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Something that stood out to me was that "You always have a choice." This little phrase can take us so far and in every situation we find ourselves in we have to make a choice- hopefully a positive one! When we wake up each morning and we can CHOOSE what attitude we want to start our day with and then each choice after that becomes an opportunity to make a great choice!

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This book really got me to reflect a lot about my school and my teaching along with distance learning and how I can become a better teacher. I like how it reminded me of the "choice" we have as teachers. Nothing will ever be perfect so we have to choose our own battles to fight and to let go. That is our freedom. There is a lot to reflect on in this book, advise to consider and hope for the future. It will be a book I will go back to when I am struggling in the future and look back to find advice and reassurance that what I am doing makes a difference.

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What a great chapter.  I found myself reflecting a lot on what it means to get and give praise.  I struggle with both.  When I get praise, I tend to blow it off and ignore it because it feels weird.  I really need to start giving more praise to those who are working with me.  I am lucky that our principal does a weekly newsletter and has "shout outs" in it.  It is a place where we can anonymously recognize the work of others in the building.  It feels great when someone sends you a shout-out but also it feels great to send one out for someone else.

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I really liked this chapter as I reflected on change. I really struggle with change, whether it is a school or at home with my family. I really thought a lot after reading this chapter about how I can deal with change and how I need to let some things go for my own mental health and well-being. I need to remember that change is about learning and moving forward no matter how it appears at the time.

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This chapter was right up my alley as I teach PE.  Play is the best part about education in my eyes.  The more we can get kids to move and be active, it stimulates their brains for comprehensive development.  Movement breaks in a classroom during instruction is also key.  When you think about play, it is not always a PE or group organization.  It can be small movement activities in a classroom for a few minutes to give the kids a break and refocus.

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I liked this chapter because it talked about inquiry and action research.  It tied into all the work I did last summer on asking myself what I want to do and what I want to research and put into action for this school year.  It also made me reflect on this upcoming year about "not yet" thinking.  I really reflected on the Mind Gap part.  It made me think about situations and where I was and where I wanted to be.  It will make me think about the parts in the middle and change my mindset as well to get to where I wanted to be.  I really need to reflect on the time log.  I know I work hard and give it my all but I need to work harder on focusing on one thing at a time and taking more time for myself and family and letting the school work go.

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In this chapter I really thought about my situation this year with administration and my past years with parents that had a fixed mindset during our wrestling season. I am still working on the compassion side with my administration but time is healing that. With dealing with parents who don't see that we are coaching the best we can to help their child is the hardest. After many conversations, it feels like a battle and wavy turf every time there is a conversation. This chapter helped me by reflecting on what I can do in the future in these situations by "letting go" and "forgive" the previous interactions that were hurtful. Knowing and having a growth mindset will better our working relationships in the future. I really liked this chapter as I reflected a lot and will think of ways to better all my relationships.

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I agree with this chapter that our brains are tuned in for a negative bias. I wrote this before but I have my students in Health in the past write down put-down on one side of the paper and put-up on the other side. The put-down always win in a 30 second race the time. I agree with the book that we are naturally drawn to negativity. Just look at the nightly news, you see more negative news than positive. The reason is that negativity is what sells and is interesting. Why are our brains wired this way? As I read the chapter, I thought about the Fight or Flight Response a lot. When confrontation happens, why do we have to either Fight, or ignore and Flight away? I like the diagram about Emotions and how we have to recognize and accept them. Recognizing what makes us tick and tock is a huge step in knowing how to handle our emotions and teaching emotional concepts.

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Well this chapter really hit home as I know I am lacking in so many areas that I need to improve on. It reminded me a lot of the first book we got in this program called "Well Balanced Teacher". As you can see it is 1:49am and I am working on school work. Procrastinator, yes. but balancing summer work, long distance learning and a family leaves me with very little time. I liked the part about learning to say "No". This has been my worst struggle and will always be a struggle. I am they type of person who strives on doing better than anyone else and when asked to help, I am always there. It sacrifices so much but being the best I can means a lot to me. I am very lucky to have the family I have to support and understand that my giving takes away from them, but when we have our time, it is even more special. I need to work on my skills of saying NO, not now and not feel guilty. The world will still turn and life will move on. I need to work on focusing on my own family as well.

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This chapter was a good one. One of my goals in semester 5 of this program was, "Be Present". This book hit it well. We will have to make lots of decisions that will ultimately hurt us like calling child protection, but being present, probably saved so much more negativity for Gabriel. Being present and here means we have to leave it all at the door (whether we are coming or leaving school) and just focus on the kids. I think humor is SO important to have but you need to be careful as some kids do not communicate if they fell hurt by a comment. That is another reason to build a great relationship with your students.

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I liked this chapter because it is part of what I based my AR on last summer along with building relationships to improve motivation and movement. When it started off with talking about the staff lounge, I thought back years ago when I would be in the lounge eating lunch. I decided about 10 years ago to not eat lunch in the lounge because like the book talked about, it tends to be a "bitch session". I tried a few times since then but it was the same old same old. When I tried to change the subject, it would always go back to the session, so I decided to focus my energy elsewhere and maybe get more work done during that time. Building strong communities allows everyone to feel welcomed and part of the process. That is really important to me. I liked the pages about relationship building with students and parents as I also try to build those positive connections. We have instructional coaches at our school and they are very similar to what the book described as good listening skills. I thinks a good listener has to have good questions (not to answer, but to guide and probe so the person we are listening to can come up with their own answer).

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I really liked this chapter as well. The first home run was the story about the man in his new boat and how his emotions changed when he saw the boat was unmanned. It reminded me of the time when I was working on one of my demolition derby cars and I fought for about 15 minutes to get a bold that held the ground wire to the battery way back behind the engine and I couldn't get it to start to grab the threads. I was cussing and losing my mind, threw a wrench and my dad who was welding on the car came over to see what was up. I was so mad and lost it. He told me to get the wrench I threw and he would do it. That just about put me over the edge because I have done the same task for years. I grabbed the wrench and said, "fine, you do it hot shot"! The look he gave me was priceless. It was amazing, first try, he got it started in less than 10 seconds. He said, "You don't have to get mad if you don't want to", and then handed me the wrench and said, "get back to work, we have lots to do". I will never forget that and I use the same words when I see kids get upset about dumb stuff that will never matter tomorrow, a week or 10 years from now. Gotta love dad's! I also liked the parent email situation with choice X or Y. Often when we get an email, we automatically go on defense like we are going to be blamed for something their kid didn't tell the true story. I learned that an honest conversation starting with what their kid is doing good in class, then the situation(s) that need to change, then finish with a positive comment, really helps calm a negative parent and it is all about helping their child. Don't assume negative thoughts, calm emotions and focus on solutions not emotions is key. I liked the part about adapting your story telling to your audience. Kids love to know you and hear your stories, but if you can make it more real for them, it works even better. I am not very good with my phone. One time my phone was acting up and loosing battery power in weird ways and my wife called during advisory. I answered it and it died. I called on the school phone, but I then complained about having an old phone. My kids laughed because it is really old. One kid said to do a power save mode........, I had no idea what he was saying so I asked him to show me. The whole class was chirping in on different things to do to help and it was the whole 25 minutes of them teaching me about my super old phone. It is one of my favorite advisories because of the relationships that were built and the stories we got to make.

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I teach PE/Health and this year it was only PE.  As I read this chapter, there is so much that ties into our curriculum.  I really liked the cycle of emotions and the diagram.  It really ties into our mental health unit and there is a lot I can take from it and use.  It also brought me back to all the work we did in the Master's program around SEL.  I do a lesson on naming emotions as well and it really brings up true, honest conversations about what sets off emotions either positive or negative and we end up having a full class period on opening up and talking about how to appropriately deal with those emotions.  Kids always seem to be timid at first but with guidance, they open up and share more than you would expect.  I strongly encourage every teacher to try these strategies as much as possible.  It builds a stronger community and helps students who are struggling understanding emotions at the stage of life they are going through.  It also can help them find help and be able to build trust with adults, even if it is not you and find ways to get help when needed.

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I reflected on the part, "roots of bias run deep". It made me think of some situations that either I was conscious or unconscious about my own bias and the bias that students have of my by just looking at me or judging a certain situation. It made me also think about a Growth Mindset and how those situations were all about a fixed mindset. I believe that all teachers are vulnerable in our positions but we have way more power than we think we do. We have to power to show kids how to change for the better. We need to also know our purpose in life and teaching, otherwise we are just rolling through the motions and nobody wins at that game.

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I am excited about reading this book as I am connecting to it just through the intro and first few chapters. I have thought a lot about what resilience means to me and my own teaching practices, parenting and overall person. I connected with the part about Healthy stress (Eustress) and Toxic Stress (Distress). I teach those in my Health classes and have the kids give examples. I was not shocked to see that the teacher burnout rate is around 1/2 million each year. I feel it from time to time and know many "more" veteran teachers that are giving up. It would be very hard for me to be a first year teacher again after 17 years.

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There is one quote that really stood out to me in the conclusion on page 313- "This is why we cultivate resilience: so that we can thrive and contribute to helping others thrive and unlock their freedom." Having resilience is crucial. This book has really opened up my eyes about myself and growth mindset!

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One of the major takeaways from this chapter was about appreciation. On page 295, it talks about written appreciation. "Invite group members to jot down appreciations on sticky notes or paper and then hand them to the recipient." At my school we do something very similar. We can write down something good someone did or appreciate about them and then at our staff meeting our principal reads off a few and then hands them out in our mail boxes if we received one!

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This book has really taught me to look within myself and really develop an understanding of who I am and what my emotions truly mean. I am not one who looks deeply into my own emotions, I actually avoid them as much as possible. So this book has been very much out of my comfort zone. I did appreciate some tips and tricks especially about the learning journey, seeing the good, living in the moment.

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I found the section about teacher appreciation very intriguing. I also had expectations for teacher appreciate, thinking I was going to be overwhelmed with thoughtful notes from students, appreciation from administration and parents, even family members. But in all reality, I got BOGO at chipotle. I plan to practice self-teacher appreciation next year! I know the book says to think of three things daily but that seems like a lot for me right now. Maybe one day I will get there but I think I have a good goal going now, changing the perception of teacher appreciation day from others appreciating me to appreciating my own work.

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Resilience is key! This book taught me the importance of working on being a resilient and positive person, because that is what my students see. If I want to instill growth mindset into my students, I need to embody it and have it everyday. We have the freedom to choose how things effect us and how we look at the world. We can use our resilience to find the positive in new or challenging experiences, even failure! This knowledge will help to make me a better teacher and person.

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This chapter reinforce previous learning, and brought about new information for me. Just recently I have learned about the power of appreciating things and having gratitude. There are so many benefits to feeling grateful; it helps you see your own growth, motivates you to do kind things for others, shifts our focus from ourselves, etc. In another class we learned about a teaching who had her students write letters of thanks to show their gratitude and appreciation. This chapter reminded me to do that next year.

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"You always have a choice". This is something my mom said to me each day I walked out the door to go to school. We have a choice to be kind, to work hard, to include others, to try our best, to learn, to grow, etc. This book was excellent and the conclusion solidified the idea that we are important pieces of the puzzle to help kids continue to be resilient and continue being themselves! We need to work hard to develop growth mindset in our classrooms so they feel comfortable making positive choices that can help them grow!

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This chapter reminded me of distance learning. As hard as it was, I felt like everyone was so appreciative of all the work it took to keep our kids learning. I was thankful for parents that helped their kids and parents were grateful for teachers. I had gratitude toward administration for being flexible and letting us do what we thought was best. "An attitude of gratitude" is something so easy to do but easily forgotten!

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"Resilience is the key to our own ability to thrive and, therefore, our ability to help others thrive." This quote on page 311 sums up what this whole book was about. We can't help others if we don't help ourselves. We get to choose how we respond to the different events in our lives. The book gave the example of the copier breaking down and you need those copies for your lesson now. We can choose if we lose our minds or if we step back and think "this doesn't have to throw my whole day off." That is our freedom. Our resilience allows us to do our best. We will always face challenges, but with resilience we can bounce back faster than ever!

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This chapter was a good reminder that it just takes one "little thing" to help make someone feel appreciated. In the book she referred to appreciation as a "secret sauce" that we only need a few drops each day mixed in with other key habits to have a rich resilience. I liked the different examples of how we can practice gratitude toward ourselves and toward others. When people give you a compliment it can be uncomfortable and it's in our nature to say it wasn't a big deal or give them a compliment back. I know I have done this on several occasions. The author suggested that if someone gives you a compliment simply smile and say thank you.

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This book was very empowering and has taught me that I am in control of my actions. There are so many things that we can step back and think about after reading this chapter. "Resilience is the key to our own ability to thrive and, therefore, our ability to help others thrive." All of these things that we have learned throughout this book begin with ourselves.Once we are able to be resilient,then we can help those around us thrive as well. We have the power to choose our attitude, perspective, resilience and so much more - let's find meaning in every moment.

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"Appreciation is like a secret sauce. You need only a few drops of it every day - in combnation with other key habits and dispositions - to create a rich resilience."
I love this quote because that is truly what it takes is just a little bit of appreciation each day to make not only yourself, but your students feel good to. In my classroom we always celebrate our work. We will sit in a circle and share our bigger projects and then we all go around and show appreciation for the hard work done. I also have a Wow Work board in my room where students are able to share their favorite pieces and once a month we look at the different work each student has chosen and celebrate that also. I like the idea that the chapter talks about for appreciating others. It gives a variety of ways to do so. I am already doing many of them, but one thing I haven't done is "Pulling a Name". You can pull a name from a hat and students will share out things they appreciate about that person. I also enjoy showing appreciation in my classroom by doing student of the week. When a student is the "Student of the Week" we write letters to that student and then I make a book out of them.

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The thing that really stood out to me was the fact that I am the one with a choice! This is something that I must make and no one can make for me. This choice holds a lot of weight in the future for those involved as it may shape perceptions or even relationships. I know that I need to make these choices knowing the importance of them and who and how it may impact the future. This was a great way to end the book as it really shows us that our mindset is really up to us and the choices we make!

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This seems so simple but can very difficult at least for me. It is easy for me to forget about the first three classes running smoothly and focus on the one thing I thought could have been better in block 4. I need to really work on celebrating and appreciating what goes on in my day to day life at my job. It can be small things or big things but take some time and really appreciate the awesome job I have and the great students I get to to work with every day!

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"Resilience is the key to our own ability to thrive and, therefore, our ability to help others thrive," (page 311). I think I need to do a better job at accepting my emotions but not getting stuck in them. When something upsets or frustrates me, I sometimes get fixated on that feeling. I need to remind myself that those feelings aren't permanent and I have the CHOICE to decide how I'm going to respond to those emotions. The attitude you choose is so powerful and it's so important to remember that you always have the choice. Also, TRUST the process.

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"Appreciation cultivates our trust in ourselves, in a process, and perhaps in something greater, which helps us respond to the inevitable challenges of life." (page 289. I thought this quote did a great job of summarizing my main takeaway from this chapter. We need to make sure we are sharing our appreciation with those people in our life that we are grateful for. When we share our gratitude, we are happier people! I really like how this chapter discussed that there is something to celebrate every day, every week, every month! I think sometimes we take the mundane for granted... so I would love to get back into a habit of writing down and journaling three things I am thankful for each day... Whether they are big or small.

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Freedom is knowing that you are in control of your emotions and you have the choice each day to decide how you will react. I found a lot of great tips in this book to become a more resilient teacher. "The resilient find meaning in every moment, and exercise whatever power and agency are available-including the power to choose their attitude." This summer I am going to work on having an attitude of gratitude. This is just the beginning!

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The phrase, "feeling and expressing appreciation strengthens socials connections, deepens our emotional intelligence and self-confidence and heightens our ability to stay focused on the positive. During hard moments in teaching, I often turn to remembering to be grateful. It helps me to switch my negative mindset and allows me to enjoy my job more. I recently decided to try this out with my students as well to spread even more positivity. I called it "3 Good Things" and we would each say three good things that happened during our school day.  I also like to think about this at the end of the school year. It is easy to get caught up in the challenging moments during the school year, but the interesting thing is at the end of the school year I always look back on it with found memories and in awe of all the growth my students have made. I also loved the string idea that that the author did with her class at the end of the school year. I do think each class is so special and I learn something different each year. I like the idea of ending the school year by acknowledging that the whole class was always have a special connection.

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"You have a choice.  Right now in this moment.  You can choose how you respond to this event.  This is your freedom."  This phrase really summed it up for me.  I love that we have a choice in how we respond to things and how we act.  That choice sets us up for the rest of our day.  I am going to work towards responding to events that happen in a more positive way.  Instead of always thinking the worst and going towards the negative of a situation I will try to look past that.  This will be my goal.  I know it will be challenging but I am excited to try.

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I think this chapter complies all of the information we have learned. I still the the importance of choosing how you respond. Deciding how you react to a situation or conversation could impact the rest your relationship with the other person or the rest of your day.  This has been a personal goal of mine and has proven to be harder to achieve the more tense the situation is.  A work in progress!

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"Even during hard moments, if we can shift into a stance of appreciation, we'll build our resilience."  When I was reading this I was thinking about the end of the school year and how hard it was for everyone.  It made me so appreciative of my teammates, school, and parents.  Without all of the work we did together we couldn't have survived.  My team pushes me and I feel supported.  We have a social bond that is strong and they help fuel my confidence.  I realized that I am pretty good about showing appreciation for others but I need to work on appreciation for self.

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I think that we as teachers need to celebrate all of the wonderful things that we have taught and achieved. We are often to hard on ourselves and fail to see all the wonderful things we have done, instead we focus on the one thing that went wrong during our lesson. This can be true in my life outside of school as well.

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We have the power to choose our attitude, and that is our freedom. Emotions are human, and should be welcomed. Taking care of ourselves, and helping others builds a resilient community. These are my biggest takeaways from this book. I can honestly say that "Onward" has moved to the top of my favorite educational books. You know a book is good when you feel like a better human being because of it. I feel motivated, hopeful, and ready to take on challenges. I know I have so much to work on before I can call myself fully resilient, but this book has prepared me to take on challenges with strategies and tools. Teachers, we got this!

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What a wonderful chapter! While reading these pages, I found myself stopping to think about and appreciate the many blessings in my life. The people, the memories, and the things I have made it through give me an overwhelming feeling of gratefulness. I really liked that Aguilar talks about celebrations and appreciations being both big and small. I think it can be so easy to only celebrate big events and forget to celebrate the small successes as well. I am very faithful, and really resonated with the section on spirituality. I definitely rely on my faith for strength, security, comfort and hope. I look for greater meaning in my life and knowing there is something bigger and greater than myself helps me appreciate all that I have and all that I am. Lastly, this chapter reminded me to simply say "thank you" if someone shows appreciation. As human beings who have learned about humility, we so often dismiss a compliment without truly taking the time to accept it with a thank you. This is something I am going to work on.

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"You have a choice. Right now in this moment. You can choose how you respond to this event. This is your freedom." What a powerful little phrase we can speak to ourselves and remind ourselves of before we react to different situations. I think this is something that I want to focus on in the future and do my best to wake up every morning to a new day with new situations that I can choose to to respond in a patient and understanding way. It is easier said than done but I hope to do my best!

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"Appreciation is like a secret sauce. You need only a few drops of it every day- in combination with other key habits and dispositions- to create a rich resilience. That's because feeling and expressing appreciation strengthens social connections, to focus on the positive." This was a quote that stood out to me. I like how this chapter brought up the idea that we need to have appreciation for things to keep us going. If we stop to think about what we are thankful for and have gratitude for it will help us to build resilience and to always work to see the positives in different situations.

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The conclusion talks about the onward journey to freedom. In the onward journey to freedom, the author emphasizes the importance of having resilience. "The resilient are purposeful. The resilient find meaning in every moment, and exercise whatever power and agency are available- including the power to choose their attitude." We have the power to choose our attitude and to have a positive growth mindset. There are many things we can do to boost our resilience and we need to keep these things at the forefront of our mind.

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This is a chapter that I can really resonate with one right now as we just ended the school year. This end of the school year was obviously very different than most, but just as important to celebrate. Chapter 12 emphasizes, "Endings are times for celebration and appreciation, which lay the foundation for resilience in the days ahead." As educators, we need to take time to celebrate our accomplishments and appreciate the successes that we experienced throughout the year. "Appreciate cultivates our trust in ourselves, in a process, and perhaps in something greater, which helps us respond to the inevitable challenges of life." There are many benefits of appreciation. It is important that we develop appreciation for ourselves and students.

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This chapter talked about resilience being the key to thriving. Throughout this book, the author gave us tools and practical advice to help us, as educators, grow in our resilience. We choose our attitude and that gives us freedom. No matter the situation, we can choose how we react, and what perspective and attitude we choose to have. I think this is very important to remember, and also model and teach to our students.

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"Gratitude also shifts the focus off of ourselves and helps us recognize that our successes are due, in part, to the actions of others.  This humility makes us want to help others, improve ourselves, and reciprocate to those who have helped us."- Page 292

"Gratitude is like a flashlight.  It lights up what is already there." -Page 293

These two quotes stood out to me as I was reading the chapter. Gratitude shifts the lens through which we look at the world and helps us find and focus on the positive, even in the hardest of times. Another part of the chapter that stood out to me was when the author discussed trusting the process of growth and reflecting on the previous parts of your life that were challenging. Reflection and gratitude are two pieces of the puzzle that help us grow and become more resilient.

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I like the part of the chapter that talks about the copier scenario where the teacher had a choice to either get frustrated and overwhelmed or take a different perspective and make a modification to her plan. We can get so caught up in the plans that we have each day as teachers and forget to just let go and let everything work out the way it's going to. There are definitely days where I feel ok with letting things slide and there are other days where I need/want everything to be exactly as I planned. It's funny though how things always work themselves out anyways.

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I really liked this chapter and how it focused on the positivity that we can have as teachers. I like the different ways it talked about how to express our appreciation for each other. I think it's so important to model how to appreciate someone in front of our students. We can't assume that children know how to do anything so we need to model what it different things look like. This could be as simple as saying thank you to a co teacher or para in the room once they've done something for us or for the whole class. Students will catch on quickly if we model for them how to be kind to each other.

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Play is sooo important! I have taught kindergarten the past few years and will be moving to first grade next year and I plan on bringing play with me up to 1st. We hold young children to such high expectations, without having play in their day I feel young children would get so burnt out in school. This chapter talked about the many benefits of play, from relieving stress, improving relationship skills, and improving brain function to name a few. Those are all important benefits that would help our students to be academically successful. Having art in the classroom promotes our students to be creative which is born from curiosity. Creativity and curiosity can play a part in our students becoming critical thinkers and problem solvers. So many benefits to activities that are viewed as "just for fun".

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Change is the one thing we can count on. The changes that this year specifically brought to ALL of us were crazy! I used to be stressed when plans changed or life changed even a little bit. Now I choose to look at it as more of an opportunity. From the book, they said you might ask yourself, "How might this change help me thrive?" In the context of distance learning, I was stressed to the MAX right away. I found that it wasn't such a terrible thing. I was able to take time for myself, create video lessons so I knew my kids were still learning, and chose to take it day by day instead of feeling overwhelmed by the HUGE changes in our world.

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One of the things that really stood out to me was the "Sphere of influence." I think it's so important to keep in mind the things that you can control or influence. If it's outside of our influence and control we need to let it go. When the author was talking about how to deal with change I liked how she switched it to have us ask ourselves, "How might this change help me thrive?" When we are able to make the change into a positive it helps us be more accepting. As the author said at the end of the chapter, "Waves can be fun!" Change doesn't have to be a bad thing we just need to trust in others, remain calm, stay focused, and we may find joy riding the waves.

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In 1st grade, there isn't tons of time for play which makes me sad. This chapter was excellent and reminded me why I should start looking for more ways to get my kids playing! Something that stood out to me was when the author said that children must stick to high behavior expectations while also having fun and being creative. I think sometimes people think well-behaved/managed classrooms=quiet classrooms. This doesn't have to be true! Kids--and adults!--must enjoy and play with materials to get creativity flowing which will help learning happen.

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I really liked the Sphere of influence and feel it useful when encountering change. I need to focus on the center of the sphere when I am worrying or complaining. The center is what I can control and I can put those feelings into action. I need to worry less when change happens in the outer spheres; what I can influence and everything else out of my control and influence. I often times worry about things I cannot control and that is not helpful. I need to work on riding the wave and dealing with my fear better, especially when encountering change.

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"We don't stop playing because we're old, we grow old because we stop playing."  I have heard this quote from George Bernard that was referenced in the book before, but I feel that it is so true and really shows the importance of play.  There are so many benefits to play and creativity.  They help us unlock our inner resources for dealing with stress, problem solving, and joy.  Play can relieve stress, improve relationships and brain function, stimulates the mind, and keeps us feeling young and energetic.
"Like a multivitamin we should play everyday."

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I appreciate how the chapter points out that educators face a rate of change that is faster than in may other professions. I would completely agree with this. We are constantly ready to think on our toes and flexibility needs to be one of our biggest qualities. We need to be ready for anything.I liked the figure on 11.1 about wasting energy on things we cannot control. There are many times I will catch myself getting upset for silly reasons that are out of my control. I need to put more energy into the things that I can control and the things I can influence. Recently there has been some huge unwanted change with the events in Minneapolis as well as the pandemic. I have thought to myself "Am I going to survive this?" It was such a drastic change that many days I lost hope. I like how this chapter points out that we can change our mindset from self-doubt to identifying how we can make ourselves better from the change.

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"With all of these benefits, play is like an essential multivitamin that we should be taking daily. When we're playing, we're creating new imaginative cognitive combinations." I think play is so incredibly important. I didn't realize that play had so many healthy benefits. I did, however, know that play is so important for building the skills for social-emotional learning. I wish play wasn't viewed as so negative in the classroom. As teachers, I think it is very important to think about the different ways in which we can incorporate play into the lessons that we teach.

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I would describe myself as a creature of habit and one who does not like change. The author brought up good points about how change is inevitable and is really the only thing we can count on in life. On page 269 the author talked about how change can potentially be dangerous or an opportunity. We have to accept that change is a given, and that all we can control is how we respond to change. Our attitude towards it can be a make or break in our reaction to change. I need to be mindful about where I'm focusing my energy to change. I really liked how the author explained slowing down and thinking about how we want to react to the change we are experiencing. I think we are so quick to respond that we don't always allow ourselves to process the change completely before reacting. This is one main takeaway I want to be conscious of as I move forward in my life. I also want to be intentional about where I am spending my energy in reacting to change... whether it is wanted or unwanted. Lastly, I need to deal with fear in my life and accept that fear is a natural emotion to have when facing change throughout my life.

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I was really able to connect with the author when they said they are purpose driven. It was a good reminder that they brought up though that everything we do doesn't necessarily need to have a specific purpose. The author pointed out that when we play we are happier, our minds feel clearer, and it's easier to focus on our purpose driven tasks when it's time to do so. I know I need to be intentional about making time for "play" in my life so that I don't take myself too seriously. I feel like sometimes I feel like I have no time for these "play" type activities, but I can't let the busyness of life take away from them anymore, because I see that it leads to resiliency. I need to remind myself to not take myself too seriously. I have surrounded myself with friends who allow me to give myself grace and fill me with joy and laughter, which has helped me to move away from some of the purpose driven tasks that I would have not let go in the past. Play isn't just for kids! It's healthy for adults, too. We need it just as much as they do..

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I know for me change has always been really hard for me to accept. I think it mainly stems from my anxiety of the unknown. Anytime change is going to happen, I immediately become anxious of the bad things that could occur because of the change. But like this chapter states, change is very prevalent in schools. I am lucky to have been able to stay in my same classroom, grade level, and school since I became a teacher four years ago. I have experienced lots of change with my team though. Team members retire or move to a different grade and new team members come in. This has been challenging, but as each change has occurred I realize how much more resilient it makes me as an educator. Change is inevitable and in order to reap the benefits of it we need to be open to the idea of change. Most often in times of change I have grew a lot and learned so much about myself. I am trying to not be anxious about the things that are out of my control!

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Allowing students to play and be creative is such an important part of learning, in my opinion. It allows students to learn to be cooperative, to be imaginative, and to express their feelings and thoughts. Unfortunately, over time it seems that there is less and less time for play in schools. I teach 2nd grade and would love to be able to allow my students 15-30 minutes a day to play or be creative, but the instructional minutes do not set aside time for that. Even as 2nd graders, I think there is value and a need for them to be able to play. One way I try to incorporate a little but of play into my day is by having morning tubs that they can do as they arrive in the morning. They tubs have things like magnatiles, pattern blocks, and other items that get their brains thinking creatively. There aren't any guidelines of how they need to play and the students LOVE it. I do think that play can also help with behavior problems, as it can help students to calm down and think through why they are feeling angry. Play has so many benefits and should be a mandatory part of the school day!

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I love the quote on the first page of the conclusion that explains we need to "recognize where our power ends." So often I find myself trying to take control over situations that are totally out of my control! What a waste of time. This books has taught me to focus on the things I can control- especially in response to the things that continue to change in life. The way I respond is the thing I have control over-not the change itself! The book was a great reminder that as we build on our resilience, we will have more energy to examine change with a growth like mindset; both in our classrooms and in our every day life!

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"Gratitude is like a flashlight. It light sup what is already there. You don't necessarily have anything more or different, but suddenly you can actually see what is." This quote by M.J Ryan really impacted by outlook on appreciation. It really can help us shift our mindset and focus on the good things we have! I would love to build in opportunities during the work day to express appreciation and gratitude to my colleagues. Whether it is a written note or email or a public conversation thanking someone for the work they have done goes a long way!  I also want to change the way I respond to appreciation! I tend to be in the group that finds appreciation a bit awkward. I often respond by saying, "Oh, it wasn't that big of a deal!" But instead I hope to smile and say thank you. :)

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There are two things we can control; our actions and our attitude. This was a mantra we started saying daily in January as part of our morning routine! It is very powerful. This next school year, we will start at the beginning of the year with our growth mindset statements. We will make them part of our daily practice. It is important for us to develop a growth mindset as well as help our students develop a growth mindset. This will allow all of us to become resilient in the midst of change.

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There were lots of great things to reflect on from this chapter. For me, it doesn't seem natural to accept compliments or praise. It is so much easier for me to give them. My colleague and I started going up to the office every Monday morning to check-in with our office staff. We would make a point to say "thank you" to them. It goes a long ways! After reading this chapter, I plan to write a thank you of appreciate to one person a month. I will also look for others during the month to acknowledge in some way.

"Gratitude is like a flashlight, it lights up what is already there". This was my favorite quote of the chapter! It spoke to my heart! It's a great quote to reflect on. I believe we can always do more to show our gratitude.

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As many have said already, change can be a hard thing. Many of us like routine and we like to know what we are expecting. Our students are the same way, creatures of habit. I worked with a student who had severe anxiety when changes to the day happened. The student and I worked on making small changes and worked up to making large changes. Along the way I explained that we can't control all aspects of our lives and when things change we need to remain calm and work through it.

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Change can be hard for so many people. The reason it is hard has to do with fear. We are afraid of the unknown. We had a lot of changes this year. Distance learning was a huge change. I didn't like it for many reasons. The main reason was I missed the daily hugs, smiles, and laughter. We had to learn quickly how to do things we have never done before. We didn't know what it would look like or feel like. As a team and school, we dealt with the changes the best way we knew how. We came together as a team. We divided up the Math lessons and shared our video lessons. We also had a change announced in our building right before school was closing...we would be getting a new principle. We didn't really have closure to this year. We didn't have a really "good-bye" for our current principle. We haven't even met the new principle who is coming from outside the district. All the changes that we have had to face over the past months has really truly built our resilience. We conquered things we were afraid of and we succeed. This chapter allowed me to reflect on how many things we have accomplished through all the changes. We can handle anything the fall brings us!

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"Creativity and play unlock inner resources for dealing with stress, solving problems, and enjoying life."(pg. 247) I liked this quote a lot. I have found that when students are forced to sit and get they lose interest, struggle to focus, and may not learn as much due to lack of interest. When students are able to have hands on learning they can begin to create and use problem solving techniques, engage in social skills behaviors, and enjoy learning.  I know not all parts of our school day can be focused around play, but I feel students and teachers could have a more profound experience. This will be a goal for me this fall.

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Change is a really scary word to a lot of people. There are some things in life that change and we have no say in them whatsoever. These are the things that we need to not get the best of us. It is really important to focus on things that you can control and I know it is easier said than done but not get overly excited about the things that we cannot control. I know in the past I have struggled with this and this chapter helped remind me that there are some things worth worrying about and some that are not. The last thing that is important is that not all change is bad, in fact a lot of change is very very good and we need to remember that and get that message across to our students.

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I really liked that this chapter spoke about the importance of play. This is something that seems to be more difficult as the students get older and I have struggled with this concept before in my high school classes. In the learning community I am in though we have learned a lot of great energizers and I tried a few of them before we had to do distance learning and was very happy with the result. Something as simple as a 10 minute activity can get students refreshed and give there brains a quick break so they are ready to continue after. The other thing was having students be part of their learning process. I have tried to use this by letting students have a say in assignments or even giving them multiple options to choose from and have had good luck in the past.

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This was definitely one of my favorite chapters thus far. Adaptability is one of my top 5 Clifton Strengths, yet I still feel that change is one of the hardest things to deal with in life. My biggest takeaway from learning about change is to think of it as holding the potential for danger AND opportunity. I think all too often I view change as a negative and don't take the time to think about all the opportunities and growth that can come through change. I also liked the part about sorting complaints into what we have control/influence over and what we don't. This makes it easier for us to see the big picture and determine what deserves our time and energy, and what does not. It is no secret that emotions are tightly linked to change, and after reading this chapter I feel better prepared to slow down, recognize my emotions, figure out what matters, and ride the waves of change without fear. It won't be easy, but it is necessary to work on riding the waves of change because change is present all around us all the time... especially as a probationary educator... :) From 3rd grade to Kindergarten to 2nd grade in three years. So many opportunities!

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This chapter was a wonderful reminder that you are never too old to play! I liked the many connections between creativity and play. As a kindergarten teacher, play time is my very favorite part of the day. I am able to learn so much about my students through watching them play. They are also able to work on social emotional skills through play.  As for me, my favorite way to play is to play board games with friends or family! Aguilar states, "experts say that the key to getting the most out of play is to incorporate it into our lives and not just relegate it to vacations". I think this is so important! Incorporating play into our daily lives is a simple way to relieve stress, boost energy, and simply have fun. Creating is engaging, and I hope to include more opportunities for creating in my classroom.

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I have always been very resistant to change. However, this past year has brought SO much change to my life. I just had a baby in February and my world has definitely changed. I think all of our worlds are changing right now also with the pandemic. I knew this year would bring a lot of physical and emotional change so I really tried to focus my attention on what I could control, like what was referenced in this chapter. I found that really helped me not feel overwhelmed with everything I was involved in all while growing a human! I would highly recommend stopping and thinking about what you can control when change arises.

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I really liked how it talked about the benefits of play. I am a middle school math teacher and sometimes find it hard to incorporate play in my classroom or would rather spend time on the content since there are so many standards to get through. I like how it talked about how playing re-energizes you rather than making you more tired. We do little minute to win it games every Friday morning with our team of students and this chapter reminded me the purpose of doing these. All ages of students need to play at some point during their day!

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The Conscious Competence Ladder is a model that I have never seen before so it was interesting that there were so many different levels of how our mind understands learning. I imaged the Conscious Incompetence level being a level that our students may be at when they see their peers answering questions right or getting done with tasks way fast than they're able to. I think it is very important to see challenges as opportunities for learning and once we believe that then we can teach our kids to believe that too. This is switching from a fixed mindset to a growth mindset. I liked reading the story about the fried rice that didn't turn out and figuring out how to make it better the "next time" rather than giving up right away because I had the exact same experience myself and immediately figured out what I could do next time to make it better.

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"Cultivating compassion is like taking a really good multivitamin: It addresses many needs, prevents problems, repairs systemic imbalances, and makes you stronger." I loved this quote from this chapter. Being compassionate and understanding where others are coming from can do so much for ourselves. It can be so uplifting and just be the extra push that we need every day. I also really liked this quote, "Compassion building should extend into the curriculum for kids; they deserve support to build those muscles too." I cannot say enough good things about the Second Step curriculum that my district uses. It is a fabulous tool to use to help teach about Social Emotional Learning for kids. At a young age it is so important for kids to learn about showing compassion toward others.

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I think this was one of my favorite chapters so far! A few years ago when I was on the Kindergarten team, we spent the day at a school in St. Paul that did play based learning in Kindergarten! It was amazing to see! Children can learn academics through play if you are intentional about setting up the play in the classroom. While they are playing they are learning to communicate, share, compromise, and problem solving skills. That is just the short list! This next year I will be teaching first grade but you will still see a lot of playing happening in my classroom. When our students come back in the fall they will need time to practice social emotional skills and play is one of the best times to do that! They will also be learning through play. I

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There were many big takeaways from this chapter. One quote that really stood out to me is on page 280, "If you want people to change, you're asking them to grow" Change can be viewed in many different ways- good or bad. I liked how this quote is very related to people and in in the classroom. As educators we cant to challenge our students so they can academically grow- they are changing their thinking and problem solving skills to accomplish this!

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"Change is about learning." We can choose how we react to change- is it happening TO us or is it happening FOR us? When change happens, we need to recognize what we can control and influence, and what we cannot. Then we need to decide where we want to put our energy. When unwanted change happens, we need to process the change by slowing down, evaluating and analyzing the situation, using energy where it counts, and being open to outcomes. We need to be flexible and adaptable to outcomes that may not be ideal. When I reflect on the big changes in my life, while they were not always welcomed, I can choose to focus on the positives the change brought or I can choose to focus on the negatives. We choose the lens that we view change through.

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"Change is one thing we can count on." This year has been a hard one for change for me and my school.  My school is being turned into the Spanish School and my entire school is being dispersed to others schools.  This was a big change and one that we weren't exactly excited about.  In the book it said that change is about learning and I am hoping that along with this change we will all learn something new and grow from it. Change can be hard, unwanted, and scary but when we think about the change and use it as an opportunity to grow change can be a really great thing.

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I loved this chapter! Play is such a big part of how my kindergarten students learn.
'Creativity and play unlock inner resources for dealing with stress , solving problems, and enjoying life." I know that often in the classroom play is the first thing to be taken away when we have busy schedules and so many expectations from the district to get in unrealistic amounts of curriculum. I always try to incorporate play into our day and I find that many of my students will learn more from play than from anything else we do that day. It is so powerful!

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The big takeaway from this chapter is that it is okay for students to use their imagination and create various things. "Creative expression is part of who we are." Have students create their own project in class that aligns with the standards. Let their mind create something that makes sense to them. They will get more out of the topic/lesson if they can use their imagination.

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The very first sentence of this chapter stood out to me and made me stop and think. "Change is something we can count on."There are so many uncertainties in life and I think sometimes people view change as being one of those. However, we should come to expect and even anticipate that change WILL occur! There are many tools to manage change and accept it with a positive attitude including patience, courage, and perseverance. I loved the part in the chapter that explained how we can adapt to change by either viewing it as a chance for opp

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"A little bit of unproductive play will make us more productive, invigorated, and resilient." How reassuring is this?? We need to take more time each day just to play. The chapter talks about how this can look differently for each person but it is important whether you are a teacher or a student. I loved that the author referred to play and a multivitamin that we should be taking daily. Playing gives us a chance to try out new, creative things which leads to the stretching of the brain and overall growth.

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It was interesting to read the part titled, "Mind the Gap" on page 227. There have been times I have attempted something and failed. As I reflect on why I failed I can identify gaps in the process. Did I have the skill, knowledge capacity, or will. Recently I was working on making some gifts. The vision I had and the result were completely different. It didn't work! The reason it didn't work had to do with knowledge. I didn't have the correct materials to make it work. When I researched and found the correct materials, I was able to complete the project successfully. It's the same for our students. If they have some productive struggle, they might just have to fill the gap in order to accomplish the challenge.

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My favorite quote was "compassion is empathy in action". This year I spent a lot of time building community in the classroom. That time translated into my students having compassion on each other. It was amazing to see how children as young as 6 and 7 were able to be empathetic with each other. There learned a lot when a new student joined our classroom. This particular student had two specific diagnoses and it filled my heart when I saw how compassionate several students were towards him. As teachers, we can cultivate that in our classrooms.

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I resonate with this chapter and really enjoyed reading about change. I thought the title of the chapter, "Ride the Waves of Change" captured change perfectly. Change is not easy but is something that we can count on. The chapter emphasizes, "Change is one thing we can count on, and when we encounter is, we can harness our physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual energies, and direct them where they will make the biggest difference." We know that change is inevitable so it is how we deal with change that will make the biggest mark on our lives.

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I really like the quote, "When we are creative, we are resourceful, and we problem solve in new and original ways, which fuels our courage. Our thinking expands and our connections with ourselves and others deepen." I completely agree with this statement. Play and creativity are so important for our students to partake in. They need to be able to be creative and use their imagination in order to learn how to think and act for themselves.

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I think it is so important for us all to remember that we have the chose on how we respond to certain situations. Life is 10 percent what happens to you and 90 percent how we react to it. Ending the book talking about resilience is a great reminder that implementing a growth mindset in the classroom and becoming more growth mindset centered is going to take resilience. When you have thought a certain way for so long it is hard to change those thinking patterns, not impossible, but challenging.

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"For educators, the rate of change is faster than in many other professions." Change is something that I have a hard time dealing with. I get set in my rhythm and then have a hard time when something sets off the plans I had prepared. Change in the classroom is inevitable. It is always going to happen. I believe that change in the classroom helps me to be more prepared for my personal life. I liked the sentence that started "Change is..." It is interesting to me how different people can describe change! Some people would finish that statement with exciting, some with scary, and some with AWFUL! I liked that change could be looked at as either danger or opportunity according to the Chinese symbols. I hope that when change comes, which we all know it will, I will use it as an opportunity!

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Creativity and play unlock inner resources for dealing with stress, solving problems, and enjoying life." I am on a road trip back from Iowa after a weekend full of playing and hanging out with my fiance's family! After reading this, it was evident to me that the creativity we displayed by inventing new games with our nieces, playing outside all weekend, etc. is so good for our soul. Although I was feeling a bit stressed by having to postpone my wedding from June to August and still not knowing if we will be able to have a reception in August, time to play and be creative helped me to feel better! It was a perfect reminder of the importance of play time and creativity!

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This book helped me become more self aware of my strength and weaknesses and how this impacts me as a person. We have choices  and the freedom to make that choice  make in every situation. "I know that I am not alone. I hope to see you on this journey, to link our arms and inspire each other and break bread together and tell stories of love, sadness,
healing, and resilience" (p. 315). This was a great line for me. It is how I picture teachers rallying together for all students throughout the world.

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The part I really connected with was about taking a compliment. I need to say thank you and not feel weird or bad about it. I feel like I could have wrote that whole section, Relax and Take In the Appreciation, myself. We talked about this during semester 1 and its something I did not realize I struggled with and I am still working on it!

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I really liked the part about danger and opportunity. I learned making change the norm helps increase resiliency.  Change is going to happen and how we respond is so important, which was talked about earlier in this book. Allowing change to help us grow. I loved how the Chinese symbol for change is made up of two symbols-danger and opportunity. Change requires a risk, but opens the doors to a lot more opportunity. That is one thing I will remember as a take  away from this chapter!

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This chapter was all about the benefits of play, art, and creativity. Play relieves stress, improves relationships, improves brain function, boosts creativity, and increases our energy levels. Play can take many different forms. I found it interesting when the author described the spectrum of play. This chapter reinforced the importance of play, art, music, and physical education in schools and how it benefits our students. It also made it clear how important play is to adults. The quote that stuck with me from this chapter was "art is a vehicle for connection and empathy" (page 256). This is so true and is the reason art can have such an impact on us as individuals and communities.

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Chapter 10 has to be my favorite so far. I am a PE teacher and I am blessed with the opportunity to teach students skills though play. This chapter helped me realize how beneficial the play part is. I learned how play helps promote creativity. This then leads to enjoyment and more creative problem solving. This works for students and teachers.

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"If we see challenges as opportunities for learning, if we engage our curiosity whenever we're presented with an obstacle, we're more likely to find solutions." I think that sometimes it is so easy to stay in a problem in the beginning rather to come up with a solution right away. Sometimes we take time to feel bad for ourselves and ask why something is happening to us, when really, we should be expecting trials to come and be ready to come up with a solution!

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"Compassion for ourselves, as well as for others, helps us deal with the interpersonal challenges we face on a daily basis." I feel like experiences I go through and face help me understand what it feels for others to face those type of situations. It is easier for us to show compassion to others when we put ourselves in their place.

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The quote that stuck out to me the most in this chapter was on page 221. It said, "If we see challenges as opportunities for learning, if we engage our curiosity whenever we're presented with an obstacle, we're more likely to find solutions." What stood out to me was when I reflected on how me and my colleagues respond to new curriculum or new technology. I feel like so many of us (myself included) often moan and groan about how we don't have time to learn new things. How controversial is that, when we are an example for our students?! If we have such a negative mindset about new opportunities, what kind of an effect is that going to have on our students? I think sometimes we forget about how much our students are looking up to us to see how we respond to various situations, so it is SO important we are mindful of this. The last thing that I took away from this chapter was the "Conscious Competence Ladder." I find it so interesting on how much it resonated and made sense to me. How we go from unconscious incompetence to unconscious competence. We need to remember to value the learning process and be patience with ourselves (and others) when we are stilling learning new skills. It's a process. We aren't going to go from beginner to expert over night.

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What stood out to me in this chapter was not only being compassionate towards others, but also yourself. I really liked this quote on page 199, "When we exercise compassion for others, our heart softens, we strengthen relationships, our perspective broadens, and we see possibility." When we show others compassion and love, we in turn are also going to be much happier people. The last thing I am really taking away from this chapter is being more intentional with showing difficult people compassion. Sometimes I think I am too short with people who get on my nerves and who are difficult. I need to show them more love and compassion so that I can be a more resilient person. That doesn't mean that I give into everything that difficult person says or does, but I will listen to them and then walk away and not take their complaints or negativity personally.

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It felt appropriate that the last reminder was our freedom to choose how we react to situations and how we can steer our attitude in any situation. This entire book gave so may great reminders and helped to shine a light on many ways to show resilience as an educator, or even for non educators.

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After reading this chapter, my biggest take away was the need to continue showing gratitude for others, but also include myself. This year I was working on being more positive and creating a more positive atmosphere at work by expressing gratitude and appreciation for colleagues more frequently. I want to continue this for next year and amp it up a bit more because life got busy and I was forgetting to appreciate the little things. I also never express gratitude for myself. In my mind I often think it’s just what I “have” to do. I like the quote on page 293 that says “Gratitude is like a flashlight. It lights up what is already there.” This reminds me that I don’t need to come up with elaborate unit plans or big ideas to be able to show gratitude. It’s all around me, I just need to shine a light on the work being done. I also have a hard time accepting appreciation from others without belittling myself, so I will continue to work on accepting appreciation from others with a simple “thank you”.