THE POWER OF FINISHING STRONG

While it is tempting for staff and students at any school to let up at the end of the year, it is essential that all members of the school community finish strong. The temptation for students is real as they work hard daily in each of their six classes. Every teacher places their own demands on them as they work diligently to prepare them for success in their own classes as well as to prepare them for the next level. The day-to-day class work including nightly homework is challenging to say the least. A couple of years ago, I shadowed a student for the day and I forgot how exhausting the school day actually is - and I was only shadowing!

Our hardworking, devoted staff has been working since late August with the awesome responsibility of helping all of our students to be successful at high levels - academically, socially, and behaviorally. The arduous task of engaging and supporting students with different learning styles at different academic performance levels on a daily basis is a monumental task. The fact that we do it so well each year is a testament to the teaching staff as well as to those who support them; from our front office to the custodial staff.

Thus, while it is tempting to let up on the throttle, it is essential that we all finish the year on a high note. Finishing strong when doing any task is an important trait in successful people. Parents and staff should work intentionally to support and motivate students to finish successfully. In addition to learning valuable skills, students gain the experience of being rewarded for their hard work and persistence. Students who finish the school year strong almost always begin the next year successfully as well. This is due in large part, to the confidence that they gained from achieving that success as well the fact that they will most likely continue to practice the work habits that helped foster their achievements.

This doesn't necessarily mean working harder. Instead it means working in a more focused way. Teachers should foster this by trying not to cover too much content at the end of the year. Essential content and skills should be evaluated and re-prioritized. It is even more important for teachers to target instruction so that their students gain valuable learning outcomes needed to prepare them for the next level. Parents and guardians can help as well by reducing the activities that their children are involved in after school and helping them with time management skills - including setting end of the year goals. Students should have plenty of sleep and rest, and eat well on a daily basis. While these things are valuable throughout the year, they are particularly important the last six weeks. Finally, when our children finish the year successfully, we should celebrate them and help them reflect on all the strategies that they took to realize that success so that they can internalize them. The pride and joy that they gain from year-end accomplishments will be a great motivating force when they begin the new school term - success breeds success!

Connecting Children to the Schools That They Attend

While the primary objective of schools is to help all students to be academically successful so that they are prepared for the next level, most schools also attempt to develop the whole child – behaviorally, emotionally and socially. While all of the six schools in the Mill Valley School District are high performing in so many ways, it is the determined effort that each school makes in this area that creates such a fantastic learning environment for children. While we work very hard at Mill Valley Middle School (MVMS) to challenge, engage, and support students so that they academically flourish, our entire learning community is committed to helping students grow in all ways.

One way to do this is by “connecting” students to school. Connecting students to the MVMS not only helps them to be academically successful (there is lot of research in this area that supports this), but it also gives them a more fulfilling and happy school experience. Connecting students to their peers and to caring adults also gives students valuable interpersonal skills that benefit them well beyond the school day. It also makes for a more emotionally safe school culture as it gives students the opportunity to be part of a caring community. I am really proud of the fact that so many of our staff (and parents) members give students such fantastic learning experiences inside and outside of the classroom. We have an incredible array of clubs that meet before school, during lunch, and after school - a successful intramural and afterschool sports program, and a community service program called Community First. We also have a first class talent show, school play, and art show and as well as an incredible music program that allows students to perform throughout the year. All of the clubs and programs mentioned above (and others that weren’t) are the result of a staff that works above and beyond in order to “grow’ the whole child. While we will continue to be a school that focuses on providing students the important, content knowledge, skills, and work habits that allow them to excel academically, I can assure you that we will also continually look for ways to connect kids to each other, to adults and to Mill Valley Middle School.

Helping Develop the Right Mindset in Children

While a significant part of our mission is to engage and support students so that they are academically, socially, and behaviorally successful at high levels, another important goal is to help develop important qualities including strong work habits, resiliency and self-empowerment so that students take an active role in their own learning. In fact, it is these (and other) important qualities that separate students who are successful from those who are authentically successful according to Dr. Kenneth Ginsburg, one of the nations leading authorities in the field of Child and Adolescent Resilience and a nationally renowned pediatrician.

Until somewhat recently, the prevailing belief by educators was that success – particularly academic success, was in large part due to a student’s IQ and other innate factors. In other words, some children were just born smarter than others and their academic success was mostly attributable to simply being more intelligent. While a student’s IQ is certainly a factor that contributes to his or her success, just as important is how that student approaches learning. Both parents and educators play a significant role in shaping that child’s approach.

Carol S. Dweck, one of the world’s leading researchers in the field of motivation and a Professor of Psychology at Stanford University, and author of Mindset: The New Psychology of Success, posits that individuals can be placed on a continuum according to their implicit views of where ability comes from. She states that some people believe their success is based on innate ability; these are said to have a "fixed" theory of intelligence. Others, who believe their success is based on hard work and learning, are said to have a "growth" or an "incremental" theory of intelligence. Individuals may not necessarily be aware of their own mindset, but their mindset can still be discerned based on their behavior. It is especially evident in their reaction to failure. Fixed-mindset individuals dread failure because it is a negative statement on their basic abilities, while growth mindset individuals don't mind failure as much because they realize their performance can be improved. These two mindsets play an important role in all aspects of a person's life. Dweck argues that the growth mindset will allow a person to live a less stressful and more successful life.

This is important because (1) individuals with a "growth" theory are more likely to continue working hard despite setbacks and (2) individuals' theories of intelligence can be affected by subtle environmental cues. For example, children given praise such as "good job, you're very smart" are much more likely to develop a fixed mindset, whereas if given compliments such as "good job, you worked very hard", they are likely to develop a growth mindset. In other words, it is possible to encourage students to persist despite failure by encouraging them to think about learning in a certain way.

Our goal is to foster a growth mindset for our students. We want students to take risks, to stretch themselves and to realize that failure is not failure but, ideally, an opportunity to learn and persevere. Our most successful students are not always those who receive the highest academic distinctions. While some certainly achieve at the highest academic levels, those students who I would consider to be most successful are those that who are intellectually curious, confident, well-adjusted, and take an active role in their own learning not solely for the grade but because they are thirsty to learn new things. Those students who have these qualities not only perform at high levels, but equally as important, are happy and secure. They readily take on new opportunities and delight in challenging themselves – even if they are only moderately successful.

Both books by Carol Dweck and Ken Ginsburg give parents and educators practical tips on how to help children and young adults obtain those qualities that will not only help them to be successful students but to flourish outside of the school setting as well. They also relate through there own experiences on how easy it is to fall into promoting those qualities that are conducive to a more fixed mindset in our children. Even after having read many of their articles and the books that I mention above, I catch myself telling my daughters how smart they are or what great dancers they are before quickly adding, "I mean, your practice is really paying off", or "I like how you challenge yourself when you work on your homework". Both authors give tips on how to give the right type of praise to your children and how to help them build confidence even when they struggle. While I highly recommend that you read both books, you can read a little about Carol Dweck in an article in the March/April, 2007 edition of Stanford Magazine titled, The Effort Effect or How Not to Talk to Your Kids in the New York Magazine.

Homework - What's the right amount for students?

Over the past four years, I have received a significant number of emails from parents and had numerous face-to-face conversations around concerns regarding the amount of homework that our students receive. Many of them say that their children spend an average of two to three hours a night doing school work. I have also talked to a number parents who have told me that they didn't think that the homework load was excessive and felt that it was just the right amount. Thus, it has been a challenging task to determine if there are indeed a significant number of students who are spending too much time on a nightly basis reading, studying for tests, completing assignments and projects, etc. After 3 1/2 years as the Principal, I believe

that the issue is not schoolwide but rather teacher and Pod (students are housed by pods in each grade level) specific and that the issue is not as significant as some parents claim it to be. There does seem to be some inconsistency in the amount that is given which; is understandable to a degree as our teachers work in teams that are geographically separate. With that said, I would like the amount of assigned homework to be more evenly balanced and consistent grades six through eight.

We are beginning to undertake a more comprehensive look at the amount of homework that is assigned and how we can better coordinate it as well as having conversations on what good homework looks like. The good news is that the vast majority of parents believe that the homework assigned is really well designed. We are also working with students to help them become more efficient at doing homework. Often, students spend more time than they actually need to or wait until the last minute to complete work that was assigned days or weeks earlier.

There are have been countless studies regarding homework and its impact on student learning. The results of the the research is varied. There are a number of articles that I think present arguments on both sides of the issue and would be good for parents to read including Homework Wars, In Defense of Homework, and Forgot Homework. Some researchers have found homework to enhance student learning and to teach students valuable life skills including organizational and time management skills and how to be responsible. Others say that the benefits are minimal if at all and that homework - especially if too much is given on a regular basis often has an adverse impact on student learning.

I would say that they are both right and that the key is to have a balanced approach. Students should not be doing over two hours a night on average although there may be exceptions on occasion. I believe that students benefit from quality homework assignments that connect to the curriculum that they are studying in their classes to extend their learning beyond what is required for a test. In addition to adding to their learning, the task-management, organizational and study skills skills that they acquire are ones that will serve them well both in their academic careers and beyond. The key is to not give them too much homework as students actually internalize less as they are so consumed by just getting the work done. I have talked to countless students who say that when the homework load is too heavy that they just "grind it out" and usually don't remember what they learned beyond the test or assignment once it is turned in. Needless to say, this is not the desired outcome for anyone - particularly for students.

Parents can also play an important role in helping their children to do their homework more effectively and efficiently. The amount of time you spend doing this should decline somewhat as they reach the middle and high school years but it is still important to take a role. I always recommend that parents check more frequently initially and then "lessen the reins" as their child proves she or he is acting responsibly. It's essential that you check in from time to time to make sure that they are completing their work and to help create the conditions that will help them be successful. Students need a quiet work space (I do not recommend having a computer located in their rooms) and they should create a routine as much as possible. Most successful students work on their homework at the same time each afternoon or evening. It is essential that you do not let then stay up late to do their homework as adolescents need at least nine hours of sleep per night. For further tips , refer to an article titled, Winning the "Homework Wars". You might want to also watch the video of the CBS interview featuring Stephen Perrine.

I am hopeful that Mill Valley Middle School will serve as a model for how you can have a very high-performing school program and have a balanced approach regarding the amount and quality of homework that is assigned on a nightly average. While I do not think that the problem is a significant schoolwide issue, I do believe that it is an area of growth for us. I also feel that parents can play an active role by helping set up effective conditions for homework. It's also important to monitor it to some extent - depending on the specific needs of your child. I am happy to announce that we will be showing the movie - A Race to Nowhere sometime after the Winter break as it touches on issues around homework and students' workload. As I have mentioned before this is a complex issue that will only be solved when whole communities (including schools) work together (instead of pointing fingers at each other) in a concerted effort to make sure that we challenge children but not at the cost of their physical and mental health.

Continual Learning

November

Fostering the Ability for Students to Self-Advocate

One of the qualities that successful students possess is the ability to advocate for themselves. While there are a number of strategies that we use both in and out of the classroom during the school day to help develop this important quality in our students, there are a number of steps that parents can take as well.

The first is to try to involve your child in decisions/situations that impact their school lives. While there is always a temptation to try to fix challenges that they are faced with, it is essential that they begin to learn how to solve their own problems. For example, if they fall behind in their schoolwork, or you (or they) believe that they deserved a better grade on an assignment, have your child see their teacher rather than contact her/him yourself - at least initially. The best thing that you can do is to give them the tools that will help empower them to solve their issues. One of the best strategies that you can use is to have you and your child role play how they might best interact with that teacher to have a positive interaction. Suggest ways that they can respectfully approach them, have them practice what they might say, and talk to them about proper responses to questions that they might be asked.

If your child finds it particularly nerve-wracking to approach a teacher, help them craft a letter that they can present to them. They will still benefit from the interaction and they will gain confidence that will allow them to do it unaided the next time. I can't tell you how much teachers appreciate when students see them with questions or concerns that they have - particularly when they so at the right time and in a respectful manner.

If you do need to meet with a teacher, have your child attend and actively engage in the meeting for at least part of the time. As children enter the middle school years, it is essential that they begin to be active participants in the conversation rather than sit on the sidelines while the adults are talking about them. Even though students will push back on this, I can't tell you how many times I have seen when a student, who initially disliked the idea of being present in a parent/teacher meeting, left that same meeting feeling positive (at least inwardly) and much happier when they came in.

Children aren't born self-advocates, we need to consciously help them develop the skills and qualities necessary to empower them. I still make the mistake of sometimes telling students to just go see the teacher if they have a question or problem - forgetting that that that is much easier said than done for the vast majority of students at this age level. So, the next time that you tell your daughter or son to see a teacher, first give them some explicit strategies that they might use before the interaction.

One of the best things we can do as educators and parents is to gently "stretch" our children so that they gain the confidence and the skills to become more independent. Working together to help children develop self-advocacy skills is an essential means toward that end.