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| This "eagle" is working on keeping the geese away |
I hope you have had a great week and are ready for the weekend. Many of us have been wishing for the weather to cool off and Mother Nature came through. Enjoy the cooler weather, before you know it, we will be complaining it is too cold out.
I started reading an interesting book this week entitled “Out of Curiosity; Restoring the Power of Hungry Minds for Better Schools, Workplaces, and Lives” by a great mind in education and friend of mine, Bryan Goodwin. Bryan is president and CEO of McRel International. McRel, as you know, has been at the forefront of educational research. They specialize in focusing on where the magic of a great teacher and the science of learning come together.
In his latest book, Chapter One begins with a simple question: “What is this funny little thing called curiosity?” This begins the analysis of what it means to be curious. He looks at the various ways our curiosity can be sparked and suggests that being purposeful we can become curious people. Is there a difference in saying I feel curious vs. saying I am curious? Bryan goes on to answer that question clearly. Anyone and everyone can feel curious once in awhile…but curious people who adopt curiosity as a character trait are typically linked to better academic performance, stronger relationships, job performance, and overall satisfaction in life.
As young children, I would be willing to bet that we all would be described as curious children. If you have been in a recent Pre-school or primary classroom lately you know exactly what I am talking about. “Why is the grass green? Why does the moon disappear? Where did the dinosaurs go?” and so on… no matter how many times you answer their little questions they will come back with another. The entire world is a wonder to us when we are young. Sadly, that natural state of curiosity does not stay a predominant trait in many adults. Instead, some simply get comfortable in the routine of their daily life. They accept things as they are and are in no hurry to wonder about how things could be better. They simply want to know exactly what is the minimum needed for me to meet a satisfactory rating. It would be easy to blame those who do not shine with curiosity. Instead, Bryan and the researchers at McRel were curious about why so many people lose their curiosity trait in their teenage years and never get it back. In this book, I hope to learn more about this. I am curious too. As a father of two soon to be teenagers, I want to know what I can do to help them keep their curiosity about the world thriving. As an educator, I want to understand this phenomenon better so we can focus classroom efforts to support our students’ curiosity. In addition, I hope to learn about how to help those staff members who see professional development as a chore rather than an opportunity to be curious about improvement.
What are you curious about? Are you a curious person or one of those who lost it during their teenage years? Would you be willing to try and rekindle that side of you if you knew how?
SHOUT-OUTS!
"After battling flocks of geese on our athletic fields for years, Troy Polhamus and Bill Parker may have found a solution. If you've seen strange looking bald eagles on our fields, you can thank Troy and Bill. They built them and have been refining the design for a few weeks. So far, the geese seem to be fooled."
~Ryan Cruzan, Facilities Manager
"Becky Henry, Tom Fien, Sandy Lokuta, Jackie Votta, Rita Pettit, and Kelly Gandy for hosting the AVID National Demonstration Coaching team to visit their classes and highlight the amazing contributions of the Lakeside Lightning students!"
"Thank you to Mr. Larry (aka Commander In Chief) for always going above and beyond as a nighttime custodian, substitute security guard and host to evening visitors at LMS!"
~Spike Cook, Principal
"A big thanks to Katie Baralus and Jen Panas for working so well with our students. Their time, insights, and abilities have helped us a great deal, and it's great having them here!"
~Mike Coyle, Principal
"Thank you to Mr. Ronnie Feliciano. He has gone above and beyond the call of duty to mentor a few of our male students. They are in awe of you!!"
~Arlene Jenkins, Principal
"Amy Whilden, Val Phillips, and Mihajlo Protic have done a great job of putting together the key parts of our new Algebra 1 curriculum this year. This course will continue to be a graduation requirement and the curriculum they are writing is going to put our students in the best position to be successful they have even been. Thanks!"
~Bobby Barber, Supervisor
"Thank you to Nina Crain, Kelly Blough, Jen Morrow, SueAnn Irwin, and Debbie Broe the first grade team at Silver Run. This group of teachers has welcomed the RtI staff at the school into their classrooms as we begin to implement a push-in model at this grade level. Their flexibility and openness to change is what drives this team. All students are now benefiting from the extra support within the classroom setting. Thanks again for your support!"
~Pat Wulk, Supervisor
"Shout out to the self contained team at Lakeside for meeting weekly to help improve the design of the BD program and the education we provide our students - Melissa Kuhlen, Megan Protze, Audrey Muller, Melissa Castor, and School Admin."
~Steve Matusz, Exec. Dir. Special Services
"A big shout out to our 4th Grade Team of Laura Kane, Maria Vai, Marcia DeFelice, and Sarah Fryling. They have worked collaboratively to create a positive social-emotional learning experience for all 4th grade students. They had a fun assembly to kick off their project that placed the students in 4 houses with the themes of integrity, courage, strength, and respect. Students had a great time and will be working throughout the year as part of a team towards goals set by the teachers."
~Steve Saul, Principal
"A big shout out to Lori Kinsey, Stephanie Upham, Barbara Todd, Sue Derella, Joanne Mills, Erin Barse, Terry Russo, Mindy Fralick, Kathy Drastal, and Becky Morris for setting up our 1st staff get together of the year. These social gatherings serve as great opportunities for staff to enjoy each other’s company and enable us to grow stronger as a staff. “
~Eric Reissek, Principal
"A BIG Shout Out to Maria Stoerrle for organizing and scheduling the car seat workshop for our parents. She provided two certified car seat specialists, child care and snacks and everyone who attended will receive a free car seat professionally installed."
~JoAnn Burns, Principal
Have a Great Weekend!!!
Dr. G.
Dr. David N. Gentile
Superintendent of Schools
“Lead Learner”
@drgentile_mps (Twitter)
856-327-6001
#MPSWC (MPS World Class)
#greatdaytobeabolt
Published by Spike Cook, Millville, NJ
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