Monday, September 7, 2020

The Power of Positive Intent

Maybe it is just me, but do any of you get frustrated with your own children when they cannot follow through very well on tasks that have been assigned to them (manage their homework time better, pick up their clothes, take initiative, etc.)?  My level of frustration can get pretty high when they don't meet the expectation I set.  I feel disrespected, angry, and start to question my own parenting, etc.  I will say that most of the time I have found if I take a deep breath and talk to them, they just do not have the skills to do the things I am asking them to do.  Once I talk to them and provide some structure they follow through each time.    

Brene Brown, best selling leadership author, reminds us that assuming positive intent in people is not just about being kind; it is a sign of good leadership.   Brown reminds us that it is easy to assume the worst in people's intentions when they are not respectful of our boundaries and believe they are trying to disappoint us on purpose.  The opposite of that is to approach the situation in kindness and the assumption that all people are doing the best they can - this practice can lead to trust, patients and possibilities.  

I often think about this in our jobs as educators.  It is easy to assume that our students are trying to frustrate us on purpose, when more often than not our students just do not have the skill sets to make good decisions.  Dr. Ross Green reminds us that "kids do well if they can", reminding us that kids do not get up in the morning and seek opportunities to do the wrong thing but that many students do not have the skills to be successful.   It is our job to teach them those lagging skills.  

Not only does this apply to our students, but it applies to adults too; especially in this very challenging time.  Brene Brown reminds us that we should use positive intentions on ourselves as well.  Tell yourself,  "I am doing the best very best I can right now."     Sometimes, we cannot change our situation, but we can change how we look at it.  

Hope all of you had a restful weekend!   

Important Information: 

Reporting Topics - Reminder to please check your reporting topics and ensure that we have the correct percentages set up in the system.  If you would like to see what your current plan looks like, please let Jody know and she cane send you a picture of the current lay-out. 

RTI/Struggling Students - Typically we meet monthly with our RTI (Response to Intervention Team) to talk about students that are struggling.  With our COVID schedules, this is nearly impossible - so we are going to try a new method!  Please fill out this form if you have students you are concerned about in your classes:  RTI Form    Please provide us with feedback about students by Friday, September 11th.  Our MTSS Leadership team will start to staff each student.  

COVID Practices - Kudos to everyone for their hard work around COVID safety!  Your hard work is paying off as our students and staff have been able to stay healthy!  Thank you for being a great role model and wearing your masks, encouraging your students to keep their masks on, using seating charts, keeping students in assigned small groups, making sure seating is 3-6 feet apart in your classroom (masks are only allowed to come off if the desks are facing the same direction), etc.    I have noticed that you are washing your desks each period and using hand sanitizer as well!  Keep up the great work!  Stay Healthy!!

On-Line Attendance - Just a friendly reminder to please fill out the on-line attendance document.  Phil and I have been making many phone calls and seeing some progress for some of our on-line students.  We know this is an incredible amount of work.  Thank you so much for your efforts and for helping our students be successful.  The document can be found in the Teacher Resource Folder and at this LINK.


Readable English Meeting - A reminder to special education teachers that we will have a Readable English training from 2-3 on Monday.  We will meet in the elementary meeting room.  The Readable English ladies will be checking in with us and answering any questions you may have. 

RECN Network Meeting - Our Early College team will be attending a virtual conference on September 10th.  Perry Central was fortunate enough to be written into a Federal Rural Education Grant.  We are a mentor school for Bedford North Lawerence and this year we will be adding Paoli High School.  Thanks to this team for their hard work and for all of our Early College Teachers for putting Perry Central on the map!    (Team Members:  Vanessa Johnson, Ty Guillaume, Dana Harris, Carly Lynch, Jody French)

Important Dates: 

Friday, September 11th - Mike Bishop will be meeting with Work Based Learning students (seniors) during 2nd period.   We do have several students placed, even during COVID - thanks to Mike for his leadership!

Tuesday, September 15th - Faculty Meeting During Lunches  (Lunch will be provided)


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