Thrivapy: Live, Learn, Have Fun

T rying to stay organized or "in front" of the many demands on your time can be quite challenging. Because of this, it is easy to understand the wisdom behind never leaving until tomorrow things you can do today. However, there are times when waiting is probably your best course of action. Here are a few examples. Responding to an emotionally charged email We all get them. An email from someone that elicits an immediate negative emotional response. Your reading of the message makes you feel under attack and defensive. Your natural response is to fire back a similar message defending your position and pointing out how the other person is wrong. In almost every situation, writing and sending your emotionally motivated email will not only NOT help, but also make the situation worse. Instead, draft your response to allow yourself to vent. The emphasis here is on DRAFT. Do not send it. Wait a day or so to allow your initial feelings to subside and read your draft. Measur

A nyone who reads either this blog or  The Thrivapy Blog , knows I am a big advocate of growth mindsets and the potential impact "get better" thinking has on student achievement. This is one reason why having a growth mindset is one of the seven principles of  Thrivapy . One of the many reasons why I encourage "better" thinking over "be the best" thinking is how well "better" relates to developing ownership and responsibility (taking ownership is also one of the seven Thrivapy principles). "Be the best" thinking depends on comparing one's performance against another group or another individual. As a former athlete and coach, I have no problem keeping score to measure wins and losses, but when it comes to personal development, which is what school is supposed to support, measuring against others to determine gains presents an obvious problem - you have no control over how well someone else performs. You only can control your own e

P arents play a significant role in the success of a student. As a important member of the student's learning team, parents should be informed and appropriately involved in their child's school experience. However, this role takes different forms as students mature and move through different developmental stages. As a result, the nature of parent involvement also changes, which can lead to misunderstanding and an unnecessary strain on the parent/teacher relationship. Recently, a parent of a school aged child ask me about how to establish a better partnership with his child's teacher. I suggested that the parent engage in a conversation with the teacher using the questions below as a guide. 1. How can I, as a parent, best support your work as the teacher? 2. What should I expect in terms of development from my child this year? 3. What are your expectations of my child in terms of effort? These questions not only allow the key developmental issues to emerge as the ba

The   wealth of knowledge does not have anything to do with having  A   wealth of knowledge. Why? Because knowledge kept to oneself serves little purpose and has virtually no value to anyone other than the holder of the information. The value (wealth) of knowledge is not based on having it. Rather, the value of knowledge is found in sharing it. Value is created when someone is willing to give something in exchange for something else. The currency can be money, goods in kind, attention, time, etc. Having knowledge does not create value, making your knowledge available so others can improve their own understanding adds to the collective wisdom and, thus, has value - especially in a world where  the long tail  affects practically all markets (including knowledge). In essence, the wealth of knowledge is directly linked to the sharing of knowledge, not the storage of knowledge. This act of sharing also creates knowledge for those who were previously less informed. For those looki

I n the same amount of time it takes you to read this post, you can start each class with clarity and purpose which, in return, leads to better student engagement and focus. The formula is simple. Recall what has happened. Explain the current situation. Provide a vision for the day. Give a reminder of what is yet to come. Recall what has happened Talk with students about what the class did in its most recent meeting. Give a brief progress report on the topic or project the class is currently discovering. Using a map analogy, this is when you show the group where you have already been and what you have done to get where you are. Explain the current situation Using the same map analogy, this is where you mark your current location. In class, a statement telling students where you believe the class is, in terms relative to the topic or project at hand, provides their current location. Provide a vision for the day The vision for the day is articulated in positive terms