"Life Chances" and "Pygmalion Effect"

A self-fulfilling prophecy is a statement or prediction that influences actions and thoughts to the extent that it becomes true. There are many examples in literature, movies, and real life of self-fulfilling prophecies that are negative in nature. These cautionary tales show how powerful of an effect belief can have in determining how our lives unfold. The good news is that not all self-fulfilling prophecies have to be negative. In fact, they can actually be very positive and vastly improve your life. There are two main determining factors that affect what will ultimately happen in your own life's course of events: what you choose to believe and how strongly you believe it.



You may not realize it, but you have the power to create your very own self-fulfilling prophecy. You have always had this power inside you, and you have been using it unconsciously all along to create the life you have right now. It is the power of belief. Henry Ford summed up how powerful belief is when he said, "Whether you think you can or whether you think you can't, you're right."



Whether your beliefs about yourself and your abilities are predominately positive or negative will play a big part in how your life turns out. If you have a generally positive belief in yourself and your abilities, then you will have a much easier time being calm and confident no matter what situations you might encounter. Any short term losses or failures will not bother you and will be seen as learning experiences. You will be much more open and receptive to opportunities as they present themselves because you will not be dwelling on your failures or perceived shortcomings.

The above information was copied from a google search titled "Pygmalian Effect in Education".

I believe that understanding and applying the pygmalian effect theory in our daily work with students will produce positive outcomes for all students.  Pre-K-12 requires each adult working in education hold the belief that every child needs to be challenged and guided to a successful outcome.  The research confirms that positive teacher expectations, particularly for younger children, will increase student achievement. 

One of the affirmation posters in my elem. classroom, now located in my higher education classroom says, "See 10's" it's a wonderful visual reminder that as a higher ed. instructor I have high stakes to guide these young adults in the field of education.

In conclusion, ten out of 10 CCC May education graduates are all currently teaching in a public or Christian school.

SEE 10'S and walk the walk with ALL your students!

Life Happens

Hey gang,

Just wanted to give you an update about what happened when Dell and I went for a walk last Tuesday evening.  It was about 7:45pm in the evening and we do our best to take a nightly walk to do something healthy and share our thoughts.  We were walking on the sidewalk in front of the Catholic church headed north and I was chatting away about my day at the college and then SMACK!!!  My foot had caught a high crack on the sidewalk and all I remember is hearing my left side of my face hit the concrete.  There was no time to slow the impact with my hands so the left side of my face down my rib cage and finally my left knee were damaged in this fall.

Neither one of us had a cell phone so Dell was able to get me to my feet and I was able to walk with his help and made it back to the house and headed to the ER.  The ER doctor started IV pain meds immediately and after a CT scan and x-rays we were given permission to head home and told to follow up with other doctors on Wed.  At this point, they knew I had fracture some bones in my left cheek.

I'm scheduled to have facial surgery on Thurs., Nov. 1 to plate and pin my cheek bones together.  I'm getting my teeth checked tomorrow to make sure I didn't damage them and I continue to suffer with a left side of painful ribs.  UGH!

It was ironic that on Monday I had been visiting with a student about the key "This Is It" and was coaching and supporting her through some rough problems.  Now, I'm trying not to question "WHY ME" "WHY NOW" I have plenty on my plate right now, but life happens.  

This accident took a few seconds to happen and I feel fortunate that the outcome wasn't worse.  It's a reminder that life happens and there are many "special" people that have a heart for others in this community.

I'm sorry I won't be able to attend Friday's field trip to Walton School.  I was excited to see this school in action.  I'm sure it's going to be amazing.

A Vision of Students Today

Found this youtube clip to be interesting.  The comments I'm hearing from higher ed. professors is the lack of critical thinking and problem solving among our college students.  This video shows a lot of frustration on the part of this student body.  Is higher ed. doing its part in making changes to adapt to the 21st century of teaching?  Is Dr. Mark's structure of MC's first graduate class unique or is this approach right for only a minority of graduate students?  I hear a lot of comments from others who say they learned so much from a traditional masters program.  What are you sharing with others about your experience in this program?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dGCJ46vyR9o

This link caught my attention with my shift from a classroom elem. 4th grade teacher to a position of Director of Elem. Ed. at Central Christian College.
Please share your opinion about where higher education is headed in the future.  At the present time, the online classes at CCC are growing and the traditional full time students are decreasing.  One main concern you hear over and over from students is the financial burden of a traditional college education.
Would love to hear your opinion.

As K-12 Classrooms Go High-Tech, Colleges Get More Virtual