Last night we watched The Music Man. In spite of the fact that the movie is almost 50 years old, it is still a great movie and the music is delightful. Even more important Professor Harold Hill teaches the timeless principle about how powerful our thoughts are with his "think system." Hill doesn't even know how powerful the system is until the end of the movie. Needless to say, in real life the boys may not have been able to play the instruments without any actual practice but even with practice thoughts contribute to ability.
We can teach our Esperanza scholars to use the think system to help them achieve in any academic discipline. Just like Hill hummed the tune and taught the boys to hum the tune they were going to eventually play we can help direct the thoughts of our scholars by helping them to see the final product and continually keep that picture in front of them. This is similar to staying focused on a vision.
Thursday, July 14, 2011
Wednesday, July 13, 2011
Stepping Out of a Comfort Zone
I had two experiences yesterday that reminded me how valuable it is to stretch and step out of a comfort zone. First, I finished reading Fablehaven by Brandon Mull. Fantasy is not one of my favorite genres so I had resisted reading this book. I was pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed it! It changed my attitude about fantasy books, and I will probably read the rest of the series.
The second experience was having lunch with a dear friend and former DIA colleague, Angela Fanjul, at O' Falafel which is a Mediterranean restaurant. I had never been to this restaurant (although it was only a block away from my house!) and almost everything on the menu was foreign to me so finally Angela and I decided to share an 8 choice sampler. What a delight! I found delicious foods that were unknown to me before this experience.
Not only do we need to encourage our Esperanza scholars to stretch outside of their comfort zones but we as educators need to set the example.
The second experience was having lunch with a dear friend and former DIA colleague, Angela Fanjul, at O' Falafel which is a Mediterranean restaurant. I had never been to this restaurant (although it was only a block away from my house!) and almost everything on the menu was foreign to me so finally Angela and I decided to share an 8 choice sampler. What a delight! I found delicious foods that were unknown to me before this experience.
Not only do we need to encourage our Esperanza scholars to stretch outside of their comfort zones but we as educators need to set the example.
Tuesday, July 12, 2011
Leadership In Spite of Others
Joan of Arc to a general: "I will lead the men over the wall."
General: "Not a man will follow you."
Joan of Arc: "I won't be looking back to see if they're following me."
Joan of Arc understood that the number of people following her did not define her mission or her leadership to accomplish that mission. Relying on the opinions of others and/or their support limits us.
Yesterday for Family Home Evening I read a BYU Devotional talk by Adrian Van Mondfrans that he gave on June 1, 1982 called "Becoming Men and Women of Principle." I feel strongly that the leaders I want to follow and the leader I want to become needs to be a person of principle. This requires developing good characteristics. Mondfrans suggested the following steps to acquire good characteristics:
Step 1: Read about the characteristic I want to develop. Ponder on it to gain greater understanding.
Step 2: Make the commitment to do it--over and over. Be stalwart, not easily discouraged. Don't make excuses for failures.
Step 3: Pay the price. There will be distractors because opposition is real.
Some distractors will be people who are not supportive as well as some who are critical of the leadership. At these times it is helpful to remember the words of Eleanor Roosevelt, "No one can make you feel inferior without your consent." The words, "Great spirits have always encountered violent opposition from mediocre minds, from Albert Einstein can also be helpful.
Monday, July 11, 2011
The Value of Spanish
What countries have the largest Spanish speaking population?
1. Mexico 106,682,500
2. Spain 45,200,745
3. Colombia 44,087,000
4. Argentina 40,677,348
5. The United States 34,000,000 - 40,000,000
It is amazing that the U.S. has the 5th largest Hispanic population when there are many other countries that are Spanish speaking countries. This statistic demonstrates how valuable Spanish is to our Esperanza students, whether as a 1st language, 2nd language, or even 3rd language. Also, the fact that Spanish is spoken more in the world than English is another reason why learning Spanish can be extremely valuable.
Top 10 Most Spoken World Languages
10. German
9. Japanese
8. Russian
7. Portuguese
6. Bengali
5. Hindi
4. Arabic
3. English
2. Spanish
1. Chinese
1. Mexico 106,682,500
2. Spain 45,200,745
3. Colombia 44,087,000
4. Argentina 40,677,348
5. The United States 34,000,000 - 40,000,000
It is amazing that the U.S. has the 5th largest Hispanic population when there are many other countries that are Spanish speaking countries. This statistic demonstrates how valuable Spanish is to our Esperanza students, whether as a 1st language, 2nd language, or even 3rd language. Also, the fact that Spanish is spoken more in the world than English is another reason why learning Spanish can be extremely valuable.
Top 10 Most Spoken World Languages
10. German
9. Japanese
8. Russian
7. Portuguese
6. Bengali
5. Hindi
4. Arabic
3. English
2. Spanish
1. Chinese
Sunday, July 10, 2011
Giving AND Receiving
This morning I listened to the BYU Devotional talk recently given by Kent Jackson. It made me think about how important it is to give Esperanza stakeholders opportunities to receive as well as to give.
Jackson said that as a young adult working with friends away from home, people from his church would offer them home-cooked meals but they refused the service. “We always turned them down,” Jackson said. “… You see we turned them down because we thought it was the noble thing to do as we could take care of ourselves and we didn’t want to inconvenience anyone.” As he reflected on the moment years later, Jackson said he realized he was making a mistake and was being prideful.
Jackson shared another experience where he had been taught the importance of being able to receive kindness and service, including the memory of a thoughtful boy in Turkey. He had been on a bus waiting with fellow American tourists when a local boy boarded to hand out sweet cucumbers as a gift of hospitality. After the boy had given out the cucumbers, someone offered him money, which he refused.
“The American became insistent and eventually stuffed some money into the boy’s pocket, much to the boy’s embarrassment and dismay,” he said. “As he tried to escape to the front of the bus, others followed suit, putting money in his pockets or throwing it in his box. As he made his way to the front exit, his expression changed from happiness to disappointment to embarrassment to sadness. By the time he arrived at the front, he was in tears.”
Jackson described the boy as being deeply hurt. “His act of love had been prostituted into an act of business,” he said. “But the people on the bus—all fine people—felt good about themselves; they felt justified. Someone had provided them with a service, for which they needed to pay. They had paid their own way, and they didn’t want to owe anything to anybody.”
Too often we want to give the impression that we don’t need any help. Having this attitude is an expression of pride. Others have knowledge and abilities that can make a huge difference for us. In other words, we need to be humble and receive the “invitations” and “gifts” others offer us. People want to know that they are needed and have something of value to give. Feeling that one has something that can benefit others can do more for self-esteem than constantly being on the receiving end. Therefore, at Esperanza we want to be able to constantly think of ways we can give colleagues, parents, students, and other Esperanza stakeholders opportunities to give AND receive in authentic ways.
Jackson said that as a young adult working with friends away from home, people from his church would offer them home-cooked meals but they refused the service. “We always turned them down,” Jackson said. “… You see we turned them down because we thought it was the noble thing to do as we could take care of ourselves and we didn’t want to inconvenience anyone.” As he reflected on the moment years later, Jackson said he realized he was making a mistake and was being prideful.
Jackson shared another experience where he had been taught the importance of being able to receive kindness and service, including the memory of a thoughtful boy in Turkey. He had been on a bus waiting with fellow American tourists when a local boy boarded to hand out sweet cucumbers as a gift of hospitality. After the boy had given out the cucumbers, someone offered him money, which he refused.
“The American became insistent and eventually stuffed some money into the boy’s pocket, much to the boy’s embarrassment and dismay,” he said. “As he tried to escape to the front of the bus, others followed suit, putting money in his pockets or throwing it in his box. As he made his way to the front exit, his expression changed from happiness to disappointment to embarrassment to sadness. By the time he arrived at the front, he was in tears.”
Jackson described the boy as being deeply hurt. “His act of love had been prostituted into an act of business,” he said. “But the people on the bus—all fine people—felt good about themselves; they felt justified. Someone had provided them with a service, for which they needed to pay. They had paid their own way, and they didn’t want to owe anything to anybody.”
Too often we want to give the impression that we don’t need any help. Having this attitude is an expression of pride. Others have knowledge and abilities that can make a huge difference for us. In other words, we need to be humble and receive the “invitations” and “gifts” others offer us. People want to know that they are needed and have something of value to give. Feeling that one has something that can benefit others can do more for self-esteem than constantly being on the receiving end. Therefore, at Esperanza we want to be able to constantly think of ways we can give colleagues, parents, students, and other Esperanza stakeholders opportunities to give AND receive in authentic ways.
Saturday, July 9, 2011
Betty Ford Had Her Brand
Listening to responses to Betty Ford's death yesterday at the age of 93 is a reminder that each of us can develop a personal brand--what we are known for.
I recently finished reading a book How to Say It: Be Indispensable at Work. There is a chapter focused on the personal brands we would be wise to develop if we want to get noticed, get hired, and get ahead. These brands are what I would hope each Esperanza educator would develop. Some of them are:
I recently finished reading a book How to Say It: Be Indispensable at Work. There is a chapter focused on the personal brands we would be wise to develop if we want to get noticed, get hired, and get ahead. These brands are what I would hope each Esperanza educator would develop. Some of them are:
- Be the Eternally Brand-New Brand: Keep up with the latest developments in education and think of ways to apply them.
- Be the Problem-Solver Brand: Take the initiative to find solutions to problems. Also, avoid being a high maintenance employee--one who is a constant complainer and/or one who requires constant supervision and instruction. In other words, be a problem solver rather than a problem maker.
- Be the Clutch Brand: Be committed to being one who does whatever it takes to meet deadlines and brings the work in on time--consistently. If there is an unavoidable "glitch" offer explanations rather than excuses.
These are only three of the brands that the author mentions but committing to these three will be a great start to making Esperanza a quality school.
Friday, July 8, 2011
Benefits of Membership in Professional Organizations
I recently joined ASCD (formerly Assn. of Supervisory and Curriculum Development). A couple of days ago I received the May 2011 edition of its publication, Educational Leadership. The theme of this edition is school, family, and community partnerships. The articles were excellent! The timing couldn't have been better since Carmen Thompson--one of our Esperanza Board members-- and I are going to be meeting soon about this very topic for Esperanza.
As I ponder on this whole experience a few things come to mind. First, just like any other profession, it is important for our Esperanza educators to belong to professional organizations and read their literature...and even attend conferences and participate in the organization when feasible. It helps us stay on top of what is happening in our profession. We wouldn't want to go to a doctor, dentist, lawyer, etc. who wasn't aware of the latest research. Second, I am amazed that when we have a focused goal how many serendipitous experiences occur. If we didn't have an Esperanza focused goal to be a Community Learning School I'm not sure this recent publication would have caught my attention--at least, not to the degree it did. Third, it is important to share what we learn so we will remember it better. Therefore, not only will Carmen and I be discussing this but I'll make copies of 3 articles from the publication (the allowable amount) to give to our future Esperanza educators. Fourth, a professional publication such as this can lead to more people, books, and other resources that can benefit us.
Obviously educators are extremely busy but it is well worth it to glean from professional organizations.
As I ponder on this whole experience a few things come to mind. First, just like any other profession, it is important for our Esperanza educators to belong to professional organizations and read their literature...and even attend conferences and participate in the organization when feasible. It helps us stay on top of what is happening in our profession. We wouldn't want to go to a doctor, dentist, lawyer, etc. who wasn't aware of the latest research. Second, I am amazed that when we have a focused goal how many serendipitous experiences occur. If we didn't have an Esperanza focused goal to be a Community Learning School I'm not sure this recent publication would have caught my attention--at least, not to the degree it did. Third, it is important to share what we learn so we will remember it better. Therefore, not only will Carmen and I be discussing this but I'll make copies of 3 articles from the publication (the allowable amount) to give to our future Esperanza educators. Fourth, a professional publication such as this can lead to more people, books, and other resources that can benefit us.
Obviously educators are extremely busy but it is well worth it to glean from professional organizations.
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