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Fall

Here in Wisconsin, the leaves on the trees are beginning to turn. With the cool temperatures at night, the lingering rain showers, and the blowing wind, those leaves will soon begin to fall to the ground.

I enjoy fall walks with my dog Kipper.  The sky turns a deep blue and the chill in the air means it’s time for a sweater instead of a t-shirt. I hear the rustling of leaves as Kipper chases another squirrel up a tree. And yet when I see falling, dried leaves on the ground I’m always reminded of John 15:5  "I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.

Those fallen leaves, no longer connected to the tree, have lost their life source and will soon be compost.

God has a purpose for your day today. He designed it before you were ever born. He has a “heavenly to do list” of sorts, for you.

However, to be in tune with that, we must stay connected to our life source, our Savior. Apart from Him, we can do no-thing.

May our Lord continue to richly bless you as you stay connected to him each day by spending time in His Word. His Word will preserve you from falling.

Hope

“I hope I get the job."
“I hope I get an A on this test."

Have you ever found yourself hoping for something?

According to Shane J. Lopez, Ph. D. a leading researcher in the field of positive psychology, hope is more than wishful thinking, and being hopeful has an immense impact on our well-being and success. 

Being hopeful is not the same as wishing or dreaming of success.

According to Lopez’s research, those who are hopeful:

• Set a goal
•  Have a plan for how they will attain their goal
•  Understand that potential obstacles to their goal may surface
•   Find ways to get around the obstacle and persist on the path to the goal

Furthermore, Lopez’s research suggests that hope leads to:

•  Increased engagement (showing up)
•  Increased productivity
• Well-being
•  Improved health

In other words, those who set goals and stay their course despite obstacles are happier, healthier, and more successful. In fact, his research suggests that students who are hopeful have
a 12% gain in academic performance and a 10% increase in happiness over their peers who are not hopeful. What does this mean for you? How can you increase your hope? Lopez contends that hope is contagious. Spend time with hopeful people, set goals, and find ways to overcome obstacles. Finally, when you want something, set a course for how you can get there and take action. Know that challenges will come up and knock you off course, then figure out how to get back on course.

 To delve deeper into a study of hope read Shane Lopez’s book, “Making Hope Happen”.

Go for the Bronze!

                                                                                  

I love the Olympics! I honor the intent that nations come together in peace and bring their best of the best to compete in sport. And I am so inspired by people who commit everything they have to fulfill their passion and strive to reach their goals. These athletes have forfeited so much of the ‘normal’ life most enjoy, to devote their time to training for their sport. They have spent countless hours in the gym pushing their bodies beyond exertion, following extremely strict diets, day after day, year after year, all in the hopes of shaving a tenth of a second off their time to stand a better chance of winning as they compete against the World’s very best. Parents, family, and friends have sacrificed to support them in their effort. They are accustomed to winning. They have always been a stand-out  athlete in their sport, most since the time they were in elementary school. They have become accustomed to beating their competition and standing on the highest podium. And now they have worked their way through the ranks, eliminating their competition, they are the last ones standing to represent their entire country on the world’s biggest athletic stage…the Olympics!

All eyes are on them as they stand on the Olympic awards podium. They did their very best. Their performance was as good as they have ever been, they gave every ounce of effort and mustered up every hope and dream they had, and they finished at their personal best. But on this day, someone else’s personal best was better. They are not on the top podium, they will not be earning a Gold Olympic medal to bring back to their waiting friends, family, and Nation.

Who do you think is happier – someone who wins an Olympic Silver or an Olympic Bronze medal?

Research says it is the Bronze medal winner. What? How can someone who finished third be happier than someone who finishes second? Turns out the level of one’s happiness depends on whom they compare themselves to. The Silver medal winner is comparing himself or herself to the Gold medalist who took first place. The Silver medal winner is thinking, “If only I would have not taken that one day off, if only I would have not had that piece of cake at my nephew’s birthday, if only…. I could be the one standing on the top podium receiving the Gold medal.”

Whereas, the Bronze medalist is saying, “Whew, I beat out all of the others in the  field to make it into the top three and win a medal!”  Our happiness often depends on whom we compare ourselves to.

Who are you comparing yourself to? Do you often compare yourself to someone who always seems to be able to have more than you?

Try reframing your thoughts, and think of all of those whom you have more than. If you have a roof over your head, a warm bed to sleep in, clean clothes to put on each morning, running water, electricity, and a healthy meal each day you are more blessed than the majority of the population of the world.  Research suggests that when we are grateful for what we have we are happier than when we focus on what we do not have.  Gratitude…it is the #1 key to happiness.

May your day be blessed,

Dr. Rhoda

Resource: "When less is more: Counterfactual thinking and satisfaction among Olympic medalists." Medvec, Victoria Husted; Madey, Scott F.; Gilovich, Thomas. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, Vol 69(4), Oct 1995, 603-610.

Introverts and Extroverts

Some of your students are introverts and some of them are extroverts. How will this impact your actions in the classroom? Watch this brief video to learn more...

I Wonder...

As I write this I’m sitting at a Starbucks in downtown Seattle contemplating the topic of Wonder. (I’m not at THE [original] Starbucks, it’s around the corner and too packed for me to sit and write. There truly is a Starbucks on every block in downtown Seattle, and each one has a line, all day – I’ve never seen anything quite like it.)

I’ve been at a POD network conference this week. POD network is the Professional organization of Faculty Developers and is a network of faculty from large and small institutions who find it their goal to promote effective learning on college campuses.

Yesterday’s keynote was beyond fascinating. Michael Wesch, of YouTube fame, spoke on the power and importance of instilling wonder in our students.  He began by showing us a video of ‘wonder’. Please click on the link below and watch this video of people in Wellington, New Zealand (snow is not common-place in Wellington). Enjoy the wonder!

Dr. Wesch posited that wonder begins with questions. Notice the root of the word question? Questions elicit a quest for knowledge. Do our students have the desire to learn; are they on a quest?

If not, he suggested three steps to take to promote this climate. Allow your classroom to be a place where students:
1.  Can explore and find a real and relevant project that impacts the world with real consequences.
2. Connect with others. Important things happen in community – enlist the power of people working together toward a common goal (synergy).
3. Leverage the tools around them.  (For Dr. Wesch’s class this is often video since he is an anthropologist studying the effects of technology and culture).

Here is a sample of the powerful videos demonstrating the projects his students have developed while in his class.

He suggested that wonder is like love. It is a constant state of action rather than a passive happening. The more we do it, the better we get at it. He suggests that wonder can become a personality trait; that wonder is closely connected to empathy. When we look at the world from someone else’s perspective, a new perspective from our own, we are often filled with wonder.

Self-disclosure here, I hate snow. Growing up in Arizona thinned my blood and predisposed me to hate the harsh cold of Wisconsin winters. We are nearing the end of October as I write this, and although I have enjoyed the glorious colors of a spectacular fall, my joy has been tainted by the dreadful foreshadowing of Old Man Winter. I love Wisconsin ten months out of the year, but I dread January and February.

This winter I am going to truly try to shift my paradigm. I’m going attempt to see the falling snow through the eyes of those on the street in New Zealand. Instead of running into a building to escape the cold and snow, I will attempt to run out of buildings embracing the falling flakes of wonder. I will spend a few extra minutes of each long, dark day pursuing...on a quest for...wonder...

The Brain and Conflict

The pre-frontal cortex (the area found right behind your forehead) is the place where cognition (thinking),  learning, consequences, insights and the like happen. Deep inside the center of the brain, directly above the brain stem is the amygdala. It looks like two little almonds; amygdala is the Latin word for almond.  It is responsible for the flight/fight/freeze response. When we become anxious nervous, frightened, or intimidated this response kicks in. It is a survival mechanism. It actually pumps more blood to our lungs and limbs so we are able to physically flee from danger. However, when this response kicks in our PFC is not working at full efficiency, so we are typically not thinking clearly.

Have you ever had a disagreement with a friend or family member, and felt the frustration of coming up with the perfect comeback about two or three minutes after you had already left the confrontational situation? This is a prime example of how the PFC kicks in when the amygdala settles. As you walk away from the confrontation you start to relax, your blood pressure lowers, you start breathing regularly (we often hold our breath when we experience confict), and as the calming down process kicks in, your amygdala settles down, your pre-frontal cortex starts working efficiently, and as it processes the scenario, it lands on the perfect comeback.

This same situation is happening if you have ever experienced test-anxiety.  You have prepared for the exam, you have faithfully studied and put your time in. But as test time nears, you heart starts to race, your palms become sweaty, your amygdala fires up and the actual part of your brain that you think with is not working optimally.

When we experience stressful situations we must have a protocol to help us remain calm. Emergency room workers, EMT’s, police officers, firemen, all have a protocol they follow when they are in the midst of a stressful situation. Step one is ________, then I check for this _______, etc.  As educators, we need to understand and have a plan for conflict or stressful situations. Then when our brains are not working optimally, we have steps we go through and we don’t need to make important decisions at a time when our brain is not functioning at it’s best.  

This is also why it is important to develop a safe, respectful culture in your classroom. If a teacher runs her class through intimidation, students are on edge, and they are not able to use their PFC at full capacity. If students are allowed to make degrading comments to other students, then some students will be on defense and will be more concerned with how their comments will be taken, rather than doing all they can to ensure they understand and learn the material. 

Be certain you have a plan in place for conflict. Then you can remain calm, cool, and collected when situations flare up - and you will remain the professional.