Embrace Struggle #SAVMP 2:3

The Growth Mindset – Not Just a Kid Thing

The research by Carol Dweck has been so affirming for me as an educator. As a teacher, I always loved the most challenging students in my class because they caused me to grow and become a better teacher EVERY day. I was frequently setting goals and trying to grow and improve, and I also believed those same “hard to teach” students could grow at any second, minute, or hour of the day. I made it my personal challenge to meet them where they were and to unlock the key to their learning. Many times these were the students who were despised by other teachers. I even became the classroom where students who were kicked out of other classes ended up--yep, a new schedule was written with Rine as the new teacher! LOL. With my teaching eyes, I would size up every single student and ask myself the question, “How can I help you learn?” Many times, the obstacle was helping the student understand that they COULD achieve. Conquering a fixed mindset in a student can be a challenge.

With that sort of growth mindset in my teaching past, I have been so invigorated by Dweck’s research which is extremely popular right now. The growth mindset ensures that the opportunities for learning are present for the students. I am devastated, DEVASTATED, when I hear educator conversations that include statements like: “Oh, that teacher has (Insert name here) in his/her class. They can’t do anything with THAT child.” 

Our mindset has power. We can have a FIXED mindset where we let failure define who we are or a GROWTH mindset where we see setbacks as opportunities to grow and improve ourselves. I think of my short bout with cancer. I could be mad about the fact that I had to live through a season with cancer, and my life will never be the same because of it OR I can reflect on that difficult time and look for ways it has made me a stronger person. Probably the one way I see that experience as valuable has been the conversations and advice I have been able to give those who walk the "cancer walk" for the first time. I can share my experiences and help them know that it is not always fatal even though it will be traumatic. As teachers and educators, we encounter some very damaged children--maybe it is not cancer damage but we see physical abuse, sexual abuse, neglect, abandonment, and worse. I mourn that so many of them have seen so much evil in their short lives. But, I never count any of them out of the game. No matter how mischievous, lying or conniving a child might be, I show them the pathway to truth and life and especially the roads where education can lead them. I believe they can all grow. This  mindset can also translate to our impact on students. Do we view our students with a growth mindset and believe that they have the power to change their circumstances? Or do we view them with a fixed mindset that they cannot rise above their circumstances? To be a CHAMPION for a child, you must view them with a growth mindset.

Here are some resources from Project Happiness that compare and contrast the fixed vs. growth mindset. We are focusing on the growth mindset as part of our #SpeakLife theme this year at our school.

  Excerpted from: Project Happiness 

It Is up to you!	FIXED MINDSET Belief that intelligence, personality and character are carved in stone; potential is determined at birth.	GROWTH MINDSET Belief that intelligence, personality, and character can be developed! A person’s true potential is unknown and unknowable.
Desire	Look smart in every situation and prove myself over and over again. Never fail!	Stretch myself, take risks and learn. Bring on the challenges!
Evaluation of Situations	Will I succeed or fail? Will I look smart of dumb?	Will this allow me to grow? Will this help me overcome some of my challenges?
Dealing with Setbacks	“I’m a failure.” OR “I’m an idiot.”	“I failed.” BUT “I will try harder next time.”
Challenges	Avoid challenges, get defensive or give up easily.	Embrace challenges, persist in the face of setbacks.
Effort	Why bother? It’s not going to change anything.	Growth and learning require effort.
Criticism	Ignore constructive criticism.	Learn from criticism. How can I improve?
Success of Others	Feel threatened by the success of others. If you succeed, then I fail.	Find lessons & inspiration in other people’s success.
Result	Plateau early, achieve less than my potential.	Reach ever-higher levels of achievement.

Here is a video from Dweck that we watched during our pre-service training days. I encourage you to shift from a fixed mindset to a growth mindset. #YouCanLearnAnything

Follow this link if this video display below for you! #YouCanLearnAnything

Work Hard! Play Hard!

I am going to deviate from my normal business minded posts tonight. Actually, my favorite Blog to read is AuburnChick. She always talks about the coolest personal things such as her Juicing or Vegan Recipes....her Harry Potter Ravelry knitting projects....her dogs....her children. I adore reading her posts because she is so REAL.

I long to post like she does, but I often find myself thinking, "Who cares what I have to say" or "What can I say that anyone hasn't already said?" I guess I have to remember the purpose of my Blogging adventure was to stretch my technology wings and do something that would be uncomfortable and cause me to grow....like many of the things that my faculty and staff are doing. We are all growing. So, I continue to BLOG. {BIG GRIN}.

Tonight I want to write about things that are important to me. :O)

Last Christmas, I worked during a lot of the break because I was a new Principal, and I was trying to get to know my school and the task at hand. Well, here I am a year later, and I promised myself that I would truly relax. AND I DID!

The motto driving this post is "Work hard! Play hard!" And tonight I want to write about the playing hard part. I relaxed and refreshed during this break. Here are a few of the things that occupied my time.



I got phase 3 of my ankle tattoo completed, and then I got another inspiration piece for my wrist.

Based on the verse, Philippians 4:13, "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me."

I got the word, "Strength" on my wrist. I absolutely LOVE it!

I was able to finish a scrapbook I had been working on for my niece. This is my favorite page from the scrapbook. Yes, I know...tattoos and scrapbooks are quite the paradox. 

I sewed a new tree skirt for our Christmas Tree next year. I DESPISED the one we had under our tree this year.  

I started a new devotional. The new year is always a time for goal-setting and renewal for me. I spend a great deal of time selecting my devotional as it will set the theme for the year ahead. This past year, I finished The Uncommon Life by Tony Dungy. I selected it because I knew that my first year as a Principal would be a tough one, and Tony was a Super Bowl winning coach. What could be tougher than that?

I selected my new devotional called, God's Great Blessings Devotional by Patricia Raybon. I chose this one because I want to focus on gratitude for the upcoming year. I am truly blessed, and I need to constantly remember my blessed life.

I caught up on all my DVD SEASON purchases and finished at least three full seasons (CSI, DD, and Dexter) of the following:

      CSI Season 3, CSI Miami 4, Justified Season 4, NCIS Season 9, Duck Dynasty Season 1. AND... I finished the final season, Season 8, of one of my all-time favorite series, Dexter.

I cooked family meals and made Christmas cookies for friends and neighbors. 

I caught up with friends: Had coffee with Lisa, breakfast with Sandy, coffee with Angie, and dinner with the Wanamakers. 

I had several date nights with my adorable hubby who got me the best gift for our anniversary along with a dozen roses and some beautiful jewelry:

I upgraded to a Galaxy S4 that is the slickest of phones.

I exercised to my heart's content in my new Nike's. Yes, I have a fetish for Nike shoes. 

AND... there were many more wonderful, playful hours that filled my two weeks. I am grateful for my job which allows me chunks of time to reflect and renew. To carry me into the new year, I have also ordered two new books in my favorite genre, Science Fiction. Asimov and Heinlein.

For posterity, and for my dear children, this post is proof that I play just as hard as a I work! Work hard, play hard!
     

Learning from a State Leader

I first heard Commissioner Bennett's name in January 2013 when one of the listervs I subscribe to  sent out an introduction video from the Florida Department of Education announcing his appointment. I watched the video and read his bio. I was hopeful that he would be a strong leader for our state. We are moving to the new teacher appraisal system and also transitioning to Common Core State Standards. These are both daunting challenges, and having the commitment to take on both of them at the same time is downright frightening.  

Fast forward to July 2013. Yesterday I got a chance to speak with the Commissioner in person, and I still look ahead with hopefulness that he can lead us forward at a very challenging time in our state. 

I requested a meeting with the Commissioner the day our first school achievement data began to arrive--sometime in May. Weeks earlier, my Superintendent had nominated me for the Commissioner's Leadership Academy. When I saw our data, I thought to myself..."If and when I see the Commissioner, I want to talk about THIS data!" But, being a person who takes action, I decided to email him right then and there. Our clever Superintendent, Bill Husfelt, always encourages us to let our legislators and decision-makers know what we think. To my surprise, when I got to the site where I was searching for a contact address, I located the option to request an appointment. By golly, I filled out that request! And.....they called me about a month later for my appointment. That was truly encouraging.

So....yesterday my husband and I drove to Tallahassee. I had prepared talking points so that I could make certain I covered everything. My husband joked that I would get through the first two and then the Commissioner would have to go to another appointment. I knew he might be right, but I hoped for the best. 

As I sat in the lobby of the Turlington Building, I was apprehensive. I knew I wanted to speak on behalf of several new leaders in my district and capture all the conversations we had shared over the course of the year. I also wanted to be the voice of the students and the families and the teachers at my own school. I wanted to provide the "in the trenches" perspective of the demands and obstacles our schools are facing. What really made me uneasy is that I am almost always Ms. Positivity. I didn't want to sound negative or defeated when I presented my concerns to the person in charge. 

I went up the 15 floors in the elevator, I was greeted by his assistant, and I got to sit in a comfy arm chair. He shook my hand, and I finally got my chance to speak. I think I just overflowed with nervous energy, and I hardly know if what I said in those first few minutes made any sense. Wisely, Mr. Bennett had invited someone else to sit in on our conversation. The Deputy Chancellor for Educator Quality joined us, and I settled into my talking points. She had a very calming demeanor, and I felt she was truly interested in what I had to say.

Mr. Bennett was so gracious. I told him to jump in at any point, and then he explained he was trying to be a good listener. I commend him; in retrospect, he was a GREAT listener. I talked  specifically and broadly about many things. I shared about working in high poverty schools, preventing the exodus from public schools to charter and private schools, improving the instructional capacity of our teachers, the irritating components of our school grading system, and the time required by leaders to create educational impact . 

I also shared how our school had been afforded some "grace" last year due to the DOE's safety net policy. According to the rules of the safety net, no school could drop lower than one school  grade. The new school I had taken over was--by points a C-- with only 9 points keeping us from earning a D. We were precariously close to a D. BUT WE EARNED a score of B due to the safety net. Then, when this year's writing data rolled out, I quickly estimated our school grade would land us in the point zone for an F. On paper, it would appear we had gone from a B to an F. That was and is a hard pill to swallow! In my mind, it would have been better to never have had the safety net OR currently beneficial to have the safety net continue.

As a good leader does, he responded by asking me thought-provoking questions and coaching me to provide him with my opinion about solutions. He talked about the challenges that his team faces in working with our state schools. I think the most meaningful things I took away from his dialogue were that it is imperative to increase rigor and make change incrementally. He also agreed that it was critical to move forward with accountability while avoiding breaking the backs of the people involved. He quoted the Superintendent from Miami-Dade a few times. I will have to look him up next as my friend Tammy says he has his "act together."

Then, he did something remarkable. He handed me two books to read. He explained the details behind both of them and recommended that I use the 8-Step Process in the book entitled Monitoring; Keeping Your Finger on the Pulse of School Improvement. I got a chance to skim the second book today, and it looks very much like the FCIM Model that we used at Bay High School several years ago to move the school from a D to a B. It is called No Excuses; Closing the Achievement Gap.

I can not even imagine the burdens he faces as he worries about 2600+ schools in our state, and I am only worried about my precious little school. Yet, he took the time to listen to my story and to try and empathize with my concerns. 

As the meeting came to an end, he explained that he has this next week to make his recommendations to the School Accountability office as it pertains to the release of school grades. I know he is listening AND thinking about all these things since he just finished taking input from a task force that made recommendations about ways to improve this process.

I got to speak with the Chancellor for Educator Quality for a while longer after my meeting with the Commissioner. I really connected with her and felt she had truly understood some of the things I was saying.

Hopefully, my voice and the voices of all those I speak for will be in his mind as he moves forward with his goals and the state's implementation of initiatives. Whatever the case, he took the time to listen, and I thank him for that. 

Smiling Is a Super Power

     

Well, the school year is over, and we all made it safely to the end! As I look back on the many events that occurred, I would have to say it was truly challenging. The thing that saved me again and again was and continues to be my positive attitude. For example, there was a situation that occurred during the school year where I was speaking with some very hostile parents. They were seated in my office, raising their voices, and just plain mad.  I have asked office staff to be sensitive to such situations and to close my door when they hear folks get emotional or upset so that we can respect their feelings. Well, right on cue, Kathryn comes to my door and closes it for me. Can I tell you how much I appreciate my office staff!!!  Later that day, she said something to me that I will never forget. She said, “When I came to close your door, you were just smiling at these parents as they were yelling at you.”

     Well, I have to confess, keeping a smile at such times might be difficult, but I have found that it never fails me. As I recently read in Dan Kerr's blog entry on Connected Principals, “A smile breaks down barriers, it diffuses tense or contentious situations, it fosters positive intent, and it inspires a student’s or colleague’s perception of who you are and how you feel about them.”  Being positive is something I demand of myself and of my staff. School climate and culture grounded in positivity is one of the foundations of a great school.

     We have many more challenges ahead of us with the upcoming school year. AND, school grading and accountability can certainly put a spotlight on things that desperately need attention in the schoolhouse. Sometimes these needs might seem daunting, but keeping morale high and pressing on to positively face every obstacle are critical to surviving this job with a happy and healthy outlook.

     And when it comes to the children, your smile and your welcome greeting might be the only happiness that a student encounters in their life all day. I can walk into classrooms and tell where students are happy and into others where they are not. I can walk into classrooms where students love their teacher, and I can also walk into others where they fear their teacher. Practice smiling and keep everyone around you smiling. Do you laugh during your day? Look around you and find inspiration in the faces of the children you teach. Did you know that 1 smile can generate the same level of brain stimulation as up to 2,000 bars of chocolate? Click here to see a YouTube video about The Power of Smiling.

A smile is something you can’t give away; it always comes back to you.                    – Maya Angelou

                      

Inspired by dkerr’s blog entry, The Power of a Smile, April 21, 2013, Connected Principals