Give the Benefit of the Doubt

Give the Benefit of the Doubt



Make it a practice to always give someone the benefit of the doubt. In the world of law, people remain innocent until proven guilty. Shouldn't that also be the case with our loved ones?
Trust your friends and family members and give them the benefit of the doubt. Don't jump to conclusions; if you hear a rumor be sure to check with the person mentioned rather than assume it is true or not true.

Benefits:

You will find yourself much slower to anger and in general a more laid back and calm person because you take a moment to think through things rather than immediately passing judgment. You will find that more people will be honest with you if you are honest with them.

Step It Up:

Give the benefit of the doubt to all those you meet, not just to a select few. Make a commitment to never talk behind anyone's back; rather if you have a question you will ask the person directly. This direct communication cuts down on confusion and helps lead to healthier relationships.

Keep It Simple:

The next time you hear an outrageous story, catch yourself before you begin to make a judgment. Keep an open mind, and follow up with the person or people in question at another time. Remain calm throughout this process.

From:  http://www.randomactsofkindness.org/

The 100/0 Principle

I felt this information from Simple Truths had some great insights for us as we work at Esperanza with scholars, parents, colleagues, community members, etc. Think about it...when you look back at the end of your life what will really matter? Five words...the quality of your relationships. So here's the question: If your relationships are the most important part of your life, what are you doing to make them all they can be? The 100/0 Principle may be the most important book you'll ever read. For me, it ranks in the top 3...ever! The message is truly life-changing. You've probably heard me say, it's not what you say, but how you say it, that turns the switch from "off" to "on." In fact, our book, 212°...The Extra Degree, is a great example of that, but...The 100/0 Principle is even better. The examples, the stories, the quotes provoke many "a-ha" moments. Simply put, this is a book that can make your marriage better and greatly improve your relationships with family members, friends, co-workers and...even your boss.

Here's a brief excerpt from The 100/0 Principle. Enjoy! An excerpt from The 100/0 Principle by Al Ritter What is the most effective way to create and sustain great relationships with others? It's The 100/0 Principle: You take full responsibility (the 100) for the relationship, expecting nothing (the 0) in return. Implementing The 100/0 Principle is not natural for most of us. It takes real commitment to the relationship and a good dose of self-discipline to think, act and give 100 percent. The 100/0 Principle applies to those people in your life where the relationships are too important to react automatically or judgmentally. Each of us must determine the relationships to which this principle should apply. For most of us, it applies to work associates, customers, suppliers, family and friends. STEP 1 - Determine what you can do to make the relationship work...then do it. Demonstrate respect and kindness to the other person, whether he/she deserves it or not. STEP 2 - Do not expect anything in return. Zero, zip, nada. STEP 3 - Do not allow anything the other person says or does (no matter how annoying!) to affect you. In other words, don't take the bait. STEP 4 - Be persistent with your graciousness and kindness. Often we give up too soon, especially when others don't respond in kind. Remember to expect nothing in return. At times (usually few), the relationship can remain challenging, even toxic, despite your 100 percent commitment and self-discipline. When this occurs, you need to avoid being the "Knower" and shift to being the "Learner." Avoid Knower statements/thoughts like "that won't work," "I'm right, you are wrong," "I know it and you don't," "I'll teach you," "that's just the way it is," "I need to tell you what I know," etc. Instead use Learner statements/thoughts like "Let me find out what is going on and try to understand the situation," "I could be wrong," "I wonder if there is anything of value here," "I wonder if..." etc. In other words, as a Learner, be curious! Principle Paradox This may strike you as strange, but here's the paradox: When you take authentic responsibility for a relationship, more often than not the other person quickly chooses to take responsibility as well. Consequently, the 100/0 relationship quickly transforms into something approaching 100/100. When that occurs, true breakthroughs happen for the individuals involved, their teams, their organizations and their families.

Five Greatest Predictors of Student Success

The Five Greatest Predictors of Student Success

January 11, 2013

Educators have focused on helping students through transitions for years now. You know what I mean, don’t you? Transitions like…

• From elementary school to middle school…
• From middle school to high school…
• From high school to college…
• From college to career (or in some cases, back to their parent’s basement).

Far too often, we’ve focused on predictors such as Grade Point Average or SAT scores. We figure if a kid is smart—they’ll stay in school and continue to be engaged in class. It made sense to us.
Today we’re realizing those are not the most significant categories to measure.

According to First Year Experience programs and our work with over 6,000 schools and organizations worldwide, we have reduced the list of highest predictors of student success (meaning engagement, excellent performance and satisfaction) to what we call the “Big Five.” The “Big Five” are quite simple. When a student experiences these five realities they are most likely to graduate and excel in life:
1. Getting connected to the right people.
For years the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) has confirmed the importance of close, accountable relationships in student success. We continue to find that students who fail to graduate or succeed in school are ones who fail to engage with others outside of class or don’t get involved with activities involving new people. They get stuck and then don’t have a support system to make them want to continue. They also have no accountability strong enough to prevent them from quitting. Research shows that when students get connected to solid people (peers or mentors) they tend to stick with commitments and follow through. The Federal Mentoring Council shares one study of the Big Brothers Big Sisters program found students with mentors earning higher grades than similar students without mentors. A 2007 study discovered that kids in a mentoring relationship at school did better work in class, finished more assigned work, and improved overall in academics—especially in science and in written and oral communication. After graduation, “employees who have had mentors typically earn thousands more than employees who haven’t.” Those people act as “guardrails” preventing youth from shifting or drifting from their course.
History indicates that people intuitively understood the importance of connectedness with accountability, but we have migrated into a more individualistic lifestyle in recent times. Today we have connectedness (often on Facebook) without accountability. Victor Hugo was a brilliant writer, but very distracted. It took him seventeen years to finish Les Miserables. His solution? He asked his servant to take his clothes while he was sleeping. This forced him to stay in his room…and write. This guardrail enabled him to finish Les Miserables—and the world has benefited greatly. Today, students need these guardrails.
2. Possessing adaptability and resilience.
There is a growing body of research in the last decade suggesting that adults have created a fragile population of children. Because parents or teachers have not demanded they overcome adversity or we’ve not leveled consequences to their behavior, kids often become brittle young adults, unable to cope with the demands of life. You can imagine a student like this has trouble with transitions and the hardship of adapting to new situations. Let me illustrate this drift:
– In 2006, 60% of students moved back home after finishing college. In 2010, that number had risen to 80%. It’s more than a bad economy. They’re not career-ready.
– Condoleezza Rice and Joel Klein report three out of four teens aren’t even fit to serve in the military due to obesity, failure to graduate high school or their criminal records.
– The MacArthur Foundation funded a research project that said for many kids, the transition into adulthood doesn’t occur until 34 years of age.
I don’t believe this stall in students is because they’re unintelligent or bad kids. I believe we’ve failed to prepare them to cope with demands. We somehow felt that self-esteem meant we should affirm them consistently and prevent them from falling or failing. Sadly, this has had the opposite effect. We have risked too little, we have rescued too quickly and we have raved to easily about our kids—and now they find it hard to navigate transitions. Adaptability and resilience are priceless possessions that predict success far more than good grades and high SAT scores.
3. Developing high emotional intelligence.
You know this already. Forty years ago, educators frequently believed that the kid with the highest IQ would do the best, and later become the most successful. Now, it appears it’s more about EQ than IQ. If a student has high self-awareness, self-management, social awareness and relationship management, they’re more likely to graduate, excel and become a leader. It’s more about life skills and soft skills than memorizing lectures and taking exams. The concept of emotional intelligence has proven to be so influential, that it’s now inculcated the planning of educators. For example, policy makers in one state are using school programs to cultivate emotional intelligence and social intelligence in order to prevent crime, increase mental health, deepen student engagement and lower unemployment. In Georgia and Nebraska, we’ve begun working with the department of education to create curriculum that will spark conversations about these soft skills to not only increase graduation rates but make kids employable when they do graduate.
Quite frankly, the reason emotional intelligence has become such a large factor in student success is that kids today struggle more with mental health issues than they did forty years ago. This, in turn, leads to poor performance and high dropout rates. Research in education and psychology now shows the benefits of Social Emotional Learning (SEL) programs for children as young as preschoolers. Public awareness is catching up to the research. A New York Times editorial reviewed key research findings, saying, “…social and emotional learning programs significantly improve students’ academic performance.” Additional studies also show emotional intelligence is strongly linked to staying in school, avoiding risk behaviors, and improving health, happiness, and life success.
4. Targeting a clear outcome.
This one should be obvious. Whenever a student enters school (high school or college) with a clear goal, they are more likely to stay engaged and finish well. I believe it’s the primary difference between school and sports…or for that matter: work and sports. We love sports in America because it’s often the one place where the goal is clear. Every football field has an end zone; every basketball court has a rim and backboard. We know what the score is and it energizes us. For many, both school and work represent places where we endure the drudgery and eventually disengage.
A university study conducted on “peace of mind” sought to find the greatest factors that contributed to people’s stability. The top five they discovered were:

1. Refusing to live in the past.
2. The absence of suspicion, resentment and regret.
3. Not wasting time and energy fighting conditions you cannot change.
4. Refusing to indulge in self-pity.
5. Forcing yourself to get involved with a major goal in your current world.

When author Dan Pink researched what motivates both students and adults at the highest level, he concluded it could be summarized in three elements:
1. Autonomy – The student worked at their pace and created their future.
2. Mastery – The student believed they were growing and improving.
3. Purpose – The student worked on a goal they felt was meaningful.
5. Making good decisions.
This one is almost predictable. The students who succeed make right decisions in and out of class. These are decisions that determine their moral compass, their discretionary time, their study habits, their predisposition to cheat, their outside work and how they deal with setbacks and stress. All of these can be pivotal in determining whether a kid succeeds or surrenders. Like us, students must keep a clear objective in mind. May I illustrate?
The team who created the popular game Angry Birds spent eight years and almost all their money on more than fifty games before their big success occurred. By 2012, Pinterest was among the fastest-growing websites ever, but it had struggled for some time. In CEO Ben Silbermann’s words, it had “catastrophically small numbers” for a year. He said “if he had listened to popular startup advice he probably would have quit.”
James Dyson went through 5,126 prototypes before arriving at his “revolutionary vacuum cleaner.” We all know Thomas Edison failed 10,000 times at inventing the light bulb. The popular company Groupon nearly went out of business—but went on to a “meteoric rise.” And do you know where WD-40’s name came from? It literally means “Water Displacement—40th Attempt.” Somebody kept a clear goal in mind. So must students.

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Can Anyone Be a Great Teacher?

Inspiring Others

Can anyone be a great teacher?

By Annette Breaux on February 15th, 2013 |                     

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We’ve all known them — that elite group of teachers we deem the great ones. Why are they an elite group? And why don’t all, or at least most, teachers fall into this esteemed category? To attempt to answer those questions, let’s first answer a few others.
Can anyone be a great teacher? Quite simply, no. There are certain attributes a person must embody in order to be a great teacher. Next question — Are great teachers born and not made? Though some people definitely possess an innate “gift” for teaching, most great teachers were not born. They were made!
But it’s a little misleading to say they were made, because this implies that someone else did the work or that there’s some type of magic that’s been bestowed upon them. In actuality, great teachers work very hard to earn their coveted status. There’s no magic involved, but they do seem to work magic every day in their classrooms!
So what are some of the qualities that all great teachers possess?

• At the risk of overstating the obvious, great teachers truly love children! If you don’t love children, you can’t be a great teacher. Period. At the risk of really overstating the obvious, if you don’t love children, you shouldn’t be in education!
• Great teachers are masters at classroom management. They understand the importance of structure. Their management plans consist of clearly stated rules that are enforced fairly, calmly and consistently and of procedures that are practiced until they become routines. Students know what to expect. No surprises!
• Great teachers are intelligent people who possess a thorough understanding of their subject matter. They are not, however, arrogant in their knowledge. Rather, they use their knowledge to simplify what’s complex and to accommodate their students’ individual abilities and levels of understanding.
• Great teachers understand that they are actors on a stage. Yes, actors. They are performers capable of entertaining, capturing and enrapturing their audiences every day. Their enthusiasm is contagious, and they act as though everything they teach is their favorite thing to teach.
• Great teachers are positive, kind, compassionate, patient people. Though they are as human as anyone else, they do not allow students to push their buttons. They handle even the most challenging situations with composure, thoughtfulness and professionalism. They never compromise a student’s dignity.
• Great teachers do not allow their personal problems to bleed into their teaching. In simplest terms, they don’t impose their moods on their students.
• Great teachers are problem solvers. They don’t play the blame game. Nor do they play ostrich, sticking their heads in the sand. They identify problems and immediately get busy finding solutions.
• Great teachers don’t endure change; rather, they ensure it — not simply for the sake of change, but for the betterment of teaching and learning.
• Great teachers have a sense of humor, and they share it daily with their students.
• Great teachers continually strive to make learning fun, relevant, interesting, challenging and engaging. In the classrooms of great teachers, students are encouraged to question, discuss, debate, experiment, invent and make lots of mistakes.
• Great teachers recognize the importance of establishing positive relationships with their students. They subscribe to the belief that in order to teach a student, you must first reach a student. Thus, they get to know their students on a personal level.
• Great teachers have high expectations of all students and truly believe that every student can succeed.
• Great teachers are not perfect teachers. When they make mistakes, they act as good role models do, admitting their mistakes, learning from these mistakes and offering apologies if necessary.

The bottom line is that great teachers are some of the most dedicated and committed people you will ever meet. For them, going the extra mile is just a warm up for the marathon. Not surprisingly, great teachers are also some of the most humble people you will ever meet. They are the real difference-makers in education. Many of them do not even realize just how exceptional they really are. Or if they do, they’re just too darn humble to admit it. But we see you, we know who you are, and we thank you!
Annette Breaux is an internationally-renowned author and speaker. She is the author of the national best-seller “101 Answers for New Teachers and Their Mentors.” She has also co-authored books with Harry Wong and Todd Whitaker. She may be contacted at AnnetteLBreaux@yahoo.com or on Twitter @AnnetteBreaux.

Who Are You Spending Your Time With?

More great advice from Kevin Eikenberry for all of us.  It's extremely important for Esperanza scholars to understand it. 

Who are you spending your time with?

How are they influencing you? What are these associations leading you to think about, read, listen, watch and do? These questions may take, and warrant, your time and attention.

Is this the influence you want or need? Are these associations and their influence helping you reach your goals? Maybe your reflection on these questions leave you with a resounding “Yes!” But maybe some of your associations aren’t helping – or are even hurting you.

With your attention to these answers, you can begin to handle or manage relationships or associations that are holding you back. Here are three possible next steps . . .
1. Move on. If your association with someone creates negative habits,thoughts or stress, you may have identified a person that you don’t want to spend time with anymore. This is not an easy decision, nor something you should take lightly, but in some cases it may be necessary. This difficult choice could lead you to much greater results, productivity, and happiness.
2. Limit them. Maybe you can’t or don’t want to remove someone from your associations or life, but you don’t have to invite them to dinner every week! Consciously spend more time with those whose influence is positive and affirming and less with those who have minimal or negative influence on you.
3. Expand and engage. I hope you focus here. Work to spend more time with those who support you, challenge you and spur you towards your goals. Since you know these associations are helpful to you (and likely this is true for the other person), look for more of them!

What Employees Really Want

From Kevin Eikenberry:  What Employees Really Want


Reason Why. People want to do work that matters. Help people see the big picture in their work. Connect their work (or help them connect it) to the larger, aspirational mission of your team or organization. This bigger picture will make a big difference.
Clear expectations. We all want to know what is expected – what a target for success is. If expectations change, let people know – and engage them in that conversation. How can people meet your expectations if they don’t know what they are? Do they know?
Relationship. People don’t want to work for a paycheck, they want to work for and with people. That goes for you as their boss and their co-workers. How often do you share a kind word, give specific encouragement, or check in to see what they need? These mean more than you will ever know – unless you realize how much they matter from your boss.
Targets. Human beings are goal oriented beings. Give people something to shoot for. When these targets are connected to the big “why,” magic occurs.
Freedom. Even in the most process-oriented and procedurally-focused jobs, there is room for personal approaches. Give people some latitude within the framework. You will get higher levels of commitment, and likely process improvements too!
Input. Ask questions. Shut up. And listen. People have valuable perspectives. They want to share it. So ask for their input and value it.
Future. Help people see themselves in a future they desire – and help them get there. That future may or may not be the one you see them in, so you must ask. Then do what you can to support and encourage them to reach that future.

Be a Visible Principal

Article from ASCD's Education Update May 2012 ( Volume 54: Number 5)

1.  Build Relationships with Students
Principals need to be everywhere in school--walking the halls, visiting classrooms, and dropping in during lunch time in the "dining room"
2.  Give Teachers Feedback
Walkthroughs provide important opportunities for giving teacher feedback.
3.  Be a Learning Leader
Effective principals model learning behavior. 
4.  Make Parents Your Partners
Let parents know both formally and informally when their children are doing good work, making improvements, and demonstrating positive behavior. 
5.  Get Out of the Building...and learn from others
6.  Tap into Community Resources

To Act As For Years

I listened this morning to the BYU Devotional given by Stanley G. Ellis on March 13, 2012.  There was one part of his talk--among others--that really caught my attention.  He referred to Doctrine & Covenants 51:16-17 which says:  "And I consecrate this land unto them for a little season, until I, the Lord, shall provide for them otherwise, and command them to go hence; And the hour and the day is not given unto them, wherefore let them act upon this land for years, and this shall turn unto them for their good."  Ellis echoed this counsel "to act as for years" and said this applies to the temporary situations in our lives.  We need to be where we are and have an attitude as for years--be there until you are not.  He added that the alternative attitude of acting like a transient is not good.

This counsel struck me because Esperanza still won't be open for another year and a half.  Therefore, all of us who want to work at Esperanza are at different places right now waiting for that to happen.  It would be wise for all of us to use this time--wherever we are--"to act as for years" so that we can grow and learn, cultivate friendships and relationships, and thus be even more prepared for the future. 

Community Factors

ALL KIDS ARE OUR KIDS---For this reason we want a school-family-community partnership. 

• Increase social capital---Great book to read is Bowling Alone by Robert Putnam
• Make school the center for community activities
• The staff knows the community, networks with the community, and builds relationships
• Do asset building--"Protective Factors"--some great resources are Bonnie Bernard's book Resiliency, Stephen H. Glenn's book Raising Self-Reliant Children and the 40 Developmental Assets. 

The Teacher Factor

The teacher is the most important school-related factor for student achievement, especially for minority and low income students. 

The following are factors supported by research to consider when hiring our Esperanza educators:
#1:  Ethnicity of teacher:  What are the advantages of Hispanic teachers?  What are some barriers Hispanic teachers face?  George Monsivais has some great research to consider.  According to Dr. Martin Haberman white teachers can be effective with students of color --its the characteristics, not race, that makes them effective. 
#2:  Authentic caring relationships:  The importance of "confianza" and "respeto"
#3:  High expectations:  Never quitting until all children learn
#4:  "Warm demander"
#5:  Coach students with goal setting:  The book by Joachim Posada
#6:  Culturally responsive:  Teachers learn and use the teaching philosophy and methods that respect, value, and use strengths of culture and language
#7:  Professional development:  Collaboration and training
#8:  Rarely absent or tardy:  Research has shown that students who have teachers who are rarely absent or tardy have higher academic achievement.  Yet, teachers in schools with a high percentage of minority and/or low income students have a higher absent and tardy rate. 

School Factors #2

Please comment on how we can address at Esperanza the following school factors that affect achievement, especially for our Hispanic learners.

Factor #8: Reciprocal relationships/"family ethos": Research has shown this is even more important for Hispanic learners and their families. A great resource on the importance of and how to create a caring school environment is Nel Noddings.

Factor #9: High expectations: All students need to receive a gifted/talented curriculum and instruction. Ron Clark, a nationally known excellent teacher, suggests that we teach to the highest level students and scaffold the others.

Factor #10: Summer loss: We can address this not only with finding ways to get our Esperanza scholars to read during the summer but also through enticing after school programs, longer days, and Saturday classes.

Factor #11: Content is presented in a thematic manner

Factor #12: Whole language literacy approach and explicit vocabulary development

Factor #13: Identifiable learning priorities: Some great resources for this are the books Focus, Results Now, Champion Teachers, and Molasses Classes.

Factor #14: Peer tutoring: Latinos in Action is a great program to involve with Esperanza.

The Benefits of Coaching

I read the the October 2011 issue of Educational Leadership from ASCD a couple of days ago. The theme of this issue is "Coaching--The New Leadership Skill." In the opening Marge Scherer, the Editor in Chief, states, " The aim of coaching is to get educators to reflect and improve on their theory and practice...and to be open to change their minds." She then states that the authors of the articles in this edition show us that coaching can do the following:

• Boost teacher effectiveness
• Enhance student learning
• Deepen subject expertise
• Improve staff relationships

Because coaching can be so beneficial it is important for all of us at Esperanza (not just the principal) to learn how to be excellent and effective coaches.

Effective 21st-Century Educator

One of the articles in the email I received from NAESP (National Assn. for Elementary School Principals) this morning was "Five Characteristics of an effective 21st-century educator." The premise of this article was that not only do we need to prepare student to compete in a global economy but we need educators who can be effective in this century.

The Five Characteristics noted:

1. Anticipate the future: Prepare students for the world in which they will live, not the current world.
2. Is a lifelong learner: Embraces change and is willing to learn from colleagues and students
3. Fosters peer relationships: In this technology-driven era, it is more critical than ever than educators foster relationships with and between students so students can be effective in the workplace and fulfilled in their lives.
4. Can teach and assess all levels of learners: It is important that educators have the same 21st-century skills that the students are expected to have.
5. Is able to discern effective vs. non-effective technology: Technologies can help students learn more and faster but technologies also hold the potential for non-productive use if not used properly.

Win-Win

I've been reading the September 2011 edition of Educational Leadership. The theme for this edition is "Promoting Respectful Schools." One article I particularly enjoyed was "What's So Hard About Win-Win?" by Jane Bluestein. Not only does a win-win environment protects everyone's need for dignity, belonging, and respect but it also fosters academic success.

Although some feel that creating a win-win environment is permissiveness and dumbing down the curriculum, it is actually contrary to that. Teachers work hard to challenge all students appropriately. Failings are seen as opportunities to build responsibility and teach positive behaviors so that students can learn self-management and self-control.

It's important to remember that win-win thinking happens slowly and quietly. The following are some ways to start creating a win-win environment:

• Offer choices--when, where, social preference, and/or medium of presentation
• Focus on positive consequences-- as negative consequences, even if they are logical and reasonable, have punitive energy
• Communicate details as clearly and specifically as possible
• Respond to conflict nonreactively--don't take confrontations personally
• Build relationships with parents--contact them regularly about positive behavior or progress and when contacting them about something negative when possible only let them know what is going on and how it is being handled
• Follow-through

Creating a win-win environment complements the Glasser quality school we want as a foundation for Esperanza.

Creating a Safe Environment at Esperanza

An article titled New rules, new administrator help curb Kearns gang problems posted on KSL.com's website yesterday gave me some more food for thought concerning safety at Esperanza.

I feel a safe school is a high priority. Some ways we can build that safe environment at Esperanza are:

• Have a dress code for uniforms that we enforce


• Be the most "inviting" place in town


• Have every staff person (and parent) commit to knowing the name of every student in the school


• Focus on building and nourishing relationships with colleagues, students, parents, and community members


• Do whatever it takes for every student to experience success and build on that success.


• Involve all Esperanza stakeholders in such a way that they feel Esperanza is their school.


• Encourage and teach all staff members how to be "warm demanders."


• Be fair--not equal


• Use suspension as a consequence only as a last resort

The bottom line is that we want to keep on teaching ALL students not only for the students' benefit but our community needs well-disciplined and educated citizens if it is to grow and flourish.