Bullfrog Bulletin
January 14, 2016
Schools are in the business of HOPE!
“Hope is the eternal belief that life will get better. No matter the obstacle, circumstance or barrier, hope of a brighter future is the only thing between a student’s reality and his potential.”
Ways to build hope in students:
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Help students create their own meaningful pathway to a better life.
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Set challenging but realistic goals to measure progress along the way.
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Guide students to find short-term wins.
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Facilitate student thinking and problem solving through set backs and
losses.
Teach kids a never give-up mentality.
“Hold fast to dreams, For if dreams die Life is a broken-winged bird, That cannot fly.” ― Langston Hughes
“Listen to the mustn'ts, child. Listen to the don'ts. Listen to the shouldn'ts, the impossibles, the won'ts. Listen to the never haves, then listen close to me. . . Anything can happen, child. Anything can be.” ― Shel Silverstein
“Hope is the thing with feathers That perches in the soul And sings the tune without the words And never stops at all.” ― Emily Dickinson
School and Classroom Practices that Build Hope in Students:
Efficacy—
- Have the mindset that intelligence can be acquired or improved.
(Bandura, 1997; Dweck, 2006)
- Reward students for effort rather than achievement.
- Have students monitor their own progress.
- Promote the positive.
- Celebrate student success.
- Help students set and meet goals rather than remediate forever.
Equity—
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Believe that all children will be highly successful in your school.
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Clearly communicate how students can be successful.
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Teach the grade level/class where you can have the best and biggest impact on
kids.
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Create a culture in which the failure of children to learn is unacceptable and design supports to ensure that all students can learn.
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Surround students with adults who care about them. Fostering a Culture of High Expectations:
We Must Be Champions for Our Students!
Do We Believe All Students Can Learn?
Quotes that Inspire Me:
“If the whole world were blind, how many people would you impress?”
“Never look down on anybody unless you’re helping them up.”
“Success isn’t permanent and failure isn’t fatal.” Mike Ditka
“Every good thing that has happened in your life happened because something changed.”
“Kids are showing up at school today. They don’t need you to be perfect, but they need you to be present and passionate.”
“Let your dreams be bigger than your fears and your actions louder than your words.”
“Comparison is the thief of joy.”
“Why not go out on a limb? That’s where the fruit is.”
“Push harder than yesterday if you want a different tomorrow.”
Pictures from the Week
Navigators--New Teacher Training
Navigators
First-year teachers worked in groups led by teaching and learning coaches. They categorized learning objectives from all campuses in order to determine what is a "good" objective.
Navigators
Navigators
District Admin Clean Ag Shop
In order to make the shop more conducive to student learning, district administrators spent time this week helping out.
Thinking Maps Artifacts Seen in Schools This Week
Thinking Maps Artifact
Thinking Maps were used to help students organize their thinking in order to prepare for Music Memory.
How do we build a culture of reading?
Making reading a priority is a great start.
Thinking Maps Artifacts
A teacher teaching with Thinking Maps this week.
Thinking Maps Artifact
Educational Foundation Breakfast
Band and choir students performed; culinary students cooked and served breakfast. A great student showcase!
Upcoming Events
Monday, January 18--Professional Development Day
Other Upcoming Events:
Friday, January 22nd--Assistant Principal and Instructional Coach Thinking Maps Leadership Training