Solving Life’s Problems
A Key to Success
(Assembly for older elementary or middle school level.)

Introduction (Purpose of Intro: To show the variety of problems we face.)

Skit: "Everyone Has Problems”

Scene 1: Person sitting in her office (perhaps one of your actual school counselors?) with "School Counselor" written on her door or above her head and a line of students waiting outside her door. 

Action: Student #1 knocks on the door and the counselor, opening up the door, sees all the students and says, "I've got ten minutes before a faculty meeting, I'll try to help all of you together." They line up facing her (and facing the audience) and each shares a problem (with emotion and fervor, with waving of hands and other body language).

·         Student #1: Billy and Bobby keep called me “Rhinoceros” in the lunchroom because I’m so clumsy. So I “accidentally” bumped into them, spilling grape juice and creamed corn on their new Abercrombie hoodies, which got me sent to the office. Why is everyone so mean?

·         Student #2: I’ve tried everything to pass History, but it takes forever for me to memorize names and dates. Now we’ve got to memorize the names of all the Presidents of the United States, including their wives and their pets. How will I ever pass?

·         Student #3: I can’t sleep at night and am too sleepy to concentrate at school.  

·         Student #4: My parents fight a lot. Do you think it’s my fault or theirs?  

Counselor Responds: You’ll all have to set 30 minute appointments next week; I can’t solve those problems in one minute each.

(Counselor runs out of office, leaving the students all shrugging their shoulders. One students says sarcastically, “Wow! Now I feel better! What about you?” They all shake their heads.)

Scene 2: Outside the principal’s office (could use the same office props as for last scene with a new sign on the door saying “Principal.”)

Counselor knocks on principal’s office door as other teachers and staff gather behind her. No response. The counselor yells into the office: I know you’re in there! “I’ve got way too much work! We desperately need to hire more counselors!”

An administrator yells: We’re spending too much money; you’ve got to lay off some staff, maybe a counselor or two!

Another yells: My students are out of control! They all ordered pizza to arrive in the middle of Math! What do I do with all that pizza?

Principal puts (“Out to Lunch”) sign on her desk as she escapes through a window.

(Someone lead in clapping for the actors.)

Narrator (Summary and Transition): Sometimes I think my problems are worse than everybody else’s; but if we only knew what was going on inside that person’s head on either side of us, we’d realize that we’ve all got problems. So to be successful in life, we’ve got to learn how to solve problems. Today we’ll explore a few tips on solving life’s problems.

Solution #1: Help Each Other! You’re Not Alone, so it’s okay to get help. (Perhaps have two students walk across the stage with this solution written on a long sheet of paper. Have a teacher lead everyone in saying aloud.)

Group Activity: The Untangle Game.

If there’s room on the stage for a gathering (not in the audience section), get about 18 volunteers to come on stage; divided into circles of 6. Stand facing one another in the circle.  Instruct each student to grab the right hand of a student across from (not next to) him. Next, join left hands with a different person.  Then, try to UNTANGLE without anyone letting go. 

If some groups can’t get untangled on their own, let several people help them.

Think: These students’ lives were tangled up. Did you notice any ways they got untangled? What did you learn about problem solving? (Let students share. A few principles: 1) They verbally shared ideas with one another. 2) Some students could see solutions that others couldn’t. 3) Some needed outside help from another group.)

Narrator (Summary and Transition): Do you think you’re alone in your problems? Think again. We’ve all got problems. Sharing with those you can trust (a school counselor or teacher or friend or family member) can be a first step toward solving your problems. 

Solution #2: Think Long and Hard. (Perhaps have two students walk across the stage with this solution written on a long sheet of paper. Have a teacher lead everyone in saying it aloud.)

Narrator: “Think” may seem pretty obvious. Most of us think about our problems. But sometimes we just despair and give up hoping for solutions. Don’t give up looking for solutions!

One of the most successful technology companies of our time, IBM, has as its motto: THINK.

Brilliant people often gather people together to brainstorm solutions to problems.  

·         Benjamin Franklin, successful scientist, writer and inventor, ran ideas through his regular meeting group called Junto. 

·         Albert Einstein, one of the greatest scientific thinkers of all time, discussed ideas in his apartment and on long hikes with a small group he called The Olympia Academy.  

·         George Washington, the brilliant leader of the revolutionary army in the Revolutionary War, gathered smart people around him to help him think.

Narrator (Summary and Transition): Hey, if the most brilliant people in history needed people to help them think, there’s nothing lame about thinking with others!

Solution #3: Think Different. (Outside the Box.) (Perhaps have two students walk across the stage with this solution written on a long sheet of paper. Have a teacher lead everyone in saying it aloud.)

Narrator: So IBM chose “THINK” as its motto. Another company, Apple, who makes your i-Phones and I-pads and sells you songs through i-Tunes has a similar motto: THINK DIFFERENT.

Activity: Let’s get some volunteers to help us with another activity. (Get as many as 15. Each individual is told to sit on the floor and clasp their hands behind their back and not let go. Then, try to stand up. The trick is that you have to back up to someone else and lean against each other to get up, but most don’t think of this. I’ll spell it out more fully if you want to do this.)

Narrator: So what do we learn from this activity? (1 – Think different. 2 – Sometimes we need to work things out with others rather than by ourselves.) Some leaders say, “If you keep doing what you’re doing, you’ll keep getting what you’re getting.” Sometimes we have to try new strategies by thinking different.

Solution #4: Never Give Up! (Perhaps have two students walk across the stage with this solution written on a long sheet of paper. Have a teacher lead everyone in saying it aloud.)

Illustration: Often, problems can’t be solved easily or quickly. Here’s an example:

(Let a confident student read or tell this story. Every adult seems to love WD-40, the spray lubricant. Besides silencing squeaky wheels and loosening rusty bicycle chains, fans have discovered over 2000 uses for WD-40...so far! What a great invention! By 1993, people were snatching up a million cans a week. Four out of every 5 households had at least one can.  

But did you ever wonder what the name "WD-40" stands for? It's a great example of never giving up. As I tell the story, see if you can guess where the name came from.  

Back In 1953, a chemist named Norm Larson was trying to invent something to prevent corrosion, like rust. He knew that corrosion was a problem with rockets and such, so he thought people involved with space flight would buy his product if he could invent it.  Now water causes corrosion, so in order to prevent it, you've got to displace water. Got any ideas for what "WD" stands for? (Give them a few seconds.) That's right, "Water Displacement."

Now for the "40". He didn't get it right on his first or second attempt. He also failed the third and fourth times. He blew it again his fifth and sixth tries. In fact, how many times do you think it took him before he got it right? Right again - 40 tries. WD-40 stands for "Water Displacement perfected on the 40th try." 

His buddies at the office started thinking of other uses for WD-40 besides the aerospace industry and began sneaking cans out of the office to use at home. Today, Norm's glad he didn't give up after his 39th failure.  In 2004 the WD-40 company sold over $242 million worth of products in over 160 countries. 

Do you ever get discouraged when your teacher hands you back a paper to do over again? What if she hands it back a second time? Would you be ready to give up? Next time you get discouraged because of failing over and over again, think of the success of WD-40, and keep on trying. It often takes lots of failures to become a winner. Every time you see a can of WD-40, let it remind you to never give up. In my mind, WD-40 will always stand for "Withstood Defeat, 40 Times."

Narrator: The point? Never give up! You’ve got problems. I’ve got problems. We’ve all got problems. And once you solve your current problems you’ll have other problems to solve. So keep solving them, even if it takes 39 failures before you succeed on the 40^th try!

So in review, we solve problems by (Have students with principles on paper come in one at a time and stand in a line before the audience.)  

·         First getting input and helping each other. (Poster: HELP EACH OTHER!)

·         Second by think long and hard. (THINK HARD!)

·         Third by thinking different. (THINK DIFFERENT!)

·         Fourth by never giving up. (NEVER GIVE UP!)

So today, start tackling your problems. You can do it!

(Lesson  written by Steve Miller, Copyright December, 2011, All Rights Reserved.)

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