Fixed Mindset vs. Growth Mindset

This is a phrase I’m hearing more and more around Lake Forest. Our principals have been studying the idea and planting the seeds of the Growth Mindset model with their faculty members. We believe teaching children with a Growth Mindset can make a huge difference in how they see themselves and their ability to do well. It’s really pretty simple.

If you have a fixed mind set, you are likely to believe that you are born with intelligence or talent or special gifts. You are what you are. Although you may have a desire to look good and be smart you avoid challenges. When faced with obstacles you might give up easily. Extending your effort into unknown territory means the potential to make mistakes, and you are afraid mistakes will show others what you don’t know. You feel threatened by the success of others.

If you have a growth mindset, you believe that your abilities can be developed with effort. You embrace challenges. You persist in the face of obstacles. You see mistakes as an opportunity to learn. You learn from criticism. You find the success of others inspiring.

So, how does this play out at the school level? Here's a small example.

We’re going to stop saying things like, “You did really well on that test. You sure are smart.”

Instead we’ll say, “You did really well on that test. It’s clear you worked hard.”

Words like naturally smart, gifted, bright, brainy and talented will not be used as the reason why a student has performed well. Instead, when students are successful, we will draw attention to their effort, the obstacles they overcame and the mistakes they might have learned from that led to a successful final outcome.

But Dan, you ask, what about those who are truly gifted or talented?

They must learn that natural talent is not enough. Even they must learn that it is their effort, their perseverance, their challenges that will strengthen their natural skills and propel them to success.

There are plenty of examples to share with students. I have seem some naturally talented student athletes pass through high school and win college scholarships only to fail at the next level. Often it is because everything at the high school level was easy. Going to the next level meant greater challenges and harder work. They were so accustomed to coasting with their natural ability that they never learned perseverance. They never had a major obstacle. They didn't really know how to work harder or learn from mistakes.

My niece is a fine, talented pianist. She can out play anyone you’ve ever known. She is taking a full load of college classes and practices the piano 25 hours a week. Why? Because she's not good enough. And if she goes pro, she will probably practice even more.

So, it will also be our challenge to challenge the most able of our students to learn that it is not their talent or giftedness that leads to success.

Good grades and college scholarships are within everyone’s grasp - if we can develop in them a Growth Mindset.

For more on this topic I recommend the book Mindset: The New Psychology of Success by Carol S. Dweck.

Delaware School Money Needed

Times are tough economically. We all agree.

Schools play an important role in economic recovery. We all agree.

So, how is it that schools, have had to take more than their fair share of cuts in state funding? How can we move forward, when much of the past three years have been spent dismantling much of what was designed to help our students achieve at increasing higher rates?

Many of the cuts in state support to schools have been temporarily filled with federal support funds known as Stimulus Funds, Stabilization Funds and Ed Jobs Funds. All have provided protection against mass lay-offs of teachers, administrators and support staff.

This year, we hope and pray (legal prayers only) that our Governor and General Assembly will make it a priority to guard the public education budget and even restore many of the previously eliminated forms of support.

All districts have been affected in much the same way. Each has managed to save what it can by drawing from reserve funds: Reserves that might be used to pay for major emergency expenses. Reserves that might be used to reduce the impact or even the need for local referendum and tax increase. Reserves that might be used to support a new, experimental initiative. We are spending some of our savings to reduce major impact on classrooms.

The following specialized programs have been wiped out of the state budget. The dollar amount represents the dollars no longer available annually for spending on the students of Lake Forest.

Reading and Math Specialists $289,837
Limited English Proficiency Grant $26,665
Technology Block Grant $45,425
School Climate $160,000
Tax Relief Allocation $412,230
Academic Excellence Grant $106,995
Extra Time Programs $312,703
Teacher Tuition Reimbursement $33,890
Teacher Cadre & Mentoring $19,600

Other parts of the state support formula have been significantly reduced.

Delaware public schools rely on significant support from the state. That is why in 2009-2010 state support for public schools represented 33.33 percent of the state budget. But this year, state spending for public schools represents just 31.63%.

Lake Forest students now get $400 less per pupil in annual state support than they did in 2008.

We hope that will be restored.

Public Budget Workshop

When: October 18, 5 – 7 pm

Where: Lake Forest Central Business Office
(next to Lake Forest High School)

What: An overview of the district’s budget development
An overview of the district’s revenues
An overview of the district’s expenditures
Input from the district’s major stakeholders (parents, students, educators and residents of the district)

Why: To make information available to the public
To provide transparency to the public
To obtain input from the public in the budget decision process

Refreshments will be served.

Everyone is welcome. If you have questions, contact business manager Christine daCosta 284-3020 ext. 105 or ccdacosta@lf.k12.de.us .

I Love Lake Forest Day

I’m sure you noticed that your calendar says I Love Lake Forest Day will be here this Saturday, October 8 at Lake Forest High School. Plans are coming together nicely for a wonderful day of fun.

You will see first- hand how your tax dollars have been spent on remodeling and additions at the school.

There will be student entertainment throughout the day in the auditorium.

The latest student produced "I Love Lake Forest" videos will be revealed at 1pm in the cafeteria and the winners will be announced.

There will be exhibitors of all kinds both inside and out.

There will be an art show, face painting, pony rides, petting zoo, moon bounce, dunking booth (with yours truly scheduled to be dunked), ice hockey and tumbling demonstrations and much more.

And there will be food for sale – such as fried chicken dinners, corn dogs, funnel cakes, kettle corn and Italian Ice.

There is no charge and plenty of parking. So, bring the whole family and make a day of it. That’s this Saturday, October 8 from 10 to 2 at Lake Forest High School.Help us celebrate the community we know as Lake Forest.

Isn’t it great to be a Spartan

Bullying

Bullying is not a normal rite of passage. It can have serious
consequences. You can help your children learn how to prevent
bullying.

™™ Help your children understand that bullying is more than
physical. It can happen in person or over the phone or computer.

™™ Keep open lines of communication with your children. Listen to
any concerns about friends and other students.

™™ Encourage your children to pursue their interests. Doing what
they love may help your children be more confident among their
peers and make friends with others with similar interests.

™™ Teach your children to take a stand against bullying. Tell them
how to stand up to those who bully if it is safe to do so.

™™ Talk to your children about seeking help from a trusted adult
when feeling threatened by a bully. Talk about whom they
should go to for help and role-play what they should say. Assure
your children that they should not be afraid to tell an adult when
someone they know is being bullied.

™™ Know what is going on in your children’s schools. Visit the
school websites, read the student paper if there is one, and join
the parent organization listserv or mailing list. Get to know other
parents, school counselors, and staff. Contact the school by
phone or e-mail if you have suggestions for making the school a
safer and better learning place.

If you suspect your children are being bullied, consider these
steps:

™™ Express your concern and make it clear that you want to help.

™™ Tell your children that bullying is wrong, that it is not their fault,
and that you are glad they had the courage to tell you about it.

™™ Work together to find solutions. Ask your children what they
think can be done to help. Reassure them that the situation can
be handled privately.

™™ Document ongoing bullying. Work with your children to keep a
record of all bullying incidents. If it involves cyberbullying, keep
a record of all messages or postings.

™™ Help your children develop strategies and skills for handling
bullying. Provide suggestions for ways to respond to bullying,
and help your children gain confidence by rehearsing their
responses.

™™ Be persistent. Bullying may not be resolved overnight.

™™ Stay vigilant to other possible problems that your children
may be having. Some of the warning signs for bullying may be
signs of other serious problems. Share your concerns with the
counselors at your children’s schools.


If you think that your children may be bullying others, work with your
children’s schools to address the issues. Remember that children who bully
are at high risk for engaging in risky or even criminal behaviors, and it is
very important in a bullying situation for the parents to act immediately.

™™ Talk with your children. Ask for their account of any situation for which
they have been accused of bullying. Be objective and listen carefully.

™™ Make it clear to your children that you take bullying seriously. Calmly let
them know that you will not tolerate this behavior. Help your children
learn that bullying hurts everyone involved.

™™ Develop clear and consistent rules for your children’s behavior. Praise
your children when they follow the rules. Decide on fair consequences
and follow through if your children break the rules.

™™ Spend more time with your children. Carefully supervise and monitor
their activities, including when they are online or texting.

™™ Be aware of who your children consider to be their friends. Find out how
they spend their free time.

™™ Build on your children’s talents and positive attributes. Encourage them
to get involved in well-supervised social activities.

™™ Work with your children’s schools to ensure the bullying does not happen
again. Ask your children’s teachers to keep you informed. Develop
strategies together to send clear messages to your children, and all
students, that bullying must stop.

™™ Talk with a school counselor or health professional. They may be able to
provide your children with additional help.

This information has been prepared and printed with permission of the National School Public Relations Association, Judy McDaniel and StopBullying.gov.

Tech Support in the Schools

Have you seen one of our tech support guys? We have two of them - Ron Usilton and Don Riser.

Something just whizzed by me in a blue blur. Perhaps that was Ron, or maybe it was Don. It’s hard to tell at that speed. Lately they seem to be needed everywhere. Yesterday. It’s little wonder, given the explosion of the use of technology in schools. I don’t know how they keep up.

A generation ago we were just beginning to get computer labs in the schools. After that we started distributing a few computers to each classroom. They weren’t all connected to the Internet in those days, most ran software installed in each one or on a local server.

And the staff? I remember it took a long time before we felt the staff was competent enough to issue computers to everyone. Now, we don’t hire a teacher without accepting that she will need a laptop computer. She needs it for communication. She needs it for the development of lessons and the research to go along with lesson prep. Teachers often teach lessons that call for projecting photos, videos, stories, charts and graphs found on the internet. Often, lessons are packaged in a colorful PowerPoint presentation.

As a matter of fact, the technology needed in the classroom as basic tools has exploded. Practically every classroom has an interactive white board, projector and printer. Half of those classrooms have what is called a document camera, which looks like a miniature overhead projector and can focus on any book, document or object and project that picture onto the white board. Back in the day they called that an opaque projector. It was as big as a Volkswagen and probably cost as much.

The other day I did a little search on the Internet to see what the business world considers an appropriate ratio of computers to tech support personnel. On the first site I quickly abandoned my search because the numbers I saw suggested we don’t have enough people to keep everything running. The first report I saw suggested one tech support person for every 50 computers.

Now Ron used to work in the private sector and he tells me that 1 tech person for every 200 computers was probably more likely.

Here in Lake Forest School District Ron and Don install and maintain computers at a ratio that exceeds 1000 to 1. In addition they take care of most of the installation and maintenance of hundreds of interactive white boards, projectors, document cameras, printers, servers and routers. They maintain and upgrade our wireless networks.

And, oh yes, Ron also serves as our web master for the district website as well as coach for those teachers maintaining the school websites. Obviously they’ve got their hands full. But, amazingly, they get the job done and they do it well. I wish we could afford a few more Rons and Dons.

Getting the Kids Up

(The following great advice is useful year round, but especially as we try to re-establish routines at home for the beginning of school. It is provided by the National School Public Relations Association. )

Getting children up and ready for the day, whether it be for school,
daycare, or even a sport or enrichment activity, is a sure-fire stress
builder and typical cause of morning madness. What can parents
do to start each day in a positive fashion?

™™ Make the morning routine a way of life.
Parents unwittingly cause morning madness by not instilling
that the routine is a family requirement and not an option. A
non-negotiable routine must be established, and consequence
discussed and determined.

™™ Stagger wake-up times.
If you’ve got more than one child in the house, and especially if
you have a large family, consider staggering wake-up times for
greater efficiency. Start with children who need assistance first,
or the ones who are real sleepyheads and move at a snail’s pace
come mornings.

™™ Conquer clothing wars with proper planning.
Clothing, down to clean socks, underwear and shoes, and even
matching hair accessories should be laid out each night before
bed. Youngsters can play a role in choosing the outfit, but no
changes are allowed once their head hits the pillow. And, then
stick with it! The only exceptions should be an unknown tear
or stain, or surprise change in the weather. This avoids missing
socks, unmatched shirt and shoes, and keeps getting dressed a
simple step in beginning the day vs. a looming battle.

™™ Determine breakfast choices in advance.
Some parents swear by weekly breakfast menus; others
adhere to cereal and fruit. Yet others have their children eat
the $1 breakfast at school each morning. Some daycares offer
breakfast; others allow parents to bring in a morning meal.
Breakfast is important. Some experts argue that it is the most
important meal of the day. Children need a nutritious start
each morning, but that start shouldn’t put parents in a work
bind or make children late for school.

™™ Only do what’s really important.
Some parents unwittingly set their children up to fail with
their morning routines by taking on unexpected chores and
duties, which causes whines and a mad rush to end up on
time. Consider creating a checklist of what absolutely must be
done each morning, and then forget the rest. If you want your
child to make his or her bed every morning, then make that a
requirement. However, cleaning the cat box can surely wait
until a child gets home after school.

™™ Recognize the snatch and go theory does work.
It’s just not enough to get dressed and eat. How many times
have children missed the bus because they couldn’t find their
homework sheet or didn’t have their backpack put together? If you
drive your children, then put their organized backpacks in the car the
night before. Lunches should also be prepared just before bed and easily
grabbed from the fridge the next morning. Jackets should be in a central
location. The “snatch and go” theory really does work in the mornings.
Designate an area for all essentials that can eliminate the crazed
morning syndrome when you’re trying to leave. Shoes, backpacks, car
keys, cell phones, purses, etc., should be placed in this area every day,
always, so they are always in place and ready for action. Keep a cell
phone charger in this area so your phone is charged for the day. Not
having to hunt down keys or other last-minute essentials is a time and
blood pressure saver, for sure.

™™ Plan an occasional exception morning.
One way to make it easier for children to get up in the mornings is to
create an occasional “kids get up...NOT” day as a reward. If it’s a school
holiday, lazy weekend opportunity, or just about any reason at all,
parents can make a special celebration out of the exception. The “not”
day also serves to reinforce the lesson that normal mornings have a
schedule and expectation; and that occasionally everyone gets a break
from the routine.

™™ Instill self responsibility.
Except for the very youngest, children can learn to awaken by an alarm
clock and get themselves up without mom or dad hovering and yelling,
“Are you up yet?” Let them decide what is the best time for the alarm
to go off and get ready on time. If this means Erica doesn’t get her hair
braided or Sam doesn’t get second helpings on cereal, encourage them
to set their alarms 15 minutes earlier for future days. Cause and effect is
a good lesson to learn.

™™ Model good morning behavior.
And, finally, parents really can help to determine whether their children
become morning risers or morning whiners. If parents moan and groan,
are always frantic, grumpy and running late themselves, then how can
they really expect anything more of their children? Good advice is to
get up earlier yourself, start that coffee or do 10 minutes of exercise, and
then show that Positive Mental Attitude (PMA) and really mean it when
you greet your kids with “Good Morning!”