This past Tuesday, students from Herrin High School and Herrin Junior High School had the chance to meet and hear from a well-known motivational speaker. The school hosted TEDx and internationally renowned motivational speaker Tanner Clark. Clark was invited to the school after HHS bookkeeper Mrs. Carrie Gross saw one of Clark’s viral videos and asked if he could come to speak. After about a week, Clark responded that he would be glad to accept the invitation.
Although motivational speaking is now his permanent job, it wasn’t always that way. Clark was born and raised in Utah, where he eventually earned an undergraduate degree from Utah State University and an MBA in Strategic Marketing from Arizona State University. But after fifteen years, Clark left his marketing career to pursue a job that would allow him to motivate and inspire others full-time. He is now a nationally renowned figure who has spoken to thousands of young people at schools, churches, and community events.
During his hour-long speech, Clark shared powerful reminders on how to deal with challenges, the importance of mental health, and ways students can make positive changes in their everyday lives. Specifically, he focused on the negative impacts of social media on a teen’s mental health and how to handle peer pressure, depression, and bullying.
Clark professed that “We have got to stop letting the digital devices in our lives steal our happiness. I am willing to bet that if you are struggling with something in your life, it all ties back to the moment your parents bought your first smartphone. We need to recognize that those devices in our lives, while they can serve good purposes, hurt our souls.”
Clark’s message resonated with many HHS students. Shaniya Johnson (11) felt that “he had a good way of engaging with students and was very interesting. He made me pay more attention to the devices that I’m on and actually think about my usage more”.
Jacob Mervine (10) offered similar remarks, saying that “most people today just stay on their phones, and it’s as if their life revolves around what happens on them. Clark encouraged students to do activities other than spending time scrolling through social media”.
Athletic Director Stephanie Allen often addresses discipline issues related to phone use. She acknowledged that “people need to understand the correct way to use social media. I think, like Mr. Clark said, consider deleting one of your social media apps and interacting with others instead of just sitting in a room texting with friends. We are all guilty of spending too much time on screens, but I’d encourage every student to put at least one or two of Mr. Clark’s points into practice.”
While it may not seem like it, there are countless options for activities that don’t involve phones, which include reading a book, spending time outside, and going out with friends. “Look at doing something productive. Sometimes I will set my phone down and actually talk to my family, read, and enjoy my day”, said Shaniya Johnson.
Additionally, parents can encourage their children to abide by healthy screen time habits. “Parents should be around their children as much as possible to monitor what they’re on,” remarked Lillian Griffith (10).
Toward the end of the message, Clark also emphasized to students that they are not alone and that it’s okay to ask for help when the struggles of life feel overwhelming. When asked what he wants students to take away from his speech, Clark elaborated that “Ultimately, I hope students recognize that they are in control of their lives. I think that one of the biggest challenges that teenagers face today is all of the stuff happening around them. But in reality, we get to control what we are able to. So if nothing else, just remember that no matter what happens to you or what you face, you’re always the one who’s in control of your life”.
