[regional_school] A Back to School Proposal

From: "eweber1@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx" <eweber1@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
To: "regional_school@xxxxxxxxxxxxx" <regional_school@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: Tue, 5 Aug 2014 09:32:59 -0700

Ignite Hope for Teens' Fragile
Expectations

How
many 14 year olds will bounce into class on that first day, filled with
expectations that somebody will be there to help them meet their optimistic
expectations? Research shows that hope exists within more areas of the human
brain than once recognized, so it only makes sense to ignite hope that comes to
class that first day in secondary students. 
In his book, The Anatomy of Hope, Dr. Jerome Groopman shows
how desire and expectation hold compelling influences on people's health and
wellbeing. Will your first day of class motivate or crush fragile expectations?

Hope brings reality into sharp focus. (Jerome Groopman)
Like eagles beat the winds of the
upper air,  hope elevates young minds over panic, past anxiety, and beyond
fears that fuel too many events in their sometimes turbulent lives. 
In spite of dreadful learning
experiences for some youth, hope increases thickness in the cerebral cortex,
especially in areas of attention and sensation. Reconnect neurons of 
well-being, in that first
week of class and you’ll add to the number of support cells in that
domain,  and expand blood vessels for hope during an entire term. 
First day tasks can stir hope
How so? 
Play classical musicsoftly as they enter class. Musical intelligence increases 
sensitivity of the
brain stem to the sounds and directions of wonder that follow. 
Invite students to move,
build, and handle objects skillfully.  Movement
intelligence stokes hope through increasing neurons in their hippocampus –
where they call up trusted facts to improve their brain’s executive functions.
Movement boosts moods and enables them to plan and organize far better results. 
Teach teens to speak upand feel heard. Linguistic intelligence compels teens to 
question and to live
insights experts write or speak concerning hope.
Guide learners to interviewhighly respected leaders. Interpersonal intelligence
inspires youth to spend time with and learn from those who express hopeful ways
to live.
Invite students to demonstratea symbol from nature that illustrates a strength 
they hope
to use in class. Naturalistic intelligence draws out hope in human brains,
through its many rejuvenated colors and textures.
Help teens reachbeyond a learning challenge for a tool they can use to win. 
Their brains come
equipped with mathematical intelligence to discover hopeful solutions for
problems they face.
Where will hope reside in your back
to school story? More importantly,  how will hope light new student pathways
for the coming term?
 
Ellen Weber (PhD) 
Director - MITA International Brain Based Center
PO Box 347, Pittsford, NY 14534 
MITA Brain Leaders and learners  blog: www.Brainleadersandlearners.com 
MITA Brain Based Center Web Site  at www.mitaleadership.com
[regional_school] A Back to School Proposal

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