Showing posts with label growth mindset. Show all posts
Sunday, September 25, 2016
Big Bucket, Big Sky
Today I'm feeling blessed beyond words, in part because of the best Bucket Filling interaction ever that happened last week, between one of our new third graders and me. He stopped by the window sill where I sit every morning {with my ukulele, surrounded by my band of musical friends} and said,
"Hey, you're getting pretty good at that!"
I responded with, "Wow, thanks. That compliment overflows my bucket!" and, without missing a beat, he pulled what appeared to be an imaginary bucket from his pocket and replied, "Here's a bigger bucket for you."
Perfect timing, too, because I needed that bigger bucket
under the big sky in Montana this week!
So before I get to the point of today's post,
let me share a few character cam shots of the breathtaking beauty.
The fog blankets the terrain as we head into
Custer National Forest,
the birds flit from pillar to post,
and a red fox camouflages against the rocky road.
We crossed over into Wyoming at some point;
and the picturesque scenery gave me pause.
Fall foliage peeking through ...
paints a colorful canvas along the Creek in Red Lodge.
Did I mention that my bucket is overflowing with peace, hope & joy?
And the restorative road trip wasn't even the best part.
Meet Tanya, Julie & Jeri, my three new friends from Billings Public Schools.
If you've been a visitor at the Corner for awhile, you already know Tanya from her guest posts about Empathy in a (Shoe) Box, Being Wendy, Fr(I) Statements and Vision Boards. Well, she got the idea that she'd like for me to come to her district to do some training, so this determined Montana Counselor of the Year wrote a grant last Fall and, voila, in March I got an email from her, asking me to pack my bags. We set my visit for September 22nd, Character Day 2016,
and what a day of character development it was.
I started the morning singing, dancing, laughing and building character with about thirty counselors, principals and administrators, then spent the afternoon doing much of the same with the combined faculties of Highland Elementary and Boulder Elementary. On Thursday night, I got to hang out with about fifty new friends at Family Character Night.
We sang together.
And we talked about the power of that one little word: YET.
As I flashed up this picture from my friend Kristina, whose fifth grade teachers at Whitcomb Elementary made this visual display with the students' SMART goals for the year, I asked the children to share out loud something they can't do or haven't done yet so that we, as a group, could encourage them to keep on growing by chanting the word YET. Engagement and emotion grew as our growth-mindset Padawans shared their authentic answers:
I can't dance ... YET.
I can't bake a cake ... YET.
I can't play the ukulele ... YET.
I haven't found a friend ... YET.
Tears came when the Principal at Boulder Elementary sent me this note and explained that first thing next morning, one of those Padawans was waiting at her door, to share this thank-you treasure:
And, because of your note, Brady, and these kind comments
from workshop participants ~
This is how Professional Development is supposed to be.
I could have listened to you all day.
Just the shot of inspiration I needed.
I loved everything you had to say.
It was very good and really opened my own mind-set.
I learned so much; what a great presentation.
~ my bucket continues to overflow
bigger than Montana's big blue sky.
And the rainbow on the way home, a promise ...
And the rainbow on the way home, a promise ...
that one day my plans (and a plane) would take me back in that direction.
Thank you, Tanya and Billings Education Foundation, for giving me this
once-in-a-lifetime, picture-perfect opportunity.
once-in-a-lifetime, picture-perfect opportunity.
Tuesday, September 20, 2016
May It Always Be Personal
Today, lots of questions as we traverse the tricky terrain
around these three little words:
It's not personal.
I've heard this said a handful of times over the years and haven't ever really thought much about it, until recently, when I read this thought-provoking post.
So I'm reflecting, trying to better understand
what people mean when they use those three little words
and, borrowing from a few of my own personal experiences, wondering . . .
If your teenager snubs you, is it personal?
If you lose your job due to budget cuts, is it personal?
If a teacher is curt with your child, is it personal?
If someone betrays your trust, is it personal?
If the person in line before you jams the copier, is it personal?
If a drunk driver hits you, is it personal?
I'm taking a huge leap here, and it may seem overly simplified or sensitive
{and maybe even slightly insecure?},
but isn't anything that affects humankind kind of personal?
Because what we think is where behavior starts;
our thoughts determine
how we feel
and that, in turn, determines
how we treat others.
Need help turning a thought like that around? Check out the strategy that author Byron Katie teaches in her tale Tiger Tiger, Is It True?.
And though I'm still not totally sure if there truly is a time
in which that cliche rings true, what I fervently hope is this:
For those of us in the people business . . .
may it always be personal.
Saturday, September 17, 2016
Pursuing Perfection, Catching Excellence
Happy Saturday; today I'm excited to have a day
with absolutely nothing to do.
Not one thing.
I slept in until 10 am. Decadent.
And I may meander to the salon for a pedi at some point.
But mostly, I'm just taking the day to breathe.
Breathe in the goodness of another miraculous day.
A chance to relax, restore, refresh, recharge.
No running around.
No rat race.
No chaos or confusion.
A chance to just BE.
And reflect.
with absolutely nothing to do.
Not one thing.
I slept in until 10 am. Decadent.
And I may meander to the salon for a pedi at some point.
But mostly, I'm just taking the day to breathe.
Breathe in the goodness of another miraculous day.
A chance to relax, restore, refresh, recharge.
No running around.
No rat race.
No chaos or confusion.
A chance to just BE.
And reflect.
Look what I found on Twitter as I was enjoying every last drop
of my morning candy bar in a cup coffee.
 |
| Click graphic for source. |
Perspective. From Peter Pan. Perfect.
Wait, did I just say perfect?
Okay, time to talk about perfection,
because the struggle is real.
At least for me it is.
Because I used to still want things to line up perfectly.
It may be part of how I'm hard-wired, that need for order.
And I'd like to say that I'm getting better at
adapting and accepting
when they don't align the way I'd
envisioned,
hoped,
dreamed
they would.
That is, after all, a huge piece of growth mindset.
Accepting mistakes as part of the process.
Embracing failure as a success.
Letting go of that perfection ideal.
But I still mix up catching excellence
with the pursuit of perfection. Practically every day.
That's why this Lombardi quote speaks to me, I suppose.
Because he's right; perfection isn't attainable.
It's not supposed to be.
So who's with me in the fight against those persistent perfectionistic tendencies
that threaten to thwart our propensity to practice grace
and our potential to maximize growth?
Because it's the journey that matters,
the chance to stretch and sightsee,
inspire and influence,
support and savor
as we keep moving forward.
Can I hear an amen?
Have I mentioned how grateful I am to be
on assignment with Free Spirit Publishing?
It's so kind of them to invite me share my
perspective,
reflections,
ideas
and activities
with their readers.
Friday, August 26, 2016
Here We Grow Again
Today I'm excited because we have successfully reached day 5 of our first week back to school. In celebration of all of that connecting and growing,
a relatively new book to share.
 |
| Click for a review and some activity ideas! |
This one is so special that I'm going to read it next week as my Intro to the Counselor pick. We're going to discuss it. And then solve a problem together.
And since I really think you're going to add this one to your collection, I'm not going to tell you much. Just enough to whet your appetite. You see, he didn't want the problem. Didn't invite it, didn't ask for it. He wants it to go away, to get lost. He finds out pretty quickly, however, that the age-old adage
you can run but you can't hide
is, in fact, spot on. So he decides to face it, only to find ... ok, that's all I'm saying. Except to tell you to prepare to fall in love with Mae Besom's illustrations. And the potential that this book has to help your superheroes grow.
 |
| Click the graphic for its source. |
At the end of the day, it's all about how we look at things.
Update: Click the picture to get details about the problem
I'm challenging them to solve.
It has been a blast watching them move these six cups from a stack and into a pillar pyramid without letting them make physical contact with any part of their bodies!
Check out these other growth mindset resources.
Sesame Street does Growth Mindset {here}.
Let's get growing!
Sunday, August 21, 2016
Retiring Reflections
It was on Mothers Day, about three and a half months ago, that I decided it was time to retire from blogging. And while I did have a wonderful break from it, I have missed the reflection piece that journaling my thoughts and sharing them online offers. I've also missed the creative outlet I get from the writing process. So, I've decided to come out of my self-imposed retirement {or maybe it was just a summer break} as I start my 33rd year in public education. I was invited to inspire character educators at six different venues this summer, so I am
re-energized and ready to grow.
One of my workshop participants made this for her office
from something I said over and over again this summer.
Thank you, Toni, for bringing my reflection to life.
One of my workshop participants made this for her office
from something I said over and over again this summer.
Thank you, Toni, for bringing my reflection to life.
My first share? A growth-mindset song I wrote this morning:
Now I just need to get really good at it on my ukulele!
What would you say if you were to write verse two?
We were blessed to hear Liz Murray last week;
here's what she said that stuck.
I know, right? Let that power-bite sink in for a bit.
I actually got kind of carried away tweeting her thoughts as she shared:
She added that, "People will grow into the conversation you create around them." So today I'm thinking about how her words of wisdom will change me,
help make me better at what I do.
For now, I'm gearing up to cartwheel on in to the new school year tomorrow. Thank you, Jennifer Runde, for capturing passion in this photo.
courtesy of our FISD Leadership Team.
Happy new year; it feels good to be back at the Corner.
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