Showing posts with label mindset. Show all posts
Showing posts with label mindset. Show all posts

Thursday, July 23, 2015

Kids don't need to be ready for school... schools need to be ready for kids.

Dan French recently shared this wonderful tweet that really got me thinking:


This really got me thinking because we spend so much time telling kids they need to do this or they need to do that so they can be successful in school. We project this mentality that if kids aren't prepared to experience this and aren't able handle that, they're doomed to fail.

We inadvertently transfer the pressure and accountability onto our kids and all the while, we tend to forget that they are just that... kids living in a rapidly changing world.

We also, somewhat arrogantly, assume we know exactly what is best for kids and know exactly what they need to do to be successful in life.

But, what if it were reversed and schools spent their time ensuring schools were ready for what kids were bringing to the table...?

What if kids started talking to schools about what schools needed to do to be prepared for them...?

What if schools were feeling the pressure from students rather than the other way around?

We know life and the world around us are changing more quickly than ever before. And, it's these kids who come to our schools wanting, needing and DESERVING a system that's ready for them and is able to meet their needs.

And as a new parent and educator, I have no idea what my son Emory will need in 5 years when he starts his formal schooling... but I hope at least someone will ask him and consider what it means to be ready for him.

So, the next time you get together with your colleagues, focus on ensuring your school and/or classroom are ready for kids and not the other way around.

Maybe the conversation will be the same... maybe it will be completely different. :)


Wednesday, December 10, 2014

It can be pretty lonely on that island...

You know when someone is new, everything seems to be perfect.

The 'honeymoon' period they call it... everyone loves the new person and the new person can do no wrong.

The new person is viewed as refreshing and thought-provoking even when someone else within the organization has been saying the same thing all along. The same words coming from a different mouth just have a different effect on people.

The new person doesn't intentionally or maliciously encroach upon anyone's turf, but in the end it becomes a passive takeover that leaves many scrambling and wondering about who does what and who's responsible for which duties.

New blood within a system can be healthy and vital to long-term sustainability, but then again, there are times when the body rejects that new blood as it just doesn't match up.

Then perhaps, after time has passed and the dust has settled, the new person is no longer new.

The new person has (as previously mentioned) unintentionally stepped on the toes of others and has crossed lines that can't be uncrossed.

By the simple fact of doing one's job, the once lines drawn in the sand have been kicked over and reassembled until they are almost unrecognizable.

The new person is no longer considered new.

This individual is now considered an expendable asset that bounces around from task to task with very little direction and guidance.

So, now this individual, who once could do no wrong, feels alone on an island that drifts deeper and deeper into the sea.

As the island continues its path into the unknown, the individual's short existence seems to fade and the individual quickly becomes a distant memory. 

How and when this shift actually happened really is a mystery as the transition from new to 'used goods' can happen in the blink of an eye.

The lonely island provides lots of time to reflect and think about what exactly has happened. This thinking can either continue to push the island further away, or the thinking can help change the direction of the current and shift the course entirely.

Being on the island isn't easy and it can be pretty lonely.

For all those island misfits, I salute you...


Monday, November 10, 2014

Accountability: Do we mean the same thing?

So, the word accountability is thrown around a lot in education, but the more I hear the word, the more I think we are really saying different things...

For example, teacher A wants to teach students accountability by holding firm to strict deadlines. Teacher A also does not allow redos and retakes because he/she thinks this is preparing kids for the harshness and reality of the real-world since redos and retakes aren't allowed. Teacher A believes firmly in designing assessments and activities that are hard (not necessarily rigorous) and thinks there should be some students who get high grades and other students who get low grades. Teacher A makes accountability a teacher vs. student enterprise and expects that students will naturally want to learn anything and everything just because he/she said so.

This is what teacher A believes is accountability...


Teacher B, on the other hand, wants to teach students accountability by holding them accountable to their own learning. Teacher B allows redos and retakes because he/she thinks learning is a process and sometimes there are ups and downs in this process. Teacher B acknowledges that redos and retakes are allowed in the real-world, and that for students, their everyday life is their 'real-world.' Teacher B also believes in designing and engineering highly challenging and rigorous learning experiences with appropriate levels of support. Teacher B holds his/her kids accountable by not allowing them to do anything but their best work and by not accepting anything less than their best. Teacher B put kids in charge of their progress and empowers them to own their learning.

This is what teacher B believes is accountability...


So, which teacher are you?

Saturday, February 8, 2014

Where are all the dads?

When making a phone call home or emailing a parent about a student, do you naturally gravitate toward the female contact person, the male contact person, or are you 50/50?

When talking to a group of parents, do you tend to make more eye contact with the males in the room or the females, or are you equal?

Does your school have just as many events that encourage males to show up as they do females?

These are not trick questions, but spend a few moments to think about these scenarios.

Here's the main question we need to ask ourselves; are our actions as educators encouraging a lack of presence among males in our schools?

Are we doing enough to eliminate the cultural mindset that education is more of a 'female' kind of thing?

It's not anything new, but we all know most educators are female, and at the elementary levels you will be hard pressed to find any males outside of the maintenance/custodial department.

Now, research is quite clear that students with two parents who are both actively involved in their kid's education perform better academically and are more likely to develop a wider range of interests.

Having said that, what are we doing to ensure we are encouraging both parents to be actively involved in their child's education?

What are we doing to ensure we have more males in education roles so we can move away from education being just a 'female' thing?

This topic really got me thinking about cultural biases and about our education system and our society as a whole...

What do you think...?

I'd like to thank Chuck Baker for the inspiration as he did a great job leading a session on 'dads in education' at #edcampstl.


Saturday, January 5, 2013

The way of the donkey...

I read this short fable recently and wanted to share...

One day a farmer's donkey fell down into a well. The animal cried piteously for hours as the farmer tried to figure out what to do. Finally, he decided the animal was old, and the well needed to be covered up anyway; it just wasn't worth it to retrieve the donkey.

He invited all his neighbors to come over and help him. They all grabbed a shovel and began to shovel dirt into the well. At first, the donkey realized what was happening and cried horribly. Then, to everyone's amazement he quieted down.

A few shovel loads later, the farmer finally looked down the well. He was astonished at what he saw. With each shovel of dirt that hit his back, the donkey was doing something amazing. He would shake it off and take a step up.

As the farmer's neighbors continued to shovel dirt on top of the animal, he would shake it off and take a step up. Pretty soon, everyone was amazed as the donkey stepped up over the edge of the well and happily trotted off!

MORAL :
Life is going to shovel dirt on you, all kinds of dirt. The trick to getting out of the well is to shake it off and take a step up. Each of our troubles is a steppingstone. We can get out of the deepest wells just by not stopping, never giving up! Shake it off and take a step up.

Remember the five simple rules to be happy:

1. Free your heart from hatred - Forgive.

2. Free your mind from worries - Most never happens.

3. Live simply and appreciate what you have.

4. Give more.

5. Expect less from people but more from yourself.

You have two choices... smile and close this page, or pass this along to someone else to share the lesson.


~ Author unknown

Sunday, March 25, 2012

Mindset: Start making the shift...

We are currently reading Carol Dweck's "Mindset," as part of PBJHS's professional studies book club. The premise of the book states that there are two types of "mindsets" from which we choose in our daily lives. The first is a "fixed" mindset, and the second is a "growth" mindset. Dweck draws upon the examples of many famous business leaders, athletes, and situations from her own life, and consequently the reader is able to relate to many of the topics and situations she discusses in the book. Though the book doesn't specifically target educators, there are many connections and viable relations that can be drawn between the book and education.

With a "fixed" mindset, your intelligence is static, with a "growth" mindset, your intelligence can be developed...

A fixed mindset avoids challenges, while a growth mindset embraces challenges...

A fixed mindset gets defensive or gives up easily, while a growth mindset persists in the face of adversity...

A fixed mindset sees effort as fruitless or worse, while a growth mindset sees effort as a path toward mastery...

A fixed mindset ignores useful negative feedback, while a growth mindset learns from criticism...

A fixed mindset feels threatened by the success of others, while a growth mindset finds lessons and inspiration from the success of others...

A fixed mindset will plateau early and achieve less than their full potential, while a growth mindset will reach ever-higher levels of success...


It can be quite difficult to change one's mindset, but after reading this book I am convinced it needs to be a top priority not only in our professional lives, but also in our personal lives. Dweck challenges us to start making the shift and focus on the growth in our lives, rather than the much easier fixed static of our lives. It is obviously much easier said than done, but anything worth doing requires perseverance and dedication...

I have accepted Dweck's challenge, will you...?


**Please refer to this image for credit and additional ideas on the fixed vs. growth mindset. Mindset Map

Sunday, December 11, 2011

The 13 habits of experts...

As part of the Poplar Bluff Junior High School book club, we decided to read "Fires in the Mind" by Kathleen Cushman. Though the book was not quite what I expected, it nevertheless had some great takeaways. One of the many takeaways was Cushman's part on "the habits of experts." As educators, we are constantly learning and growing, and I can personally say that most times I do not feel like an expert. The term "expert" is defined as:

ex·pert/ˈekspərt/

Noun:
A person who has a comprehensive and authoritative knowledge of or skill in a particular area.
Adjective:
Having or involving such knowledge or skill.
Synonyms:
noun.  specialist - connoisseur - adept - judge - master
adjective.  skilled - skilful - skillful - proficient - adept

The 13 habits of experts:

1) - Experts ask good questions...

2) - Experts break problems into parts...

3) - Experts rely on evidence...

4) - Experts look for patterns...

5) - Experts consider other perspectives...

6) - Experts follow hunches...

7) - Experts use familiar ideas in new ways...

8) - Experts collaborate...

9) - Experts welcome critique...

10) - Experts revise repeatedly...

11) - Experts persist...

12) - Experts seek out new challenges...

13) - Experts know their own best work styles...


After looking at and reflecting on this list of habits, I realized that Cushman defines expertise not in the traditional way many of us are accustom to. Cushman doesn't focus on what you know or the skills that you might have, but rather as how you use information and approach a particular situation or issue. She focuses on the "growth" mindset rather than the "fixed" mindset. The way Cushman describes the term "expert," makes me much more comfortable than the traditional dictionary defined way. If these are the habits of experts, then I want to be this kind of an expert...