To make a long story short, I asked our #CCU Instagram audience today a question about birthdays*. I encouraged our followers to take a stroll down memory lane and reveal the best birthday tradition that an elementary teacher practiced when a student had a birthday.

We got a good response. Answers dealt with the birthday boy/girl being celebrated in various ways, including…
– Line leader all day.
– Prominent seat in a special, decorated chair.
– Small birthday presents from teacher.
– Donning of a birthday crown.
– Various privileges with the classroom pet.

In Mrs. Reser’s classroom, a unique song is performed by the classmates in honor of the birthday student. I would know, two weeks ago the class Facetimed me on my birthday and performed it!

To be honest, I was little surprised to see that the birthday tradition upheld by at least two of my elementary school teachers didn’t make the comment thread. Since the practice was used by more than one of my educators, I just assumed it would have been a little more common on a national scale. But I guess not…

As a student at Farwell Elementary in Spokane, we wrote homemade birthday cards to our fellow students on their special day.

My two teachers who practiced this, Mrs. Anderson and Mrs. Pryor, would pass out construction paper to us. They would guide us to fold the piece of paper “hamburger style.” Once the form of the card was complete, we could “have at it” with our colored pencils and crayons. With Happy Birthday ________ (insert student’s name) written up on the whiteboard, we could properly address the card without fear of making 3rd grade spelling errors.

We worked on our cards while eating whatever treat the birthday celebrant brought in (I always went big on my birthday). When we finished with our birthday correspondence, we would bring it up to the front of the room and place it in a big paper folder that the teacher made, complete with the name of the student written on the front. At the end of the day, the teacher would give the birthday kid his/her folder to take home.

Looking back on this practice now, I see the learning component behind it. Not only did it teach us to be artsy, but it also taught us how to write in a card, something that everyone will do hundreds, if not thousands, of times. But probably more importantly, it taught us to properly recognize someone on their birthday. It drove home the point that it is the kind thing to do to wish someone well on the date of their birth. These lessons weren’t lost on me.

Did you have a beloved tradition that one of your teachers did when a student had a birthday? If so, let me know. I am curious to see if anyone else had a teacher that did something as practical as Mrs. Anderson and Mrs. Pryor. Don’t Blink.

* – As part of a complex social media campaign called the #CCUInstaGames, every Monday we ask our audience to answer a question that requires them to reminisce about their childhood. To learn more, take a look at our Instagram account, @ccuchanticleers.

Yesterday, everything aligned perfectly as I was surrounded by a ridiculous amount of desserts. Thanks to a late night ice cream run, a birthday celebration, and a nice gesture by my student intern, I had a beaucoup of sweet treats in my kitchen.

The only problem? Yesterday was October 15. International Dessert Day was on October 14.

Although I would have found myself unnecessarily excited if the sugar explosion occurred on International Dessert Day, it still didn’t take away from the impressive display. Not to make anyone jealous, but I wanted to present to you the options I had to choose from at around 9 p.m. last night.

As you will soon learn, a joint birthday party that was held on Sunday helped add to the impressive display of desserts at our house.

German Chocolate Cake – On Sunday night, Sid’s family had a birthday celebration in honor of my sister-in-law (October 5) and myself (October 8). This handsome, homemade German chocolate cake was made by my mother-in-law for the party. Of course I ate a piece of it that evening and it was delicious.

This German chocolate cake was homemade and delicious.

Coconut Cake – The Mathis family does it big! We didn’t just have one cake at the birthday celebration, we had TWO. Complimenting the German chocolate cake was this coconut cake. Doesn’t it look tasty? This 7” dessert was so enticing that I just didn’t eat the piece of chocolate cake on Sunday night, I ate a piece of the coconut one as well! You want to know how good it was? My wife, who hates coconut, indulged in a big piece of this particular cake and loved every bite.

The coconut cake was so good that even Sid had a piece.

Plate of Brownies – My student intern, Katie, surprised me with a belated birthday gift yesterday. When she walked into the office she gave me a plate of homemade brownies, remarking, “You should have told me it was your birthday.” They made my office smell good all day long and I made sure to share with my co-workers. I still had plenty to bring home at the end fo the day.

Thank you, Katie, for these delicious brownies.

Sonic Blast – After I worked the Coastal football game on Saturday night, I decided to bring home a late night treat for Sidney and I. Stopping at Sonic on the drive back to the house, I ordered two medium chocolate chip cookie dough Sonic Blasts. Holy cow, you mean to tell me that what you see below is a medium?! We watched TV and enjoyed our Blasts. I ate half of mine and threw it into the freezer, thinking I would eat it on Sunday (forgetting for a split second that the birthday celebration was taking place that evening).

Sonic makes really good ice cream!

Great Value Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough – It is a surprising fact that the Great Value chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream is the best of its kind on the market. Thus, it is necessary that Sid and I always have a carton avaialble at our house (along with a box of cones). You can never go wrong with a scoop or two at the end of the night.

This is the best chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream you will find.

So, what did I end up choosing as my Monday night dessert?…

What an impressive lineup of desserts!

None of them, I have a dentist appointment this week!

Well, of course that is a lie (not the dentist appointment part). I definitely didn’t hold off as I selected the Sonic Blast. I love Sonic ice cream and I knew if I didn’t finish it off, it would get way too freezer burnt. I put it in the microwave for 20 seconds and it tasted just as good as it did over the weekend.

I think I made the right choice going with the Sonic Blast.

Did I make the right choice? Let me know! Hope you have a good night and if you are looking for some dessert, you know the house to go to! Don’t Blink.

This weekend, our family found ourselves at Target looking for a Halloween costume. We ended up finding something that fit Sloan perfectly. Well, when I say “fit” I mean personality wise – we had to take the actual costume back the next day because we needed a bigger size. But I digress (and no, we aren’t going to reveal what she is going to be just yet)…

As we were perusing the store, I ran into a co-worker. I showed her the costume and she remarked that the key to getting the most out of these annual purchases is to wear them year-round. I couldn’t agree more.

The co-worker explained that her young son found ways and excuses to wear old Halloween costumes during non-October dates. While she was saying this, Sid was nudging me in the side. My wife related to what our friend was saying, noting that her nerdy husband (based on old photos and what her mother-in-law told her) wore Halloween costumes way out of season as well.

I couldn’t dispute what Sid revealed. I didn’t just wear my old personal Halloween costumes during Christmas time or the dog days of summer, I also raided the costume closets of my friends as well. I loved dressing up in wacky ensembles for no reason at all, it was a defining characteristic of my childhood. Good thing I grew out of it…

Of course that is a lie.

Dressing up in costumes on random days didn’t stop after I turned 10. In fact, it ran well into my high school days. I had an alien costume that I would don, much to the enjoyment of my friends, up until I left the house to attend college. Not that going to an institution of higher learning made me mature; I still took the opportunity to put on ridiculous outfits during the offseason. I guess it goes without saying that the habit lasted well into adulthood, evidenced by my holiday message tradition that would require me to dress in outlandish costumes. But, with the ending of my holiday messages, I have started to act a little more my age.

For over a decade, I staged over the top photos to accompany holiday text messages. My Christmas Eve photos were always a little wacky.

Oh my, what did I do here?

I was not trying to discourage you from allowing your children to play dress up. I know the last thing you want is for your kid to turn into an adult with an inclination to wear old Halloween costumes and embarrass himself. But in reality, I just wanted to get you the most bang for your buck. Purchasing an elaborate Power Rangers costume might seem a little unnecessary for just one night but if your child can get hours and days of post-Halloween entertainment out of it, perhaps the investment is a sound one.

Happy Halloween costume hunting! Any guesses on Sloan’s costume? Don’t Blink.

Oh my, these birthday blog posts are starting to get boring. Although I used to fret about turning older, my tune changed two years ago when I turned 30. I think my negative obsession with my advancing age stemmed from comparing myself to societal benchmarks that are thrust upon us. However, when I looked around me 730 days ago, I liked what I saw.

My outlook is the same today. I am content – no wait, let me rephrase that – I am blessed to have what I do at 32 years of age. How can anyone want more than a beautiful wife, precious daughter, great job, fulfilling church, strong faith, and a comfortable home?

An oversized card that Sloan (with a little help from mommy) made for me. It was waiting when I walked inside the house this evening after work.

Seeing another candle on the birthday cake doesn’t make me want to jump up and down with glee, but it doesn’t send me into a fit of depression either. Although we can’t slow down time, we can embrace the fact that God has given it to us in the first place.

To be honest, I don’t know what else to say. I think I am going to have to take a different angle on my birthday blog post next year because these perspective pieces are getting redundant. However, I can only deliver the truth.

Sid and I with the candy bar cake earlier this evening.

What a great birthday it has been. It is amazing how quickly the work day goes by when you have texts, calls, and social media messages transforming a regular Monday into something much more festive. Even better, tonight’s celebration was perfect. Sidney made me lasagna and a candy bar birthday cake. My in-laws attended the dinner and Sloan was beyond sweet the entire evening (a departure from her recent naughty streak). My family on the West Coast made me feel especially loved with Facetime calls and cards. As we wrap up and get ready to watch “Manifest,” I swear I am the happiest 32-year-old dude on the planet.

My birthday lasagna that Sid made me.

Can’t wait to see what this latest trip around the sun has to offer. I am not a fortune teller, but I have a feeling it is once again going to be pretty special. Don’t Blink.

It is International Customer Service Week. At Coastal, we have an extremely innovative service excellence department called Feel the Teal. Each year, Feel the Teal marks this week with events, recognition opportunities, and training sessions.

For the second consecutive year, I was asked to speak to the campus community regarding social media customer service. It is always an honor to talk with my colleagues and our students about this topic so I always enthusiastically accept the invitation. Today, inside the training and development conference room, I delivered my “Social Media and Service Excellence” presentation.

Acting cool moments before my presentation started.

The speaking engagement couldn’t have come at a better time. Fresh off our Hurricane Florence/flooding response that saw social media activity to our main accounts skyrocket, I had numerous examples of customer service opportunities and challenges to share. As you can imagine, when a catastrophic storm is forecasted to impact your campus, you can count on plenty of students and parents who will need compassionate customer service during a difficult time.

Besides recapping our Hurricane Florence social media response, I also gave examples of bad social media customer service (hello Wendy’s) and stressed how social media service excellence is similar/different to other forms of customer service.

However, the crux of my presentation consisted of my “10 Ways to Provide Great Service Excellence on Social Media.” If you want all my tips, please contact me and I would be happy to send you my presentation. For the purpose of this blog post, I want to briefly share just three of them.

Always Respond – It is imperative to respond to every honest inquiry you receive on social media, especially those that are critical in nature. In a time of crisis or for those of us managing large digital audiences, this can be a tall task – but it is important. Audience members need to know that they can turn to their favorite social accounts for both answers and respect. Nothing makes a social media user feel more valued than when an organization/university/company responds to a question/comment, especially if the user already values the entity he is engaging with.

Have A Certain Mindset – I always stress that when you respond on behalf of your employer on social media, you must do so with a certain reality in mind. Respond knowing that anything you post can and will be screenshot for thousands, if not millions, of people to see. Any entity with any type of a social media following will have trolls looking for slip ups. Having a bad day and accidentally respond in a snarky or frustrated manner? Someone will take a screenshot. Guaranteed. It is imperative for social media professionals to put the pressure of possible public humiliation and job termination on themselves each time they respond. With this in mind, there is no way you can provide anything but immaculate customer service.

Know When to Continue a Conversation Elsewhere – Most of the time, if someone asks a question on a public thread, a simple response will prove adequate. However, sometimes an issue might need some hashing out. Although a back-and-forth conversation on a public Facebook post or tweet might showcase transparency and dialogue skills, I think it is in the best interest of the user if it is shifted to a direct message format. Specific details and personal information start to surface once conversations get more in depth. But you also might want to take a conversation to a private forum for another reason. It is sad, but any account with a large following will have users who will try to instigate and embarrass. Questions that can’t be answered or that are asked simply to make the account look bad are often posed. Don’t take the bait! Respond publically that you would like to continue the conversation via direct message and leave it up to the user to comply. If not, move on.

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Excellent customer service is imperative for any person who is running a brand social media account. Thanks to the typical grind of a higher ed social media professional, I have had my fair share of practice. However, I am still learning. Let me know your social media service excellence tips! Don’t Blink.