As classroom teachers, Kristi Mraz and Christine Hertz know when things aren't going their way. Maybe a lesson isn't coalescing as hoped, maybe they've run out of time. In these flustered moments, it's easy to lose positivity and trick yourself into a "gloom and doom scenario," as Christine Hertz describes in today's video.
Sometimes it's best to take a step back, breathe, and find the one thing that's working. Hold on to that, and the rest will follow.
A Mindset for Learning: Teaching the Traits of Joyful, Independent Growth draws on the work of Carol Dweck, Daniel Pink, Art Costa, and others, and it pairs research—psychological, neurological, and pedagogical—with practical classroom help, including instructional language, charts and visuals, teaching tips, and classroom vignettes.
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Kristine Mraz (left) teaches kindergarten in the New York City public schools. In addition to writing and teaching, she consults in schools across the country and as far away as Taiwan. Follow Kristi on Twitter @MrazKristine.
Christine Hertz (right) teaches third grade in Vermont. She has taught in a wide variety of classrooms, from preschool to fourth grade, and as an adjunct instructor of education courses. Follow Christine on Twitter @christine_hertz
A Mindset for Learning: Teaching the Traits of Joyful, Independent Growth is out now.