Recovering, Reflecting, Returning

We've all had 'em, those days, the terrible, horrible ones when you wish you could have a do-over ... or, better yet ... that you'd have stayed under the covers and not come out in the first place, right?

So how do we recover, relax, reflect & return gracefully 

so that we can, in turn, help our children learn to reboot?

That was the assignment that Free Spirit gave me;

click their adorable graphic below to read my suggestions.

Our friend, ventriloquist Dennis Lee, lived through one of those days two weeks ago and is now recovering from that life-threatening collision. We were blessed to visit him in the Rehab Center yesterday and deliver this big box full of handmade get-well wishes, admiration and love from the school families at Ferguson Elementary, Westwood Elementary, and Bales Intermediate.

And talk about your growth mindset and optimism; we caught him with that signature smile and effervescent personality sketching notes for next year's show.

Despite the trauma.

Despite the many broken bones.

Despite the long, rocky road to recovery in front of him.

Resilience doesn't get much more graceful than that.

He expressed his gratitude to those prayer warriors who have been covering him as he heals and he assured us that he can feel the power of every one of those prayers. Then, with an unwavering faith that will only serve to strengthen his testimony, he promised that he will be back on stage one day.

We are so proud of you, Dennis Lee.

Thank you for being a beacon of hope, inspiration and light.

We're behind you as you rest, restore, recover & return.

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Intentional Optimism & Love

Happy Valentine's Day.

Today, I'm thinking about the choice {and power!} of 

positive {and non-negative} thinking and attitude.

That insight came from this little treasure:

If you check out this short, simple inspirational read, 

I predict that you will be positively supercharged!

I'm on a team of Public School Ambassadors in our district who is reading this book, and we decided to see what our stakeholders feel about our school. We sent home a blank heart with the question: What do you love about our school? 

The individual hearts are hanging in our school's front hallway way in the shape of a huge heart that's growing bigger day by day. 

If you're in the Houston area, come on by and read their 

heartfelt, heartwarming reflections and sentiments.

It has been said that we get more of what we focus on. Why not test out that theory with a daily dose of intentional optimism and love?

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Magnificent Mindsets

Last night I took the helm and played hostess for our #tlap Twitter Chat. Click {here} to read the script and prepare to be positively inspired and influenced by our charACTer chat. Oh, and grab some new ideas for your character building.

Today I'm delighted to share a new find that I first read about

over at Books That Heal Kids in early July.

This spunky little scientist sets off to make the most magnificent thing. She imagines it, believes she can do it, and gives it her best shot. But it's an epic fail. When it doesn't work out as she'd hoped, "she gets MAD!" Then the self-talk begins. "I'm no good at this. I QUIT." How many times have we heard this from students? If we're honest, we'll probably admit that we've thought and said this before, too. How do we reframe this to get passed that fixed mindset and move to a growth mindset? Sometimes it's as easy as adding the word yet. I'm not good at this ... yet. There's good news. When this girl's four-legged friend takes her for a walk, she rethinks the project and gives it another try with a much more desirable outcome. Check out this book; you'll find it a valuable tool in your mindset arsenal.

We did a book study with Carol Dweck's Mindset three years ago and now there's mounting evidence out there that teaching mindset is key. So much of what we do in education has to do with unlocking that fixed mindset and helping move it to a growth mindset.

Love this Shel Silverstein quote; thank you, Amy Lynch, for its eye-catching presentation. Click it for a freebie download.

Here's a graphic by Nigel Holmes that helps us better understand the two mindsets. Click it to go to its original source.

We're going to be talking about mindset in our first peace class this week. Look at our focus board for students as they come in while I'm greeting at the door: 

A great clip that showcases optimism is The Greatest, 
an inspirational PSA from The Foundation For A Better Life. 

I'm going to reinforce the idea of mindset with pictures like this:

Someone with a fixed mindset might say something like this:

That bridge isn't going anywhere. What a waste.

How would someone with a growth mindset reframe that?

Your answer might depend upon what you see. What was this bridge built to transport? Is it a walking bridge or is it made for vehicles? How does that change how you feel about or react to it? Hmmm ... 

What might someone with a fixed mindset have to say about

this little maple tree we're attempting to transplant from the frozen tundra of Wisconsin to the subtropical gumbo of the Gulf Coast in Texas?

Show this to students and encourage them to try their hand at reframing those thoughts to view them through a growth mindset lens.

Here are some more fixed-mindset thoughts for reframe:

1. You have to be a genius to learn a second language, and I'm not, so what's the point of trying.

2. Well, she comes from that side of town.

3. He has test anxiety so he won't ever pass that test.

4. Wow, isn't he so so smart!

5. He excels at gymnastics because his family is rich.

6. My parents weren't any good at science either.

Want to know more about fixed and growth mindset? Read Dr. Maurice Elias' post about starting the year off with a positive mindset {here}. Amy Conley wrote about nurturing intrinsic motivation and growth mindset in writing {here}. 

And Glen Whitman discusses the power of the word yet {here}.

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