One-on-One Time

Yesterday on "Music and the Spoken Word" Lloyd Newell's words had to do with the importance of having one-on-one time with your children.  I believe that the same could be said for teachers.  It could be having lunch with the teacher or doing a certain activity together. 

I remember doing this when I taught at Realms.  One activity that stands out in my mind is going on a bike ride with Ben Jones--the activity that he chose. 

Becoming Stronger

Translation:  That which doesn't kill you makes you stronger.  This is a saying that Ross Jones, the former Headmaster at Realms of Inquiry, used all the time.  It's a great reminder to use all our frustrations, setbacks, obstacles, etc. to make us stronger as Esperanza people and as a school. 

Real Self-Esteem

I have been reading a fascinating book--50 Rules Kids Won't Learn in School--by Charles J. Sykes.  Rule #2 says:  The real world won't care as much as your school does about your self-esteem.  It'll expect you to accomplish something before you feel good about yourself.

I remember having a discussion with Norm Hassett, a colleague at Realms of Inquiry, about this topic.  He felt that the best way for students to get self-esteem was to do quality work.  The longer I live the more convinced I am that he was right. 

Sykes states that the research of Christina Hoff Sommers and Sally Satel note in their book One Nation Under Therapy, "High school dropout, shoplifters, burglars, car thieves, and even murderers are just as likely to have high self-esteem as Rhodes Scholars or winners of the Congressional Medal of Honor." 

Therefore, our focus on Dr. Glasser's quality school will be more beneficial to our Esperanza scholars than a focus on building self-esteem activities.