October Staff Dev. Newsletter

We are at the tail end of the first quarter, the work that you are doing with students should give you a great deal of pride. The life lessons and academic lessons our students have learned over this first quarter will be remembered over a lifetime. A few years ago we had the theme of creating moments for our students. The Heath brothers wrote in their book, The Power of Moments, “If you want to be part of a group that bonds like cement, take on a really demanding task that’s deeply meaningful. All of you will remember it for the rest of your lives.” We are going to remember for the rest of our lives our experiences regarding this pandemic and the bonds that you create in your classrooms, athletics, activities, and with the staff in your buildings will be stronger as we make this journey through the pandemic together.

On October 19th, we will be providing multiple options regarding the mental health of your students and also yourself. We will provide time for a vertical department meeting, as well as a little action team time. We will end the day with individual planning time as you work to create lessons that are applicable for multiple learning environments.

Passion Is Important

Many people falsely assume that grit is a synonym for effort and hard work. Perseverance to achieve one's goals is part of the equation, but it's not the only thing that counts. Duckworth argues that passion is just as important as determination, if not more so. This is where many people fall short on the grit scale. A person who wants to achieve great things has to be willing to focus on a consistent goal over an extended period of time. That only happens when the goal is something in which the person is deeply interested and cares about deeply. Grit isn't about grinding away at something that brings no joy—it's about finding that joy and doing everything in one's power to pursue it.

Some passions are short-lived. Duckworth sees this firsthand in her younger daughter, who bounced from one activity to another until she found baking. According to Duckworth, that's okay. Discovering what one is passionate about isn't easy. It's okay to give up on something if it isn't the right fit and use that energy to explore other avenues.

Our district has a staff development committee which has three staff members from each school. The purpose of this committee is to provide feeback and guidance regarding all things related to staff development. At our last meeting, I gave them the task of defining key terms that we will use this year in staff development. Below you will find the key terms and the "Seward" definitions:

Resilience: When things don’t go as planned, I can refocus and persevere.

Grit: The ability to sustain focus and effort over the long term in the face of challenges.

Growth Mindset: The attitude that one’s own abilities can be developed through hard work, good strategies, and input from others. People of a Growth Mindset have a positive focus on the process.