersion schools.
Back in Quebec in my native area, I still teach with the same passion, for Portneuf School District. With my guitar and my devoted puppet Pierre Roquet, I am perfectly happy with my precious students.
When Nathalie spoke to me about her project to create a program for children, her enthusiasm and dynamism easily convinced me to join her.
We connected from the beginning and the pleasure of building this program grew unexpectedly fast.
Each story was tested with my kindergarten students. Their great interest in the characters and their adventures confirmed that we were on the right track and that this program filled a need. I also validated the questions and discussions with them for each unit. Adjustments were made along the way to enhance this program. Students often sing Captain Vic's song and remind me to give instructions with words that would please our Captain! These reminders clearly demonstrate the integration of the concepts taught.
It is with pride that we present this proven program to develop self-awareness, self-esteem, awareness of inner dialogue and positive thinking. Reprogramming thoughts with positive words is possible, even at the age of five.
Have fun with your students reformulating thoughts in a positive way. With this simple and effective program, you will be surprised with the results.
I would have loved to have had Captain Vic with me thirty-three years ago when I started teaching, for the well-being of the students.
Have a great time!
Marielle Plamondon
Teacher for 33 years
Chief Creative Officer THINK Yourself® ACADEMY for KIDS
Mother of two amazing daughters
NATHALIE PLAMONDON-THOMAS
Hi, my name is Nathalie Plamondon-Thomas and I grew up in a small town outside of Quebec City. My parents were positive thinking freaks. There were signs everywhere in the house: "You can do this","You are awesome", etc. My parents were brain washing us into being very positive.
On Sundays, we did not have to go to church. Instead, we had to sit down in the living room and listen to motivational tapes: Og Mandino, Jean-Marc Chaput, Zig Ziglar.
They successfully turned the shy, scared and lonely kid that I was into a confident young woman wanting to change the world. Fitness was the first platform I discovered. Thirty-two years ago, I started teaching fitness classes, became a personal trainer, then later a nutrition and wellness specialist. I was giving conferences, mentoring instructors, and changing the world through fitness. In 2007 I was the Fitness Instructor of the Year in Canada.
One day I realized that my most successful clients were not so just because I was giving them a better kale salad recipe or because I was showing them a better way to squat. It was because they were starting to change the way they were thinking. Before that time, I thought that people who did not get the same parents as I did were stuck with their negative personality set in stone. I did not know how to ‘make them positive.’
I realized it was possible to change at a much deeper level than the physical body. I spent the following 10 years studying neuroscience, brain programming, neurolinguistic programming (NLP), reading hundreds of books and attending courses and conferences. A decade and two Master’s
certifications later, I created a system based on the work of Robert Dilts, recognized internationally as one of the foremost developers, trainers and practitioners of NLP. The D.N.A. System I created is a proven three-step system, to reprogram the brain to change negative self-talk, and transform thoughts into a serving force to support living life to its full potential.
This system is the base of my No.1 International Bestselling THINK Yourself® book series. THINK Yourself® THIN, THINK Yourself® SUCCESSFUL, THINK Yourself® A RELATIONSHIPS PRO, THINK Yourself® CLEAN, THINK Yourself® HEALTHY, THINK Yourself® GRATEFUL, and also in the works: THINK Yourself® WEALTHY, THINK Yourself® A SALES PRO, THINK Yourself® AN AUTHOR, THINK Yourself® SOBER, THINK Yourself® A LEADER.
The THINK Yourself® ACADEMY now has trainers teaching my material across Canada at events organized by the Academy or for businesses, organizations, conventions, associations, etc.
The THINK Yourself® ACADEMY for KIDS was created in 2010, and has been providing fitness programs (Zumba, Hip Hop, Yoga) in over 70 elementary schools in British Columbia. Making children move and learn respect and confidence through music has been part of the Academy’s mission for over a decade.
The THINK Yourself® POSITIVE for KIDS vision is to empower children’s minds at a young age and exponentially change the world.
Nathalie Plamondon-Thomas
8 times International Bestselling Author
CEO THINK Yourself® ACADEMY
& THINK Yourself® ACADEMY for KIDS
Transformation Expert, Speaker, Master Coach, Kid at Heart