Book Snap #7 Lessons from the book

"One of the surest ways to invoke a play mindset in your students, even during the trickiest of work, is to have one yourself." If we share our love of learning, our students will too!

Creating a healthy-work life balance is key in my life. I remember the days when I would frequently check my email in the evenings to make sure that if a student or parent emailed me, I would quickly return that email as soon as I saw it. After many years of this, I realized that this was no longer sustainable because it was consuming my homelife. I was neglected my husband and my home. Over the years I have taught myself and changed my mindset to realize that it’s okay to make the email wait until the next morning or afternoon. I am not on the clock 24-7 so I shouldn’t make myself feel life I need to be. I do still take papers home to grade. After my son has been put to bed I will sit down with my husband, chat, turn something on the television and get done what I can.

Rather than creating an environment that promotes "groupthink" in which everyone in a group begins to think alike, This usually occurs when people put unlimited faith in a leader or organizer.  This is usually a direct result of those with a fixed mindset who may get carried away with the brilliance or genius of their leader.  Alternative views and constrictive criticism should be created to help with all decision making processes, which can include school settings.  Ideas such as assigning people to play devil's advocate and taking opposing viewpoints and having anonymous suggestion boxes are just a couple of ways to promote independent thinking.  Being both an independent thinker and team player is possible!

"Hearing that Alexander the Great has been at a loss about what to do next after his vast conquests, the princeps remarked: 'I am surprised the king did not realize that a far harder task than winning an empire is putting it into order once you have won it'" (Everitt 325).

I liked this connection to Alexander the Great. My Honor's students write an essay on Alexander the Great. They have to decide if he was a hero or a villain. One of the connections my students make is that Alexander conquered 2,000,000 square miles in eleven years, yet his empire fell apart briefly after his death. On Alexander's deathbed, he stated that he left his "kingdom to the strongest." Alexander may have been the greatest conqueror in history, but was unable to keep it together when he died. Contrary, Octavian, although may not have been the great military mind, was able to make a smooth transition of power to Tiberius and marked the golden age of Rome.

There was a lot of reading on boundaries because there are many, many ways boundaries may be broken without even realizing.  Simple things line extending your cell number to students, to accepting social media requests may all sound great at the time, but could very likely be misused in the future.  I also liked the reminder that when we become the trusted adult and encounter various situations, we need to know our role.  We need to remember that we are not cerified counselors etc.  While we may be a trusted adult, we need to know our limits and when to refer young people to the proper assistance when needed.  "We have the responsibility to work positively with young people, but each of us brings a certain set of qualifications, credentials and expertise to the team.  When people work beyond thteir scope, they may accidentally do wharm while atttempting to do good." pg 135