Dear Ladybug!

Dear Ladybug,

I could really use a hug from you right now. I just lost all of my assignment and I am having to start over from scratch. Technology - gotta love it right. This week will be three years since you transitioned. I remember all of the talks we had as I was considering leaving my nearly six figure job to become a teacher. I remember you saying that I was already a teacher and all I had to do was show the world. Well to me the world is the problem. At least when it comes to education. So many people think just because you give a student information that it equates to them learning it. That could not be further from the truth. Being given information and learning information are not the same. To learn is to acquire the necessary mindset for growth and mastery.  Being given information is just that. Look at platforms like Siri, Google, Ask!, Bing, Yahoo, and other search engines. You can simply type in anything you want to know and the answer will come up. You no longer have to interact with and learn from others. You do not have to foster and enhance your social skills, ask for help, or go through trial and error.

Do you remember the time we went to Snook, Texas and stayed in the country for a week? One of those nights you asked me “Candace what burns your buttons in this’un school system” and you told me I was like a farmer. I may never see all of the seed I plant come to harvest but be comforted in knowing the work is not in vain. I told you that I am most passionate about exposing those cast off to the possibility of reality versus the perpetrated success they see on tv. If I can shift the thought process of one kid in the classroom I would feel like I did something good. I get so frustrated when administration forgets that they were once teachers too. They have a list of unreasonable demands and shove data down our throats like we didn’t see the data for ourselves.

Ladybug you know I stand on the belief that you have to unlearn to relearn. Do not turn your nose up at me like that either. I think that is an issue with education today and it is definitely something world we live in can play a prat in shifting. If we get out of the mindset that everything is fixed we may be able to embrace change better and adopt different thinking patterns like the growth mindset. You know, I also think emerging as an issue is access to technology. How do you reach and empower a student through technology who doesn’t even have access to technology? Why are there not resources at the state and federal level that aid with access to technology? We can get access to cell phones for free. In retrospect, where my school is kids are not concerned with having an ipad or chrome book. They are trying to eat, make sure their clothes are washed, and combat the pushers on the corner. Some are dealing with pregnancy, yes in middle school, and homelessness.

The idea of digital learning and digital leading is awesome however, there are those who are resistant to change and the lack of professional development for those who are eager yet do not know where to begin is astronomical. There are sites like http://www.teachthought.com/literacy/21-literacy-resources-for-the-digital-teacher/ at every turn when you surf the net. The keys is surfing the net. It took me 27 minutes to find this one. I know, you don’t think that’s a long time but in microwave world we live in that is 2 lifetimes in dog years Ladybug.

Seth Godin gave a Tedx Talk in October 2012 where he asked the question “what is the classroom for?” If you were here I would show you this link -  https://youtu.be/sXpbONjV1Jc so we could watch it together and talk about it over cookies and coffee. I enjoyed the way I was forced to think about my classroom and what I use t for. I like to say that it is a basis for sparking intellectual creativity and ensuring students are in collaboration and collusion with one another. They are benefiting each other and growth each other just as they are growing individually.

At the root of all things digital I believe that digital learning must include a renewed mind, personalized learning, and teachers who are not treated as expendable.

Having a renewed mind is essential to any part of growth in life. In regards to the digital life it is a quintessential component. There will be times when you do not know something or have to help a colleague who is significantly new at using tech in the classroom you have to be willing to be innovative and try new things as often and as intentionally as you can in order to reach them and make it stick. You have to be purposeful about shifting from what you currently know – the fixed mindset – and open to seeing your challenges in a new light – growth mindset.

Personalized learning is like the golden rule of education. It is the spoken and unspoken law when it comes to ensuring no child is left behind. You are able to have fun and ensure that each learner is engaged. This opens the door for the learner to take control and lead the way in their advancement.

Teachers are not expendable. They are not easily replaceable. They are not compensated enough to begin with and their healthcare is ludicrous.  Teachers must be seen as the key to changing the world. In every section of the world teachers have their hand in some form of advancement. They are the navigators, empowers, life changers, and motivators behind the greatest mind this world has seen. If you develop them and pour into their well-being the way school districts expect them to pour into students the daily outcome would be different. 

Ladybug I wish you could be here to see the joy I get from sharing everything you taught me. Since you aren't, I plan to keep pushing towards the mark and depositing seeds along the way. My aim is to showing my school, YWSA, that thought change and proper digital adaptation all things are possible. Technology is now and if we as educators do not dive in, learn the rules to break the rules, and share with our kids all hope for a safe tech environment will be lost. It is up to us.

Cheers Ladybug! I miss you. xoxox

Dear Younger Me,

I love you. You are an exquisite diamond in the rough and you will be great. There is a thinking phenomenon called ‘Growth Mindset” that can change your life if you let it. Mindsets are the beliefs you have about yourself, who you are, and what you can do. As people, we have two mindsets hungry within us. One is the fixed mindset which says I have what I have and that is it. If I wasn’t born with it them I wasn’t meant to have it. The other is the growth mindset which says all that I am can be made greater. I can be developed and expanded through effort and determination. This way of thinking, with a growth mindset, is essential to life because it reduces the amount of fear we allow to sit in our consciousness. You get the necessary push you need to embrace you challenges and see them as areas of opportunity instead of limitations. Think about how far you want to go and all of the things you have yet to learn. You will need this mental shift to get moving and stay on course. This mindset is more than positive thinking. It is a basic model to deconstruct (unlearn) to reconstruct (relearn).

Carol Dweck, Ph.D., is the frontrunner of research and study in the area and wrote a wonderful book called Mindset: The New Psychology of Success; which details how success in every area of the human experience can be exorbitantly influenced by the way we think about our talents and our abilities.

There are four steps involved in changing your mindset:

Step 1: Learn to hear your "fixed" mindset voice.

Step 2: Recognize that you have a choice.

Step 3: Talk back to it with a growth mindset voice.

Step 4: Take the growth mindset action.

You are going to want to incorporate these steps one at a time. Lessons are meant to grow you and encourage perseverance. Even though you fail you should not be catapulted into self-doubt and negative thinking about your abilities. Oh, don’t be fooled into thinking applying effort is enough. It is not because you often get praised for effort but you don’t learn anything. I need you to learn something. I need you to be able to look at what you tried and have resources and options on hand to evaluate what you can try next.

I know. I know. You are like how am I going to incorporate this and be successful. I got you. Start with step 1. Learn to hear your fixed mindset by tuning in to the possibility that the experience will help you overcome something you have struggled with. You now this is true in your relationships as well as in business and school too. You are going to be a teacher and you will need to encourage your students to evaluate themselves and their challenge. They will need to take risks and assess the outcome. You remember what that was like don’t you. Keep doing this and because I know you, when you feel yourself getting relaxed I have already put an accountability check in place. Was it mastered or mimicked will start to pop up out of nowhere.

Now step 2 is awesome for you because you enjoy having options. Recognizing that you have a choice means that this is not mandatory. Everyone you encounter will need to know that desire is key here. You have to want it. You have to want to see things differently and stretch yourself. Yes, you are smart but you don’t need to prove yourself for accolades.

When you are in the midst of processing explore step 3 and talk back to your fixed mindset. When you feel defeated or discouraged call her by name and set her straight. Empower yourself and shift the focus. This looks like embracing something called the ‘yet’ message. It simple says to all of your challenges and struggles that even though you are not there now you will get there if you apply yourself and shift how you think. You know instead of saying “I can’t do this” say “I can’t do this yet”. Or instead of saying “Plan A didn’t work so forget it” say “there are 25 other letters in the alphabet, keep going”. It’s not rocket science but it does take training your mind. When you tell other people about ‘yet’ keep it simple. Don’t over complicate it. Don’t try and force people to follow just lead by example. Use this website called pinterest. It has an abundance of images that depict the message of yet. Here is the link to one of my favorite: https://www.pinterest.co.uk/pin/87186942765394635. I know how much you thrive off of messages of affirmation.

Dweck argues people with fixed mindsets are all too willing to give up when the going gets tough, convinced that they "just don't have what it takes" to overcome intellectual challenges. People with growth mindsets, however, see struggles and failures as opportunities to learn.  She writes “The passion for stretching yourself and sticking to it “even (or especially) when it’s not going well, is the hallmark of the growth mindset”. This is step 4 comes into the picture. You have to take action. Not just any action but growth mindset action. You are doing the things you are training your mind to believe you can do. You are actively exchanging what you currently know for what you want and plan to achieve. You can do it. I know where you will end up because I am here now. If you can just grab some of this life will be so much better for you. As an educator, a lover, a friend, etc... Trust me.

I want you to promote the growth mindset daily but I know you. You’re going to get frustrated. To start, write in your calendar to promote this way of thinking every Tuesday and Thursday. Start using it in trainings and when you get into the classroom. You can use it in professional developments too.

When you start the masters program at Lamar University the growth mindset will help you approach the course with optimism. You know you do not know as much about tech and digital learning as most people. You still send cards through the post and have a home phone that you enjoy. Make part of your mantra the ‘yet’ message and encourage yourself to think outside of the box, dive head into things you struggle with, and pull from your peers. You will learn so much from them. Share your thoughts and resources with them. Don’t be afraid to use theirs. You can do it. You are The Greatest!