Handy Man

Our dishwasher quit working in mid-January.  It was a fifteen year old kitchen appliance, so it came as no surprise that it died, but there's never really a good time for any kitchen appliance to die.  As you know or can probably imagine, this did not come as welcome news for our family of six.  So now it was time to find a new one. Quickly.  We did all the research online and went and touched a few in the big box stores.  When we'd finally decided on one, and when a good deal came along, we took the plunge.  We had to wait a week until the store received it from the manufacturer, and it was another week before I could arrange to go get it from the store.

But then it was finally time to remove our old dishwasher.  And yes, I'm a guy who reads the instructions.  Usually.

Step one was something about getting the dishwasher away from the wall.  Apparently dishwashers are attached to the countertop with screws, and if you just try to yank it out, you'll rip a bunch of decent-sized chunks off your countertop. Just FYI.

Step two was regarding disconnecting the water line.  After I unhooked the copper water pipe from the old dishwasher, I turned off the water supply.  Yes I did it in that ridiculous and backwards order.

So now I'm all wet and I've wrecked the countertop.  I was into it an hour already and I was kinda done with step two out of thirty-eight.  I hadn't even touched the new dishwasher.  It was still in the box!

Over the next two days, I made four separate trips to the hardware store to buy some incorrect parts and a couple tools that I'll probably never use again.  That new dishwasher sat in our kitchen for another TWO WEEKS just tormenting us.  Then Jill finally came to me and asked if she could call a friend of mine to come over and "have a look at it."  WOW.   It's pretty bad when your wife calls your friend over to fix your mess.  But in all actuality, it's a good thing she did because if she hadn't, I know it would still be sitting there, and Sam at Lake Ann Hardware would still be trying to explain to me how to hard wire it, or how to use a copper pipe cutter, or how to create an air gap.

The purpose of me telling you this story is not to share with you that I'm not that good at plumbing.  Actually, it's to tell you that I'm not that good at most home repair tasks yet.  I'm sure you noticed the key word at the end of the previous sentence.  The operative word was "yet."  If I had just said that I wasn't very good, then I would likely just go on believing that I'll never be able to fix stuff around the house.  That would indicate a fixed mindset, and it would end up being a self-fulfilling statement.  I would never get much better.  But the truth is, if I keep working at it, I will get better.  That is a growth mindset oriented statement.

Knowing my areas of deficiencies and shortcomings can actually be more valuable than knowing my areas of strength, that is, if I'm willing to work on them.


Next Week at a Glance:

Monday 2/24: 6th Grade OM 2:30-5:00; 5th/6th Grade Volleyball 7:00-8:30
Tuesday 2/25: 6th Grade OM 2:30-5:00; 6th Grade Martial Arts 2:30-3:30; 5th/6th Grade Volleyball 7:00-8:30
Wednesday 2/26: Odyssey of the Mind Assembly 1:30-2:00; 6th Grade Band Concert 7:00-8:30pm
Friday 2/28: School Newsletter and March Breakfast and Lunch Menus; Popcorn!

Articles you should read today:
Only teachers really know what teachers do - Washington Post and Sarah Blaine's blog, parentingthecore

8 Great thoughts that'll get you going -marc and angel's practical tips for productive living

Videos you should watch today:

You can do whatever you have a passion for

Dog, Baby, Bubbles = can't stop laughing

Growth Mindset

Platte River Elementary teaching staff participated in our fifth day of Professional Development of the 13-14 school year on Friday, Valentines Day, at Lake Ann Elementary.  Before beginning our discussion about the topic of the session, Instructional and Observational Rounds, facilitator Cathy Meyer-Looze took a few minutes to lead us in a discussion about the power and benefits of possessing a growth mindset.

A growth mindset is holding onto the belief that we all, through persistence, are capable of learning and developing intelligence in limitless ways as we go through our lives.  A person with a fixed mindset believes the opposite: that people are born with a fixed set of abilities, with little or no chance to become "smarter."  Someone with a fixed mindset tries to appear smart, avoids challenges, and ignores criticism.  A great litmus test on our own belief is in our response to failure.  It can reveal our mindset.  Do you fear failure, set up defenses, or give up easily?  Or do you expect and then accept challenges, persist, and carry on in your efforts again and again until you experience success?

The truth is, we are all capable of much more than we ever give ourselves credit for.  Brain research is finding that simply teaching kids about the Growth Mindset will set them on a path of success:

In 2007, researchers from Stanford University divided students into two groups for a workshop on the brain and study skills. Half of them, the control group, were taught about the stages of memory; the other half received training in the growth mindset (how the brain grows with learning to make you smarter) and how to apply this idea to their schoolwork. Three times as many students in the growth mindset group showed an increase in effort and engagement compared with the control group. After the training, the control group continued to show declining grades, but the growth-mindset group showed a clear rebound in their grades. Click here to read the full journal article from Stanford University

These concepts are based on the work by researcher and author Carol Dweck.  In her book, Mindset, she writes, "The View you adopt for yourself profoundly affects the way you lead your life.  It can determine whether you become the person you want to be and whether you accomplish the things you value."

The Growth Mindset is about approaching failure as a place of learning instead of viewing it as sticking point or as an end. We simply must, in our profession of education, believe that intelligence can be developed, changing constantly in life.  We must cultivate a growth mindset within ourselves and within our students.

Articles you should read today

What Students Remember Most About Teachers - An excellent read. by Lori Gard

Will we break the record for coldest winter in Michigan history? - Mlive article





2014 Bridge Report - Bridge Magazine
Benzie Central is among the Top 3 Rural Public School Districts, getting more out of our students than comparable schools across the entire state of Michigan.

8 Ways Happy People Start off their morning - Marc and Angel's Blog

Videos You Should Watch Today

Olympics Commercial "Thanks Mom!"

This is what it would feel like if you ever break a world record after years of commitment and believing you CAN.

Decision Making

We've all heard the term, "data-driven" as it pertains to schools making decisions.  Data are concrete, measured, pieces of information.  Schools are using data with increasing frequency.  And rightfully so.  It's important to collect and to track a number of different data points in order to guide a range of decisions to help improve the success of students and schools.  Data offer that clarity amidst a cloud of so much subjective information that swirls around every issue. So whether we're talking about our reading interventions, our positive behavior supports, or making decisions about adopting a new reading series or a new piece of technology, at the center of every conversation is one question:

"What does the data suggest?"

But we ask this question as if the data were actually going to make the decision for us.   Data are just numbers, values, and calculations.  Data are important, no doubt, and there's no way that we are going back to making decisions without it.  However, data are just pieces in the decision-making process.

Our conversations should begin with the data, but our students are not numbers, values, and calculations. They are a collection of experiences.  They have good days and bad days.  They all have unique strengths and preferred learning styles.  Teachers take these subjective variables into account in addition to any data with which they're presented.

In the end, professional teachers, who know about learning, are the decision makers.  They gather the data to discuss it, discern it, and extrapolate meaning from it.  We use data to help us make decisions. 
 
I've recently heard the term, "Data-Informed," and I think it more accurately and appropriately describes how we treat and use data.  We educators use data to inform us as we make decisions.  I think this is more than just a matter of semantics.  Rather, it's a mind-shift.  It allows us to accept and trust the use of data, to collect reliable data, and truly dive into it, in the process of decision-making, all without feeling like our own subjective human input is going to be somehow discounted.  So let's be data-informed when making important decisions for our students.


Last Week at Platte River Elementary
Monday morning, Mrs. Rosa's students were all engaged in their fun and interactive lesson about the brain.

On Tuesday, Mr. Graetz joined Mrs. Vanderlinde at Camp Hayo-went-ha on Torch Lake for fifth grade camp.  We went down the zipline, snow-shoed, played games, had a campfire in the snow, and generally wore ourselves out.

On Wednesday, many staff were involved in meetings throughout the day.  Meetings are time consuming, yet incredibly beneficial in serving the students and families of our community.

Thursday was bitter cold and snowy, which means...INDOOR RECESS.  Some kids chose to play basketball in the gym instead of games in the classrooms.  What a great way to burn off some energy.

Next Week at Platte River Elementary
Staff will spend two days (Wed and Thurs) using data from multiple assessments to make informed decisions about how we can provide reading and/or math interventions to increase proficiencies in those areas.

There is no school on Friday, Valentines Day, as teachers will be involved in Professional Development at Lake Ann Elementary.

Our 6th graders have an opportunity to join in a new program, Martial Arts, beginning on Tuesday, February 11 after school from 2:30-3:30.  See Ms. Wynkoop for more information.

As a reminder, there is a full school day scheduled for Monday, February 17th.


Articles You Should Read Today

Love Ninja! Glennon Doyle Melton

8 Things we do as educators even though we know better... Justin Tarte


Videos You Should Watch Today
 

Play of the Year: Middle School Football Players

Johnny Carson: 3rd Grade Wisdom

Since we're on the topic of the 80s...this is so RAD!