EDITOR’S WELCOME Greg Cannizzo, DDS, CDE, JAOS Editor 3617 Municipal Drive, McHenry, IL 60050 Phone: (815) 344-2282 • Fax: (815) 344-5815 Email: drgrc@joltmail.com ASSOCIATION STAFF Adam Griswold AGpO Executive Director Academy of Gp Orthodontics 509 E. Boydston St. Rockwall, TX 75087-3956 (800) 634-2027 E-mail: agriswold@academygportho.com Thomas N. Chapman, CAE AOS Executive Director American Orthodontic Society 11884 Greenville Avenue, Suite 112 Dallas, TX 75243 (800) 448-1601 E-mail: tchapman@orthodontics.com EDITORIAL STAFF Greg Cannizzo, DDS ............... AGpO Editor Jordan Balvich, DMD ................ AOS Co-Editor Jim Mcllwain, DDS, MSD .......... AOS Co-Editor Lisa A. Wright .................. AOS/AGpO Managing Editor Email: lisa@wrightgrp.com EDITORIAL REVIEW BOARD Jeff Ahlin, DDS .................................AOS Ron Austin, DDS............................AGpO Chris Baker, RN, DMD......................AOS Eugene Boone, DDS.......................AGpO Steven Bradley, DDS ......................AGpO Felecia Burridge, DDS ....................AGpO Fred Der, DDS ................................AGpO Debra Ettle-Resnick, DDS .................AOS Joe Fallin, DDS...............................AGpO Edward Gonzalez, Jr., DMD..............AOS Sam Gutovitz, DDS........................AGpO Joe Haack, DDS .................................AOS Roy Holexa, DDS ...........................AGpO David W. Jackson, DDS ....................AOS Thomas Jacobson, DDS .................AGpO Kyle McCrea, DDS .........................AGpO Michael Newman, DDS ....................AOS Ann Mary Orr DDS...........................AOS Mitchell S. Parker, DDS.....................AOS Leslie R. Penley, DDS .....................AGpO Joseph R. Schmidbauer, DDS............AOS Robert Shirley, DDS .......................AGpO Jill Snyder, DDS .............................AGpO Barry Sockel, DDS ..........................AGpO Juan J. Solano, DDS ..........................AOS Kurt Stodola, DDS..........................AGpO David Thorfinnson, DDS..................AOS Walter Tippen, DDS.......................AGpO John Wells, DDS ............................AGpO Bradford R. Williams, DDS ...............AOS William Wyatt, Sr., DDS ...................AOS The Lesson of Five Stones There once was a wise old farmer in Japan who had five sons. Every Friday, he would send them on a 10-mile journey to the market to sell the produce they had grown and to pick up supplies for the coming week. One Friday when they were walking home from the market, they saw five large round stones carefully placed on top of one another, off to the side of the road. The oldest brother stopped, looked at the tower of stones and said, “The bottom stone is the MOST important stone because it must bear the weight of all of the other stones.” The second oldest brother interrupted him, “No, the second from the bottom stone is the MOST important stone. It must not only balance on top of the bottom stone, it must also bear the weight of the other three stones on top of it.” Then the third oldest brother chimed in and said that the third stone from the bottom was the most important, the fourth oldest brother insisted that the stone that was fourth from the bottom was the most important, and the youngest brother argued that the top stone MUST be the most important stone because “if it wasn’t balanced correctly, all of the stones would fall down.” The five brothers stood on the side of the road arguing with each other until the sun started to go down. The youngest son suggested that they go home and ask their father which stone was the most important one. They all agreed that their father was a wise man who knew many things and would surely know which of the five stones was the most important. When they got home after nightfall, they hurried in to meet their father. They explained the five stones they saw on the side of the road and each of the brothers got up to passionately argue why their stone should be declared the most important. When each of the five sons had presented their reasoning to the wise old farmer, he closed his eyes and took a deep breath. After several minutes of silence, the father slowly opened his eyes. “The stones you saw on the side of the road were put there by me. I knew you would see them on the side of the road on your way home from the market today. I also knew that you would probably argue about which stone was most important. I wanted you to learn a valuable lesson.” When the father stopped speaking, his sons waited in anticipation to find out what possible lesson could be learned from a pile of stones on the side of the road. “Each of the stones is equally important,” the father said, “their size and shapes are perfectly designed for the position into which they are placed.” The father continued, “Together, they repre-sent beauty and strength, yet, if any one of the stones is removed, those that remain would tumble to the ground.” “The lesson I wanted you to learn, my sons, was that you are all equally important, and together you form a mighty brotherhood, but if one of you is taken away, you all will suffer……..” Much like the five stones of the old farmer there are five stones involved in the representa-tion of the “brotherhood” of Gp and pediatric orthodontic education. As with the farmer and his sons, each stone is equally important and represents the beauty and strength of the finest continuing education in orthodontics. None of the stones are in hierarchical order, each builds on the other. THE FIRST STONE: THE AMERICAN ORTHODONTIC SOCIETY. The AOS is one of the oldest organizations involved in the continuing education of both Gp and pediatric dentists and their staff members in orthodontics across the United States and abroad. THE SECOND STONE: THE ACADEMY OF GP ORTHODONTICS. The AGpO was founded by Dr. Charles Yates, a founding director of the AOS. The organization has concen-trated on providing comprehen-sive hands-on orthodontic train-ing with direct patient treatment. THE THIRD STONE: ANNUAL MEETINGS. Our annual meetings bring together some of the top lecturers and industry leaders in Gp orthodontics. These events provide time and information to sharpen and hone orthodontic skills as well as a chance to recon-nect and refresh with colleges and friends. THE FOURTH STONE: THE JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN ORTHODONTIC SOCIETY. The JAOS is now in its eleventh year. The Journal is presented six times a year to provide the latest in orthodontic practice, research case studies and practice management in both a written and digital version to Gp and pediatric doctors in both the United States and internationally. THE FIFTH STONE: TIER CREDENTIALING. By making a commitment to pursue excellence in your practice of dentistry and orthodontics, the tier credentialing process serves as a roadmap toward orthodontic continuing education courses and a critical look at your own finished cases. The AOS and AGpO are committed to excel-lence in orthodontic education. The courses offered by both groups and the orthodontic teaching and information provided by this Jour-nal, the annual meetings and tier credentialing are the stones providing you with excellence in orthodontic training and education. Each of the stones is equally important and represents the beauty and strength of the finest education in orthodontics. In 2012, use these five stones or cairn to provide you with the best in orthodon-tic education. 6 January/February 2012 JAOS
Journal of the American Orthodontic Society January-February 2012: Page 6
