It isn't always easy to be optimistic!

Optimism - Remaining Hopeful, Believing You Can, Seeing the Glass as Half FULL

This is key to a student’s success!  This is key to our own success!

For some people/students, optimism is second nature.  They have always had people to encourage them to have hope, persevere, and believe in themselves.  …And for some people/students, perseverance and believing in themselves is in response to discouragement.  They react by saying, “You say I can’t, but I say I can!”

…But there are those people/students who are really challenged by the thought of being optimistic about things in their life, let alone be optimistic about themselves.  For whatever reason, they have trouble believing in themselves.

All professions have pessimists.  They look at things and see that “half full glass.”  Sometimes, their insight as a pessimist is welcomed.  Pessimists, in my opinion, make very good “Problem Seers!”  They see the problems that optimists do not anticipate.   Sometimes, their pessimistic view can be very discouraging to a collaborative group trying to make the best of a situation.   So it is important that we identify pessimists and learn to help them channel that pessimism in the right direction.  ..And help the pessimist be optimistic about him/herself and others. 

 In the classroom/office we can work on encouraging an optimistic environment.  One that is accepting, nonjudgmental, and tolerant.  Teach that our mistakes and failures help us grow.  Be the kind of person that others/students see learning from mistakes.  Share your hope for yourself and your hopes for your students/others.

 

My mother was very good about teaching us with stories.  She was an accomplished pianist in the state of Illinois.  But her journey wasn’t easy.  …And being a pessimist, she needed a lot of encouragement herself.  She told us about her failed recitals.  …And about a piano teacher that wouldn’t let her give up.  Her piano teacher told her about riding horses.  She said that when you fall off a horse you immediately need to get back up and ride again,  so that you don’t become fearful to ride again.  So my mother “rode that horse,” every time she had a failed recital.  Consequently, each time we encountered a failure in our lives, she told us to “get back up on that horse.”  …And we did, because we believed her story.  It was okay to fail as long as we learned from our failures.  We believed we would eventually “ride that horse.”  

Be that teacher that won't let their student give up!  Be the one who believes in him/her!  Help him/her get back up on that horse as many times as it takes!  Optimism isn't always easy but it sure is worth the effort if it helps a child/person succeed!

CHANGING

      Changing is the word I would use to describe my life.  My life is ever changing! 

      In my professional life I embrace change.  It makes my daily life more exciting and challenges me to transcend my comfort zone. 

     In my personal life I have trouble initiating or adjusting to change.  The last 2 years have brought a great deal of change to my life.  After my sons graduated and began to work full time, my role as a mother changed drastically.  The amount of time we spend together as a family is very different.  I had these “Turn Around” moments when I would wistfully long for those “little boy” times.  I had to choose whether to melt into a sobbing blob or build the rest of our relationship on that precious past.  I have learned to embrace our new mother son relationship and appreciate the change now.  I can also see that the extra time I have to spend with my best friend, my loving husband, has truly been a major benefit of this change.  

     We also recently moved my mother from her home of 80 years to an independent living community.  When we sold her home I was devastated.  To me…it represented one of the rocks our family was built on.  It was solid.  Never changing and always welcoming.  …And with this change I began to realize how much my relationship with my mother has been changing.  I always kid around and say that I don’t have to worry because my mother does all of the worrying for me.  But I guess I have realized there is a bit of truth to that.  As old as I am I realized I still depend on my mother for moral support and encouragement.  Every night I call her before bed and say good night and tell her I love her.  She was quite sick for some time and I missed doing that so much so that again I felt that “Turn Around” moment.  Only this time realizing my mother is tired and growing older too, and someday soon, I will have to say good-bye.  Again I needed to embrace this change and see it as a blessing.  My Mother has accepted the challenge presented by her struggles and is totally focused on the present and the future.  NOT the PAST.  I still learn from my wise mother.  Focus on the "NOW" and what you CAN change, the future!  

     I can now embrace the changing me and see change as a blessing in my life!

Today I am thinking about......

I have been thinking a lot about Growth Mindset and what that means for my students and for me.  It totally gets me excited because it encourages an extraordinary optimistic attitude.  I start thinking, “Maybe I can….”  and “Maybe they can…”  Instead of thinking about “JUST” the standards that lead me to an ominous disposition that tends to put everyone into a hopeless mindset!

I’ve had so many “great” ideas or dreams in the past that I have let go of simply because of my mindset!  I never took the time to find out if I HAD the capability to carry them out.  I DID have the motivation but I lacked the steadfast attitude I needed to successfully reach my destination. 

I get excited thinking about what we CAN achieve just by thinking about our failures or deficiencies differently.   Each failure is a step closer to that “impossible” destination.  Each deficiency becomes a hurdle needed to makes us stronger. 

CLOSER

STRONGER

MORE PASSIONATE

MOTIVATED

DETERMINED

= AN INTRINSIC THINKER = CAPABILITY

With the right mindset we CAN become, create, or change anything!

People Who Inspired Me:

with their Growth Mindset!

My Student

This student had an IEP and a low IQ.  She was determined and NEVER gave less than her 100% BEST effort.  She worked harder than any other student I have ever had and achieved just as much or more than some of my highest functioning students.  Needless to say she grew up to become very successful with her career. 

I always said if I ever had a daughter, I would want her to be just like this little girl.  SHE INSPIRED me with her GROWTH MINDSET!

My Father

A man who achieved great things despite the hardships life dealt him.

My father lived through the depression as a child.  He learned to grow and can food, candle and collect eggs, and slaughter chicken to eat.  He learned to “make” fun.  He lived through serving in and losing his brother to WWII.  He was not able to finish his college education but always valued education.  Here are just a few of his achievements: