This is the second of five posts about five amazing speakers who have made an incredible impact on our school since our professional development event called Engage and inspire – the possibilities are endless in March this year.
You can read more about the conference in this general post: http://bit.ly/kRCP8W
I have had the pleasure of meeting and spending time with Ben Mcbean.
Who is Ben?
“23 year old Ben is a truly inspirational man who has managed not only to recover from horrific injuries sustained when he stepped on a Taliban landmine three years ago but has become a talented motivational speaker in the process. He also managed to run the London Marathon just 12 months after loosing two limbs and yet again 12 months after that – this time without realising he had a stress fracture in his stump.”
You can check out his site here: http://www.benmcbean.co.uk/
Ben is one of the most inspirational people I have ever met and there wasn’t one person in the room listening who wasn’t completely engaged in his entire presentation. I would like to end this post with some comments about what Ben spoke about from some of the delegates as I feel this is more appropriate than me saying what I thought of it.
“Ben Mcbean was such a fantastic speaker, I think he set the tone for the whole weekend which was so positive. I think there were two main messages; firstly to stay strong in the face of adversity; and secondly that we as teachers have the ability to help pupils keep a positive attitude, we are in a position that can help them ‘flick the switch’ that changes their whole attitude. All we have to do is encourage them.”
“Make each day count. Never give up. I just thought that he was a true inspiration to everyone. He has been through such an ordeal and come out of it with such a positive attitude and perspective on life. It is infectious!”
“Cheerfulness in the face of adversity. If you set yourself a goal then you motivate yourself to achieve it. That anything is possible. To keep smiling and think of your family when the worst happens.”
“Never set limits – anything is possible. Don’t let anything hold you back. Be more motivated. Follow your dreams.”
Have you heard Ben talk? What did you think? You can follow Ben on twitter @benmcbean