Thank you all for
an inspiring first week of preplanning! Every year I am so impressed with the
collective expertise, talent, and enthusiastic commitment to providing our
students an impactful, meaningful, and memorable elementary education and
experience.
For those of you
new to Trinity, every Friday during the school year, I send out an article
that caught my attention and that I hope provokes thought in you.
As we live in
fast-paced times where people have grown accustomed to the character limitation
of Twitter and short video clips on YouTube, I try to whittle down the
article to its most salient points, so it’s a fairly quick read. (If available,
I link the full article.)
The articles focus
on topics applicable to Trinity as an elementary school. With preplanning discussions
fresh in our minds, the articles often connect to the big ideas and goals we set
now and then work on during the year.
I don’t
necessarily agree with every article, but I like the ones that make me
think, especially the ones that force me to re-evaluate my beliefs
and confront my biases as an educator. As Jackie discussed in her DEI session
this week, a little cognitive dissonance is good!
We are all devoted
to our students, yet this article asks us to look at ourselves and how we
interact with each other. Over the span of my career in education, teaching has
become a much more social profession—with grade-level teams, multiple teachers
in classrooms, technology as a vehicle for real-time communication within
school and with parents, etc.
I’m sure we’d all
agree that IQ is important to our success and happiness in our personal and
professional lives, yet I’m guessing we also recognize how important EQ is for
us, as we heard in the summaries of the summer reading option Mind
in the Making. This week, we talked a lot about how we need to foster in
our students a confident sense of self sense and sincere care and concern for
others. The same need holds true for us. Who we are (and our comfort with
ourselves) and how we work with others (our colleagues, our students, and their
parents) are vital to a productive year.
As we get ready to
welcome out students next week, let’s remember how important it is for us to
work together in a positive and mutually supportive, trusting manner and to role model for our students, not
just in what we say but how we act, including when under adversity and stress.
Again, thank you
for a wonderful and energizing first days of the 2019-20 school year! Enjoy the
final weekend of summer!
Joe
------
Humans are creatures ruled by emotion. That's why emotional
intelligence--the ability to identify, understand, and manage emotions--is
so important.
Emotional intelligence helps us to better understand ourselves,
and others. It can help us make better decisions, the kind that are in harmony
with our true beliefs and values.
But what does emotional intelligence look like in real life?
Take
a look at the following, and see whether they describe your everyday habits:
You practice empathy: Rather than rush to judgment, you
strive to see things from the perspective of others. It's not about agreement,
it's about understanding. And by striving to understand others, you lay a
foundation of trust--which leads to deeper, more meaningful relationships.
You stick to your word: Nowadays, people will bail on
just about anything--from a handshake deal to weekend plans. But you
strive to keep your word in things big and small--and that helps build
your reputation as both reliable and trustworthy.
You praise: You look for the good in others. When you find it,
you tell them what you appreciate, and why. In doing so, you lift others up and
bring out the best in them.
You show gratitude: You recognize the difference
between feeling thankful, and expressing it. That's why you strive to express
appreciation to others, through words and actions.
You say sorry: You're not afraid to apologize when you mess up, and
that endears you to others. Sometimes, you even apologize when you're right.
Because you value your relationship more than your ego.
You forgive and forget: When others apologize, you put it
behind you and never bring it up again. And if they refuse, you move on
anyway--and prevent others from holding your emotions hostage.
You strive to stay humble: While many today view humility as
a weakness, you see it as a strength. That doesn't mean lacking
self-confidence or shrinking back from a challenge, rather, that you keep
your pride in check. And by recognizing that you don't have all the answers,
you're always willing to learn from others.
You're not easily fooled: You know some people use their
knowledge of emotions to deceive and manipulate. So while you look for the best
in others, you also keep your eyes open and stay on guard--to make sure others
don't take advantage of you.
You learn from mistakes: No one can perfectly manage their
emotions But you work hard to learn from those mistakes--to study your own
behavior, identify your triggers, and build habits that will help you handle
those situations better the next time.
You dissect your feelings. (And the feelings of others): You don't just
feel, you think about what you're feeling and strive to understand why. (You do
the same thing with your colleagues, friends, and family members.) Doing so
helps you to understand the role emotions play in your own and others'
behavior.
You take your time: You know that emotions and
feelings are temporary, and that making impulsive decisions leads to regrets.
That's why you take time to pause before speaking or acting, especially when
you recognize you're in an emotionally charged moment.
You keep it real: You realize being
"authentic" doesn't mean sharing everything you think, with everyone,
all of the time. But it does mean saying what you mean, meaning what you
say, and sticking firmly to your values and principles.
You focus your thoughts: You can't always control your
feelings: outside stimuli can cause you to feel happy or sad, angry or content.
But you realize that you can influence how those feelings
develop--by focusing your thoughts.
You're open to feedback: Nobody enjoys hearing criticism,
including you. But rather than fear negative feedback, you welcome it--because
you know you can use it to grow.
You're tactful: When it's time for you to give negative feedback,
you keep the other person in mind. You realize that it's not enough to be
right; you'll get the best results when you're kind.
No comments:
Post a Comment