I told someone the other day how much I love being a mom to high schoolers. It’s just so fun. Watching them and their friends grow into themselves, make decisions, and learn from life’s experiences is such a gift. Of course, there are hard things and new challenges to adapt to all the time, but when I slow down to connect with them and really listen, I end up learning just as much from them as they do from me.
I often ask them and others to “tell me something good,” and so I loved this week's Bright Spot in Monroe Local Schools (Ohio). Let me know what you think!
With Gratitude,
Thrive in the Hive
Students walked up to a microphone on a stand where a sign read, “Tell me something good that happened today.” As part of the school’s #ThriveInTheHive — Hornets for Hope initiative, students were invited to pause and celebrate the good in their day. It instantly reminded me why I love working with young people and why I love writing this newsletter. It’s a way to pause and focus on the good—the things that are working—even in the midst of challenges that never seem to stop coming.
What this school did in their video was simple but powerful: they created space for joy. There’s so much our youth are navigating, but there’s also so much light. Both can coexist. And when we take time to shine a light on what’s going well—for our kids and for ourselves—it shifts our focus, strengthens our connections, and reminds us that the small wins are worth celebrating.
Celebrating Bright Spots matters! At the beginning of our school and district partnerships, we love to organize Learning Walks, a time where the entire learning community can celebrate what's working in classrooms and around campuses as a reminder that we are never starting from scratch. To learn more about organizing Learning Walks within your learning community, connect with us here.
Learning Walks are a signature learner-centered practice — one of our favorites at Learner-Centered Collaborative. They provide an opportunity to view learning in a classroom without an evaluation or judgment mindset. To conduct a Learning Walk in your community, check out this tool and let us know if you have any questions!
Resources to advance your learner-centered practice
📖 The What, Why, and How of Learning Walks. "Learning Walks offer an authentic glimpse into teaching and learning practices in a school or district. A few minutes of observation rarely tells the full story of learning in a classroom, but the snapshot is often just enough to begin celebrating bright spots and identifying trends..." Start walking.
📊 STRATEGY: Support Learner Self-Assessment. "Self-assessment is empowering learners to consider where they are in their own learning by intentionally creating transparency of the learning process, and creating a safe space to make mistakes." Try this strategy.
🎥 Join us live on November 18th! "Districts across the country are reimagining education through Big Moves: bold, systemic shifts that align policy, practice, and purpose to center learners. Join us for an engaging one-hour webinar as we explore how systems can embrace meaningful change grounded in agency and real-world learning." Register here.
Learner-Centered Collaborative, 1611 S Melrose Dr., STE A #334, Vista, CA 92081
