Main Office Musings 10-9-15
Inspiring a Community of Learners
By Donna Wilson and Marcus Conyers
As you may recall, my word for the One Word Challenge this year is positivity. This article from Edutopia is co-authored by Marcus Conyers who, with Donna Wilson, is co-developer of the M.S. and Ed.S. Brain-Based Teaching degree programs at Nova Southeastern University. I thought that it was an interesting read on how a positive community effects everyone within a school. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did! - mfw
A positive community of educators within a school has a powerful effect on the students who learn there. Individually, teachers contribute to that positive environment by exhibiting and modeling an optimistic outlook and can-do attitude. An understanding of the role that emotions play in learning can lay the foundation for positive and productive interactions with students, colleagues, administrators, and parents. As neuroscientist Richard Davidson explains in his book The Emotional Life of Your Brain, "Emotion works with cognition in an integrated and seamless way to enable us to navigate the world of relationships, work, and spiritual growth."
Enhancing Your Practical Optimism
Research supports the benefits of teaching students to adopt an attitude of practical optimism as they learn. This outlook is also key for educators in our professional practice. The concept of practical optimism combines the commitment to plan and execute the steps needed to achieve one's goals with a positive outlook that success is possible. A variety of strategies may useful in enhancing your practical optimism, in sharing this approach with colleagues, and in encouraging students to persist in the sometimes hard work required for learning.
Stay focused on the "upside."
This is possible when you commit to actions and emotions that are useful and positive. A negative attitude is neither. Attend to the completion of tasks that help solve problems and move you closer to accomplishing your goals. Celebrate each small achievement along the way. And especially when your emotional batteries need recharging, choose to spend time with people, in places, and in activities that make you feel happy, refreshed, and rejuvenated.
Express gratitude.
Saying thank you is not just good manners but also offers a path to better emotional health and stronger collegial relationships. Professors at the University of California - Berkeley's Greater Good Science Center share a growing body of research that expressing sincere gratitude:
- Lessens feelings of social isolation
- Increases joy and optimism
- Enhances acting with more generosity and compassion
- Improves physical health
Consciously recognizing all of the people and interactions that you appreciate and expressing those feelings can boost your mood and pass that positivity along to others.
Regularly commit small acts of kindness.
Lending a hand to an overworked colleague, paying a specific and heartfelt compliment, bringing vegetables from your garden to share -- all of these are examples of charitable actions that spread the wealth of positivity. Acts of kindness lift the recipients' spirits and have the boomerang effect of enhancing your own feelings of well-being and positivity. In a study where participants were asked to reflect on their feelings after engaging in acts of kindness, many people reported feeling happier and more content.
Be mindful of your emotional state.
Researchers recently enrolled thousands of participants in a study via their cellphones and checked in with them at random moments about their thoughts and feelings. The surprising conclusion of the study was that when people allow their minds to wander, they tend to drift toward worries and negative thoughts. To avoid that pessimistic default, notice when you are feeling gloomy and consciously redirect your thoughts into more positive territory. Instead of cycling through everything that might go wrong, stay focused on what you love about teaching and what you can do to improve the learning environment in your school and classroom.
Give your brain and body a positive workout.
A brisk walk over the lunch hour and a regular exercise routine before and/or after the school day can relieve stress and provide health benefits and a refreshing endorphin boost.
Infuse positive feelings into your surroundings.
Arrange your classroom to take advantage of a pleasant view. Make sure that you get outside regularly for some fresh air. Avoid joining negative conversations about your school, administrators, colleagues, students, or parents.
A Deliberate Effort
These kinds of everyday activities can improve your outlook about yourself and your abilities, which can help motivate you and fuel continued progress toward the attainment of your personal and professional goals.
Incorporate these strategies into your routine for one week, and then reflect on what changes you notice in your outlook, attitude, and interactions with others. In our own experience of employing these ideas, we find that we enjoy more positive emotions and a higher sense of purpose and productivity. Much like developing the skills and knowledge that you need to advance as a teacher, becoming more optimistic entails deliberate effort. And as with maintaining other competencies, sustaining a positive outlook may require a practical maintenance routine of being mindful about the good things in life, in you, in your work, and in students, colleagues, and administrators.
Learning Links
- Want to email parents through School Messenger? Thank you to Sue Friend for this handy "How-To" guide. It can be found at
Y:\Staff Shared Folders\District Wide Staff Documents\Infinite Campus\Teacher Messenger\ClassMessenger.pdf - Take a look at these reading forms used by Pernille Ripp (founder of the Global Read Aloud) http://pernillesripp.com/2015/10/03/reading-forms-i-use/
- EdCampFLX is happening Saturday, November 7th at CMS! Check out this great PD event organized by our own Katie McFarland sites.google.com/site/edcampflx
Dan Bowman has set us up with a 30 day trial of Scholastic BookFlix, the online literacy resource that pairs fiction and nonfiction books to build a love of reading and learning in all children using online audio books!
To access the free trial please visit:
http://bookflix.scholastic.com/freetrial
Password: laugh
Username: bkflix Free trial will be active until 11/15/2015.- 10+1 Picture Books to teach writing http://bit.ly/1PkGt7A
- Empower students to discover their potential...get Liberating Genuis free choose2matter.org/liberatinggenuis
- New educator grants to apply from Target, Youth Service, Elmers, Lowes and more... edut.to/1F12YvZ
- https://docs.google.com/document/d/1yaS_vq6yQyGxwAM9sGwb2KkqGBpME-bnAfL9wOWlFLQ/edit?usp=sharingTake a peek at these resources available from Scholastic http://bit.ly/1JZ7Iiic and http://bit.ly/1OgYdAu
- For those of you on Twitter, follow us @CdgaPrimElem or use #CdgaPrimElem to tag us in all of your amazingly awesome learning fun!
It's a pleasure to TWEET you...
I have a husband and 2 children. My daughter is a soph @ Geneseo and my son is graduating this year. My family enjoys sports and the outdoors.
Reminders & Points to Ponder...
- Thanks to the S.M.I.L.E. Committee for this morning's yummy breakfast!
- Picture Days are next Wednesday (K-2) and Thursday (3-5) We are using Sign-Up Genius to reserve slots... please check your email and sign up soon!
- Thank you to David Fronczak for leading the F&P training sessions yesterday! Our pilot teachers are appreciative of your guidance!
- Faculty meeting Tuesday at 8:00 a.m. South Auditorium
- Intervention Schedules officially start next week. Specific caseloads and AIS identification is in process.
- Computer schedule for grades 4/5 starts on Tuesday, 10/13. The schedule will be emailed directly to 4/5 teachers today.
- CIE is accepting applications for 2015-16 Grants for Excellence. You can access the application by following the link below under related files:
- Parent Teacher Conference dates are 12/1 (evening), 12/3 and 12/4 (afternoon) and 12/10.
- Please submit any schedule changes to your GL AP by October 15th. We will be printing final schedules for our scheduling binders and we would like to have the most updated info.
- The 10/27 faculty meeting is a 3:30 p.m. meeting... NOT a morning meeting. The time was incorrect on the building meeting calendar.