Dr. Seuss and the Study of Hope

Dr. Seuss and Hope

                 

Did you feel a lift inside when you read those words? Did you feel empowered, even if just for a second? This Friday, March 2nd, is Dr. Seuss’s birthday. Of course, the name Dr. Seuss conjures up images of Horton, the Lorax, and the Cat in the Hat. Seuss left us many beloved characters and tales, but one of his most enduring legacies is his message of hope, and the importance of our belief in a brighter future.

Dr. Seuss was an expert at creating hope with his words. But what is hope, really? Scientific studies have narrowed it down to two beliefs: 1) that the future will be better than the present and 2) that you have the power to make it so. Hope is about expectation, and involves a plan or a pathway to desired outcomes. Hope can change the chemistry of the brain, releasing endorphins and other pain-blocking chemicals. It can be a key element in physical healing, and can lessen the effects of stress, anxiety, and depression. Studies of hope show that hopeful students have better outcomes in life, whether that be in school, relationships, or their future careers. Hopeful kids try harder, persist longer, and achieve more.

Unfortunately, hope can be hard to come by for our students from backgrounds of poverty, simply because their lives are often filled with challenging circumstances. They do not have the experiences, connections, and support systems that help instill others with hope. It is hard for them to imagine what a successful future might look like. The opposite of hope is learned helplessness, which is an adaptive response that occurs when a person feels like they have no control over their situation. We see that in many of our students. They feel like no matter what they do, failure is imminent and trying is futile.

The good news is that hope can be taught!  Here are some ways to help instill hope in your students:

• Tell hopeful stories and show hopeful videos 
• Teach students how to set goals
• Maintain high expectations - treat all students as capable of high achievement
• Use daily affirmations to help students maintain a positive mindset
• Talk to your students about their hopes and dreams, and reaffirm them
• Teach your students about grit and a growth mindset  “I can do this. I won’t give up.”
• Make connections with students, and help them learn to connect with one another

Remember, this is not a pie-in-the-sky pep talk. The message is that students have dreams, and by working hard, planning, and persisting, they can accomplish them!

Today's blog is brought to you by Kate Crowe, Title I Coordinator. Thank you for this inspiring and informative message. Wishing you all a wonderful, well-deserved spring break! Looking forward to a STRONG finish, where together we will RISE GI!

Success in the midst of the Whirlwind?

Do you ever go home at the end of the day and wonder, "what did I accomplish today?"  The numerous decisions, thoughtful responses, intentional planning, collaboration with others, problem solving, managing of self and others, and unexpected distractions consume the day to day.  The daily whirlwind seems to describe it best!

Most days, we are all just trying to survive the whirlwind, and whether we admit or not, how we respond to it impacts our well-being, socially, emotionally and physically. It's most obvious that the whirlwind isn't going away, it's just life the way we know it!  So what can we do ensure that we maintain our well-being and continue to progress towards our goals in the midst of the whirlwind? In today's blog, I thought I would share some suggestions on how to move forward on the important goals while the whirlwind happens.

I recently read "The Four Disciplines of Execution" by Chris McChesney, Sean Covey, and Jim Huling and made some connections between the four disciplines and our four Strategic Plan Pillars.  I'll try to be brief but want to describe a few strategies that can keep the focus on the important in the midst of the whirlwind and impact our overall well-being in the end. 

1. Focus on the Wildly Important Goal (WIG)--(Personalize)this could be District Level Goals, School Level-School Improvement Goals, PLC-grade level or content specific goals.  This also relates to personal goals around saving money, losing weight, balance in life, etc...The idea behind this discipline is to focus on LESS so you can do MORE! 
2. Act on Lead Measures (Empower) (Personalize)--they must be predictive and be influenced by the team.  At the district level, our three priority goals (PLC's, Standards Based Planning, and Designing instruction using data) are the actions that we believe will move the needle.  As a result of this focus, we have been intentional with professional learning.  At the building level, school improvement plan strategies such as PLC's, standards based planning and using data may be lead measures. In the classroom, standards based instruction -learning targets and success criteria aligned to the standards, specific actions around establishing conditions for learning. formative assessment results on specific standards, student goals, ELOs may be lead measures.
3. Keep a compelling scorecard (DESIGN)--at the district level-Wednesday walks and student achievement results are a way to keep a compelling scorecard.  At the school level many schools are keeping actions boards, have data rooms, regularly reflect on action plans in school improvement plan, and surveys regarding implementation.  At the classroom level-formative assessment, student data dashboards, pre-test/post test data, office referrals (positive/negative) may be included in the scorecard.  
4. Create a cadence of accountability (Partner)-Data Rounds are one way to create a cadence of accountability-meeting two times a year with principals to have process continuous school improvement progress and needs for support.  At the school level, PLC members holding each other accountable, school improvement teams driving next steps along with observations and coaching all provide ways to be accountable to make progress toward goals.  At the classroom level, students goal setting and regular monitoring and feedback may be the accountability measure.

The authors refer to research, when team members are involved in creating the commitments of themselves and to each other, ownership increases. The team can then focus energy on the wildly important goal(s) without getting blocked by the shifting whirlwind of change that happens day to day.  Feeling success drives motivation and engagement as well as improves overall well-being.  

I'm sure you can all make connections to what you are already doing that aligns to these four disciplines and describe other ways that you are successfully achieving goals in the midst of the whirlwind!  After reading this book, I continue to reflect on how I can improve and grow in the four areas of discipline to improve my leadership.  My goal is to not allow the whirlwind to take me away from the important- achieving the vision for our students! 

Having Hard Conversations

"The quality of our lives depends not on whether or not we have conflicts, but on how we respond to them."  ~Thomas Crumm

Conflict is inevitable. Home, work, in the community, it happens and everyone responds to it differently. Some handle conflict positively, some avoid it, some are able to face it head on, and some become emotional about it.  I'm pretty sure there are very few people that actually enjoy it! However, conflict can result in positive outcomes, it can improve our lives, and cause reflection and change for the better.

In our day to day roles, we need to be the best for our students, which means we have to interact, collaborate, communicate, and partner with parents, teachers, staff members, and administrators. How we view and respond to conflict can have a direct impact on our ability to be our best and do what is right in the interest of our students! In addition, unresolved conflict increases stress, anxiety, and overall job satisfaction. It's not good for our health!

So, today I'm sharing an article "Working with Angry Adults: Ideas to Manage Conflict and Still Achieve Good Outcomes" with some tips and strategies that can be used to achieve win/win or more positive outcomes when faced with conflict.  I paid particular attention to how to separate the "problems from the people" and "focus on interests and not solutions or positions".  There is an example in the article that explains what this might look like in action. It definitely made me think about how I will approach future conflicts.

No matter if your conflict is with your direct supervisor, a parent or a colleague, I am encouraging you to address it.  Try some of the strategies mentioned in the article and I believe the outcomes will result in a better you, which will in turn be better for our students!

In conclusion, I leave you with a message reminding us of our "why" from Starr students this week!