Healthy Striving

January 9, 2015
Issue #338

Success is liking yourself, liking what you do, and liking how you do it.
~Maya Angelou

In my seventeen years of teaching, I have had partners and colleagues who have mentored me every step of the way. Many have become dear friends. One thing they all have in common is that they are constantly striving for professional excellence.

I recently finished an outstanding book that is making me consider the difference between healthy striving and perfectionism. In The Gifts of Imperfection: Let Go of Who You Think You're Supposed to Be and Embrace Who You Are,Brené Brown says that healthy striving is self-focused, whereas perfectionism is other-focused. Healthy striving asks, “How can I improve?” Perfectionism asks, “What will others think?” She goes so far as to say that perfectionism hampers success. 

And I think that perfectionism not only hampers success, but robs us of pleasure, because we can never measure up to impossible standards. However, if we are striving in a healthy way, there will be something inherently joyful in the journey, and we’ll discover that we like ourselves, like what we do, and indeed, even like how we do it. I think that may be the intangible characteristic so many of my friends and colleagues possess. They reflect often, celebrate success, and adjust as necessary. As I strive to improve in my own practice, I will look to yet another trait they model so proficiently, and endeavor to focus my efforts on this kind of healthy striving.  

 

News from The Daily CAFE

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Math Journals in Kindergarten

Recording their thinking in a math journal can be overwhelming for emerging writers. These suggestions will help our young writers explain their thinking.

 

"I Can" Bookmarks*

Here are the "I Can" bookmarks for Back up and reread and Compare and contrast within and between text. 

 

 

 

Using the Read-aloud as the Mentor Text for Teaching Compare and Contrast*

Heather Macey introduces this complex strategy with a Venn diagram in a lesson that can be used with learners of any age. 

b-Resilient Improvement Verses Perfection Carol Moehrle encourages us to measure improvement by looking back.

Conferring with CCPensieve Unarchive Student Have you archived a student whom you want to show up in your class list again? Here's how.

 

Professional Development Opportunities

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2015 Live Workshops We are excited about our 2015 workshops. At each location, the first day will focus on Daily 5 and Math Daily 3. Day two is a new CAFE Intensive.  Location Dates Chicago, IL Westin North Shore April 18, 19 Charlotte, NC Westin Charlotte June 6, 7 Tacoma, WA Hotel Murano June 25, 26 Orange County, CA Hyatt Regency Orange County August 3, 4 Minneapolis, MN Radisson Blu Mall of America August 29, 30 Fort Worth, TX Hilton Fort Worth September 19, 20 Las Vegas, NV Tropicana Las Vegas November 14, 15   Graduate Courses Upper Iowa University conducts the courses online with content by The 2 Sisters. January 12, 2015 EDU555: Daily 5/CAFE January 13, 2015 EDU533: Math Daily 3   Up & Running with the Daily 5 Our new how-to video, shot in third-grade and fifth-grade classrooms, is available through subscription for online streaming or as a DVD.  Go to Stenhouse Publishers to learn about a limited-time offer that could benefit your school.

2015 Online Seminars Prefer short bursts of information combined with independent learning? Each session offers separate seminars on Daily 5, CAFE and Math Daily 3. February 1–February 28 March 1–March 28 April 5–May 2     Learn more about Daily 5 and CAFE workshops, online seminars, and online graduate courses.