There are SO MANY special things about the Los Altos School District!  I say this having seen a great many places of learning over the years. One factor that contributes to the greatness of this organization is the staff.  This includes our certificated teaching staff, our classified staff that help us run our schools, and the administrative team that provides leadership across the district.

Over the past month, many of our teachers have partaken in a “Crowdsourcing of LASD Learning Principles” challenge via Twitter.  If you follow Almond, or any schools in LASD, you’ve probably seen the flurry of activity with various hashtags.  LASD Learning Principles?  What are those?  They are our guideposts in regards to HOW we design learning and include the following:  Connect Experiences, Personalize Learning, Nurture a Growth Mindset, Process & Outcome, Empower Students, Leverage Technology, and Act Now.

I highlight these Learning Principles for two very specific reasons today; to share with you some great news about the Almond and LASD Teacher of the Year (TOY), and to frame our thinking around the upcoming Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium (SBAC) standardized test.

Each school in LASD just underwent a process to nominate and select a site Teacher of the Year (TOY).  The purpose is to recognize, honor and celebrate the excellence in teaching taking place in the classrooms throughout the Los Altos School District.  

Our Almond TOY for this year is SAMANTHA NGUYEN.  She was selected by her peers and truly exemplifies each and every LASD Learning Principle above.  She grounds student learning in real life application, tailors learning to the needs and interests of her students, encourages them to put forward their best effort in growing their brains and developing various talents, focuses on how things are done and not just the end product, follows the lead of her students by honoring their voices, integrates technology as a tool to enhance learning, and is making all of this happen right now, each and every day.

Mrs. Nguyen, we are so proud of you, and honored that in addition to being the Almond TOY you are also this year’s LASD Teacher of the Year!!!!

Now...onto a different topic, yet one that still connects back to our Learning Principles.

About a week and a half after returning from Spring Break, students in grades 3-6 will participate in the Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium California state testing (SBAC).  

What does SBAC have to do with our Learning Principles.  In LASD, we believe there to be equal value in PROCESS & OUTCOME.  The outcome, or results, of the forthcoming SBAC will be one single indicator of a student’s (and also our school’s) academic achievement.  To have a more comprehensive picture of what a child does know and what a child still needs to master, multiple measures are critical.  Furthermore, while data does paint a picture, to have a crystal clear image, more needs to be considered.  How does a child problem solve?  How does a child cooperate with others?  How does a child lead his or her peers through a project?  How does a child persevere in difficult situations?  These HOW questions have as much, or more value, than any one score.   Insight into process is critical and in the coming months you will be hearing more about LASD’s efforts to communicate this growth in learning.

*Here are some specifics about the SBAC:

• The SBAC replaces the STAR test and is completely online for English-Language Arts and Math.
• The California Standards Test (CST) in Science will still be administered in paper/pencil format to 5th and 8th graders across the state, including here in Los Altos. 
• Our students in grades 3-6 last year took the pilot version of this test. We did not receive any results from that test; rather, it was to help us understand how the online test environment would function and what infrastructure we would need to support online testing. 
• This year both parents and the school/district will receive test results. Since the testing format is very different from the previous STAR test, it will take time to analyze and understand the information we receive.
• This test has extensive open response questions, writing, math problem-solving (not choosing answers from a list), and performance tasks that build off a classroom activity prior to the test. In short, it is a much better test — though not perfect by any means. 
• Teachers have begun providing practice for students in how to access the test online and operate within the online testing environment. However, our job as educators (and yours as parents) is NOT to prep students for this test. Our job is to provide practice within the testing environment, while also delivering 180 days of quality, robust instruction that will allow our students to demonstrate their knowledge, competence and passion in a variety of ways — including this assessment tool. 
• Our active testing window for ELA and Math will be 4/20 - 5/1.  Testing for science will take place between 5/11-5/15.  We will publish specific dates when we return from Spring Break.

*This section adapted with permission from Katie Kinneman at Gardner Bullis.

Parents, please support your children and our school in living one of the specific initials in the SBAC acronym - BALANCED!  We have been teaching to the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) which is what the tests will measure regarding progress.  We want students exposed to the testing environment and will be thoughtful in not being overzealous with test preparation.  This is one single opportunity for our students to show what they know. We will maintain a balanced approach that maintains a focus on what is best for our students and we will constantly strive to look at the whole child through a wide viewfinder that considers many angles.

In closing, I wish you all a wonderful spring break and will see you again on Monday, April 13th!

Almost every week the Benadom Family has Friday Pizza & Movie Night.  Sometimes we make everything from scratch and use all sorts of different fresh toppings, at times we let Trader Joe’s give us a head start with the dough, or we might order take out, stop in at Willow’s downtown, and we have even been known to bake a frozen version.  For many, many years the movies consisted of animated characters.  For a while we were tortured with every Barbie feature that has ever been released.  Then came the TinkerBell series, which I secretly loved! (Shhh, don’t let anyone know that I wish there really were fairies and pixie dust.)  Over the last year though we’ve tipped the scale into movies that have human characters and at times sophisticated plot lines. 

A couple of weeks ago the girls wanted to watch Big Hero 6.  While initially I wasn’t excited to step back into the animated world, I thoroughly enjoyed it .  As usual, LASD and Almond invaded my thoughts throughout the film.  There’s a scene where Hero learns about how his brother built Baymax.  It took him 80 plus prototypes to finally create a robot that was a “personal healthcare companion.” And…at a pivotal moment when Hero and his team are fighting against the villain and his millions of microbots, there is a line in the movie that I’ve had running in my head for the last several weeks, “Use those big brains of yours to think your way around the problem!”

As I walked through the filled multi last night at the STEM Expo, all the dots connected.  Each and every student who submitted an entry was a HERO!  They sought an answer to a problem, experimented with solutions, overcame adversity, persevered throughout the process, and communicated their findings and learning.

There were projects to catch mail thieves, ones that harnessed pedal power to generate electricity, LED bookmarks, an automatic fish feeder, the dismantling of a computer by a 5 year old, robots galore, and projects that referenced electrostatic precipitators and more.  The artifacts themselves though weren’t the most amazing part.  I listened to a conversation between one of our 6^th graders and an LASD board member that was of the caliber you would hear in a Stanford research lab.  I heard a 2^nd grader share how circuits function to power a light switch.  Some 5^th graders explained that while lemonade becomes sweeter with sugar, the acidity levels do not change.  And, another 5^th grader has the starting design for goggles that will automatically count swimming laps for exercise (can’t wait for that one to hit the market). 

The most priceless quote of the evening however was from a young lady who explained, “I was wrong, and I know why.”  It’s hard enough for an adult say those words, let alone an 11 year old.  She explained to me that her hypothesis had a misconception that was revealed through the experiment.

Last night embodied the magic that comes from innovation, and I’m not simply referring to the creations from our children.  For a very many years we ran a traditional science fair that was focused on upper grade students.  This year, that critical scientific process still remained an element, but was now one of 6 categories.  In addition, the participant pool expanded to include any child, regardless of grade.    And finally, with the transformation of the judging process into one that focused on interviewing scientists and engineers about their work, children took incredible risks and shined brightly.

I saw students beaming with pride as they explained their work to passersby.  I watched smiles stretch from ear to ear as the positive comments were read about their work.  The genuine and truly authentic interest that our parent community exuded while marveling at the brilliance of our children made a very long day worth every single minute.

Thank you LAEF for making our STEM program and this night possible!  Thank you Mrs. Leach, Mr. Stuart, Ms. Ohlund, and every staff member who dedicated hours of service and encouragement to our children.  Thank you to our parent coordinators, Shezadi Merchant and Namrita Chettiar, and to every parent who volunteered to interview students, set up tables, boards, and break down everything for the event.

Here’s to nurturing a generation that uses their brains to find ways around problems!

On 3/25 (next Wednesday), we have a PTA general meeting in the library.  Our PTA is an integral component of our school community.  This organization is comprised of members who dedicate their time to making Almond an amazing place.  

In preparation for today’s message, I poked around the PTA website to learn a bit more about this great organization.  In doing so, the mission section caught my attention.  The “overall purpose of PTA is to make every child’s potential a reality by engaging and empowering families and communities to advocate for all children.”  Among some of the values listed, one in particular stood out - “Inclusivity: We invite the stranger and welcome the newcomer. We value and seek input from as wide a spectrum of viewpoints and experiences as possible.”

Eleven members are volunteers that serve in a special capacity as Executive Board Members.  It has been a privilege to work with the existing board on a monthly basis.  As a result, some incredible events have brought us together as a community and beneficial resources are in the hands of our students and staff to propel learning.

At the upcoming meeting, the 2015-16 Almond PTA Executive Board slate will be voted upon.  

President-Margaret Barnett, Executive VP-Jon Meyer,  VP Technology-Leon Yao,  VP Membership-Jessica Chang, VP Communication-Sandrine Steciw, Secretary-Karen Border, Treasurer-Darrell Hoff, Financial Secretary-Lillian Stadler, Historian-Joe Chan, Parliamentarian-Luisa Smith, Auditor-Kristina Wolcott.

One particular name that might have caught your attention is one of our very own teachers, Mr. Chan.  He has been nominated in the role of Historian.  

I am very proud to be a part of a Parent Teacher Association that honors the aforementioned tenets through action.  On a monthly basis, Mr. Chan will join the round table discussions (even though it’s actually a rectangular conference table) regarding how the school and parent community are working together to support a variety of initiatives.  This mirrors two LASD practices that include teachers in building vision and goals:  the inclusion of a teacher representative (LATA president) at weekly Administrative Council meetings and involving parents, teachers, and administrators in district Curriculum Council meetings.

If you are a PTA member and you have never come to a PTA general meeting (or maybe just haven’t made it to one this year), come to this meeting and experience history in the making!

At the Principal Coffee that follows, I will share information about the SBAC assessments for 3rd - 6th graders coming in April.

My mind constantly visualizes words and images.  Currently, two particular words are dancing around in my head:  multiply and coalesce.  Each of these is bathed in light and they are glowing.

Multiply:  (v) increase or cause to increase greatly in number or quantity.

Coalesce: (v) come together to form a whole.

A year and a half ago, at an onboarding meeting with Mr. Baier (our superintendent), he handed me a book, “The Multiplier Effect.”  He emphasized that each person in our organization contains brilliance and that as leaders, our responsibility is to forge pathways to allow genius to multiply.  A person’s role or job title doesn’t matter.  Light comes from each and every one of us: students, parents, and staff.  Our aim should be to fuel the fire, not stifle it.

This week, I have watched these two words come alive and spring into action.

Our multi and STEM lab were packed last night for Science Family Night.  Two parent leaders, Bronwyn O’Malley and Yumi Clark, made the night possible. These amazing women had a vision, were trusted and supported to deliver on it, coordinated volunteers, and the outcome was INCREDIBLE!  Throughout the evening, students and parents partook in fun around various scientific principles and participants didn’t hold back in communicating their appreciation of this event.

As an Almond staff, we had a phenomenal staff gathering yesterday during which the 3rd grade team (Martinez, Reilly, Uhm, Wishnack) shared their learning around how to utilize math games to differentiate learning and provide practice opportunities to increase automaticity.  The Almond leadership team (Schubert-TK, Powell-K, Reeves-1, Conlon-2, Wishnack-3, Daggett-4, Nguyen-5, Stuart-6, Leach-STEM, Clouser-Psychologist) then guided the staff through a consensus building process to further focus our work in pursuit of personalizing learning for children.  

At the district level, a team of dynamic individuals (administrators, teachers, and support staff) have been dedicating tremendous collaboration energy to designing a valuable professional development experience for our teachers on March 19th.  The depth of conversations has been unparalleled and the creativity that has resounded - truly inspiring.

In each of these moments, I’ve watched light emanate and I’ve basked in it.  The glow of the light from others energizes and fuels me.  As leaders, we don’t have to be the brightest light in the room.  In fact, our focus should not perseverate on our own light, nor on any single light.  Instead, our role is to coalesce the collective light that shines.  That luminescence contributes to our growth and progress.

Let’s amplify our light by unleashing brilliance in the journey to revolutionize learning for our children.

The Almond staff has come to learn that one of my favorite questions to ask is, “WHY?”  I have an insatiable curiosity to understand what is behind decisions that have brought us to our current practices, as well as those currently under consideration.

As a parent, I treasured those early years in my girls’ lives when I was incessantly asked WHY.  No really, I did!  Even at my most tired and exhausted, whenever I was asked WHY, I would do my very best to provide an answer.  More often than not, it would inevitably lead to another why question.  When I ran out of responses, I would resort to, “What do YOU think?”  After all these years of honoring their curiosity, my daughters have developed their own thirst to understand the world around them.  Lucky for me ;-), I get to be the target of their inquiries whenever I respond to a request with a no.   I have committed to never responding, “Because I said so.”  If those words are to ever utter out of my mouth, I believe that I have a responsibility to reconsider my decision or to be truthful with the why.  We’ve had to agree to disagree on occasions, and I’ve had to get out of my comfort zone on a number of topics as well.  The pay off though is way worth it.  Hopefully these two little girls will grow up into curious, strong-minded women that positively contribute to the world.

In my professional role, it is I that ask why.  Typically, the answers contain thoughtful and insightful rationales that line up with what’s best for children.  Amidst the collection of validating reasons for why we do what we do, there has come a time when the response has been, “Because that’s what we’ve always done.”  To me, this is akin to the “Because I said so.”  Such a response doesn’t get to the crux of the initial why question.  So, I revise my question to be more specific.  “Why did we start doing x,y,z?  What was the initial purpose and is it still relevant?”  This permits us to either reaffirm a commitment to a practice, OR to realize that the initial need no longer exists, OR to reexamine a different way to fulfill a need.  In such cases a HOW question emerges from the initial WHY.

In the recent weeks, I’ve been asking all sorts of questions that span the gamut of academic and operational.  One specific question I recently asked was, “Why did a student get hurt today during lunch recess?”  This question lead to a follow up question of, “Do we have the necessary systems in place to ensure student safety?”  And another, “Does everyone know what those protocols and policies are?”  And finally, “Are we all consistently adhering to these practices?”

There is a fine balance between constructing an exhaustive list of rules that confine children in an effort to safeguard them from potential injury and - no rules at all.  We have general guidelines that we covered with students at the beginning of the school year which included things like:  going down the slide (not up), traveling one direction on the monkey bars, NOT running on the play structures, using equipment properly, making safe choices, solving problems, etc…  We will be revisiting these guidelines and are ordering poster sandwich boards for the blacktop to serve as visual reminders of these expectations.

During recess, we have teaching and support staff on the blacktop and field area supervising play.  In the kinder yard, we have 4 staff supporting positive student choices.  On the blacktop and grass area of our main campus we have four monitoring stations: lower blacktop, upper blacktop, grass, and a floater.  During lunch, we have six paid yard duty staff; 2 people are tasked with upper grade and 4 individuals support lower grade.  These staff members follow the students from the lunch tables to the play areas.  Each of them wears a neon vest to ensure visibility for students.  We are in the process of refining zones and reviewing expectations to ensure we are offering the best safety support possible.

As this WHY question has been asked, we have discovered a need to have a more effective communication system that permits multiple people to be aware of a concern at one time and to enable us to work more cohesively as a team.  We are working through the details of this need and look forward to implementing a solution quickly.

Know that this is just one of the why questions I have recently asked and that I ask WHY questions daily, and often many times a day.

I’d like to offer you some why questions to ponder.

• Why is it important for my child to be on time to school each and every day?
• Why is it necessary for my child to check in at the office when arriving late?
• Why should I call the attendance line when my child will not be coming to school?
• Why must I be courteous when I drive through the parking lot at arrival and dismissal?
• Why is it not okay for me to leave my vehicle in the fire lane even for just 5 minutes?
• Why do all visitors to Almond need to sign in regardless of the duration of the visit?
• Why can’t I ride my bike at warp speed through the middle of campus between the hours of 7:00am - 4:00pm?
• Why is it beneficial to my child for me to be involved at school?
• Why should I speak directly with my child’s teacher if I have a concern about his/her learning?
• Why might it be a healthy practice for me to approach potential school challenges from a solution-oriented mindset?

May these WHY questions (and those bouncing around in your own mind) fuel us with reminders, wisdom, and perhaps even more questions to ultimately result in the best learning experiences for our children.

The following are not words any woman wants to hear as she leaves a salon, “I always tell my blondes that your hair will look a bit grey for a few days...but it will wash out.”  Well, those were just the words I heard recently upon trying a new stylist in the area.  She wasn’t exaggerating!  My daughters added that it’s not only grey, but there are strands of white, and even iridescent lavender.  Uhm, NOT the look I was going for.  

Because I am a “silver lining” (excuse the pun) kind of person, I’m going to chalk it up to the channeling of my inner Lady Gaga and Katy Perry.  Nevertheless, I will not be returning for a second dose of this misfortune.  And, just for the record, that’s not why I’ve been out this week.  I was terribly under the weather and recovered just in time to spend a phenomenal day at the LASD iLearn Lab today planning with the Almond leadership team.

This recent color mishap has inspired today’s message and is dedicated to every young person approaching adolescence that is convinced when they walk out of the house with that pimple on their forehead, no one will see anything but that blemish.

Parents, do you recall the anguish of our younger years?  Perhaps it was the hole that you tore in your pants at an inopportune time?  Then again, maybe it was that food stain you garnered early on a day that you worked furiously to conceal for hours?  Or actually, was it that atrocious haircut (or perm) that didn’t go as you had planned?

Those of us who have made it to our mature ;-) ages have learned there’s a whole lot more to us than what’s on the outside.  A single imperfection occupies only a small spot of our surface area and doesn’t have the power change the amazing human being within.  As we build relationships with friends and colleagues, what is it that we value?  A sense of humor?  Intellect?  The ability to empathize and be compassionate?  Work ethic?  The list goes on...

As we educate our Almond students, it’s so much more than just about developing academic skills, it’s also about building self esteem and a sense of being.  Without a strong belief in ourselves, there’s no point to having a brain full of important information.  Both are needed to ultimately realize our dreams.

One of the ways that we nurture a strong sense of self is by providing students with numerous opportunities showcase their varied talents.  Think about it.  Do you recall a time when you shined or excelled at something and shared that with the world?  Remember that feeling of pride and accomplishment?  That feeling...right there...that got tucked away and stored into your sense of self.  This is just one way we build up our students; by allowing them to shine.  Some of us sparkle when we write, others when we demonstrate our physical capabilities, perhaps it’s the musical arena, or maybe even whipping up some culinary creation.

Here are some upcoming opportunities for our students to shine:  International Festival, Bookwave Blast, STEM Expo, Junior Olympics, LASD Film Festival, and the Almond School Musical.

Whatever it might be, shine, and SHINE BRIGHTLY!  Just as we did, our youngsters will learn that zits eventually go away and bad haircuts grow out.  What stays the course though is who we are as human beings and that is what the world needs to see.

Through the eyes of others…

Tomorrow, our staff will be celebrated for their awesomeness at the Friday Assembly. 

Without ruining the surprise, I have been so uplifted throughout this week as I’ve put together this small token of appreciation. The words of our children are priceless and have captured the essence of each person’s specialness. I’ve giggled, laughed uncontrollably, and my eyes have even moistened just a bit with tender emotion.

Thank you parents for taking the time to reflect on the extraordinariness (I think I just invented a word) of our Almond staff and for giving me the gift of seeing our remarkable school through their eyes.

They see beauty and magic!  My appreciation for this amazing place is at its highest peak.

Healthy organizations (and relationships ;-)) have an underpinning of effective communication practices that includes frequent, clear, and direct information.

 Almond has just added a new tool to its arsenal, a digital marquee.

 Join us this Friday, after the morning assembly, in the front of the school, for a ribbon cutting ceremony.

 Thank you Almond PTA for your generous support in making this happen!

Parents and Almond Staff:  I know you’ve felt it.  The glow initiates in your heart and it radiates all the way to a smile that stretches from ear to ear. Then your brain whispers to you, “I am THE luckiest grown up in the world to know such a remarkable young person!”  The feeling that overcomes you...is PRIDE (a deep feeling of pleasure or satisfaction derived from the achievement of those with whom you are closely associated).  

An image that comes to mind for me is that regal lion in the Savannah of Africa, with it’s beautiful mane in the blistering sun.  There, sitting on the periphery of his PRIDE, he beams with admiration for all of the members that comprise his family.  Okay, okay...yes, I am personifying that lion because all biological indications conclude what he’s probably thinking about the next zebra he’ll be munching on instead of appreciating what’s before him.  Be that as it may, work with me here ;-).

This week, I was enraptured by our staff, our students, and the parents who have raised incredible human beings.  A group of 1st, 3rd, 5th, and 6th graders presented HOW they learn to both our LASD Board [watch the archived video here when it becomes available for the date 01/26/15] and to the Almond PTA.  They demonstrated that HOW we learn is of equal or greater value to WHAT we learn!  

The WHAT includes various content and skills (standards) that span various subject matters like reading, writing, math, science, social studies, physical education, music, social/emotional, etc.  The HOW is the design of the instruction and the experiences that children are provided to engage with the what.

Ms. Reeves and her first graders (Roman, Connor, Daisy, Sofia) shared the process they underwent as a class to learn about the power of their brains and the impact of mindfulness.  Following her own passion for awareness of the present moment, Ms. Reeves taught students how to focus their attention and control their breaths to reduce stress as a means to optimize the learning capacity of their brains.  Students learned that their amygdalas support emotional processing, that the hippocampus plays a major role in regards to memory, and that the prefrontal cortex is responsible for executive functioning and decision making.  [Here is a link to the presentation.]

On behalf of Almond’s 3rd grade teachers and our STEM teacher extraordinaire (Ms. Martinez, Mrs. Reilly, Mrs. Uhm, and Mrs. Leach), Mrs. Wishnack guided students in communicating how they have leveraged technology to personalize their learning from both an ability and interest standpoint.  Ellie recounted what she learned while leveraging technology to create a demonstration lesson in Google presentation to teach her classmates how to make lemonade.  Julia explained how students use our online math resources to study concepts at their own pace and to partake in assessments that provide immediate feedback.  Rachael showcased her student portfolio [check out these screen captures] in which she is documenting her learning and reflecting on how various projects contribute to her growth.  Sam and Brennan played their groups’ Scratch animations and talked us through how their teacher fearlessly followed her students’ lead in a project that they initiated.  [Check out this link to see all of the student projects.]

Through digital portfolios, Almond’s 6th grade teachers (Mrs. Arnold, Ms. Aubrey, Mrs. Saretsky, and Mr. Stuart) are encouraging students to reflect on their learning and passions as a way to strengthen the knowledge and skills that are gained.  Olivia highlighted a personal narrative of which she is very proud and Alex spoke of his passion for digital rendering that he was compelled to include in his portfolio. [Here is a link with screen captures.]

Finally, Mrs. Nguyen and a crew of aspiring newscasters (Letitia, Maya, Olivia, Angela, and Yvo) creatively walked their audiences through Almond’s initiative to bring a media lab to life.  They created a sample broadcast, communicated their take aways from their recent visit to NBC Studios, and laid out the initial plans for how we will create our own YouTube channel and support classrooms in reporting out the very important happenings on our campus.  

The staff and students named in this week’s message are representatives of the incredible team of educators and the entire student body that work tirelessly every single day to design and partake in meaningful learning.  Check out our Twitter feed to get an insider’s look.  Supporting all of these children are also a phenomenal collection of parents who encourage thoughtfulness, dedication, follow through, and so much more.

My heart is glowing.  My smile spans from ear to ear.  And my brain is whispering, “You are THE luckiest principal in the world to know such an amazing group of students, staff, and parents.”

I extend my humble gratitude!

“Turn off your phone! You are supposed to be on vacation for the next several days.”  This was the edict I received this past Friday directly from Almond as I kept sending last minute reminders for the day.  Begrudgingly, I followed orders.

While waiting at the airport, I perused the Hudson bookstore, a favorite pastime from my few years of weekly travel.  A book by Dan Harris, co-anchor of Nightline and weekend editions of Good Morning America, caught my attention.  It was titled, “10% Happier”.  Who doesn’t want to be just a little bit happier?  The first paragraph of his preface hooked me and I devoured the first half before landing from our first flight.

On the ascent to 10,000 feet on our second flight towards our final destination of New Orleans, I needed a mental break.  Putting on my headphones, I decided to go for some light reading and picture perusing in Southwest’s airline magazine.  Oh, oh!  I knew I was in trouble when I saw the cover picturing a young girl with over a dozen medals around her neck and a caption that read, “Enough already!  Praise gets heavy.   So why can’t we stop?”

I found my way to the feature article, and there it was - GROWTH MINDSET.  Miles away from LASD, education and learning still found me.  The title of the article itself was, “In criticism of praise:  reckoning with failure is a key to kids’ growth, but they’re buried in a mountain of flattery.  How did we get here?  And why can’t we stop?”  In the pages that ensued, Carol Dweck’s work was referenced, and the argument for providing balanced, specific feedback rather than undeserved empty praises, resounded.

Upon finishing the article, I cracked open my laptop and stole a glance at my husband.  Yup, there it was - a smirk of exasperation as he floated into vacation bliss while watching me type away in an effort to free the ideas that were running rampant in my head. Rest assured though, once my thoughts were in written form, much fun was had in the incredible city of NOLA.

The topic of a growth vs. fixed mindset, is not new to LASD and Almond.  In fact, we frequently discuss as an education team the necessity to nurture the idea that intelligence and traits are not innate, but instead have the capacity to grow and develop.  As such, we value process as much as we do the outcome.  We encourage explicit, direct feedback to children, rather than generic, broad statements.  Students partake in projects like the 4^th grade STEM robot construction to put their resilience to the test.  Students have to solder, precisely attach different components together and use a magnifying glass to gain better visibility.  This pushes their endurance and commitment when failure arises…and it always does.

In the article, Ashley Merryman, co-author of NurtureShock, responds to a parent’s insistence that she will not stop telling her child how amazing she is.  Her response is, “Tell them you love them.  Don’t tell them they’re geniuses.”  I’ve reflected a great deal on this myself as a parent.  My daughters know they are loved; I tell them often and shower them with kisses and hugs as much as they’ll let me.  There are times when they amaze me and I can’t help but verbalize to how remarkable they are.  I have been very conscious in the last few years to explain what amazes me; their effort, their patience, their thoughtfulness, their humor, etc…  I have transitioned my praise to compliments that tie back to their actions and choices.

I am proud to be part of a district and school that creates opportunities for students and staff to reflect and grow.  Let’s keep pushing ourselves to grow into the best versions of ourselves!