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!

 

Demonstration Schools for Rigor? What's Going on?

Last summer, three of our schools, Walnut Middle School, Starr, and Jefferson Elementaries embarked on a journey to become Demonstration Schools for Rigor(the only ones in the state of Nebraska)!  This commitment has required, and continues to require, additional professional learning, coaching, and a shift in pedagogy.  Yes, there are challenges, productive struggles, and new learning.  However, staff at all three campuses have embraced this opportunity and now with a semester of learning and implementation, are ready to share what they have learned and show you the impact on students.  Throughout this semester, I will have the pleasure to host guest blogs from our Demonstration Schools to keep you updated and informed of their progress along the way.

Our first guest blog is a spotlight on Walnut Middle School with videos of students and testimonials from staff.  Teachers and administrators have created a slideshow to give you glimpse inside their classrooms as well as provide testimonials from teachers about the transformation. Click here to view   the powerpoint.

What a great opportunity to hear about the successes and celebrations of this work, how instructional practices are changing, and observe the impact on students.  This success would not be evident without the instructional leadership of our teachers and school leaders and continuous focus on student learning.

In the future, our Demonstration Schools will become learning laboratories that will be open for instructional rounds to all GIPS schools.  This will provide opportunities to learn from each other and continue to chart the course for achieving student centered instruction with rigor in all GIPS classrooms.

We are fortunate that the professional learning with Learning Sciences International has also provided our district team the opportunity to learn alongside the staff in our Demonstration Schools for Rigor.  As a result, we are able to better support all of our GIPS campuses in their efforts to professionally grow in practice in ways that meet all students needs.

I would like to personally thank our guest bloggers from Walnut Middle school today, and invite you to join in celebrating their progress as well as provide support as our Demonstration Schools continue this exciting journey.  Rising up to ensure our students THRIVE in an ever changing world!

We Teach Hearts As Well as Minds

"Students prepared to make positive contributions and thrive in an ever-changing world."  This is the GIPS vision.

What does this really mean?  How do we accomplish this?   Obviously, there is no one action, program, or curriculum to make this happen. We can, however, be very intentional about the systems that we put in place to support teaching and learning that aligns with our vision.

This week, Dr. Dexter, Mrs. Engel, and I had the pleasure of meeting with members of our District Climate Team to continue our study on our current practices that impact positive school climate within our Grand Island Public Schools. As all effective teams do, we defined our purpose, reviewed our value and belief statements, clearly defined our targets, and established team norms.  This set the foundation for our morning work. 

The pictures show team members digging into the strategic plan objectives 2.1.1 & 2.1.3 / 2.1.2 / 2.1.4 / 2.4, by identifying key vocabulary, asking questions, describing current practices, and making connections. These objectives and initiatives all connect back to the conditions for learning as defined in the Marzano Instructional Model. It's so important to address the needs of the whole child; social emotional learning skills, behavioral supports and interventions, professional learning and supportive partnerships.


After processing this activity, there was in depth discussion about how we can build on our current practices and establish clarity around the systems that may improve consistency and effectiveness of implementation.  There is data to collect and research to be conducted to further understand what systems we need in place district wide to address this objectives. 

In addition to addressing our objectives and initiatives, districts also have the responsibility to incorporate a non-academic indicator into our school accountability system as a requirement of the reauthorization of the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA).  This team will ensure that we develop measures that align with the federal and state recommendations and our GIPS needs.

GET TO KNOW THE TEAM:
This team is comprised of advocates for all of you and our students representing all levels, including certified and classified staff.  They are passionate and invested in establishing positive climate and culture.  I encourage you to reach out to them for more information about the purpose of this team and provide feedback, suggestions, and support with this work.

District Climate Team Members:                                               

Angela Runquist-Skills Academy
Calvin Hubbard-Walnut
Erlinda Amen-Shoemaker
Greg Morrow-GISH
Dr. Gregg Bieber-GISH/OMB/Success
Jennifer Shafer-Ehlers-Engleman
Julie Brunning-Walnut
Kahsi Lawson-West Lawn
Kara Coble-Wasmer
Kelly Kastens-Gates
Michael Persampieri-Starr

Nate Balcom-Starr
Patrick Harder-GISH
Paula Gonzalez-Dodge
Renee Engel-CNSSP
Dr. Robin Dexter-Student Services
Dr. Toni Palmer-Leadership and Development
Sally Smith-ELC/Lincoln
Sara Koehler-Westridge
Sarah Haahr-Howard/Knickrehm/Seedling Mile
Shanna Gannon-Professional Learning
Thompson Koch-Lincoln/Westridge
Tina Godfrey-Wasmer
Josh Redman-GISH
Kelly Klanecky-Knickrehm
Rebecca Wilhelmi-Jefferson


"Can our school be so welcoming, so inviting, and so comfortable that every person who walks through our doors believes they are about to have an amazing experience?"

1st Semester Success

 Instructional transformation is being noticed throughout the district!  As you know, Wednesday Walks provide central office staff the opportunity to personally interact with students, teachers, and administrators about the impact of instruction on student learning. During our walks we also notice how welcoming and safe our buildings are, as well as how individuals interact with each other and with students.  We notice how students respond to greetings, interact with each other and engage as a result of established routines, procedures, and practices. We notice what the walls say about beliefs and expectations.  We talk about how proud we are of all the amazing opportunities available to our students because of all of you! 

Although we didn't take visible data on those important components, we did collect data on specific instructional practices that align with our district priorities, specifically around the implementation of standards based planning and professional learning communities.  Throughout the 1st semester, the focus was on the visibility of learning targets in every classroom and  if students were able to describe the learning target. The professional growth is inspiring and motivating! It is obvious that teacher collaboration is contributing to the improvement of how targets and tasks align to the grade level standards. 
Here is what we noticed first semester:

                

           

Obviously, this data alone does not inform us of the "impact" on student learning, however, it does communicate the systematic implementation of practices that can directly impact student learning.  There are noticeable difference in how students engage in learning when they are aware of their end goal and have the opportunity to process, talk about it, and actively engage in tasks that are directly aligned.   Keep the momentum going!  

This semester, data will continue to be collected on if students are able to describe the learning target as well as if the target and task are aligned.  I'll keep you posted on the data and the amazing happenings observed during our next round of Wednesday Walks.  

Teaching is one of hardest jobs in the world! Thank you for all you do, making a difference and impacting the future for our students!

Happy Holidays!

George Couros recently posted a blog about the importance of taking care of yourself and although his message presents ideas for those weeks just before the holiday, he mentions ideas that are well worth considering over the winter break. 

Here are a few that I'm putting on my list:

• Schedule time to work out
• Read for pleasure
• Watch a tv series 
• Surround myself with people that lift me up

It is a challenge to take time for yourself, but I agree with George when he states, "taking this time not only gives you more energy, but the time spent with those you care about --you will be in a much better mood."  The time with those you love and care about will be quality time because you have filled your own cup! Not as easy as it sounds, because educators are so giving, so try to pick at least one of the few things on your list and stick to it!

Wishing you all the best of holidays!  I look forward to an awesome start to 2018!