HOPE - PAGE STAFF NEWSLETTER JANUARY 2018

Hope - Page Staff Newsletter January 2018

VOL. 2 – NO. 7 IN THIS ISSUE Super’s Perspective of traits, the trait of grace. Grace Calendar of Upcoming Events is about acceptance. It is the A partial listing of events upcoming in the opposite of judgment. It is the upcoming weeks. Page 2 building block of a culture that Editorially Speaking nurtures innovation and invention. Letting go of the need to be perfect. It is a word used to describe Page 3 elegance with a sense of purity. I will use, as an example, a SupervisorNovember to Employee 2017 More communication tools. Page 4 tragic story many may remember November 2017 from the news several years back. In Closing The milk delivery man in Leading change within an Doing Poorly on Purpose Page 5 Georgetown, Pa., had lost his organization or with a team and / or individuals. Informal infant daughter. He never got discussions can generally yield over it. Nine years later, that Be True to Your School surprising depth and insights. delivery man — Charles Roberts, Better Late Than Never Page 2 who was married and the father of Informal discussions provide an How is this linked to leadership? three children, entered a one- avenue for candor and We live in an era when disruptors room Amish school in Nickel authenticity. thrive, and marketplace followers Mines, Pa., with a handgun, 12- So, what are the most crucial struggle just to keep up. gauge shotgun, rifle, cans of black qualities of a leader? The typical Incremental improvement, once powder, stun gun, two knives, a top-10 leader features include: the standard for progressive toolbox, and restraint devices. He ambition, patience, humility, leadership, has been replaced told the boys and teacher to leave humor, vision, compliance, with, “If it ain’t broke, break it.” the room. He lined up the girls and tolerance, courage, Those in constant pursuit of shot them. Five died and several accountability, and gratitude. innovation are the only ones likely more were severely wounded. He Much is written and taught about to end the race in the winner’s later shot himself. becoming a great leader. Many circle. Leaders must foster What followed this tragic event strive for leadership and many inventiveness as their keystone of is at the center of my point about actually become great. success. the power of grace. The Amish As Shakespeare noted in Leaders with grace lead with community visited the widow of Twelfth Night: "Some are born deep confidence. They do not the murderer to offer their great, some achieve greatness, exhibit the need to resort to heartfelt condolences. The day of and others have greatness thrust creating fear or relying on the funeral, the same week after upon them." Whether acquired by authority as the mantle for their burying five of their children, the birth or circumstance, certainly influence. They imbed the spirit of Amish community attended the the traits of great leadership are encouragement meant to funeral of the milkman. There to be admired. Often they are a challenge. They know that humility were nearly as many Amish at the prerequisite to manage a high is more powerful than vanity, funeral as non-Amish. On the one- performing team or to take a start- concern is more influential than year anniversary of the massacre, up from humble beginnings to command. And the leader with the Amish community made a cash roaring success. grace can release the finest from donation to the widow of the man Whatever the case, a healthy employees ensuring the who had slain five of their relationship between leadership perseverance of their brand. and followership is critical. Alone, children.

a leader achieves nothing but mediocrity. For this reason, I would add to the previous listing HOPE - PAGE STAFF NEWSLETTER JANUARY 2018 | VOL. 2–NO. 7

Calendar of Events Some events that are on our calendar that will be happening over the next several weeks follow. Only those special athletic events such as homecoming, parents night, or a tournament will be listed here. ✓ Wed. Feb. 7th – 2-HOUR LATE START – Professional Development ✓ Thurs. Feb. 8th – Parent-Teacher Conferences @ Hope (3:30 pm – 8:30 pm) ✓ Thurs. Feb. 8th & Fri. Feb. 9th – NDSBA Negotiations Seminar in Bismarck ✓ Wed. Feb. 14th – South Administrators Meeting in Mayville (10 am); School Board Meeting (Page @ 7 pm) ✓ Fri. Feb. 16th – Regional Girls Basketball Play-In Game (TBD) ✓ Mon. Feb. 19th – NO SCHOOL – Opening Round of the Girls Basketball Region Tournament @ ✓ Thurs. Feb. 22nd – Final Round of the Betty in Grand Forks (TBA) the Girls Basketball Region th ✓ Tues. Feb. 20 – Sheyenne Valley Tournament @ the Betty in Grand Special Education Board Meeting Forks (TBA) (Valley City @ 10 am); Semi-Final ✓ Tues. Feb. 27th – Regional Boys Round of the Girls Basketball Basketball Play-In Game (TBD) Region Tournament @ the Betty in Grand Forks (TBA)

Be True to Your School Fifty-eight years later, Brian Wilson gets While Brian Wilson was still at Hawthorne, an 'A' in music. Beach Boy Brian Wilson he wrote a little song that turned into The urged people to love their alma maters, but Beach Boys' "Surfin'" — the tune that now he has an extra reason to let his own became the band's very first single in 1961. colors fly. The original lineup of The Beach Before that however, Wilson turned "Surfin'" Boys — including brothers Brian, Dennis in as a school assignment to his Hawthorne and Carl Wilson along with their cousin Mike music teacher, Fred Morgan. And Morgan ... Love and friend Al Jardine — are among the gave it an F. Why he thought so little of it, notable alumni of Hawthorne High School in we may never know. However, Hawthorne Los Angeles County, California. January High School's current principal, Dr. Vanessa 15th, Brian Wilson visited his alma mater. He Landesfeind, saw fit to revise Wilson's hashtagged his visit #betruetoyourschool. academic history — and gave him an A for But the highlight of his trip seems to have "Surfin'," 58 years after his original grade been getting justice for a long-overdue was issued. wrong. It seems that Brian’s high school music teacher, Fred Morgan, gave Brian an ‘F’ on a composition he wrote for the class. “Always bear in mind that your The title of that composition was ‘Surfin’ and own resolution to succeed is more it made a million dollars. Brian’s grade has important than any other thing.” now been changed to an A on this

assignment by Hawthorne High School's --Abraham Lincoln

current principal, Dr. Vanessa Landesfeind.

HOPE - PAGE STAFF NEWSLETTER JANUARY 2018 | VOL. 2–NO. 7

EDITORIALLY SPEAKING Letting go of the need to be you wonder if you could have go of perfectionism and still perfect. In the words of author done it better. have a strong sense of self? Anne Lamott, “Perfectionism is Feeling and thinking this way Begin by changing your the voice of the oppressor, the makes perfect sense to us, mindset. Our mindset contains enemy of the people. It will keep because our culture puts a ton our ideas and views about life, you cramped and insane your of pressure on us to be perfect – these come from our previous whole life.” good is never good enough. We experiences and our Do you find yourself asking, are made to feel as if there is perceptions of the world. How “When will what I do be something wrong with us if we we look at the world influences enough?” “How do I know if I’m are still single by a certain age, our experience. Perception truly happy or just settling to be or don’t make a certain amount becomes our reality. comfortable?” Do you catch of money, or don’t have a big Developing a good-enough yourself constantly striving for social media following, or don’t mindset, one that isn’t filled with more — more money, more stuff, look a certain way. In the midst unrealistic expectations, will more beauty, more brains, more of all this, it is easy to forget all help you cultivate a sense of awards. But no matter how the great, unique things about well-being. The first step to much you get, you never know if ourselves. feeling like you’re enough is what you desire will help you Many individuals go into changing your mindset and become your best self or just therapy because no matter how those old beliefs about yourself drive you further down the road hard they try, they still feel like based on past experiences and of dissatisfaction toward that nothing they do is good enough. expectations. elusive goal of perfectionism. Even after all the success they Next, build some self-reliance I am all too familiar with the have achieved, they still aren’t in yourself. We are not born journey of perfectionism. happy, and they aren’t sure why. with self-reliance, we develop it Periodically, my own Why is this, I believe it is through the trials and errors of perfectionistic motivations because, (most of the time) their life, those decisions we make. creep up on me. They come into goals weren’t theirs. When you For me, I started to develop play most when I’m making never feel good enough in the confidence when I decided to decisions, working, or eyes of others, it is hard to build think for myself and move interacting with others. It is that a strong sense of self. It is forward with my decisions, feeling you get when you expect difficult to know what you truly taking responsibility for those things of yourself that you would want, what ultimately fills your decisions. People who act with never expect from others. It is true purpose. self-reliance feel more in control working yourself to exhaustion Perfectionism stays alive of their environment, and feeling in hopes that you’ll feel whole, when you look for other people this way is an important complete, worthy. It is basing to give you worth, relying on ingredient of well-being. When your self-worth on external their opinions to give you a what you do is in line with what accomplishments, feeling like sense of your value. It is you believe, your self-reliance you have something to prove all deceptive, because other will grow. Being self-reliant the time. It is piling on the people can’t make you feel like means doing things for yourself. emotions of guilt, burnout, and enough! That is a decision you The more you do for yourself, self-hate, always coloring inside have to make for yourself. What the better you feel; the better the lines, and giving yourself the is enough and not enough, and you feel, the more confident metaphorical whip if you make a how far you need to go, are you’ll become, and the less mistake. more effective when they’re compelled you’ll feel to be Perfectionism lives in determined by your personal perfect all the time. your fear of making a mistake. values. Needing and lacking Try to let go of whatever it is When you are afraid of what approval and acceptance from that’s holding you back from might happen, you do not others will inevitably lead you to accepting who you are. If you always make the best possible feel that what you do is never haven’t already, you will most choices. Allowing perfectionism good enough, you will spend likely realize that you aren’t to run the show is like being on a your life what other hamster wheel; you just keep ever people say you going and going and going, looking to are. It is typically without getting anywhere even do better negative self-talk though you may have reached or more. that gets in the your goal. You increase the So how way of who we stakes every time so that when can a really want to be, you do accomplish something, person let pushing us HOPE - PAGE STAFF NEWSLETTER JANUARY 2018 | VOL. 2–NO. 7

toward perfectionism. you to realize it. It’s important demoralizing and demeaning. Start making your own for you to remember that you You will be better served if you decisions. There is no need to are enough just as you are — to focus on progress rather than share every problem you and I promise, the more you perfection and on how far you encounter with everyone. practice it, the more you’ll have progressed rather than People do this to get advice, be believe it. how far you have left to go. told what they need to do, and Make peace with the “now” One of the biggest issues with share their anxiety with others. before you feel satisfied with the perfectionism is the need to As you become more aware of “later.” We cannot feel totally always “get it right.” When we what you want, you will start satisfied with where we are strive for perfection and big knowing the next step to take in going until we can accept and successes, and we fall short, we your life, and you will begin to appreciate where we are. Make feel worthless. What we need to recognize that nobody else has peace with where you are and realize is that working toward the answers. your journey toward something our goals and being willing to Quit convincing yourself that new will feel more satisfying. put ourselves out there are you are a failure, doing so will Do you look for evidence that accomplishments themselves. never make any situation better, you are a nobody, that you don’t So, give yourself a well- and repeating to yourself that deserve acceptance, or that you deserved pat on the back for you’ll never live up to your aren’t living up to your trying, making progress, and potential certainly will not help potential? If so, this can be coming as far as you have.

SUPERVISOR TO EMPLOYEE Continuing with my discussion regarding the tasks that stretch their mental and physical uses of technology in education, I will move from abilities. First, I think we need to understand and communication to “having fun and play” in the defining “fun”. A number of words are used to classroom. Why you might ask? My response is describe ‘fun’ – words like enjoyment, challenge, really quite simple, with all the attention on the flow, immersion, play, exploration, and concept of student engagement, I believe that engagement. Believe it or not, large scale possibly the best approach to increasing student studies have been done on the perceptions of fun engagement is to make education enjoyable. over the year and these have identified several What better way to make education enjoyable different types, including … than to make it “FUN”. 1) Achievement – focus, challenge, So, how can “fun” be incorporated into the accomplishment; classroom. One of the greatest challenges that 2) Depth – intrinsic fulfillment of meaningful educators face is getting maximum effort and work; investment from their students. We want them to 3) Ecstatic – excitement and energy; and care about their classwork … and put forth their 4) Sociability – interaction, humor, and talking. best effort on everything. But it is tough to design The more “fun” is studied, the more we see that lessons that consistently “fun” is comprised of several motivate and engage the “Correction does much, but common elements — some students. of the most significant being It can seem that despite encouragement does more." interest, attention, active your best efforts that -- Johann Wolfgang von Goethe participation, choice, students view learning as relevance, motivation,

something they have to do engagement, effort, and camaraderie. Despite rather than something that they get to do. Don’t this increased understanding, educators feel like the Lone Ranger in this – a Gallup poll in continue their struggles with making “fun” a part 2014 reported that, nation-wide, 47% of students of the classroom. are either not engaged or worse, actively For me, the goal of learning should be to create

disengaged during class time. That is a lot of an atmosphere of challenge, fun, and playfulness “bored” boys and girls spending lots of time – an air that makes students “want” to be involved everyday doing something they just don’t enjoy. - actively. We try to do this by getting students Recent research underscores a similar, albeit completely invested and absorbed in the task at sad truth: the majority of schools and classrooms hand. Listed below are some questions I used in are seriously lacking in fun. planning a lesson to help ensure that I was As an educator, I have always believed that making “fun” and “playfulness” a part of the every student has a right to feel safe and valued. instruction (and believe me, I knew when I was But I also believe in their right to have fun – to be successful AND success brought more success): motivated by and actively engaged in challenging HOPE - PAGE STAFF NEWSLETTER JANUARY 2018 | VOL. 2–NO. 7

✓ What real-world tasks / problem-solving can I across the country are using Sutori to help incorporate? their students present innovative ideas, share ✓ Does the task focus on topics / issues that solutions to problems, and create stories in the students are likely to care about? just about every content area and grade level. ✓ How do I improve student interest in and / or Social Studies teachers use Sutori to help increase student background knowledge of students develop presentations that examine, the topic / task? compare, and contrast sources. ✓ Will I require the students to generate English teachers bring student writing, book original and innovative ideas / solutions? reports, and storytelling to life. ✓ Do my students have the prerequisite skills / In Science, students can use the tool to knowledge to accomplish the task? display the results of experiments, show ✓ Are my students confident in their ability to evidence of scientific thinking, and complete the task, and / or how do I support demonstrate understanding of key content. their feelings of confidence about In Mathematics, Sutori can be used to completing the task? demonstrate knowledge, track practice, ✓ How do I work to ensure that what I ask display graphs, and document planning and students to do is at the right level? After all, problem-solving. A variety of examples and if an assignment is too easy, students tune walkthroughs for various out, if it’s too difficult, they may give up. content areas can be found ✓ Is the task designed to help students focus on the Sutori site. deeply on a few topics / concepts rather than Sutori’s simple timeline cover many superficially? template walks teachers ✓ Does the task challenge students to justify and students through the and / or clarify their solutions / ideas? creation process and ✓ Do my students have opportunities to make makes it easy to edit and mistakes and to learn from them? share projects. There are The use of technology in a meaningful manner is also several features that one way we can help change student perception can be added to presentations that include of assignments from something they have to do images, text, video, “Did You Know” call-out into something that they get to do. Some boxes, ‘click-to-reveal’ links, and multiple- examples of applications that can help with this choice quiz questions. process: • WeVideo is a fun video creation / editing tool • Flipgrid has been around for a while. It is one that allows teachers and students to capture, of those tools that is bound to boost students’ create, edit, view and share movies and interest and effort. Flipgrid allows teachers animations. It is all done online using your to create prompts that students can respond internet browser, so students can work on to with short videos. projects from anywhere and on nearly every To maintain security and privacy, teachers device. can set a password that users must enter to Students can create videos by dragging and access the grid, topic or response. There is dropping media files using the simple-to-use an option for students to receive email storyboard feature or using the slightly more notifications when new topics are posted and advanced timeline outlay. It is simple to new videos are recorded and for students to upload your own photos, videos, and music or download their videos after creating a to utilize any of the vast media files already response. accessible on the site. You can add simple This tool is a great way to get students talking animations and even allow students to about any topic, reflect on a book or film, or narrate and create a voice-over. ask questions about something you’re It also works well with Google Drive. exploring in class. As people become less WeVideo is continuing to work to offer and less comfortable with face-to-face teachers and students more and more communication, preferring instead to talk features for free. Two new features are the through text, Flipgrid provides a way to bring ability to create motion titles and to create our real voices, our actual faces, our true, green screen videos. less-edited selves back into play. Not everything we do in school can be exciting • Sutori is a slick way for students to share and entertaining, but we can work to incorporate knowledge by creating interactive timelines some fun. We can develop a pedagogy that and stories. It is a free classroom tool that includes challenging learning tasks that motivate enables teachers and students to create and actively engage our students while being professional looking products through a enjoyable. Doing so requires teachers to design simple and easy-to-use interface. Teachers and support their students with real-world tasks. HOPE - PAGE STAFF NEWSLETTER JANUARY 2018 | VOL. 2–NO. 7

It requires the incorporation of technology and to perceptions of learning from something students focus on topics and issues that interest the have to do into something that they get to do. students. It involves patiently working to change

IN CLOSING Doing Poorly underachievement that may • Autonomy on Purpose, look far different from what • Access have you ever you might envision it to be. • Advocacy had the feeling First, the author posits that • Alternatives a student was there is no such thing as a • Aspirations not doing his / "classic underachiever." • Approachable Educators her best and in fact probably Students (and their reasons doing poorly intentionally. If for underachieving) are Smart students who you have had this happen, you influenced by a wide range of underachieve need the probably had some of the factors, including self-image, reassurance that they are common thoughts and self-concept, social-emotional capable, valuable, and worth negative associations relationships, and the amount listening to despite their low regarding the student that fit of dignity teachers afford their academic performance. If these students — who are the stereotypes connected to students. The author notes otherwise academically underachievement. There is a that helping "smart" students capable — feel they are not study (and a book by the title achieve when they don't want getting the respect from those Doing Poorly on Purpose) that to is no easy task. However, a in charge of their learning, focuses on smart kids who get teacher you can get these then the desire to conform and poor grades — not because students to reengage by achieve is minimized. In a they're unable to do better in inspiring these students by word, the author says they school but because they using Delisle's insights and want dignity. But then again, don't want to. The book by practical advice on these don't we all? Delisle presents a snapshot of topics:

“That’s what learning is, after all; not whether we lost the game, but how we lose and how we’ve changed because of it and what we take away from it that we never had before, to apply to other games. Losing in a curious way, is winning.” --Richard David Bach