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The Week Ahead.......Monday September 4th-
Labor Day!!
No School!
Tuesday September 5th-
Day 4-
Wear Red for Kindergarten
Data Meeting - Grade 4
Out of Building-None
Wednesday September 6th-
Day 5-
Vacation T-shirt Day (you may wear jeans)
Wear Blue for Kindergarten
Instrument Guidance Day
Data Meeting - Grade 3
Electronic Textbook letters - scan and send to principal, then send hard copy home with student
Out of Building- Paup (Half Day PM)
Thursday September 7th-
Day 6-
Wear Brown for Kindergarten
School Board Meeting @ E.C. @ 7PM
Data Meeting - Grade 6
Out of Building- Flaharty(Full Day), Godfrey (Full Day)
Friday September 8th-
Day 1-
Wear Black for Kindergarten
Out of Building- Farmer (Half Day AM), Mellinger (Half Day PM)
PLC in Print
Take the Fear Out of Making Mistakes ...(from The Master Teacher Pd, vol. 47, no. 2)
If we want students to engage and persist in their learning, we must help them understand that a mistake is not a permanent failure. A mistake is only what we did not know at the moment. And before we will ever be successful learning what we do not know, we will all probably make mistakes. Students need to accept that mistakes are an important part of real learning - and we do too. We also need to teach specific facts regarding fear to students of all ages. First, fear is present in life and in classrooms. We cannot ignore this reality or discount the power of fear to negatively affect students and their learning - or its ability to counter our efforts to teach. To say nothing to students about fear and learning would allow fear to flourish unchecked - and students to be dominated by this emotion.
Second, students need to be taught that if the fear of making mistakes keeps them from trying anything new, their fears will always keep holding them back. Fear will tie them to low level of performance and achievement. We can't allow fear of making mistakes control students. Say "It's an unnecessary waste of your talent. It robs you of engaging life and learning." Point out, "It's irrational fear - not your inability - that is keeping you from being successful." These are life lessons we need to teach students about fear.
Finally, in The Confidence Course: Seven Steps to Self-Fulfillment, Walter Anderson says, "In order to live a fulfilled life and feel exhilarated by your accomplishment, you must expect mistakes to occur." He calls this "worry well," not fear. To handle fear, he advises practicing RIP - Responsibility, Insight, and Perspective. As you know, RIP also stands for Rest In Peace. We should teach both messages to help students choose to lay aside their anxieties and fears.
To Learn More
Pratt, C. (n.d.), The fear of making mistakes: "They're actually good things, not bad." Online: www.Life-With-Confidence.com/fear-of-making-mistakes.html
Bits & Bytes
Discover Education STEM partnership with your science classroom and Home Depot
Simple K12 FREE online Google Webinar Event (Google Tools/Presentations/Forms)
