Growing Success

Today let's start with a reflection: How do you define success?
And once you've defined it, how do you grow it?
And once it has grown, how do you measure it?

It's something keynote speaker Thomas Hoerr asked last week at the True Colors Conference, and it has me thinking. A lot. About that one little word. Success. 
He told us that what we measure is what we value. So the question becomes, 
"What do we value?"

I'm reading his book about cultivating success skills now; 
click the image for more information.


I took a lot of notes of the key points he made:

1. IQ contributes 20% of the factors that determine success.
2. Willpower is a skill that can be taught.
3. Scholastics should be the floor, not the ceiling.
4. Honesty is reactive; integrity is proactive.
5. Who you are is more important that what you know.
6. He suggested brushing our teeth with our non-dominant hand, 
to see how it feels and what it takes to change a habit.
7. Look up this story about Walt Bettinger. It's not one I'll soon forget.
8. He referenced the Stanley Miligram study of obedience. Wow.
9. He said to ask kids what someone else might want for a birthday gift, to get them stepping into another's shoes and to elevate empathy.
10. "Empathy is the most important back-to-school supply for teachers." 
~Homar Tavangar 

His wisdom continued to point to the important, life-changing power of connections and relationships.

He also encouraged us to look up the Values Card sort.
So I did. Here's a digital version.
How might you use this activity to get to know yourself, 
your students, your staff, and your stakeholders better?

Don't you just love a thought-provoking keynote?

So back to success. Every seed he planted was meant to grow us. To help us get just a little bit closer to our personal success. To be the best version of us that we can be. He challenged us to move from me to we to maximize our growth. 
To cultivate and harvest success. 
Because together we're better. 
No question.

Have you seen this Make Defeat Your Fuel Gatorade commercial?
You won't want to miss it; it's a powerful example about the power in sharing our disappointments and failures. That's how we develop grit, by persevering through the challenges to come out successfully victorious. So we can go on to the next challenge. It has to challenge us in order to change us.


So, I'll end with a growth challenge:
Define success.
Plant seeds of success.
Nourish, fertilize, and grow your success.
Plan then write down how you'll measure that success.

'Water' you waiting for?; 
here's to a swimmingly successful new year of growth and grit.





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Growth Plans

Today I'm thinking about these two words: Growth Plan.

What feeling does those words in concert conjure up? Is it negative or positive? Do you have a personal growth plan? How about a professional one? Do you want one? Do you need one? Do you have one? Might you benefit from one? Not one that's imposed on you, but one that you've adopted for yourself.

Today I'm excited about two upcoming Twitter opps that might help encourage your digital growth plan. If you've been wanting to try Twitter but just haven't taken the plunge yet, then this slow chat, led by edu-hero Julie Woodard, is for you. Sign up, log in and join the fun using the hashtag #fantabulosity. 

Inspired by the passionate Principal of Change, George Couros, we talked about innovation today. We were so blessed to have him in FISD two summers ago. 


The next two days we'll be discussing two of my favorite topics: kindness and empathy. On Thursday, we'll be talking about all things pirate! Won't you join us?


Then, on Tuesday night at 8 pm {CST}, we will be celebrating three years of our #teacherfriends chat. Can it be three years already? There will be thousands of dollars in prizes; two of them will be signed copies of my book. Again, all you have to do is log in and join in the chat for guaranteed growth and a chance to win. 


Have I mentioned that I won a wobble seat from the chat just a few weeks ago?

Click image for more info from Debbie Clement, proud distributor! 

Not on Twitter yet? What are you waiting for?
And once you get comfy on Twitter, download the Voxer app
and join our Poolside Peacemakers Voxer group!

Speaking of a growth plan and not putting things off, today we welcome 
Jeff Tierney from Boys Town with his thoughts on procrastination.


Why do today what you can put off 'til ... whenever?: 
How to help kids stop procrastinating

How many of us have had the joy of being told that science project, you know … the one with the flour plaster volcanoes … is actually due tomorrow? Yes, your child knew when it was due three weeks ago and even mentioned it once to you in passing, but did you really imagine that you would be reminded about it at 8:00 p.m. the night before it had to be done? I know you weren’t expecting it because my wife and I were never expecting the same sort of surprises when we became victims of our son’s procrastination.

Let’s see what tools in our parental arsenal we’ve tried up to this point to get our kids not to put off every important task until the last possible moments: Endless reminding hasn’t worked. Even threats of taking away privileges that will never be seen again didn’t fix it either. Some of our kids are just so good at procrastinating they’ve become pros at it. And it doesn’t just apply to schoolwork. There are always the bedrooms that never get cleaned and trash to be taken out despite solemn oaths that they will all get done “in just a little while.”

If our kids could articulate what their behavior has already told us they would say “But I can’t do it now, not when there are so many other things that I could be doing that would be so much more fun.” And that’s a big part of the problem. Kids are often distracted by opportunities to engage in more immediately rewarding activities than doing schoolwork or cleaning their rooms. Our task as parents becomes teaching them a strategy that allows them to do both.

Award winning children’s author Julia Cook addresses this very issue in her recent book The PROcrastinator, published by the Boys Town Press. The lead character Norman David Edward, better known as Noodle, finds it so hard to feed his cat, take out the trash, and (especially) get his homework done when there are a lot better things to do instead. So Noodle puts them off until he is hopelessly behind on homework and has a very hungry, angry cat. Noodle’s mom says he has become so good at procrastinating that now she considers him a pro at it. A PROcrastinator.


In the end, Noodle’s mom teaches him a strategy to manage his days and all of his responsibilities, all while still having plenty of time to play new video games with his friends. The trick is in figuring out what can be accomplished in under two minutes and getting those things done before anything else. Noodle also learns how to break bigger tasks into smaller parts that are easier to get done as well. This is a great strategy that all parents can use with their children who may be inclined to put things off until the last minute.

Of course, one of the most important things we parents can do is recognize when our kids are taking care of their responsibilities right away and really praise them for their efforts. This is especially true when we see them making steady progress on long-term goals such as working on a school project, studying for an upcoming test, etc. Parents can even set up rewards to be earned for their kids’ consistency in completing household responsibilities without being asked repeatedly. What happens when we use these sorts of strategies for encouraging responsibility and good planning? Less reminding and frustration on our part as parents and better teaching our children the skills they’ll need to be successful in school and out in the “real world.”

About the author: Jeff Tierney, M.Ed. has worked with children and families for over 35 years. He has been at Boys Town in Nebraska for the past 28 years working in the staff training and evaluation areas and, most recently, as Director of the Boys Town Press. Jeff is the author of Teaching Social Skills to Youth, Basic Social Skills for Youth, and articles in professional journals on reducing aggressive behavior in children and teens.

Click {here} for more information about the Boys Town’s award-winning resources for families, schools, and communities. 


Is procrastinating less part of your growth plan?






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A Plane Full Of Yes

Today I'm grateful for this beautiful, kind review
and freebie reflection sheet from Wendy over at Kidlutions blog.


Wendy is one of the authors of Bloom Parenting
I admire her work and have learned so much from her over the years, 
so her thoughts about my work make my soul sing.

Know what else makes me happy?
This plate, that a friend of mine recently gave me.


It begs the questions: Was it that? and What are you waiting for?

This welcome mat at the Hampton Inn also brings me joy.


But when I told my Dad about it, he was quick to ask with what I know about emotions if I think it's really possible to make someone else happy. No, Dad, technically probably not, but I think it's really good customer service to try.


And speaking of customer service, look what I saw in the St. Louis airport earlier today. I think it's so cool that they're on the lookout for people who work hard to make our day, have a joyful attitude, solve problems, provide great service, take pride in performance, show us respectful attention, exert exceptional effort, and go above and beyond. On purpose. With intention. And I'm happy that the airport leaders want to recognize and publicly affirm them. 

Affirmations just feel good ... 
and we all know that energy flows where attention goes.
Simply put, we get more of what we focus on. 

I love that they're encouraging their peeps to keep on crusading ...
for good!

And then, there's this; the napkin on our flight.
I love that John pointed it out to me,
and I laughed because he knew that I'd take a picture of it.


It reminds me of what I encouraged at this year's
National Honor Society induction:

Find your YES - Yearn, Embrace, Share.

Not only has Southwest Airlines found their YES,
they are a plane full of yes!
They yearn for it,
it's important to them so they've embraced it,
and they're committed to share it.

Such an intriguing slogan; what does it mean to you?






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Restoring Circles

So earlier this week, The Corner was selected as a Top Counseling Blog of 2017 by Online Counseling ProgramsI'm so grateful for their kind affirmation:


Being a blogger is such a gift to me because I get to share what's going on in my corner while I collaborate with passionate caregivers around the world. One of those is school psychologist Julie Gordon-Buccitti. You might remember her guest post about Bucket Filling; well, today she's back to share about her school's experience using Restorative Practices. Welcome Julie! 

**********

Hello from Momauguin Elementary School in East Haven, CT.  We are a grade K-5 school that has just completed our first year with our “new team” after a consolidation of schools within our district. Our school, which was previously a grade 3-5 school, acquired three new grade levels this year (K-2) along with new students, new staff, and new administration. With all of these changes that took place, we had much work ahead of us to establish and build positivity within our brand-new school community.


Earlier this year, our principal, several staff members and I were given the opportunity to attend a two-day workshop on Restorative Practices, one of the most helpful and informative workshops I have been to in some time. Right away, we returned to school and began implementing some of the techniques we had learned. We were so pleased with the responses from our students, and with the results we were seeing! At the workshop, we learned that Restorative Practices is a process that needs to be introduced one step at a time. This way, we can better achieve buy-in within the community and not overwhelm students or staff.
  
We also learned how to conduct Restorative Circles. In a Restorative Circle, all stakeholders involved or affected by a given situation gather and work together to repair the harm that had occurred and restore relationships. Using a series of carefully thought-out and non-threatening questions is key to conducting these practices. One of the most important things we learned in our workshop was to refrain from beginning a circle by asking, “Why did you do that?” Not only are we unlikely to get a definitive answer by using this type of question, but it also starts the circle on a defensive or even accusatory note. Instead, we used these types of questions from the International Institute for Restorative Practices (IIRP). 

Click image for source.

We began by using Restorative Circles to address student conflicts. It was wonderful to see how the students responded once they were informed that our discussion wasn’t so much about “being in trouble” but rather looking for ways to work with them to repair the harm that had been done and move forward in a positive manner.  The focus was removed from being punitive and turned toward being restorative. Students then felt more comfortable and became very honest in their responses. They gained greater understanding of how their actions impacted others. Not only did these techniques help us to solve problems and decrease the chances of them reoccurring, but they also taught our students coping skills, listening skills, and empathy. Using Restorative Practices has helped our students learn to conduct better conversational exchanges, and it has given them an avenue in which to be heard and feel supported by peers and adults alike.

Having opportunities to listen to peers or adults express their feelings about how they felt as a result of others’ actions was a new experience and an eye-opener for many of our students. Not only was it helpful for those with hurt feelings to be heard, but it was also helpful for those who did the hurting to hear how their actions made others feel. This gave students an opportunity to think about and reflect upon their actions. It was also helpful for students to be able to share that it wasn’t their intention to hurt someone’s feelings and to have an opportunity to express remorse to the person whose feelings they had hurt. This was beneficial for all sides of any given situation.
  
We found that the more we used these techniques, the more we noticed that we weren’t seeing the same students returning with the same issues or concerns repeatedly. Through use of these practices, we have been able to observe teaching, learning, problem-solving, and increased understanding and empathy toward others. It has been a rewarding experience for children and adults involved, and it has helped us to build positivity within our school community!  
The students have responded so well to these techniques, that they have even requested Restorative Circles when challenging situations have arisen.

Moving forward and planning for next year, our amazing principal, Diane MacKinnon, has suggested expanding on our initiatives by incorporating a Restorative Circle time into our schedule for the upcoming school year. Our entire school will be starting each day with Restorative Circles, first thing every morning. We also decided as a staff that we would like to have all of the specials teachers and support staff go into different classrooms daily. This way, there would be opportunities for the non-classroom teachers to participate in circles in all of the classrooms over the course of the school year. 

I can’t wait to see how the students and staff will enjoy using these techniques, the sharing that will take place, and the building of connections and relationships. With positive relationships and connections in place with children, peers, and adults, our students will be ready to start their school day in a positive and supportive way and, in turn, will be better able to access academic instruction.  It truly is a win-win for all! 

If you would like to learn more about Restorative Practices, you can go to Facebook and like IIRP’s page here.  

You can also visit the IIRP website here.

To read more about Restorative Practices, check out these two excellent books from IIRP. Click on each book for more information. 
Thank you, Julie. 

We are looking into adopting Restorative Practices as well, so I have started reading these and am really enjoying them. Interestingly enough, when I was a teenager, the younger brother of one of my friends gave me a black eye and instead of press charges to punish him, my father invited him to remedy what he'd done by working alongside of us on the family farm, so restorative practices were actually modeled during my upbringing. I can't wait to unleash the power of the circle on our campus. Need more Restorative Practices resources?












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Compassionate Conversions

Oh, how I love learning.
I am so on fire for new ideas
and eager to grow and be better!
Conferences do that for me;
so do conversations with colleagues.
And I've had both this week.

First, I went to Austin to speak at TEPSA. 
We started with a riveting game of my favorite icebreaker.
Click the image to watch for a few seconds.
We had a blast in this learning session and I was delighted to grow alongside one hundred elementary school leaders while we worked on inspiring grit, perseverance, resilience and a growth mindset.



Equally as amazing later that morning was seeing my friend and edu-hero Michelle Borba on stage doing what she does best:
Elevating empathy!


She shared so many strong ideas for infusing that glorious virtue into the heads and hearts as well as routines and rituals of our students and staff. The one that resonated with me was having students in conflict write down on their think-sheet reflections what they think the other person will say about what happened. Brilliant, right?

After she walked us through the 9 habits of empathic children
from her book UnSelfie, I asked talented teacher Julie Woodard if she'd make a SketchnoteAnd she did.


Isn't it fantastic?
A cellfie of Dr. Borba's suggestions.
My suggestion is that this be a poster. 
In every school.
In every state.
In every country.
To help our selfie-absorbed world come back.
But Michele is quick to remind us that
empathy by itself doesn't do much good.
She urged us to work to intentionally mobilize it to become
compassion which in turn turns into actionable kindness.

Click image for a transcript of our #FamiliesOfCharacter Twitter chat.

She shared several examples of compassionate conversions,
when children who have been hardened by life
are tenderized with empathy
 so that they embrace compassionate
and show kindness despite life's hard knocks.
Each one more poignant than the next.
Each one bringing us close to tears.
I truly feel like I could listen to her all day!


So I came home excited to collaborate at our Poolside PD event.
Check out the alternative seating options:
a wobble seat,
lounge chairs,
camp chairs,
towel mats,
pool noodles,
floaties.


Each counselor made a Sensory bottle as a take-away,


a metaphor for how we need to hydrate to grow.
We swapped ideas and shared goals, dreams and plans
for the 2017-2018 school year.
It was so refreshing to sit with those passionate colleagues
and soak up their compassionate ideals.
We even role played an activity that I picked up from Kevin TuttIt's called The Hitchhiker. Here's how to play.

Set four chairs side by side and round up four volunteers. Ask one of the volunteers to take a seat in the first chair and pretend she's driving to her dream location. Have the other three stand off to the side. Ask the driver to think of their dream car. Ask the audience to name four emotions that they see every day at school. Say the emotions are happy, scared, angry and sad; each player will own one of those emotions. The objective is for the driver to start with her emotion then each time she picks up a hitchhiker, she picks up his her her emotion. At the end of the role play, they all exit one-by-one and go back to the emotion of the last person in. How could you use this in your professional development to raise emotional literacy with your staff? With your students? With their parents? How could it be a springboard for embracing empathy?

I can't wait to try it with my school family
and see how many compassionate conversions we can spark.
Happy weekend.






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Your Plan BE

Today I'm excited because my guest post at Free Spirit Press went live with suggestions for your self-care arsenal. Click {here} or use the image to take you there for some sizzling self-care strategies for your summertime Plan BE.



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Happy Learners, Happy Class

Hello summertime!
So before we launched for summer break, this happened.


Art Guild students stopped by to letter our True Colors table. 


I rescued this table from a neighbor's trash over spring break
and painted a rainbow on it.
Then our artists put the finishing touches on it;
talk about your garbage to gold project.


Isn't it brilliant?

So today I woke up today feeling extra joyful. 
Pure and simple.
Not sure why, but I'll take it.

Maybe because I slept in and feel really well rested.
Possibly because I'm joining a ukulele band today.
Probably because of this stunning Sketchnote creation.


Doesn't this beautiful image just make you feel happy?

I collaborated with Texas teacher Julie Woodard to create it as a banner for our Bales Intermediate table at something new that our district is trying to welcome our new-to-our-district families called the FISD Registration Rodeo. I wanted something to complement our vision and integrate our six core values; didn't Julie do an amazing job? If you want to commission a special visual, find Julie on Twitter {@woodard_julie}. Or just let me know and I'll connect you with her.

My daughter resized it so we could print the 4X2 banner and voila.


A campus goal is that our transfer students feel welcomed at their new school, that they'll feel like they belong, that they know that they matter to us, and that they will be happy being a Bronco. I know we can't guarantee happiness, but I believe that they deserve a climate of caring where everybody uses our core values to intentionally be the rainbow in someone's storm. The storm-to-rainbow ratio can be disproportionate for our young people; we don't want school to be another storm for them to endure, but instead a sanctuary from the hurricanes of life.

So as I plan for next year, I'm thinking about ways 
to make sure we always move over and let those newbies in,
to make our school climate joyfully safe and happy,
and to bring our True Colors to life as we serve and grow.

I find myself reading and reflecting. A lot. 
Here are the three treasures I've mined from so far.


These two authors Todd and Adam serve as lead learners in their schools and the content of their book will surely make your heart sing. So many practical ideas for transforming your school climate with vulnerable examples from their own failures and successes to help you find the right formula for your school family. My favorite idea is the Day Maker phone calls to the parents and families of faculty members. It seriously gives me chill bumps to think about a Principal calling my dad to tell him what a great job I've done on something and to affirm him for his part in my work ethic and joy. Do yourself and your stakeholders a favor and delve in to your copy today. Your Kids Deserve It.


I'm so glad that the author of this handbook, Dr. Jenna Sage, reached out to me to put a copy of it in my hands and on my heart. I love the empowerment that the front cover represents and it only gets better from there as you dive in and turn the pages for practical suggestions on how to manage unwanted behaviors as you shape them into desired behaviors. I especially connected with the section on the functions of behavior. Behavior helps students communicate to get their needs met. Alabama Principal Danny Steele says it like this:


We simply must understand that students do not really want to throw temper tantrums or act out like sometimes they do. Once we can see beneath those behaviors to get to their root cause, we can offer appropriate replacement behaviors to equip and empower students to soar more successfully. If you strive for that Happy Class, then this book is for you.


My third recommendation is a book that you will want to Start {reading}. Right. Now! Its basis is this John Maxwell's reflection on leadership ... 

  
... with a bonus. The dynamic trio of edu-hero authors adds this fourth domain to Maxwell's three-pronged ideal: And grows each day.
Amen! Whether you are a new teacher, veteran teacher, administrator or even student leader, grow with these experts through the pages of this gem and I predict it'll leave you wanting the 2017-2018 school year to 
Start {back up again}. Right. Now.

Want another strategy for inspiring happy learners and a happy class?
Join the #JoyfulLeaders movement now.
Choose joy.
Look for it.
With intention.
Every moment of every day.


And when you find it, give it away!
On purpose.
To someone who has lost theirs.
Or to someone who hasn't but could use a booster shot.
You'll be glad you did 
because it'll make you happy, too.
You'll see.
Joy is contagious like that ... 
you give it away but it's still yours.
And it will serve as that beacon of light that we all need
on the darkest of days.
Trust me. I know.

How will you find joy today
so that you can share it with your happy learners 
in your happy class?

And now it's back to work for me as I prepare
for my workshop with Texas Principals in Austin next week.
I'm so grateful to have been invited to present.
If you're at the TEPSA conference, I hope you'll come to my learning session Wednesday morning at 8:30 to learn more about Inspiring perseverance, grit, resilience and a growth mindset.

It would make me happy to see you there.





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That Knock On The Door

It was Thursday evening, just before we were to get ready for our Anniversary dinner out, when the doorbell rang. "Are you expecting someone?" I heard my husband ask. It's a funny thing, because people don't just drop by anymore. I feel like they used to, but now they don't. But as I reflect on how I felt when I opened the door and saw our friends from Colorado smiling back at us, boy do I wish we could bring back the knock on the door. Just look at the joy that their surprise visit brought to my heart.


We met when I first moved down to Texas, back in 1985. I'd accepted an offer to chaperone the dance team on a trip to Dallas; as luck would have it, Cynthia was on that trip as a chaperone, too. We connected instantly and before the weekend was over she asked if I would ever consider house sitting. Now that her girls were getting older, she was hoping to go along when David traveled to medical conferences. I'm so thankful that I said I would because they would end up adopting me and becoming a part of my forever family. They moved to Colorado years ago but were in town for our Superintendent's retirement party. So they stopped in to surprise us with birthday and anniversary greetings, to leave a graduation card for Joshua, who is named after Dr. Hearn, and to visit briefly. 

It was a booster shot of fresh air to see them again and it got me to wondering what other formerly-common-but-not-so-much-anymore practices, like that knock on the door, we could revive.

So as we prepare to head to Joshua's graduation,
here's my top five, not in any particular order.

5. Box Socials. You know, when you decorate a shoe box all fancy and take it to a gathering to be auctioned off and you get to eat with the highest bidder. We used to do this in 4-H and it was super fun. Is anyone else still doing Box Socials? 
{Be careful not to raise your hand too high or it'll count as a bid!}

4. Phone calls. Texting has kind of taken over as a major mode of communication. In fact, when the phone rings and it's not a telemarketer, my initial reaction tends to be: What's wrong? I don't' want the phone ringing to be a problem calling. Let's bring back the good old-fashioned phone call just to chat, to connect, to uplift and to update!

3. Patriotism. We would all benefit from getting back to respect and pride for our country and its traditions and core values. President Kennedy had it right when he told us: Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country. 

2. Pen pals. It seems that hand-written letters to friends, family and pen pals are becoming an lost art form. Let's not let that happen. I love getting real mail. In the mail box. Delivered by our mail carrier. When's the last time you wrote a letter to someone special, just because?

1. Thank-you notes. I was tickled pink when Joshua told me that he needed to take three blank thank-you notes to his English class last week. Could it be that Mrs. Simons was going to teach her seniors how to express their gratitude in a proper thank-you? Sure enough! So I sent along five. And I smiled.

There you have it, five things plus the knock at the door 
that I find myself campaigning for us to bring back. 
To make these promising practices common again. 
To connect us in a different way than social media can and does. 
To give us that special feeling that the Hearns' surprise gave me on Thursday night that still has my soul singing.
Who's with me?

Now I'm off to get ready for graduation.
I can hear the music in my head
and I'm happy for the Class of 2017.
Where are those darn tissues? 

  

   




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