For this month’s common planning, OA brought in Aaron Polansky, a former wrestler and motivational speaker. From the start, it was clear that Polansky was qualified, listing his achievements that spanned for education to writing to coaching.
Polansky’s presentation centered around the questions of legacy and acceptance of all. He shared a moving anecdote about another Aarron who he had helped make friends and later coached in wrestling. The story was heartwarming and it was a perfect example of Polansky’s message of acceptance and hard work. Although it was long, it was engaging and never left me disinterested or bored.
Polansky also made sure to get to know students, asking each one of them what they wanted their legacy to be. He also managed to recall their names and their interests, again displaying his message of kindness.
Near the end, Polansky also mentioned a 20 minute short film called “The Butterfly Circus.” I had a chance to watch the film on YouTube, and the recommendation didn’t disappoint as this story was also inspiring without having the message forced on you.
I enjoyed this common planning as it was different from the normal presentations on drugs or social media. The personal experiences of Polansky made this presentation engaging and interesting to listen to, and also stressed the importance of being kind. While that is a cliche in these presentations, Polansky managed to make it seem just fresh enough to still keep my attention.