Blog Post #10 Feedly Readings

            As a school principal, I spend the majority of my time mentoring, correcting, disciplining, guiding, and praying for those in my care.  My specific concerns encompass the emotional, physical, behavioral, and spiritual issues that the school community faces on a daily basis.  I am concerned about modeling a lifestyle of wellness for the whole child.  At Immanuel Christian School, we are able to minister to and guide the children to choose wisely and make good choices.  A teacher‘s calling to teach, often involves being expected to make a difference in the life of a child and work miracles. One of the most difficult miracles to perform is accountability for one’s actions.

 

            I mentioned teaching the whole child because I feel that the students should be guided and taught to follow their passion.  The core subjects and fine arts are equally important in my eyes; therefore, I see the benefit of keeping fine arts in the curriculum.  Many school districts are leaving out this important element due to financial and academic pressures and I feel that denying the students an opportunity to pursue their dreams is detrimental to learning how to fail.   We are raising a generation who does not know the value of failure.  While reading the article,” Embracing Failure: Building a Growth Mindset through the Arts”, I recognized the element of accountability should be taught, modeled and built into the curriculum.  Chris Gonzalez, the former chair of the arts department at New Mexico School for the Arts states, “Students have to take risks.  Helping a child develop an attitude of believing that they can improve their abilities through effort is an essential resource that they will need in the future.”  Learning to make mistakes should be addressed as young as 2 years old.  Teaching a young child to hold their head up high, accept their mistakes, and move forward is an important trait to have in the world of socialization. 

            Geron Spray, an English and history teacher, states,” A student who has perseverance, takes constructive criticism well, and builds on it learns the valuable lesson of growing. Struggling through the practice of doing something over and over again, after falling, builds character in oneself.  One of the things I do with the students is I have them write down their thoughts about the mistake they made, how they can grow from it, and how they should move forward.  I devised a little questionnaire that I use when dealing with a student, teacher, and even parents.  The process of reflecting inward is so important if someone wants to grow and become better.  As educators, we can’t allow those in our care to become crippled emotionally when “bad things happen.” It is essential in the education of a child to touch their character in order to teach them academically.

 

            Another facet of educating the whole child involves their physical well being.  I am an advocate of exercise.  The importance of physical exercise should be at the forefront of every educational institution and a part of the daily curriculum.  In the article, “Let‘s Get Digitally Physical: Technology in the Gym Class,” Marion Oswald discusses the staggering statistics that 17% of children ages 2-19 are obese.  She claims that combating obesity can help children become better learners.  A study done by the New York Times, found that good aerobic condition in students helps recall and critical thinking in learning concepts.  Their counterparts who are less physically fit struggle in grasping deeper thinking. A child who feels physically fit is able to think more clearly and be prepared for whatever the day may bring.  It brings an air of confidence, which is important in the learning process. 

 

            I loved two ideas because they use digital resources, something that students are engaged in and often addicted to- in other words, there is passion involved.  Passion helps ignite and stimulate the learning process and allows the student to engage in something they enjoy.  If the student enjoys the process, it makes for a better arena of learning- where all parties benefit.  Two apps that were mentioned are Coach’s Eye and Xbox Kinect.  After reading this article, I am going to talk with our golf and physical education teachers about implementing these two apps in their curriculum.  I think that Mr. Powers, our golf coach, would love to provide immediate feedback to his players.  Constructive feedback would be beneficial to the students and it would help have “Aha” moments.  Of course, our physical education coaches would enjoy telling the high school students they could bring their Xbox to school!  Implementing this interactive game with the students would benefit both the teacher and the students.  Wednesday afternoon, the high school gym class is small and I think that this digital engagement with the students would be a fabulous way to exercise, and learning to follow instructions would be invaluable.

            In conclusion, finding moments to instruct, guide, mentor, and model a spirit of well being and self-reflection in the lives of those in our circle of influence,  no matter what your calling may be, is an excellent equation for success and prosperity.