Learning to Grow Every Day

Recently, my classes have begun reading both Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand (outside of class) and Grit: The Power and Passion of Perseverance by Angela Duckworth (in class). After kindness, I believe that persistence, work ethic, and attitude are a close second. I lumped all three of those traits into one category because Grit is more than just being determined. Duckworth defines Grit as “passion and perseverance for long-term goals.” Whether we develop that passion over time or it comes naturally to us, that passion is a necessary ingredient to our success. Author and motivational speaker Jon Gordon defines Grit as “...driven by love. Inspired by vision and purpose. Fueled by optimism and belief. Powered by faith and hope. Revived by resilience. Kept alive by stubbornness. And if we’re honest includes some fear of failure and desire to prove oneself.” Having Grit is not just one attribute and it does not happen overnight, but rather over an extended period of time and incl...

While this has been a slower reading month for me, it has also been a rewarding one. There is no greater feeling than being challenged by a book, and I have been challenged by two books this month. The Zookeeper’s Wife , by Diane Ackerman, was a book I listened to in my car on the way to school and back. Ackerman recounted the true story of Antonina and Jan Zabinski (the director of the Warsaw Zoo) and their risky act of kindness to save hundreds of Jews from the Warsaw Ghetto. I often ask myself what I would do in that situation. Would I risk my own life to save the lives of others? Of course, I would hope the answer would be yes, but one can never be sure. Even decades later, it is so inspiring to read the story of citizens who risked it all to save those who were being persecuted. Truly selfless acts of kindness sometimes require sacrificing ones’ own comfort or safety for the benefit of others. 9/11 is a transformative event that has so many different perspectives and storie...

I have some new blog ideas in the works; however, this past weekend my family had a community service experience that is worth sharing. Alas, my other blog ideas will have to wait a week. About a week ago, my wife caught wind of a family service opportunity through our church for an organization called Mobility Worldwide. Out of 25 locations across the country, the lone location in Ohio happens to be in Stow, Oh. This organization builds hand-driven carts for men and women who are immobile or don’t have legs. A team of volunteers, many of them retired, get together each week to put together these carts, which are then distributed worldwide to those in need. The genius of the operations lies in the setup. Although it took a while to set up, a group of men got together six years ago and began setting up a workshop with preconfigured jigs set up at each station; these jigs allow for producing a consistent product. Because they are set up this way, it allows volunteers ...

In a moment of vulnerability, I would like to explore the idea of self-belief. This has not always come easy to me. Self-doubt so easily creeps into our minds on a daily basis and can cripple our productivity. When we believe the lies about ourselves, it is difficult to move from the impossible to the probable. Rather than thinking about ourselves as not talented enough, not athletic enough, not smart enough, we should focus on our strengths and developing the right habits. I have always been fascinated by grit and persistence, which I will blog more about later. However, I recently came across a tweet by author and motivational speaker, Jon Gordon . Gordon speaks in great detail about positivity and using our strengths to propel us forward. As you can see from the screenshot include in this post, Gordon speaks to those habits we can control rather than the arbitrary skill that is assigned to each of us by the world. Even if you don’t have the most skill, you can be on time, ...

While my reading life has slowed down some in the past month with the business of home and school, I am still really enjoying the process of selecting books and listening/reading with a purpose. I am learning so much about myself and about different cultures, and ideologies with some of the books I have read this year. That journey continues with my most recent selection, Hillbilly Elegy . Hillbilly Elegy was written by J.D. Vance whose family originally hailed from rural Kentucky coal country before moving to Middletown, Ohio. He mixes the stories of his youth with an argument that affixes the blame of the poor “hillbillies” on themselves. He claimed that it was largely “learned helplessness” that has led to the plight of many poor working whites, who have taken advantage of the welfare system and feel that no matter what they do, they cannot improve their condition in life (Vance). When I first started reading the book, I was taken aback by the premise that we should be taking...

In any career, we need time to “re-fill our bucket” so to speak. It is so easy to get bogged down in the little details of the teaching profession and it is not uncommon to get stale. That is why it is important to do something to reset and give ourselves a spark. This past Thursday, I had the opportunity to attend the GAR Educator’s conference . It was such a great conference and gave me some ideas to think about. 1. One of the main speakers spoke about the need to understand the unconscious bias that we all carry with us when it comes to race, gender, religion, etc. It is so important to recognize when it is happening and be more intentional in our thoughts and actions. 2. The first breakout session I attended was about Growth Mindset. While I have read many articles and books about Growth Mindset, the speakers brought home the point that it all starts with the teacher. If the teacher does not demonstrate a growth mindset on a consistent basis and really mean it, it is going t...

This week’s blog covers two different topics because I did not want these topics to slip through the cracks. The two topics are not really related but so vitally important to what I am doing with my character-building curriculum for my 12th-grade English curriculum. UCLA Establishes Kindness Institute Yes, I will admit it, I googled “kindness” to see what articles might spark some inspiration for me this week. I was thrilled to have come across the following article about UCLA establishing a legitimate research institute to study kindness. Their goal is to research all aspects of kindness within organizations and people and determine how those characteristics can transfer to real-life applications on spreading kindness. Daniel Fessler, the appointed director of the institute, will be focused on, “...exploring how witnessing acts of remarkable kindness can cause an uplifting emotional experience that in turn motivates the observer to be kind” (Abraham). I love that the univers...

Like many kids from my generation or younger. Mr. Roger’s Neighborhood was a staple in our household. There were so many lessons to be learned from Mr. Rogers: one, we are all unique and loved two, kindness and compassion are so important three, understanding our feelings and knowing how to deal with them is a crucial aspect of growing up. When I came across, The Good Neighbor: The Life and Work of Fred Rogers on my Libby app I knew immediately that it had to be my next read. An added bonus was that Lavar Burton, host of Reading Rainbow , another childhood favorite of mine, was the reader. What follows is a brief review and recommendation. Written by Maxwell King in 2018, The Good Neighbor gives the reader a glimpse into Fred Rogers's childhood, college years, and finally his introduction to television, which is where he found his purpose in life. It was certainly enlightening to learn the background into what made Fred Rogers who he was as an adult. I was surprised to fin...

When I set out to write about positivity and kindness, I had been trying to think of ways that I could get my students thinking about putting others before themselves. I love that the 12th-grade Learning Strategies class has a year-long project that requires the students to “pay-it-forward” and to complete several random acts of kindness throughout the school year. My goal, sometime this quarter, is to have my English students think of ways they can do this in their own school community in order to tag along with what they are doing in learning strategies. This could even be an opportunity to develop some ideas for how they will approach their acts of kindness for Learning Strategies. Recently, CBS posted a story on their website that showed how two students decided to give new clothes and shoes to a 9th-grade student, Michael, who had been bullied for wearing the same outfit every day because that is all his family could afford. Students had laughed at him and mocked him for hi...

In a previous blog post about having a positive mindset , I referenced an article by psychologist Angela Duckworth in which she suggested that reading can make us more empathetic. That notion was reinforced this week by a short New York Times article by Tina Jordan in which she encouraged her readers to begin reading again. Her article referenced a study from the Bureau of Labor Statistics that found that Americans between the ages of 15 and 54 read for an average of 10 minutes a day or less (“American Time Use Survey News Release”). My positive thought for this week’s blog revolves around what we are trying to do at Lawrence with the juniors and seniors in regards to encouraging that reading and using reading to help us develop empathy and understanding. Mrs. Janamanchi and I started a challenge at the beginning of the school year, where our goal is to read at least 40 books each-which would be a book per week for the entire school year. We have also recruited our classes to help ...

In my quest to find positivity and kindness in the world, I have had to be more intentional about paying attention to the inspiring stories in the news. The stories are there, but you have to look carefully. In the past two weeks, I have come across two stories in the news which have helped boost my spirits about the power of positive and generous people. They were both about people that don’t have to choose the attitude that they have. Michael Phelps and Stephen Curry could just as easily escape back into their money, notoriety, and blissful life. They could pridefully view past successes and find discontent in aging. But, they don’t. Both have a different but compelling and admirable story. Michael Phelps spent the better part of two decades dominating the swimming world, winning 23 gold medals and setting countless world records. Karen Crouse of the New York Times caught up with Phelps recently to discuss the loss of a couple of world records he had lost. Instead of feeling ...

Wow! Where has the time gone? It is time to get back on the blogging train. This year, my students’ blogs will have more structure. There will still be a lot of choices, but, they will have to stick to a common thread or theme for at least a month at a time. The themes can an area of interest as long as they are able to connect it to an article, book, newspaper, or news story. There is so much value in connecting our writing to what we read and learn on a daily basis. Psychologist Angela Duckworth goes so far as to say that we can become better humans by reading more. She wrote, “We practice empathy when we lose ourselves in a good book…” (“Imagine That - Character Lab”). By placing ourselves in a story, whether real or imagined, it allows us to take on the pain, humor, and happiness of someone else. My first quarter theme is going to center around positivity, kindness, and how our mindset can lead to a more contented life. I will seek and open my eyes to the positive stories h...

This week, I participated in the book discussion for The Hate You Give by Angie Thomas. I was anxious about the discussion. It is often uncomfortable for me to have these kinds of discussions, or teach about topics such as slavery, without feeling the guilt or helplessness of being a white male. This book was designed to make the reader uncomfortable, and it is discomfort, along with the willingness to talk about it that made this whole "Read In" worthwhile. As a white male growing up in suburban Columbus, I was isolated from the racial tension that exists in our country, and it wasn’t until I got a little older that I understood that it doesn’t matter how I feel if there are individuals and groups of people who have been marginalized all along. I didn't know that young African Americans were taught on a daily basis how they should interact with police for their own safety. I never had to worry about that. However, ignorance is not an excuse. If we cannot acknowledge unc...

I recently came across a video of Alabama football coach Nick Saban giving a talk to a group of coaches. He said something that really stuck with me, stating, “They weren’t my guys for 3 years, 4 years, or 5 years. They’re my guys forever. And that’s the way we should all feel about what we do.” Although I may not always make the connections that I want with students and other faculty members, I can recognize the importance of it. I absolutely love when students want to talk to me in the morning or after school just because they want to. It would be an understatement to say that having students willing to share their thoughts, ask questions, and ask me about my day makes me a better teacher. There are so many lessons that I have learned from students, from how to work hard, deal with disappointment, and what really gets them engaged. As teachers, if we go into each day with the attitude that we are imparting knowledge on the students and we have nothing to learn from them, the...