Mentor for the next generation: Kurt Wagner, Pioneer Plastic Surgeon, describes the first TV Extreme Makeover

Today's young people need mentors who are examples about how to "break down doors" and innovate.

Kurt Wagner posted the following letter in http://www.plasticsurgerypulsenews.com

TV or Not TV? That Was the Question. Kurt J. Wagner, MD, FACS, FICS

It is not uncommon these days for board-certified plastic surgeons to appear on local and national syndicated TV shows (such as Extreme Makeover, Today, and Dr. Oz) with the full approval and encouragement of our society. However, this was not always the case. I only have to take you back to the last century in the late 1960s and early 1970s for a slightly different point of view. With the approval of the ASPS, I appeared on a local TV show that turned out to be the prototype of Extreme Makeover. It was so successful that it aired throughout the United States. As a result, I was invited to appear on the Merv Griffin Show (Video 1). Apparently, this was too much of me for the public, particularly when my wife joined me on the stage. Even though I stressed the need for board eligibility or certification and emphasized that plastic surgery was for everyone and not only a privileged few, explaining that it was financially feasible for most people, I was summoned to a command performance before our "High Court," where I was charged with "self-aggrandizement." After our rival lawyers had taken their pounds of flesh, I agreed to a year of banishment from voting and other activities. But the gates were opened, and changes soon followed. In retrospect, I realize that both sides in this case were justified to some degree; however, the question remains: Did I do more to elevate society or deflate it? Our readers can decide.

=====================

A search of Kurt Wagner Merv Griffin popped up these references to two appearances on the Merv Griffin show.

1.    The Merv Griffin Show - Season 8, Episode 33: October 28 ... - TV.com

www.tv.com/.../the-merv-griffin.../october-28-1970-1015143/...

Oct 28, 1970 – Watch The Merv Griffin Show - Season 8, Episode 33 - October 28, 1970: ... Borge, comedienne Totie Fields, singer Kaye Hart and cosmetic surgeon Dr. Kurt. ... Fields, singer Kaye Hart and cosmetic surgeon Dr. Kurt Wagner.

2.    The Merv Griffin Show - Season 10, Episode 59: December 12, 1972 ...

www.tv.com/.../the-merv-griffin.../december-12-1972-174214...

Dec 12, 1972 – Watch The Merv Griffin Show - Season 10, Episode 59 - December 12, 1972: ... Reilly and Dr. Kurt Wagner with a discussion on plastic surgery.

October 28, 1970 and December 12, 1972 were milestones in the history of U.S. television by giving viewers a look at the extreme makeover (show a photo of how the person used to look three months before, then allow that person to appear after healing from the plastic surgery).  These appearances were responsible for loosening the restrictions on doctors.  The medical associations used to label these appearances as "self-aggrandizement."

You can find Dr. Wagner's website at DrKurtWagner.com https://sites.google.com/site/bicoastaldoctor/  

====
The need for Maverick Mentors in education
Daniel Amen in Magnificent Mind at Any Age devotes Chapter 16 to "maverick thinking," which he defines as having four traits:
1.  Independent thinking
2.  No accepting the norm just because it is the norm
3.  Creativity or thining in a way that is different from others'
4.  A passionate belief that you can make a difference.
p. 243, Magnificent Mind at Any Age (2008) by Daniel Amen

As a teacher, I look for these traits in my students and I encourage them to pursue the "Seven Survival Skills" described by Tony Wagner and p21.org.  One of the key skills is "critical thinking" and another is "creativity."  Sometimes it takes interaction with a pioneer to spark that awareness in the student:  "Hey, I wonder what I could do that is independent?  Maybe I can be like Dr. Wagner."

Resources:  P21.org has http://p21.org/tools-and-resources/parents-and-communities

FOR THE RECORD (a correction at the bottom of this list)

If you continue to read the rest of this post, you will get information about Dr. Wagner's four appearances on the Merv Griffin show (there are four listed on the Internet).

The Excerpts

List of items found on Internet

A search of “Kurt Wagner  merv griffin show”  showed these items:

September 29, 1970   Wagner in a dark suit

October 28, 1970    Wagner in a light jacket

December 12, 1972 This episode is not found in the tv.com search but appears on a website listing.

January 28, 1978   

The Merv Griffin Show - Season 8, Episode 33: October 28 ... - TV.com

www.tv.com/.../the-merv-griffin.../october-28-1970-1015143/...

Oct 28, 1970 – Watch The Merv Griffin Show - Season 8, Episode 33 - October 28, 1970: ... Borge, comedienne Totie Fields, singer Kaye Hart and cosmetic surgeon Dr. Kurt. ... Fields, singer Kaye Hart and cosmetic surgeon Dr. Kurt Wagner.

  

http://www.tv.com/shows/the-merv-griffin-show/october-28-1970-1015143/

EPISODE SUMMARY

 EDIT

AIRED: 10/28/70

Merv's guests are humorist-pianist Victor Borge, comedienne Totie Fields, singer Kaye Hart and cosmetic surgeon Dr. Kurt Wagner.

Dr. Wagner has a light jacket,  Kathy Wagner is not on the show

=====================  

The Merv Griffin Show - Season 8, Episode 12: September 29, …

www.tv.com/shows/the-merv-griffin-show/september-29-1970-1558633

Sep 29, 1970 · Merv's guests are actor Peter Lawford, actress Suzanne Pleshette, composer Don Davis, singer-actor Johnny Brown and Dr. Kurt Wagner.

Dr. Wagner has a dark suit and Kathy Wagner appears.

EPISODE SUMMARY

 EDIT

AIRED: 9/29/70

Merv's guests are actor Peter Lawford, actress Suzanne Pleshette, composer Don Davis, singer-actor Johnny Brown and Dr. Kurt Wagner.

http://www.tv.com/shows/the-merv-griffin-show/september-29-1970-1558633/

----------------------------

------------------------------------------------------  

2.    The Merv Griffin Show - Season 10, Episode 59: December 12, 1972 ...

www.tv.com/.../the-merv-griffin.../december-12-1972-174214...

Dec 12, 1972 – Watch The Merv Griffin Show - Season 10, Episode 59 - December 12, 1972: ... Reilly and Dr. Kurt Wagner with a discussion on plastic surgery.

EPISODE SUMMARY

 EDIT

AIRED: 12/12/72

Merv's guests are actress Jean Stapleton of All in the Family and actress Loretta Swit of M*A*S*H, TV hostess Pamela Mason, comedian Charles Nelson Reilly and Dr. Kurt Wagner with a discussion on plastic surgery.

http://www.tv.com/shows/the-merv-griffin-show/december-12-1972-1742141/ 

------------------  

The Merv Griffin Show Episode Guide 0001 - Merv Griffin Show ...

www.tvguide.com/detail/tv-show.aspx?tvobjectid=203074&more=uc...

Merv's guests are Beverly and Vidal Sassoon, skin specialist Daniel Eastman, exercise artist Anne Marie Bernstrom, plastic surgeon Dr. Kurt Wagner and Dr. L. Lee ...

Episode Detail: Merv Griffin Show - The Merv Griffin Show

Merv's guests are Beverly and Vidal Sassoon, skin specialist Daniel Eastman, exercise artist Anne Marie Bernstrom, plastic surgeon Dr. Kurt Wagner and Dr. L. Lee Bosley, hair-transplant specialist. Mort Lindsey orchestra.

http://www.tvguide.com/detail/tv-show.aspx?tvobjectid=203074&more=ucepisodelist&episodeid=714224

no date given on the website. 

-------------------

A search on tv.com of “merv griffin kurt wagner” gave this result

EPISODE SUMMARY

 EDIT

AIRED: 1/23/78

Merv's guests are comedienne Joan Rivers, singer Anne Murray, stripper Carol Doda and Dr. Ku

http://www.tv.com/shows/the-merv-griffin-show/january-23-1978-2452238/

search “kurt wagner merv griffin” got three results on tv.com:

http://www.tv.com/search?q=kurt+wagner+merv+griffin

EpisodesAir date

·                         January 23, 1978

1/23/78

·                         October 28, 1970

10/28/70

·                         September 29, 1970

9/29/70

------------------------------- 

Here is the correction:   

Classic Television Showbiz: The Merv Griffin Show with guests ...

classicshowbiz.blogspot.com/2009/03/merv-griffin-show-with-guests...

Mar 20, 2009 · The Merv Griffin Show with guests Totie Fields and A Plastic Surgeon to the Stars (1972) Posted by Kliph Nesteroff at 12:01 AM. Labels: ..

 This date is mislabeled.  This episode (with Totie Fields) was listed as Octoer 28, 1970 in the TV guide (not 1972).

What is the Learning Revolution? Is the revolution in education about technology? (no)

Talking points

How can we use Technology with Teaching?

Technology has become associated with “Innovation” and “The Learning Revolution.”

Most people want to know:

What types of devices are available?

Which device is best for which situation?

What are typical problems with the technologies?

What are typical solutions?

Hands-on learning about how to use the technologies

Flipping the classroom

The shift from lecturing to the “new way of learning” is about:

A shift in mindset:  growth, not fixed (C. Dweck)

The focus is on learning, not transmitting

Projects

Personal learning plans

Portfolios

Interactive

The newspaper office

More distractions: 

The Third Teacher

The design of the classroom

open learning spaces

It’s possible to have a revolution in learning

Without electronic devices or computer assisted instruction,

Without open learning spaces

Without access to the Internet

The new way of learning is “the student is the class”

Each student has an individual plan.

Personalized curriculum

Time is not fixed    “Time is a variable”

Steve McCrea, TheEbookman@gmail.com

Traditional Title:  Instructor                 New Title:  Curator

GuideOnTheSide.com    TransformTeaching.org

Transform-Education.com  Dr. Fischler’s site

What does Dan Pink recommend for school work and homework? What do students say about "FedEx Day"? "Give students a chance to learn what they want to learn"

Dan Pink has some suggestions for schools in his book Drive (about motivation).

"Give students a chance to learn what they want to learn."

The classroom is in West Palm Beach, Florida, at 

Oxbridge Academy oapb.org

ConnectedPrincipals.com has a post where the recommendations are highlighted.

READ the 19 Tips found at Connected Principals blog

The "20% day" is captured in a poster on a wall in the classroom (shown in this video).   What does the student have to say about the recommendation?

Many thanks to the volunteer in this video

The poster has a link to Dan Pink's website and a recommendation to look for the Flip Manifesto, the free Ebook that Dan Pink once offered on his site in exchange for signing up for his email updates (useful tips).   Now the ebook that is offered is the introduction to the book To Sell Is Human 

I've seen the introduction, I've read the book and it helped me as a teacher see that "always be closing" (the ABCs that kept me away from ever calling myself a salesman) can be updated... to A, buoyancy and clarity.  Learn more by going to danpink.com and sign up for the newsletter... and get the introduction to Dan Pink's latest book.

See the video

Reports from five schools: innovation in Los Angeles, Sydney and Auckland

Visit to schools February and March 2013

Los Angeles, Sydney and Auckland

http://theindependenteducator.blogspot.com/2013/03/the-third-teacher-and-third-room-visit.html

Sydney SCIL center for innovative learning

Recommended blog:  http://anneknock.com/tag/scil-vision-tour/  by Anne Knock

scil blog by stephen harris  http://imaginelearning.tumblr.com/

Key point:  The Third Teacher is the wall.  What goes on your classroom walls?  How often do the posters change?

Auckland  Stonefields School   elementary school

http://theindependenteducator.blogspot.com/2013/03/more-subscriptions-for-thie-youtube.html

http://theindependenteducator.blogspot.com/2013/03/worth-click-stonefields-open-learning.html

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZEBptQX2-c8&list=UU-5KRUHaVhO9a9F0_9fmywA&index=7

THE PIT:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RC1rNb6eLbg&list=UU-5KRUHaVhO9a9F0_9fmywA&index=8

Blog by Chris Bradbeer  http://openlearningspaces.blogspot.com/   interesting observations about how to design a learning space for students

http://openlearningspaces.blogspot.com/2013/03/open-learning-spacesand-smaller-spaces.html

Bradbeer is an assistant principal at Stonefields School.

Key point:  The students talk about "breakthrough" and the importance of being confused and "in the pit."

Albany (north of Auckland)  high school

Talk with a teacher  Lloyd Gutteride, author of a textbook about creativity and entrepreneuring.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SG_73xbzbAY

Interview with the principal  Barbara Cavanaugh    "Conversations that matter"   (focus on what moves the learning ahead)

YOUTUBE   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=awvwqcM_mbc   Look for the six key posters on the walls of the teacher's room (which is the principal's office, meeting room and general work space for administrators.  One big room, no closed 4-wall offices.

Recommended books include World Café and Oldenberg's Third Space (1989).

Interview with a student who gave a book review   http://www.youtube.com/edit?video_id=driU5vtSrWk&feature=vm-privacy&ns=1

Key Point:  The "20% free time" day (Wednesday) is for the "impact project" that each student works on while at the school.

Visit to a school in Sydney St. Andrew's Cathedral School

Youtube  http://www.youtube.com/user/StAndrewsOfficial/videos  the official channel

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G3JfxQZl2SQ  interview with Grace stone starts on page 0:51

I was introduced to Grace Stone by Robin Mycock, a resident of Sydney.  Grace gave me a tour of the school, which includes the rooftop play area.    See the website http://www.sacs.nsw.edu.au/

The school is pushed together in a five story office building in the downtown area.  Brilliant idea:  immersed in the work environment. 

"People are willing to be supportive," says one of the teens in the video at 2:45 

Visit with Dr. Clark about two key issues in education, University of Southern California

http://theindependenteducator.blogspot.com/2013/03/richard-e-clark-discusses-two-key.html

Posters with Dr. Clark  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JyCUcnA-Es8

Posters (discussion) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XrWOLzRkS_8

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8FAlTyBAjhIideo video about important issues in education

Look for posters to shift the culture of the classroom. 

Interview with Gordon Dryden, author of www.TheLearningWeb.net 

How to write a book in 8 weeks  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VHAdgTNPllQ&list=UU-5KRUHaVhO9a9F0_9fmywA&index=4

How to create an effective and popular talk radio show  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iXT4ltI3hjY&list=UU-5KRUHaVhO9a9F0_9fmywA&index=5

Interview with Dennis Yuzenas, instructor in Florida

Teacher Training with Gordon Dryden's Book http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2bnMkrSaXS8&list=UU-5KRUHaVhO9a9F0_9fmywA&index=19

TWO BOOKS:  Science of Learning and Art of Teaching by Jerome Feldman "A teacher's nuts and bolts, like a car manual, you need it, you can look things up."  -- Dennis Yuzenas recommends these two books

Littky's book THE BIG PICTURE was used in training teachers at a school in West Palm Beach (but the effort was later abandoned).

Advisories section (pages 61-66)  in Dennis Littky's book was used to train teachers about advisories. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5VEI7cMhZPI&list=UU-5KRUHaVhO9a9F0_9fmywA&index=18

Visit to a school in Los Angeles, Highland Park High School

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C2Zvk67t0JM  a class where students in groups look for youtube videos that would tie to the chapters to develop a library, page by page, chapter by chapter.

a proposal.

See also the link to a poster created by students at Highland Park.

====================

Worth a visit:  the aquarium in Auckland

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0PYE7eeb2yg

music by ModernMelodies@gmail.com    the half-tube of clear plastic puts the ocean around the visitor, who is conveyed on a belt like a suitcase at the airport.  The 2 minute video edits out the supporting ribs to give the illusion of drifting underwater.

 ===============================  

Also recommended… a walking tour of Obispo Street in Havana Vieja

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FNp6S0n38f0  nice quotes in front of a bookstore at 0:45 in the video

Students at Highland Park High School create an "ANT-eating" poster

I'm a high school teacher, so I'm always hunting for activities that will engage the teenage mind.  

a)  Tony Wagner's "Survival Skills" to prepare for the global economy
b)  The Personalized Curriculum that Big Picture schools advocate
c)  Daniel Amen's work with "Automatic Negative Thoughts" (ANTs).  
d) The male/female brain differences that Rob Becker talks about in Defending the Caveman.
Students can take the initial idea and then create a project

Look what some students in Highland Park High School, near the Nightingale Middle School, created after I dropped by to tell them about Dr. Amen's work with "ANTeaters" (procedures to "eat" the negative thoughts).  The photo shows a detail of the poster.



How did this project evolve?  I met Enrique Gonzalez when he was the principal of Frida Kahlo High School in Los Angeles in 2009.  Four years later, he's at this Highland Park school and I dropped in for a visit.  Enrique encouraged me to stop in again and I spent 45 minutes with students, talking for 5 minutes about innovative schools and the power of projects, and then I asked them to make some posters.   


Now look what some of those students did!
Here's their message:  

hey again! it's ireland lopez, greg morales and drake ferris. we finished the poster board A.N.T project.

Bravo... I'm sending this link to Dr. Amen...

I'm a happy visitor and mentor.

Further reading:  Tony Wagner's page  7 Skills
Big Picture and Personalization
Dr. Amen and the ANTeater

Tips about Negative Self-Talk
Article about ANTeaters

Four posters to build a classroom of cooperation (perhaps even empathy): preparation for a workshop with thanks to Dennis Littky, Cary Elcome and Dennis Yuzenas.

We often forget the most overlooked resource in the school: the students. We ought to close the textbooks, turn off the teacher talk and ask students to talk and share their concerns and let them practice speaking. Instead of more grammar, why not allow them to speak and reveal their gaps as well as their passions?

Cary Elcome    Bradstow2@yahoo.co.uk

What are you going to tell the students? But teaching is really about bringing out what's already inside people.

Dennis Littky

Metcenter.org    info@bipicture.org

rdavis@bigpicturelearning.org

Gratitude

People who are grateful live longer.

They remember what they studied longer.

Write to thank these people for their words.

Some teachers negotiate with their students what they will learn, when they will learn it and

how we will check that they have learned it.

Dennis Yuzenas, after studying Glasser’s Choice Theory.

dyuzenas@oapb.org     www.WhatDoYaKnow.com  

Richard E. Clark advocates the use of as few words as possible in posters.  This was my attempt to get a workshop down to these four posters.  How do we create an atmosphere and culture of interactive work and cooperation?   I think these four posters will help.  The third poster (about Gratitude) is how I encourage participants to reveal their natures, preferences and traits.  

The Havana Brain Bar by Vivek S. Kilpadi, Food Technologist for a workshop (to promote better learning)

Here is the formula that I started with.  It needs tweaking... 
(see the link to a formula for a muscle-building website)... HERE

Ingredients 

Original recipe makes 1. 1/4 pounds

1 1/2 cups white sugar OR 1 cup

1/2 cup white corn syrup OR ½ cup

1/4 cup water OR no water

1 1/2 cups raw peanuts or white sesame seeds (roasted) OR 1 cup

Optional 2 teaspoons of soy flour/milk powder 

1/2 teaspoon salt OR no salt

1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda OR 1 teaspoon

1 teaspoon vanilla essence

Directions

1.   Spray two cookie sheets with non-stick spray coating; or, smear with light layer of oil or butter or margarine.

2.   In a 4 quart saucepan over medium-high heat, combine the sugar, corn syrup and water.

3.   Heat to boiling and add peanuts.

4.   Cook until peanuts become golden in color and syrup mixture beads off nuts when raised out of pan.

5.   Quickly mix in the salt, vanilla and baking soda and optional soy flour or milk powder until well blended.  

6.   Pour the mixture onto the prepared cookie sheets.

7.   Allow mixture to spread on its own or use an oiled dough roller to make a layer of even thickness.

8.   Cool completely.

9.   Break into pieces.

10.  Store in air-tight container or Ziploc plastic bag.

PURPOSE
to give people in learning environments the nutrients that are often missing when we take a break for a candy bar or soda.

BENEFITS
tasty
protein
omega-3 fats for brain activity


I hope you will use if in your classrooms.

i will let you know what the participants in the workshop say about the bar.

Creator of the formula:  Vivek S. Kilpadi

======================

A bar with less sugar and more "good fat" and fiber is in the following recipe, using the following ingredients:

The Do It Yourself protein bar's ingredients

• quick oats
• powdered non-fat milk
• low carb protein powder
•  maple syrup 
• 2 egg whites, beaten
• orange juice
• vanilla
• applesauce (which can be used to substitute for fat to make the bar moist)

==================  

A No-Bake alternative

Ingredients:

• peanut butter (chunky or smooth)
• oats or whole grain hot cereal (uncooked)
• oat flour * (double the oats if you do not have oat flour)
• low-carb chocolate whey protein (or about ~132 grams protein)
• vanilla
• flax seeds (optional)
• non-fat dry milk
• water (depending on what type of protein you use, you may need more)

Preparation:  Go to the link   (Give the author your hit...)   www.YourNetImpact.com

Oatmeal, protein, raisin bar (no baking)

Update on 13 April 2013

The Havana Brain Building Bar was demonstrated in the workshop that was presented at the Facultad de Lenguas Extranjeras at the University of Havana