To help encourage conversations and dialogue about gratitude and learning, our topic/question for the dinner table is: How can thankfulness and gratitude help foster a community of learners? Please see link to Google Form to share your responses: Thankful Learners (Week of 11/21/16) (This is an anonymous Google Form)
I feel as though I write this every week, but the time is sure flying by! It is hard to believe that Thanksgiving is this week and that we are approaching the end of Term 1. The weather has been lovely this month and I hope that you have been able to enjoy it! After a relaxed Friday evening with the family, I spent Saturday at a conference and then at Owen's basketball tournament. After some housekeeping, chores, and kids' sports, we watched the end of the Patriots and had family dinner before the week began.
This past week I was fortunate to attend the Learning and the Brain Conference with a team of Blake educators, thanks to the generosity of the Medfield Coalition for Public Education. Learning and the Brain is an organization that ‘brings neuroscientists and educators together to explore new research on the brain and learning and its implications for education.' It is a very interesting conference as the attendees are wide-ranging in nature - educators, clinicians, counselors, researchers, administrators, speech-language and special education professionals. The focus this year was ‘Engaged, Empowered Minds: Using Brain Science To Educate Ethical 21st Century Citizens And Problem Solvers’, and the conference brings together leaders in the fields of neuroscience and education. It was inspiring, challenging, and thought-provoking and I look forward to sharing many ideas, questions, and research-based evidence that we learned.
Rather than take the time this week to share some of these ideas (I have to admit it is a challenge for me not to share some pearls of wisdom from Tony Wagner, Howard Gardner, Chris Lehmann, and others - wow!!!), I am going to hold off for a later time. We talk a lot about traditions and relevance (channeling the wisdom and work of Tom Whitby), and this week I aim to do acknowledge them both by sharing some relevant posts while maintaining some traditions.
The posts below are from wonderful educators and thinkers, Chris Lehmann and George Couros, and I consider them 'must follows'. It is rare that either one writes a piece that does not challenge, inspire, and resonate with me all at once. Together they help articulate the need for all of us (students, educators, parents, and community) to be both students and leaders as education is a collective and evolving endeavor...
Schools Are Fragile
by Chris Lehmann (@chrislehmann)
I saw Chris speak about five years ago and I consider that 'moment' to be one of the more pivotal and influential experiences I have had in my growth as an educator. He is an inspiration to me, and this post presents some considerations we must keep in mind - remembering that schools are fragile and the importance of thinking how we will sustain the innovative and best old-fashioned ideas. I love the idea of embracing 'eternal vigilance'.
...every year, principals and teachers come together to try to figure out how to make their schools better places – writing school improvement plans, creating sub-committees, spending time trying to make things better. It is the language of our national discussion around education – how do we fix our schools?
We have to recognize that doing something different, something that pushes against the dominant narrative, requires eternal vigilance. There’s never the moment you can relax and think, “Whew… we’ve arrived.” Every year brings a new 9th grade class. Every year brings new challenges. And every year, you have to work to maintain what you’ve built – while always trying to figure out how to make it better too. Because schools are fragile – no matter how strong we build them, we have to always remember that they will take just as much energy to keep them strong.
4 Ways to Lead and Create a “Culture of Innovation” From Any Position
by George Couros (@gcouros)
Couros, author of The Innovator's Mindset, outlines a viewpoint that leadership is a collective endeavor and should be exercised by all individuals. It speaks to the importance of a community of leaders and learners.
This is why this question is crucial; how do we move from “pockets” of innovation, to a “culture” of innovation?8 We all believe there are forward thinking classrooms really pushing the boundaries of what learning can look like in schools, but are they the norm or the exception?
Here are a few things that can help move schools forward to a “culture” of innovation, no matter what position you are in...We need to be accountable to each other, not just administrators...We have to promote and model challenging conversations...We need to constantly look at our own environments, with fresh eyes...Focus on being a “school” teacher, not simply a “classroom teacher”.
Creating a “culture of innovation”, where powerful and deep learning is the norm, not the exception, will more likely happen if we count on the leadership of all, not the leadership of “one”. P.S. If you feel you are in a situation where these ideas are not “allowed” in your schools by your administration, think about how you can create and change that dynamic. Leaders find a way forward.
As a nod to traditions I am sharing a few thoughts that I feel are always important to share as we near the Thanksgiving holiday. Although they read and sound familiar and repetitive each year, I promise that the sincerity of the sentiments continue to grow in their depth. We will be coming together as a Blake community for our annual Celebration of Voice assembly on Wednesday to share our gratitude and have fun! As I share each year, Thanksgiving is a holiday that holds great significance for me and my family since an accident I experienced while running seven years ago. Katie and I find ourselves, both individually and collectively, filled with gratitude and appreciation for the response of our Holliston and Blake/Medfield communities for the care and support that we received at that time. I will be sharing my gratitude Wednesday at the assembly, but I also know that I can not share it enough - thank you. It is a privilege to work in a community that has both fostered and encouraged my growth while also showing deep care for my family. I have shared these words from President Kennedy and the post below the last few years and will be sure to continue bringing them to light each year...
(7:13)
I encourage everyone to find seven minutes this week to watch the clip and share with others.
In Praise of Gratitude
from Harvard Mental Health Letter
This brief post was shared with me from my good friend, Mike Norton, who has done extensive work on happiness. It provides a nice explanation for why gratitude is important and also offers tips to be more grateful.
In positive psychology research, gratitude is strongly and consistently associated with greater happiness. Gratitude helps people feel more positive emotions, relish good experiences, improve their health, deal with adversity, and build strong relationships.
Gratitude is a way for people to appreciate what they have instead of always reaching for something new in the hopes it will make them happier, or thinking they can't feel satisfied until every physical and material need is met. Gratitude helps people refocus on what they have instead of what they lack. And, although it may feel contrived at first, this mental state grows stronger with use and practice.
Each year it is equally important to to recognize and remember that this time of year can be a particularly stressful and emotional one for students and adults. Personal situations, the loss of loved ones, or memories can bring forth many emotions, so please be sure to look out for one another and also rely on the community for support. Although I wish I could, I know it is not realistic for me to have the opportunity to personally wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving before Wednesday afternoon. So, Happy Thanksgiving! I am incredibly grateful to be a part of the Blake community and believe we are making a difference. Let us be sure to maintain a culture and spirit of eternal vigilance for learning, listening, and gratitude.
I look forward to the work that lies ahead for all of us.
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Take care.
Nat