Family Engagement

Parent Engagement is something I have been thinking a lot about  this year.  The more it percolated in my mind the more I came to believe that I needed to think about it differently. This led me to think about Family Engagement.


Parent engagement is different then Family engagement. After all, our students go home to siblings that are not yet school age, Grandparents, and other relatives who may live with them. I wanted to consider a way to include and engage everyone in the entire home. Many people influence our kids and that ripple effect is far reaching. Each family member has a Voice which needs to feel worthy, to be proudly expressed, and to be accepted with loving kindness. So, how could I connect school life and family life?


What I came up with is the One Family Word challenge.


I envisioned each family having a conversation about choosing a Word to motivate and inspire them. A Word to encourage each family member to be the best they could be and a reminder for how they want to live as a Family.


The  intention was to bring Family and School together in a simple, yet meaningful way in which everyone can participate and show support for each other in our school community.


Here is the text that is in the middle of the above photo:

One Word.

That is all it takes.
To motivate. To inspire.  To transform.


Words Matter.
They can encourage.  They can empower. They can nurture. They can ignite and take you wherever you envision.

You Matter.
You can change the world. You can help others. You make a difference just by embracing your Self. You can do anything.

One Family Word.
Imagine what can be achieved with the caring support of your Family. Look at these Words selected by our families.  They are Awesome.

Our School Community
100 families and counting have taken up the One Family Word challenge. We can harness this energy and do wonderful things together.

I have no idea where this may lead or what comes next. Just that it is part of the adventure and that together we can offer caring support and personal inspiration to each individual's journey with One Family Word. 

Learning Is A Leap Of Faith

This short video piece is so awesome I can't help but smile.  Maybe you've seen it.  It's this girl about to ski jump for the first time. She is at the top peering down trying to talk herself through this scary, uncertain moment.

Think about it.  Significant practice and effort led her to this precipice.  Now, here she is.... Can she do it?  Will she do it?  What is holding her back?  What will allow her to go through with the experience?

Watch this: As she says, Here goes something, I guess.

Did you notice the voices in the background of the people teaching and coaching her through this leap of faith?  Encouraging, not hollering.  Patiently talking her through the jump. Totally supportive of her endeavor at this place and in this moment. To me it is beautiful to behold.

For the past few years I have engaged in a lot of thought and discussion about getting comfortable with feeling uncomfortable, the growth mindset, and the process of learning.  To me and my way of thinking, this video encapsulates that:  being flexible and fluid rather than rigid and stuck; being open and willing to take that step into the unknown, as well as nurturing and being fully present for someone.

Hopefully, we have all had such moments.  The first (and only) time I went scuba diving was one. Watching my kids ride a bike for the first time was another.  The moment college algebra equations finally clicked was yet another. How about you?  What leap of faith learning experiences have you encountered?

I believe we all need to hoot and holler (like the girl in the video) over our accomplishments! Let me hear you!

I Will Strive

Someone once told me that Persistence and Perseverance are omnipotent.  With that in mind, I have decided what to Strive for in 2012.

I will strive to help Educators get actively engaged with Twitter.  In the short time I have been with TwitterNation it has altered my perception in a Good and Profound way.  And, it is the best source of Professional Growth and Development there is to offer. 

I will charge forward with a full head of Motivation to pursue my return to running.  I've been away from it for many years and am finding that I genuinely enjoy this form of exercise.  Besides, it is excellent for maintaining positive well-being.

I  vow to BE THERE in each moment with mindful awareness for my family.  When I caught myself spacing-out over stuff at work as I was saying prayers and tucking my kids into bed I knew the jig was up. 

That is my list.  I am not going to ponder it.  Nor am I going to talk about it.  I am just going to Strive to Do it.  Any Encouragement you can offer will be appreciated!  Please check in with me from time to time.

Here is to a Healthy, Abundant New Year.

Set Your Intentions #4

“Each second we live is a new and unique moment of the universe, a moment that will never be again.  And what do we teach our children? We teach them that two and two make four, and that Paris is the capital of France. When will we also teach them what they are? We should say to each of them: Do you know what you are? You are a marvel. You are unique. In all the years that have passed, there has never been another child like you. Your legs, your arms, your clever fingers, the way you move. You may become a Shakespeare, a Michelangelo, a Beethoven. You have the capacity for anything. Yes, you are a marvel. And when you grow up, can you then harm another who is, like you, a marvel? You must work, we must all work, to make the world worthy of its children.”

                                 ~ Pablo Picasso

A Wish Worth Sharing

I cannot think of a better way to begin the school year than by sharing this story with you-- A Wish For You.  What a wonderful way to celebrate the start of a new school year.  It really is full of inspiration.  In fact, it is so contagious I bet you'll want to create your own story right-away.  It was created by Lyn Hilt. (Her blog is worth checking out).


This creation came from Storybird and it is my first encounter with the site.  It is nifty, don't you think?  I have hopes to use Storybird with my students in small group counseling.  I figure I will create stories and the group members will co-create their own as well.   I will be sure to share them.  You do the same, too.  Happy Storybirding!

You Are A Mighty Force!

Be bold and mighty forces will come to your aid.   -Basil King

If you work in a school you have a mighty job.  By that I mean you are so darn lucky to do what you do.  You get to be around young people, otherwise known as students.  They learn and grow by leaps and bounds.  You are an integral part of that learning, growing, and developing.

If you work in a school you have a mighty responsibility, too.  As in, people expect great things from your role as Educator.  You are tasked to shape and chart the course of these young lives.  Your students look to you and the example which you put on display for them.  Your students need you so much.  This is not to be taken lightly. 

Finally, if you work in a school then you ARE a mighty force.  I mean that as in you come to the aid of young people--day in, day out-- to bring them to the shores of acheivement.

Students need to feel capable.  They need to know that what they say and what they do really does count.  This, I believe, helps them to feel connected to the world in which they live.  As they feel worthy and confident about themselves as individuals, they will be able to pursue their highest aspirations. 

We must encourage our youth to set lofty intentions, and then support them as they set sail.  How are you bold?  How are you a mighty force?

Lessons We Can Learn From Geese

You may have seen this already.  It is something I came across many years ago.  The message still resonates with me and I revisit it from time to time.  It also makes for a good lesson to use with my students.  I'd like to share it with you:

Fact:  As each bird flaps its' wings, it creates an uplift for the bird following.  By flying in a V-formation, the whole flock adds 71 percent greater flying range than if one goose flew alone.

Lesson to be learned:  People who share a common direction and sense of belonging can get where they are going quicker and easier because they are traveling on the strength of one another.

Fact:  When a lead goose gets tired, it rotates back into the formation and another goose flies at the point position.

Lesson to integrate:  It pays to take turns doing the hard tasks and sharing leadership.

Fact:  The geese in formation honk from behind to encourage those up front to keep up their speed.

Lesson to be mindful of:  We need to make sure our honking from behind is encouraging, and not something else.

Fact:  When a goose gets sick or wounded, two geese drop out of formation and follow it down to help and protect it.  They stay with it until it is able to fly again--or dies.  Then they launch out on their own, with another formation, or they catch up with their flock.

Lesson:  If we have as much sense as geese, we too, will stand by each other in difficult times as well as when we are strong.

What lessons have you learned from animals?  Please share the wisdom.