Acquiring Courage
1/27/2018
After seeing our students perform in front of the entire school all week, I heard many adults confess to them, "You were so brave! I couldn't do that." We had a similar discussion in our classroom as we unpacked the school's mission statement and defined some of the big concepts, like exceptional learners, independent thinkers, vision, courage, and integrity. After telling students that courage is like another word they might know, brave, I told them how many of them were brave when they got on stage in front of the whole school. Right on cue, one of our students said, "Well, I wasn't brave! I was really scared." "But you did it anyways," I reminded him. "Having courage does not mean you are not scared; it means you do something anyways." In fact, courage is defined as the ability to do something that frightens one. Matthew Kelly says courage is not the absence of fear but the acquired ability to move beyond fear. I love that he distinguishes it as an acquired ability. Courage is not only an acquired ability, but an important business (and life) skill. In an article on Harvard Business Review, Kathleen R. Reardon says, "Certainly, courage is sometimes a matter of life and death. [...] Yet, in my 25 years of studying human behavior in organizations, I've discovered that courage in business seldom operates like this. Through interviews with more than 200 senior and midlevel managers who have acted courageously--whether on behalf of society, their companies, their colleagues, or their own careers--I've learned that this kind of courage is rarely impulsive. Nor does it emerge from nowhere. In business, courageous action is really a special kind of calculated risk taking." We work hard to make our school, and each classroom in it, a safe environment for our students, one in which they feel comfortable taking risks and becoming themselves. Through social-emotional education and a carefully curated environment, we teach them to appreciate each other's quirks and unique viewpoints and contributions. When they feel comfortable and appreciated, they are willing to take small risks. As they take small risks, our students build the confidence and courage to take more risks. Throughout the year, I have seen every one of my students develop courage and take risks. Although, it seems like just a twist on a traditional talent show, Brown Bag provided yet another opportunity for our students to take risks and acquire courage. All students, those who participated and those who did not, helped to create an environment in which the students who did participate felt comfortable enough to take the risk. Children are our future, and we are equipping each of our students to have the courage to positively impact the world in their own unique way. Process vs. Product
1/19/2018
At PNA, we believe our students are capable of more than they know. We have high expectations for students, and we strive to challenge them each and every day, providing scaffolding and support as we push them beyond their comfort zones. "Personal growth is not a matter of learning new information but of unlearning old limits." -Alan CohenThe products that our students create are impressive, but the process tends to be even more impressive. It is the process that stretches, helps eliminate old limits, and builds perseverance and grit, important character traits that cannot be otherwise taught. The challenges that arise throughout the process provide the fun, engaging, and meaningful bits of learning and growing, the bits that build character, community, and a desire to overcome challenges and make a difference. In other words, the challenges, and the way students learn to overcome them, set PNA students apart and provide them with the character skills that are necessary to be successful in, and enjoy, life. "Challenges are what make life interesting. Overcoming them is what makes life meaningful." -Joshua J. MarineGrowth mindset is an especially tricky concept for kindergartners, but the ability to embrace and learn from challenges, mistakes, and "failures" is an important skill for even our youngest students to learn. Challenges and mistakes are an inevitable part of life. The way you face them makes all the difference. "If at first you don't succeed... you're normal!" -Kid PresidentBy focusing on the learning process, we equip students to not only overcome challenges, but to embrace them as opportunities to grow. It is uncomfortable at times, but it becomes more and more natural over time. As students engage in facing and overcoming obstacles, they learn to take initiative and persevere. They develop determination, learn to think flexibly, and become problem solvers. In short, they develop a growth mindset, which allows them to see challenges and the mistakes that come with them as opportunities to grow instead of obstacles and failures. "I haven't failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work." -Thomas EdisonGoing through life without making mistakes is impossible. Embracing challenges and learning from mistakes as you try to overcome them is an invaluable skill for success in all areas of life. Developing a growth mindset helps students to embrace and overcome challenges and to enjoy the process, obstacles and all. This week, students engaged in "fire art" to make their auction project, a type of process art that uses glass, alcohol ink, and fire. The first pane of glass students created together broke. Although disappointed, students were able to learn from the mistake, apply less concentrated amounts of alcohol ink to the next attempt, and make it even more like their vision. "Success is not final. Failure is not fatal. It is the courage to continue that counts." -Winston ChurchillWe created a class mission this week, which I believe captures this concept in a perfectly kid-friendly way. In this classroom, we will try to learn and have fun and help others learn and have fun. First grade is working on a project to create school guidelines, which has provided an authentic context in which to frame the necessary conversations about why we are in school and the choices we need to make because of that. Trying to learn involves embracing challenges, taking risks, and collaborating with others and having fun helps us remember to enjoy the process, even when it is challenging.
The Start of a Success Story
1/13/2018
Entrepreneur and philanthropist Richard Branson says, "Every success story is a tale of constant adaptation, revision, and change." I am sure that a combined kindergarten first grade classroom midyear is not what you had envisioned for your child's school year. I know our sweet little ones did not expect to welcome 11 first graders into our cozy classroom of 7. However, I am positive that we will all grow as a result of this change and that we will be stronger and more successful as a result of it. "Every success story is a tale of constant adaptation, revision, and change." Building structure and routine is something that we spend a lot of time on in the beginning of the school year and typically only review midyear. I know it can be overwhelming, and even frustrating, to focus on structure and routine midyear. (And I know that change itself is often overwhelming, frustrating, and uncomfortable.) That being said, it is the structure and routine that will allow me to simultaneously teach kindergarten and first grade and meet the needs of all of my students, to challenge the students who need to be challenged and give support to the students who need support. The routines and structure are integral to making any classroom run smoothly, but will be especially important for our newly combined classroom. I want to make sure that your child will continue to be engaged and learning all day, whether they are working as a whole group, independently, or individually or in small groups with me or Mr. Redhead. For this reason, I am taking the time to ensure that students know what is expected of them and how to meet those expectations. Although it might be frustrating right now, this will pay off for the rest of the year in our combined classroom. Our kindergarten and first grade students have a tremendous responsibility to focus on their job or task (while other students are doing other jobs and tasks), listen to and follow directions the first time, work independently while I am working with other students, and transition from one activity or task to another calmly, quickly, and quietly. I am so proud of our kindergartners, who for the most part, have been an excellent example for the first graders. They have had many opportunities to make mature and responsible choices, and they have done so almost every time. I am a proud teacher! In reading, we are practicing building our stamina as a whole group, and we grew our stamina from 2 1/2 minutes to 7 minutes. Kindergarten can sustain independent reading for longer than 7 minutes, so practicing with the whole group solidifies the concept that we are a community of learners that needs to support each other and work together to learn and grow. Our kindergartners were a great help in explaining and modeling our reading expectations to our first graders. Thank you for your trust, patience and understanding as we build this new community of learners. I look forward to when we can all look back and see this as a success story.
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Saania AliMs. Ali graduated from the University of Houston with a Bachelors of Science in Interdisciplinary Studies. She specializes in Early Childhood Education, ESL, and Special Education. Her hobbies include traveling, reading, and painting! Archives
April 2021
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