3. Chapter
2 covers finding the “bright spots.”
What are the bright spots in your relationship? Or in your
job?
Can you create more of those bright spots?
Think about a
problem you’re trying to overcome. What are the times
when you
don’t have that problem? Those
are your bright spots—
what can you learn from them?
I am part of the Guided Coalition at my school. Although we are having to put a lot of changes into place, a lot of tough changes, I am hearing a spark of positive in the sea of negative comments. As the year progresses, I am hearing more positive comments from the teachers, community, and parents about changes being made. The teams within the school that have been established and I have seen some real positive come from these. It is very exciting. More opportunities for teachers to meet and have a chance for a bright spot.
ReplyDeleteI am part of a new team at my school: new SpEd teacher in the building and 2 new paras. At the beginning of the year, I felt like there were HUGE hurdles that we had to climb over and LOTS of bridges to mend between the SpEd department and the general education teachers. I also have a student that had a horrible year last year and there were people in the building that wanted absolutely nothing to do with him. It was kind-of a lot to walk into for my and for my paras. But...there have been SO many bright spots since school started. The school climate is great...the teachers have been welcoming and are very thankful for all that we do, and my little guy has had a fairly successful year so far. It's very encouraging! My little guy had a rough morning...but then a bright spot surfaced in the afternoon. Each day is a new day. I think that looking for bright spots could be really fun for us all. I really like that the purpose of a bright spot is to look at what is working and figuring out how to do more of it. That's a pretty cool concept!
ReplyDeleteI really like the concept of finding the bright spots and creating more of them. It will definitely make me look at problems in a different light. It would also reduce my frustration and stress! I find myself looking at the problems in a relationship and over thinking those, which just creates more distress in my life. There are bright spots in my relationships and I need to focus on those. I can create more of those bright spots by acknowledging the positive actions with others. I definitely don't have the problem when my focus is on positive instead of negative. I can learn from the bright spots by paying attention to how others react when I focus on the positive actions. I focus on positive actions and build on those at school in therapy with my students. We just keep practicing until the speech sound is correct and then I give a lot of praise. The students definitely react positively with pride and accomplishment. I need to take more of that skill into my personal relationships with other people.
ReplyDeleteI have a student we are working really hard to develop both receptive and expressive language with. I was in his classroom earlier in the week and he did not seem to ever be responding to any type of language. To get him to follow a direction the team wad using maximum physical prompts and exaggerated gestures. On Wednesday he was making some vocalizations and ever one was excited. Then he was asked "Is the bus here?" and he shrugged his shoulders. What a bright spot. As I write this I am thinking about what was different that time and how can we recreate it.
ReplyDeleteWhen I engage in conversations, with those close to me, I find it EASIER to discuss the negative things that made my day long, or different; it is also easier to discuss things that I am really excited about. Thus, the more emotion I feel for certain encounters, the more likely I am to discuss it. To be honest, negative sticks in your mind more strongly than positive, because we do not like it. I think it is a good reminder to take a step back and realize all the bright spots that are going unnoticed or easily get forgotten. One of my bright spots today happened when I accompanied some kiddos to the pool. Some were jumping into the water for their first time and others were moving further from the steps for their first time. It was so fun and excited for them, as well as for me just to be an observer. We have a lot of goals for our students but it is so vital that we praise and encourage the things that mean something to our students. We are a huge part of their lives and we are as much a part of their bright spots, as we are theirs.
ReplyDeleteI sometimes forget to look for the bright side. I have meet many people since my life has started in Ulysses and they have helped me in seeing the bright side when all I was trying to do is stay afloat. I have a student that can be very difficult but sometimes when he does something the first time is rewarding. As we tried to get the student to do pictures it ended up taking three hours. I think we were all over with it but when we did get the student to the cafeteria the picture was great. I would actually want to hang it up. The picture was great so I am hoping the student's mother is excited when she gets the pictures. It might have taken a long time to get the student there but it was well worth it. I have been trying to look at the end results and not at the process. I know I reflect on the process but keeping in mind all the positives allow me not to go crazy
ReplyDeleteSince I work in 3 different districts, I have many "bright spots" in my relationships at work. I try to gravitate toward people who are positive and focus on our students strengths. As special educators, we do not work with an easy population of students, but our jobs are much easier when we approach an issue with the question, "what is working and how can we do more of it?" So many times we look at the negative. Meetings could go on for hours talking about true but useless information (TBU).
ReplyDeleteTo create more bright spots in my day, I need to focus on what is going right. I love the part of the book that talks about giving gratitude for every time the light switch works or praising a husband who remembers 13 out of 14 birthdays.
I am currently struggling with my middle child. She has gone through several changes since school started and she is struggling. I find that she is upset after school since she goes in the afternoon and has no nap therefore she is exhausted. After school is very stressful due to homework, starting dinner, an active 2 year old, plus an upset 4 year old. I focus 90% of my time on her asking her what is wrong, why are you crying, etc. My plan is to be more positive with her and stop focusing on the crying. I view this issue to be a huge issue in her life, but after visiting with the school and making a simple change from the afternoon to the morning class (now she can have an afternoon nap). I am not trying to change everything, but just make one change, therefore not trying to fit a "24-inch hole with a 24-inch peg". Praying this change is a HUGE bright spot in our world!
I have to add on...I hate to admit this, but before reading the book, I was looking to change several areas in her life...quit soccer, quit gymnastics, facetime with her favorite college girl, change her diet, move her bedroom....but not I am so confident that the change from afternoon to morning will make a difference.
DeleteBright spots in my job are the times when I walk into a room and the kids smile and/or come give me a hug. A specific example was the first week of school-I had spent the first day of school with one of my kids that I had provided support in the home all last year, but the 2nd day of school I was in another district for part of her day. But when I got back to her classroom, I walked in and said "hi" to the class and the girl I worked with said "you found me Dana!" That made my day-doesn't get much better than that!
ReplyDeleteI think creating more bright spots on my job is easy when working with kids-it's the adults that I need to create more bright spots with. Like the book said, we as a society tend to focus on the negative-I need to focus more on the positive and what the adults I work with are doing well. This will be difficult, but it's something I need to do-I need to give myself a pep talk about the positive things they are doing so I can enter a room and the adults say with the same enthusiasm as the child-you found me Dana!
I am trying to focus on being/staying positive. It is so easy to get “drug down” when someone is being negative or practicing negative behavior. I really try to guard my heart against the “negative” because it seems so easy to get caught up in it. On a personal level reading a devotional and listening to uplifting music on the way to work helps my day start off on a positive note. One of the State FFA officers gave her speech on looking for “God winks” – those bright spots every day. I have a student who has extremely low vision and is taking chemo. She is always positive and she challenges and inspires me! A student who struggles with doing independent work completing seat work independently and diligently practicing speech phrases. A beautiful sunrise on the way to work. Talking to my grandson on facetime and seeing his contagious smile!
ReplyDeleteI’m trying to be better at Exercising/walking. I am more successful in the summer when I have more time and when the weather is nice enough to walk. I’m also more successful when I have someone to walk with me.
I will try to walk in the evenings. Once it freezes, allergies won’t be such a problem. I used to walk pretty much no matter what. I need to have my coveralls and boots ready to go, take a shower the night before, so there is time. I have a student who really wants to walk around the track. We’ve been working for a while on gen ed subjects and then walking before resuming work on assignments. I’ll need to brainstorm alternatives when weather is cold
I have a few students who are noncompliant and have been challenging to work with this year. There are bright spots in my day when the students come to the speech room, complete tasks, and goes back to their room without any meltdowns. It may seem simple and most may take these things for granted when students do this, but when these particular students can do these things, it makes my day well worth it! I always try to think about what factors contribute to them complying and how I can do that again to create more ‘bright spots’.
ReplyDeleteAlso, I have had moments where I have worked hard on a sound with a student for a while and then it just ‘clicked’ for them and they got it. They got a sense of accomplishment and increased self esteem. Those moments make my job the most enjoyable.
I had a wonderful bright spot Friday. I have a senior who is a select mute; he has not spoken at school since he was in early elementary grades. Thursday I told him he needed to prepare his presentation for a class. He had two choices, he could tape record it at home or he could come in early Friday morning and video himself on the iPad. I was shocked when he walked in Friday morning at 7:45 and indicated he needed the iPad. He recorded himself for a ten minute presentation – and there were people in the classroom! I’ve focused so long and hard on him not speaking, I didn’t know what to do when he did! I tried to act like it was an everyday occurrence, no big deal.
ReplyDeleteBright spots do happen, after I read the chapter, I was really surprised – why do we always focus on the negative? I think that’s why people gossip – they enjoy others misery (negatives)! That really bothers me, I am going to try to change my own attitude.
Amazing about your student!!! Warms my heart!
DeleteReading about everyone's bright spots is giving me a bright spot for today!!!
ReplyDeleteAt work my bright spots are working with great people and finding time to laugh and enjoy what we are doing. I love to be around positive people who are great problem solvers! I love teaming with others stretching our thoughts to come up with something new and valuable. At home my bright spots are spending time with family either out and doing something like shopping or vacationing or like being at home on the couch watching movies!
A problem I find myself trying to overcome often is working with people who worry a lot or are negative. I tend to try to be more positive around these people or try to downplay their concerns – this just makes them try harder to convince me that there is an issue to worry about! I need to really recognize when these people are in a problem solving mood or are staying calm in the face of difficulty and really appreciate those moments.
This year to me is a huge bright spot in my world at work. Last year I spent the year working hard to help a student have a more successful year and even though that in itself last year was a bright spot it brought a lot of negativity with it for me personally. I found myself stressed out and not wanting to come to work in the mornings. This year I see that child getting to be more included in a classroom and socially fitting in and so now I can step back and see that bright spot in my life. I also work with Kindergarteners so that in itself is a bright spot because they love school and love their teachers and want to make you happy. I am remembering again what it is like to WANT to come to school this year.
ReplyDeleteAt home my bright spot is my children. They are growing so fast and getting to watch them find a love for different things as they grow is awesome. My oldest LOVES school this year and that makes my bright spot even brighter knowing he wants to be at school and he is learning to find a love in reading. As my youngest starts to really take off in 1st grade learning new things and trying out new sports. It all just warms my heart and I know that all too soon they will be grown up and gone.
My bright spot last year was the great folks at HPEC. I have a challenging group of students and I got so much help and encouragement from the people I work with. I learned to look for bright spots and share them with my paras. I have some kids that make progress very slowly, but they do make progress. We have all learned to jot notes on our "celebration chart" and I try to graph data to show progress. This has helped all of us be more positive and continue to look for more bright spots.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed the chapter on finding the bright spots. If only everyone did this on a daily basis! I started this school year off kind of rough. I made a big transition from the regular ed classroom to special ed wanting to make a difference in all my kids but had one family in mind from the beginning. I soon realized it wasn't going to be as easy or smooth as I thought and there were many times I was ready to stop and didn't think I could do it. Then I saw a bright spot! One day as a mother came to pick up he r child she started asking lots of questions about how and why we were doing things and instead of reacting I asked for her understanding and patience as everyone is working very hard for her daughter and we want her to have a successful year. I realized in that moment that I had to partner with this family we had to be a team and I had to listen to them without getting as much as I wanted them to listen to me. After that day we have had many positive conversations and have been able celebrate together their daughters success and we have brainstormed ideas to try during harder parts of the day. My bright spot was realizing I could work with this child and family if I kept my positive attitude and stayed focused on the goal that we all have for her!
ReplyDeleteEmily - -I love your outlook on this! I just went to a conference and the presenter made a statement that really spoke to me. In comparing our partnership with parents to a dance she said "Most parents don't choose to be at this dance" (e.g. the role of a parent with special needs child). Most professional did choose to be at the dance. So we each come with a different view, mindset and background to this "dance". Sure made me think
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ReplyDeleteAs a whole, my students are the bright spots in my work day. Now I must admit that some are brighter than others but there is a shimmer of light in each one! I think that the attitude/mood of myself, the classroom teacher and those working around me are the biggest factors on creating more bright spots. There are days that I am just not at my best - -for whatever reason (tired, PMS, overwhelmed, etc). However, most times when I go to work with a student, I feel rejuvinated with a purpose which helps to change my attitude. Wtih that being said,, I think most often we create our own bright (or dark) spots by our choices.
ReplyDeleteI have a difficult home that I have to visit...it's difficult for many reasons including socio-economics, language differences, parent's level of cognition. My home visits tend to vary as either reallllly good and productive or really unproductive and frustrating. As I did progress reports and looked at my data, I realized our good visits were the days that I approached the parent/child with optimism and tried to follow the child's lead. I need to create more bright spots with this child!
My life is one big bright spot, I am exactly where I want to be. If you asked me in high school where I wanted to be in the future where I am now was my answer, except I always thought it would still be in Texas!
ReplyDeleteAt school I am on the Guiding Coalition, the lead PLC. I am a department head and just found out that I will be a DLM external reviewer!! I love the leadership aspect of my job and the fact that my principal includes me in on the leadership roles in our building, even though I am not a district employee. I took a risk last school year and threw my name in the hat, so to speak, to be secondary facilitator. I got it and have really enjoyed it so far.
The bright spot today was in my 2nd hour reading class when one of my students answered high level questions!! Yea for him! In anther class a student who is really struggling got the only 100% on a comprehension paper from a Reader's Theater story we read yesterday. My students are doing amazing things, they are the bright spot in my day (from 8-3:30).
I loved MK Mueller from the conference in Holcomb earlier this week, she is so positive and full of bright spots- it was very refreshing!!!
There are many bright spots at work. I have a great group of kids and as I go to classes to help them I see what other teachers do to work with them and try to implement what I learn from them when I have those students in my class. I have a behavior student that I am struggling with and when we have days where there are bright spots I try to clone those the next day - unfortunately it typically backfires, but I'm determined to find something that works.
ReplyDeleteThis year at school seems to be a bright spot altogether. I feel our building has struggled the past couple of years with all the common core changes and what not and this year it seems as more of us are looking for the bright spots and focusing on them as much as we can.
The biggest thing I can learn from my bright spots is that I tend to feel better and get more done with I focus on the good and not the negative.
I have several bright spots at work. First of all the kids I work with are truly amazing. Every single one of them can put a smile on my face at any given moment. Of course some can do it quicker and more often than others but I am truly blessed to be working with such a great group of kids. Another bright spot at work is the para's that work with me. They do an amazing job helping me and the students. I'm very lucky to have such a good team.
ReplyDeleteMy bright spots at home are my kids. I love spending time with them, playing games, reading, making crafts, shooting baskets, or even playing football. They both love school and it makes me a very proud momma to see them push themselves daily.
One area that I need to try and find a bright spot in would be dealing with people that are resistant to change. I get very frustrated when we are trying to implement new things at work and people are negative about it before they have even tried it.
(Mary S.) My job and students, and para are my bright spots at school. I am most thankful to have them in my life. The job and students give me "direction" (rider), "a feeling" (elephant) - hope and a "path" - As chapter 2 stated - these three things must be present to produce effective change i.e. - "a road map for action, which sparks hope that change is possible."
ReplyDeleteTo me, one of the most insightful chapter observations is to ask oneself is "What's working right now? instead of "What's broken and how can we fix it?"
I have bright spots happen throughout my day. There are times when I am feeling overwhelmed or stressed, but my job and kids make it great. I have a student who would live in my room if he could. He loves coming to my room and will do anything I ask of him. Yay!!! I sometimes have to take a step back and remember that everything is going great and that even though there may be sideways jaunts we are making progress.
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