I have spent the last few hours reflecting on a meeting I had with literacy coaches in our district yesterday. We were sharing the qualities we want our students, our colleagues and ourselves to have along with the learning stances to cultivate growth.
We debriefed our discussions and realized that the root of our work is directly aligned with a growth mindset. The group raised some very important questions including: Have we cultivated a culture in our schools where students and educators feel trusted and supported? Have we taught all members of our school community about the brain science behind growth mindset and explicit ways to put it into practice?
As a "step 1", I have gathered some resources and created a brief Growth Mindset Overview that could be used with educators and families to begin the discussion and sharing!
I went for a haircut today. I have been going to the same hairdresser for more than 13 years. His name is Khao. I love spending time with him because he is one of the hardest working people I know and because he always has a story to tell. Oftentimes his stories are connected to his childhood in Thailand, where he grew up with very little, but today I asked him to tell me about why he became a hairdresser.
Khao came to America from Thailand when he was twenty-five. He didn't know any English and his first job was working in the kitchen of a Thai restaurant washing dishes and eventually working his way up to cooking food, too. He was thankful to be in America and to be making some money, but he wanted to have a career. Khao started taking English classes at the library and once he had some keywords and phrases down, he enrolled in hairdressing school. While going to school, he continued to work at the restaurant and also found a part-time job sweeping and maintaining a hair salon (the salon that he is still at today). It took him a year to graduate and the rest is history.
Khao's story is really sticking with me today. In education, we know how important it is to build relationships and actively listen. Today I experienced this in the hair salon with Khao. I'm so glad I asked to hear his story and I'm so thankful that he shared it with me. His determination, perseverance, and work ethic are traits to be admired and treasured.
This experience with Khao also reminds me of the video "Racing for 100 Dollar Bill" (included below). Everyone has a story to tell and everyone has different obstacles to face and overcome along the way.
I left the salon with a lot more than a haircut today.
