Monday Motivator #34 2017-18

The Gift of Turbulence 

How Times of Trouble Remind Us to Be Grateful

“If the only prayer you ever say in your entire life is thank you, it will be enough.” -M. Eckhart

It happened less than 30 minutes into the flight.

Our plane hit an invisible bump and we quickly plummeted downward. A loud crash, then the decline violently gave way to a climb back up. More bumps rocked the plane side-to-side, each more violent than the one preceding it. As luggage compartments popped open and items fell out, the captain’s voice frantically urged the flight attendants to take their seats immediately.

The gentleman to my right said loud enough for everyone around us to hear, “I wish they’d told us this would be our last flight. I probably wouldn’t have boarded it!” It was spoken in humor. But there was a bit of truth in it, too.

Moments later the ordeal ended. It was less than 30 seconds of violent shaking. No one was injured, things calmed, the turbulence ended, overhead containers were shut, the flight continued.

I looked at my watch. It was 6:57am.

Having flown more than 1,000 times, in the midst of the shaking, as bags were falling and fellow passengers were anxiously gasping, I tried to look steely-tough, unfazed, unafraid.

In reality, I was terrified.

Yes, I was scared of the plane crashing. Scared of leaving my wife and kids too soon. Scared of leaving this earth with things undone, mission not yet accomplished.

But oddly, the most intense fear I had was the painful reality of how much I’d taken for granted.

As we returned to smoother air, I thought through all the things I’d already experienced that morning that were worthy of being counted as gifts. I quickly typed them down:

• My alarm sounded at 4:40, just as I had set it the night before, beckoning me from bed.
• My legs (although tired) and body (although achy) guided me to the bathroom.
• While brushing my teeth, a second alarm sounded. It was my wife’s phone. Without me even asking, she’d set it to ensure I was up and would make my flight.
• With a simple twist of a knob, clean, hot water jetted out of my shower faucet.
• After showering, I slipped into soft, clean clothes and a freshly pressed suit.
• Tiptoeing toward Beth, I bent down and gently kissed her forehead.
• Running a bit behind, I moved quickly through each bedroom checking on my sleeping kids; kissing each of their foreheads.
• After racing down the steps, I stepped over our typically playful golden retriever. She was excited enough to wag her tail as I approached, but not quite motivated enough to actually stand to say hello. (I didn’t blame her … it was early!)
• Grabbing my keys and briefcase, I walked outside, and got a peek at the star-filled sky.
• At the push of a button my car engine revved to life, the garage door lifted, and the car throttled forward.
• With no issues getting to the airport, I was greeted by a TSA officer (using my first name!); then moments later greeted by a Starbucks barista the same way. (Yes, you might travel too much when you’re on first-name-basis with the airport staff!)
• The plane boarded on time; pushed back on time; and took off on time.
• 
  
• A 150,000 pound, metallic cylinder, packed with 136 people crept down a taxiway, accelerated down a runway, gained speed, and launched into the air at hundreds of miles per hour (while most of us were either slept or were too consumed in something trivial to be stirred by it.)
• That one requires repeating: A 150,000 pound, metallic cylinder, packed with 136 people crept down a taxiway, accelerated down a runway, gained speed, and launched into the air at hundreds of miles per hour!
• Once airborne, the darkened sky gave way to a slight glimmer of light; black faded to gray, then to deep blues, purples and reds; then into a magnificent sunrise.
• I opened my laptop, took a big sip of coffee, and started working.

This all happened before the first bit of turbulence hit at 6:57am. And I had snoozed through most of it until the turbulence finally woke me up.

I hadn’t paused – not even momentarily – to say a prayer of thanksgiving for any of it.

I didn’t contemplate that throughout the night my heart beat more than 1,000 times by itself, in spite of my lack of effort or gratitude for it.

I hadn’t pondered the gift of a warm bed, my wife’s presence, or my children’s health.

I hadn’t paused to be in awe of the marvel of technology – or the grandeur of nature.

And I hadn’t slowed down to be roused by the promise of the morning, the hope within a new day, the chance to do better, the opportunity to make a difference, to savor, to reflect, to celebrate, to create, to experience.

To live.

http://johnolearyinspires.com/2018/03/the-gift-of-turbulence/?utm_source=Rising+Above+-+Master+List+-+2015&utm_campaign=92a4b6861f-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2017_07_14&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_35d021a895-92a4b6861f-28916649

Monday Motivator #33 2017-18

The Big Fresh April 21, 2018 Big Dog

https://www.choiceliteracy.com/articles-detail-view-print.php?id=2962 What counts is not necessarily the size of the dog in the fight; it’s the size of the fight in the dog.                                                                                               Dwight D. Eisenhower I was on an early morning walk in an unfamiliar neighborhood. It was a lake community, and I was walking past a cottage admiring the whimsical nature of the weedy wildflower gardens and overgrown trellis. Movement caught my eye, and around the curve came a giant dog, nearly as large as a bear. When he picked up his pace and headed toward me, I decided I needed to be somewhere safer. I’ve heard my fair share of mean dog stories. Outside of the cottage sat a rusted white pickup truck. If the dog hadn't been galloping toward me, I may have considered the absurdity of jumping into the back of a stranger’s pickup truck. Instead, I hoisted myself into the truck bed as the dog bounded to the tailgate. The dog rested his chin on the raised tailgate. It occurred to me that he could have jumped into the back of the pickup with more ease than I had. Not wanting to scale the cab of a stranger’s pickup, I said the most logical thing that came to mind. “Go home!” The dog tilted his head and looked inquisitive. It seemed reasonable to tell him again: “Go home!” He took a few steps to the porch of the house and watched me. I considered how much writing I could get done in the back of a rusty pickup truck. He started barking at me, low and loud. The door opened and a man stepped onto the front porch. “What’s going on here?” he asked, taking a bite of his cereal. “Is that your dog?” I asked. “Yeah. Why are you in my truck?” “Is he nice?” “Of course.” He scooped more cereal into his mouth. “Do you need help out of my truck?” “No, I’m okay as long as your dog is nice. He came from across the street and intimidated me a little.” I climbed out of the truck. “I wasn’t sure if he was going to hurt me.” “Naw,” said the man, “he probably just wanted to say hello.” I rubbed the dog’s head. “I’m a dog person, but he really caught me off guard,” I said. The dog wagged his tail. I scratched his ears. We said goodbye. I thought about how my words and actions contradicted each other. Standing in the back of a rusty pickup truck with a friendly Newfoundland waiting for me to pet him didn’t emanate dog person. Even though I’ve never encountered a mean dog, I had jumped to the conclusion that this big dog was a mean one. I think this is how it seems for kids when they meet a new teacher, especially when they are the new kid at an odd time of year, transitioning into a strange new classroom. Maybe they’ve had a unpleasant experience in the past. Maybe they’ve heard mean teacher stories. No matter how friendly and kind teachers appear, there are still going to be some students who are apprehensive. There are going to be some students who, like me and the big dog,  want to hide until they can figure out if it’s going to be a safe place. It's easy to remember early in the year when all students are new to us, and we are new to them. It's much harder when we're surprised by a student new to our classroom late in the year when a community is already built. They may jump to conclusions about us, but that makes it more important than ever that we don't jump to conclusions about them. Ruth Ayres Contributor, Choice Literacy As the director of a professional development consortium of 30 schools, Ruth Ayres spends her days helping students find meaning in their stories, and encouraging teachers to reflect and refine the art of teaching. “I love documenting ordinary stories from everyday life,” Ruth says. You can keep up with her latest writing and work at Ruth Ayres Writes.

Monday Motivator #32 2017-18

Failing Forward http://www.jongordon.com Like most people I have failed more times than I care to remember. I’ve struck out playing baseball, I've failed to win the client, I’ve lost the big opportunity at work, I’ve had to close two of my former restaurants, I lost my race for city council of Atlanta when I was 26, I was fired once, I was once a month away from bankruptcy, I was initially rejected by over 30 publishers, I’ve made mistakes as a parent and boss and the list goes on and on and on. Yet, when I look back I realize that every failure has moved me forward. Every failure taught me a lesson and made me stronger, wiser and better. I failed many times but I failed forward (I first heard this term from John Maxwell). Failing to win a client taught me what not to do so I could start winning more business. Shutting-down restaurants taught me to be smarter about picking the right locations. Losing the race for city council led to me leaving Atlanta, moving to the beach in Florida and doing the work I do now. I’ve realized that sometimes we have to lose a goal to find our destiny. Sometimes we have to fail to move forward. I know some of you might be saying, "Well that's you Jon. You’re just lucky. It doesn’t work that way in my life. You have no idea what failure has done to me." I hear these comments often and I always respectively disagree. I believe there are two kinds of people in the world. Those who fail and those who fail forward. We all fail but what we do with our failures is our choice. At any moment we can stop being someone who fails and become someone who fails forward. Through each challenge and failure we must stay hopeful and know that failure always leads to a better future if we have an attitude of faith, are open to the possibilities and trust that new and exciting opportunities are coming our way. We have to look at failure not as a dead end but rather as a detour to a better outcome than we could have ever imagined. If you are experiencing a failure right now at work or home please know you are not alone. If you haven’t failed, you haven’t lived. It’s time to ask what you can learn from your failure. What is it teaching you about yourself and your team? Don't be afraid to fail, just make the choice to fail forward. Use it to learn, grow and become the you who you were meant to be. - Jon

Monday Motivator #31 2017-18

A Lovely, Silent, Well-Behaved Way To End Each Day

by Michael Linsin on April 7, 2018

https://www.smartclassroommanagement.com/2018/04/07/a-lovely-silent-well-behaved-way-to-end-each-day/
 

The end of the day or period can be a chaotic time.

You may be distracted, passing things out or giving last-minute instruction.

Your students, poised to leave, may not be so attentive.

Voices get loud. Misbehavior tends to increase. And holding students accountable becomes a greater challenge.

This underscores the importance of starting your wind-down early, of giving yourself enough time to calmly get your students ready to go.

It also pays to make the final moments of every day a routine like any other.

But there is one more thing you can do. It’s a super easy strategy that takes just 60 seconds and ensures that you finish on a positive note.

What is it?

It’s to lead your class in one-minute of silence. I’ve written about this topic before. (You may want to review the article before continuing.)

But I’ve since added a new wrinkle to the strategy that has made it even more effective.

The way it works is that just before giving the signal to begin your one minute of silence, you’re going to ask your students to focus on one thing in particular.

Focusing the mind on a single sound, movement, or thought has a unique way of calming excitability, restlessness, tension, and stress. In fact, it’s the basis behind the practice of meditation.

I’ve experimented over the years with a number of different objects of attention and have discovered three that work especially well.

1. Breath.

After giving your signal to start your one minute, have your students mimic you as you focus on breathing deeply and fully with your diaphragm.

Sit up straight (or stand) and place your hand on your stomach as you expand on the inhale and contract on the exhale. Depending on your grade level, you may want to count your breaths aloud or say the words “inhale” and “exhale.”

2. Gratefulness.

Just before giving your signal, ask your students to choose one thing about the class that they’re thankful for. It can be a person, a book, a lesson, an event or circumstance that happened that day, or anything at all.

They should keep that one thing in mind and allow it to make them smile or feel happy. They can also consider how they can return the favor or pay it forward.

3. Improvement.

Similar to gratefulness, you can ask your students to think about one area they improved that day. It can be something really simple like asked a good question or read without getting distracted.

Have them relive that experience by visualizing it, savoring it, and remembering how it felt. If they can’t think of anything, then they can choose something they’d like to improve and visualize how it would feel.

A Daily Touchstone

Taking a minute to focus on the breath or a positive aspect of their day is a great way to ready your students for dismissal.

It quiets and settles. It relieves stress and cuts down on last-second misbehavior. It sends them on their way breezy and content and ready for whatever awaits them.

It also supports a kind and peaceful learning environment.

But you don’t have to use my suggestions. What you choose to focus on is limited only by your imagination and what feels right for your grade level.

Try focusing on the ambient sounds around you on one day, for example, and their favorite place to be on the next.

Just be sure to make it a regular part of your dismissal routine.

In this way, that brief time of stillness and reflection will become a calming touchstone your students look forward to every day.

Monday Motivator #30 2017-18

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lTMLzXzgB_s

Kids with a formal diagnosis, such as autism, Asperger's, ADHD, learning disabilities, Sensory Processing Disorder, and Central Auditory Processing Disorder -- along those who just need to move while learning--often find it challenging to shine in a traditional classroom. The kids who collaborated to write and star in this "Dear Teacher" video represent such students. So, they wanted to share with educators how their brain works and offer simple ways teachers can help.