To encourage dialogue and reflection about the ways we respond to change and uncertainty, our question for the week is: What strategies help you to adapt and live with uncertainty and change? Change and Uncertainty (Week of 11/12/23) (This is an anonymous Google Form)
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Blake's Core Values: Respect, Responsibility, Resourcefulness, Reflection
Our Essential Question: How can we cultivate and curate the progression of student learning and growth?
Our Mission: Blake Middle School believes in a living mission statement, based on the concept that our community seeks and respects knowledge, integrity, character, wisdom, and the willingness to adapt to a continually evolving world.
The most important attitude that can be formed is that of desire to go on learning. - John Dewey
You cannot teach today the same way you did yesterday to prepare students for tomorrow. - John Dewey
I hope that the 3-day Veterans Day weekend was a good one for all. Ours was nice with time outside, catching up on reading, continuing the process of putting the garden to bed, and dinner with friends on Saturday night.
Before heading to the sixth grade advisories with students, our guests gathered in the LMC and had some time together. Some are close friends with one another and others were introduced for the first time. Regardless of the group, they always want to hear updates about the school, current trends in education, and the challenges that are on the forefront of our minds and work. One common thread is how much they all care about our community, our youth, and our world. They also remarked on how much things are changing for our youth - some through the lens as grandparents, some through their news, and others through their day-to-day lives. In particular, they were very curious about artificial intelligence and talked about some of the ways it has and will continue to impact the military - I felt like we could have talked forever (and wish we had more time)!
I asked them what their thoughts were about all of these changes, and as many of us shared at our last faculty meeting, the feelings were mixed - excitement, overwhelmed, hopes, fears, etc. One of the veterans shared that the willingness to allow and understand the realities of uncertainty was what helped him most when he served. After he shared, there were nods around the group and they echoed that sentiment - some saying that they wished they could have learned some skills earlier to help at that time. But, once they had a better understanding of that reality of uncertainty, that skill was transferable - another common theme from their service was the transferable skills to their lives and the paths they took.
One of the tenets in our mission is to foster and instill the ‘willingness to adapt to a continually evolving world’ - and, the developments of machine learning and current/future impact of artificial intelligence is putting this tenet to the test. I hope we can embrace this challenge and engage with it thoughtfully - we are doing a disservice to our students if we do not ‘dive in’. Below are some recent podcast episodes and a post shared by Will Richardson and Homa Tavangar via the BQI Community newsletter about our brains and uncertainty. In different ways, some more direct than others, they all speak to the process of change/learning and have implications for our students and ourselves. As always, I would love to engage, listen, and discuss the ways we can bring these ideas into the ‘flow’ of our school and community.
Our Brains Were Not Built for This Much Uncertainty
by Heidi Grant and Tal Goldhamer in HBR Review
To stay motivated as we encounter unprecedented levels of uncertainty in every aspect of our lives, we should understand that the human brain simply was not built for this. Knowing what your brain does well — and what it does surprisingly poorly — can give you a much clearer sense of the strategies you need to not just endure, but to thrive.
The good news is that, from decades of studying human brains and human behavior, we know quite a bit about how to take the experience of threat from something overwhelming to something manageable. Whether you’re trying to keep yourself motivated and engaged, or you’re a leader trying to help those in your care, here are three strategies based in science that can keep the brain in a good place.
Set expectations with realistic optimism
Lift to bigger-picture thinking
Embrace candor
Thriving through change and uncertainty is not easy. However, armed with the right strategies to help yourself and others, we’re confident that (realistic) optimism is indeed warranted. Remember what matters most, keep honest communication flowing, and know that in the end, it will be better.
Higher Education's Resistance to Change
from The Harvard EdCast podcast
(30 Minutes)
Brian Rosenberg addresses the cultural and structural factors that impede significant transformations in higher education.
What We Can Learn From Anxiety with Tracy Dennis-Tiwary
from the New View EDU podcast
(46 minutes)
We’re accustomed to thinking of anxiety as something undesirable. But what if anxiety could actually be an effective tool, teaching us how to take appropriate risks, manage setbacks, and build resilience? That’s the premise of Dr. Tracy Dennis Tiwary’s book Future Tense: Why Anxiety is Good for You Even Though it Feels Bad.
In This Episode:
“Anxiety is apprehension about the uncertain future. So what that means is that when we're anxious, we're not actually in the moment. We're actually becoming mental time travelers into the future. And what anxiety both signals and helps us do really effectively, is picture that future. There is potential threat or peril. That is, you know, that's why it feels bad. We're kind of sitting up and paying attention. But at the same time, when we're anxious, there is also still positive possibility.” (6:22)
“You don't go from zero to a hundred.You start with little 10 pound weights. And it's the same for this emotional endurance. We have to think of not psychological or mental health so much as mental fitness. I just think it sets us up, when it comes especially to anxiety and major anxiety disorders, major depressive disorder, substance use disorders or these kinds of struggles. Let's think about fitness, because we can build these skills for people, we can help them. But you don't do it by going from zero to 100.” (17:57)
“Part of, I think, the gift and the problem of the parenting space right now, if I may say, is that we have this sort of parenting advice industrial complex, right? Where I feel that, as wonderful as the advice out there is, it's created this culture in which we feel like we have to check off 100 out of 100 boxes on the good parenting checklist. And if we don't, we're a bad parent, we're letting down our kid.” (29:06)
The art of rough drafts with George Saunders
from WorkLife with Adam Grant podcast
(37 minutes)
Before his stories regularly appeared in The New Yorker, before the MacArthur and Guggenheim Fellowships, and before being named one of the world’s most influential people by TIME, George Saunders was a roofer. And a doorman. And a technical writer. In this episode, George sits down with Adam and shares what he’s learned from his winding path towards becoming a professional author, the secrets of creating work that sticks, and how to receive feedback and elevate our rough drafts.
How to Unlock the Power of Deeper Connections with David Brooks
From The One You Feed podcast
(1 hr, 5 minutes)
In this episode with David Brooks, we discuss how effective communication is vital in managing relationships and having difficult conversations. It’s about more than just voicing our thoughts; it involves carefully articulating our intentions and motivations, while also maintaining a respectful tone and safe environment. By embracing these skills and moving beyond surface-level dialogue, we can better understand others and resolve disputes in a more productive and empathetic manner.In this episode, you will be able to:
- Unlock the power of deep connection and experience the fulfillment it brings in your relationships
- Master the art of effective communication to navigate difficult conversations with more ease
- Discover ways to support others struggling with depression and addiction, and make a positive impact in their lives
- Explore the link between perception and reality, and gain a deeper understanding of how our beliefs shape our experiences
- Delve into what it means to truly know others and unlock the potential for more meaningful and fulfilling relationships
Sampling of Responses from Last Week’s ‘Question of the Week’: What questions are on your mind right now?
- How can we change the schedule of our school to allow for better learning experiences?
- How is it possible to promote a feeling of belonging?
- How can we help the community more?
- Are these actually anonymous????
- Why do we get grades?
- What happens when you die?
- Where do you go when you die?
- Why do we have to have a lot of quizzes and tests for school?
- What is the science behind a virus?
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Take care.
Nat