Thrivapy: Live, Learn, Have Fun

T here are two basic methods to demonstrate your school cares about students.  Schools do both, but your school’s “story” probably leans towards one of these two areas more than the other. The first way schools can show they care is to offer a breadth and depth of programs to make sure every student is being given the program they need to be satisfied and successful.  In other words, programs are added to fill voids in operations that become apparent.  The mindset behind this method is, “more is better.”  This is what we ask students to do. This strategy can work, if you are able to support additional programs without creating a new challenge - which can be that the addition of programs changes who you are and whether or not you can support more and maintain an acceptable level of delivery on those programs.  More is only better if more is delivered better and the more more clearly defines who you are.   The second way is through nurturing relationships and making the connections neces

F inding a place is difficult when your view is limited and the available "space" seems tough to squeeze into. It can be equally difficult to find a place when the available space is so large that making a decision brings up doubts about the potential for a better space somewhere else. In other words, if space is very limited, the challenge to finding a place is essentially about comfort.  When space is essentially unlimited, the challenge is "did I choose the best fit?" I would argue that the latter challenge is becoming, for many of us, much more significant than the former.  We seldom lack "space", but I find that many people fail to act out of uncertainty due to the potential of a better option becoming available "around the next turn." For students and teachers, the story of education as a foundation for limitless potential and possibility may actually be more true today than ever before because of our connected society.  However, wi

I am thrilled to announce that my THRIVAPY web site is in the final stages of completion.  Below is a screen  shot of part of the home page. THRIVAPY Home Page Screen Shot  In the meantime, THRIVAPY now has a Facebook Page and Twitter feed to help keep you informed about THRIVAPY news, make connections, and continue the essential conversations about how to support higher levels of satisfaction, purpose, and production in your educational experiences. THRIVAPY is a service I created to support the needs of students, parents, teachers, and schools to find a better path to achievement.  THRIVAPY is based on 7 principles that are supported by both research and practice. Your personal foundations (mission, vision, beliefs, and philosophy) Goal setting Taking action Habits Growth mindsets Taking ownership Building relationships I am happy to discuss how THRIVAPY can work for you.  Please email me at troy@thrivapy.com for more information and to make a connection. 

T he best selling story of school may be in the process of being mythologized , but there is another story we often tell that involves school that is still very much a reality. Want better for our children (students). Sometimes, that is expressed with statements like, "I want my child to have the best opportunities."  However, in today's connected and growth oriented world the "best" get better ( see The Golden Apple Manifesto ). Better is not just about comparisons.  It is a frame of mind.  It is a commitment to growth and improvement. Thinking "better" is better thinking.  It empowers the individual to take ownership of her work.  Striving to make a difference by committing to growth, constructively filtering feedback, and improving oneself is a valuable characteristic today and for the foreseeable future.  As a matter of fact, it may be THE most important quality.  However, in order to foster this type of "better" we must engage in

Y esterday was Valentine's Day.  Without a doubt, the word of the day was, "Love".  This brings to mind a question. When it comes to being a teacher, working at a particular school, or our opinions of our students, do we really "love it"? We certainly say we do.  I can't count how many times I have heard a teachers say she "loves teaching", "loves his students", or "loves her school".  The same goes for social media.  How many blog posts, Facebook comments, Twitter messages, etc. speak of the "love" for school/students/teaching? The problem is the distance between love and hate may not be as far as we would like.  One might even look at a "range of satisfaction" and see something like this: Love....Like....Acceptable....No Opinion....Prefer Not....Dislike....Hate Not far, is it?  As a matter of fact, it took only about 3 inches to go from "Love" to "Hate". Joking as

P utting a tablet, laptop, or smart phone in the hands of students in a class does not make the class connected.  Sure, in the sense that you have a WiFi signal connected to the devices, sure there is a connection, but not the type of connection that matters, ultimately. The connection we seek is the type that emerges from our work being shared with others to create knowledge and transform the experience of someone other than ourselves.  The connection we seek produces an emotional response and strengthens our relationships.  This connection can be with the teacher, a class mate, a parent, a child in a school in another country, etc. These are the connections that will serve our students in their futures.  More than communication skills, connection skills are vital.  Not just in the future, but today. Having available technological resources enhances connections, supports the production of more enchanting work, leverages communication mediums to widen the range of connections.  T

I t started as a Google presentation .  Then, it was made into a free .pdf eBook .  Now, for Kindle readers, The Golden Apple Manifesto is available on Amazon for only $0.99 US. As an added bonus, for a limited time my two other Kindle books,  Foundations: Examining Vision, Beliefs, Mission, and Philosophy  and Paying Attention: Thoughts on Communication in Schools   are also priced at $0.99 US. Thanks for reading!

R ecently, I put together a presentation called The Golden Apple Manifesto .  So far, the response to that post has been very good.  Therefore, I have put a free .pdf version of The Golden Apple Manifesto together.   You can access it by clicking here . For Kindle readers, I am working on the Kindle version.  Once it is available, I will make an announcement here. The Golden Apple Manifesto is a short book (approximately 25 pages) with a big message.  It is an invitation to embrace 10 beliefs about teaching that can transform how you approach instruction in the 21st century.  What may take you about 10 minutes to read could make a lasting influence on your philosophy of education. The book is NOT a "How To" guide to teaching.  Instead, The Golden Apple Manifesto presents 10 beliefs about teaching along with supporting comments and reflections for you to consider. Give it a read and let me know what you think.

W hen working through the Thrivapy process with students, one of the essential conversations is having the student define their "better" self.  Another way I describe this conversation is to help the student articulate what their next best version of themselves is like.  While every Thrivapy session is enjoyable, this one (which comes up multiple times as the student grows) is among my most enjoyable and insightful. Defining "better" almost always begins with the student talking about grades.  During this part of the conversation, better is defined as better grades.  B's become A's.  C's become B's.  This is a natural part of the conversation and it almost always is the focus of my first "defining better" conversation.  However, as I guide the student to identify the actions, behaviors, and adjustments she may need to make in order to realize this "better" the conversation shifts to the factors that often result in better grade

S tudent success is a more difficult term to define than it appears at first glance.  One may define success based on grades, honor roll lists, standardized test scores, or other similar results.  At the same time, someone else may define student success as finding satisfaction and joy in the learning process.  In other words, a successful student is one that loves being in school. When I began thinking about this post, it was important for me to have a clear sense of what a successful student.  So, for the purposes of this post, I define a successful student as one that enjoys being in school, willingly engages in the process of learning, works to create knowledge , and consistently earns feedback (grades, comments, honors, etc.) that is both rewarding and useful. Working off of that description of success, here are four qualities you will likely observe in a successful student. 1.  They know what success looks like. Successful students have a clear understanding or visio

A ccuracy requires attention, care, and thoroughness. Perfection is flawless.  There is no possibility for improvement.  Striving for better cannot exist with perfection. The bull's eye on the dart board is larger than the point of the dart.  You can get really close and still earn top points.  Accuracy pays off. Perfection, on the other hand, provides no chance to learn or to improve.  In addition, perfection cannot share its space with anyone (or anything) else.  There is only room for one, so sharing is not possible.

image found at http://skyways.lib.ks.us/orgs/madison/historyofmadison.htm T he story of school we used to tell (with great effectiveness) went something like this. Go to school Work really hard Make good grades Gain admission into a good college Earn a degree Get a good job Live the dream This was my story.  For some, this is still an effective story.  Like me, its effectiveness increases if your family does not have a history of college graduates.  If the outcome is attractive, then it can be a motivating tale. However, the past few decades have seen a sizable increase in the percentage of the population with a college degree.  More recently, we see clear evidence suggesting that a college degree is no longer a golden ticket to a good job.  The "carrot" of a good college and a "guaranteed" job is quickly becoming a cultural myth. This begs the questions, "What story is our school telling students now?" and, "Is our story aligned wi

C ommunication is, essentially, delivering a message that is understood.  There is a communicator and an audience.  The communicator bears the burden of crafting a message that the intended audience understands.  The delivery of the message is all that matters. Connection takes communication to the next level.  It is a message that evokes a response.  Connections require relationships, links, identity, and associations. The present state of affairs is often referred to as the "connected society" or the "connected economy".  We need to help students succeed in the "connected world" not the "communicative world". Here's the challenge. Communication is for the masses.  The message is usually broadcast - meaning it is designed for a broad audience, who may or may not agree, listen, or follow.  There is no real intention to develop a relationship, strengthen a connection, or create a new identity.  The broadcast is simply to relate informa