SUNY Potsdam

SUNY Potsdam Hosts Discussion with 'The Jerk Whisperer'

01.09.12

The Center for School Partnerships and Teacher Certification at SUNY Potsdam will host an upcoming discussion with Dr. Stephen “Bird” Birchak on topics surrounding child development.

The talk will be offered at 7 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 20 in Dunn Theater on the SUNY Potsdam campus. This event is free and open to the public. Parents and teachers might find it especially enlightening.

Known as “Dr. Bird” or “the jerk whisperer,” Birchak will offer presentations on character-building and teaching children resilience. He is the author of “How to Build a Child’s Character by Tapping into your Own,” and the co-author of “Champions of Dignity.”

Birchak taps into his own experiences as a source of energy for his presentations. Standing at 4’9” tall, he nonetheless has learned to bring the “presence of a giant” to his talks.

“I often talk about what it means to become a ‘jerk whisperer.’ First of all, it is not about beating down the jerks. Our job is to greet the aggression and meet it with kindness,” Birchak said. “If you are on a mission to beat down the aggression, it will only fight back. If you are on a mission to collaborate, be kind and help others (in spite of all the obstacles and pessimists you will confront), then you can make a difference.”

For more information about this event, please contact the Center for School Partnerships and Teacher Certification at (315) 267-3022.

To keep track of all the events on the busy SUNY Potsdam calendar, visit www.potsdam.edu/newsandevents.

Founded in 1816, and located on the outskirts of the beautiful Adirondack Park, The State University of New York at Potsdam is one of America’s first 50 colleges. SUNY Potsdam currently enrolls approximately 4,350 undergraduate and graduate students. Home to the world-renowned Crane School of Music, SUNY Potsdam is known for its handcrafted education, challenging liberal arts and sciences core, excellence in teacher training and leadership in the performing and visual arts.