Capturing Kid's Heart Training

I attended the Capturing Kid's Hearts training on July 15-17, 2008, and I have to say that I was both inspired and motivated to come back to Stevenson to put the process into action. It was a cool experience! Other participants included: F. Rodriguez, A. Segoviano, R. Stough, D. Meza, J. Ramirez, C. Baker, C. Heiland, R. D'Amato, M. Nakis, C. Vera, and Officer Carbajal.

What I got out of this training is that leadership--true leadership--equals service. In order for us to make a difference in our students' lives, we must put aside our personal agendas and embrace the notion of service to others. This involves building relationships with our students. It is the only way in which we can get our students to be involved with us in the learning process. Beyond the test-taking skills we teach students, we need to also prepare them for the larger world at hand by giving them the skills they'll need to navigate that world--that is, how their learning will assist them in their future efforts and in finding meaning in their lives.

Another key involves being active listeners--showing empathy and interest in who our students are as individuals and what they bring to the classroom. If we build an atmosphere of trust in which students feel safe enough to try and even fail while going through the learning process, then we empower our students to become life-long learners willing to take risks and assume responsibility for their learning.

It is my hope that all of Stevenson will go through this training. Collectively we can begin to make a difference in our students' lives. I believe that taking the time to build positive relationships with our students will lead to the holy grail: increased student achievement and a true community of scholars!

One central component of the process taught through Capturing Kid's Hearts is taking an active interest in our own personal growth. If we are to build healthy relationships with our students, it must begin by taking inventory of ourselves and our lives and our own personal relationships. I learned that the biggest obstacle to our growth is a blindness to our own behaviors, thoughts and attitudes and how these can stand in the way of our growth and service to others. It takes courage to reach inside of us and discover what it is that stands in our way of becoming true leaders and true role models. Particularly in education, it takes courage and honest self-reflection to become truly of service to our students.

For myself, I am thinking of September and what service I will bring to my students and how I can best empower them to succeed. I think the following quote best sums it up:

"I've discovered that the only person I can really change is me! I can control only my behavior and my attitudes. My hope is that by accepting responsibility for myself...others may choose to do the same."--Lee D. Bason