by Lynn Soots | June, 2019 | Education
As I set out to write this piece, I thought of who my audience might be. Should I write for elementary age learning, adult learning, in the classroom, or online? After a few seconds of thought, I determined that there are benefits across the board. Learning and development walk the path of education hand in hand. Development and the way in which all students learn in a positive manner do not stop at the gates of high school. Time-tested, through the over twenty years I have been teaching, tells me that these practices not only support educational success but a person’s reflective positive esteem and self-efficacy. Are you ready to RAISE the bar? Let’s RAISE the Bar Over my many years of teaching, and through the many collaborative interactions with students, I have developed the acronym RAISE. First, because it signifies elevation, which I have always been a fan of evaluating students to new levels. Second, it acts as a reminder of the actions and behaviors that reflect a growth environment that I want to be a part of. RAISE is a reflective tool for servant educators who mindfully desire to incorporate educational elements that go beyond teaching curriculum and support perpetuated growth of students personally. It models what, we as servant educators, want to put out there to the world; behaviors, and actions that are created through “pass it on” positive role model mentorship. We have the power to RAISE the bar of education. R—Respect Respect encapsulates ways in which a person wants to be viewed or treated; revered, admired, etc. What do you admire about your students?...
by Lynn Soots | January, 2018 | Classroom Reflections
Let’s FLOW out of a Bad Day! “Breathe. It’s Just a Bad Day, Not a Bad Life” ~ unknown Before Taking Positive Psychology my thoughts about the course were a little mixed. I wondered if throughout the course we’d analyze how positive our mindset was and honestly, that scared me a little being the pessimistic person I am, but I was also curious to explore what was in it to help me. At the close of the term, I am walking away with valuable insight on ways looking at the brighter side of each day. Make Time to FLOW into Life An Ah-Ha moment for me was learning about FLOW. The meaning of FLOW is exactly what you would imagine…if someone told me to visualize a picture in my mind of what flow meant, my vision would be that of water gently running downstream and the sound of the water soothing my mind. While experiencing FLOW, your mind is free, you don’t think about what you’re doing…you just go with it. Having a positive mindset leads you to living a healthier lifestyle. Everyone leads a busy life, but I found that it’s important that you make time for FLOW moments to be able to refresh and recharge your mind and your body. Finding FLOW in Everyday Enjoyment I’ve never thought about this before taking Positive Psychology and it wasn’t until we were asked to describe something that where we experienced FLOW that I was aware that simple activities that I enjoy such as baking or running provided me with a positive outcome. Having to take the time to think...
by Maria Kesel | January, 2018 | Classroom Reflections
“I am the most important person in the world to me” Finding Mindfulness and Purposeful Self-love Judging by the name, I thought Positive Psychology would be focused on happiness and how to achieve that state of mind. I thought the emphasis would be given to behaviors and methods to accomplish happiness. I didn’t expect to go through the class and participate first hand using the methodologies of Positive Psychology. Of course, the class wasn’t only about finding happiness but about having a healthy mind ,using tactics to reach that point using FLOW, mindfulness, and purposeful self-love. Accepting our Perfect Self Listening to Caira Lee’s Tedtalk was my Ah-Ha moment. I’ve struggled with body image issues for as long as I can remember. This is not the first time I learned about the concept of self-love but the way in which Lee delivered the message of radical self-love really impacted me. She calls it a radical action, a rebellion, an extreme act; which was mind-blowing to learn to assume that loving ourselves is something everybody should be doing already. She referred to a website called The body is not an Apology and after exploring the site I came across a question, what is body terrorism? It was explained as the historical and contemporary violence associated with body hatred. The website’s mission is focused on healing and standing up for the devastating impact of hating our bodies and having others hate our bodies. This concept is not only applicable to women but to everyone on this earth. From the color of our skin to our sexual orientation to our gender to...
by Lynn Soots | January, 2018 | Classroom Reflections, Happiness, self-development
Habits and Happiness “Habits and Happiness importantly reminds us that, scientifically, happiness can be a choice if we change our behavior.”- Shawn Achor Before Taking Positive Psychology my thoughts about the course were: I thought Positive Psychology would focus on all of the good feelings that we have, I didn’t understand that it would, in fact, make me think and understand my negative feelings and guide me to change these negative feelings or habits into positive ones. Sorting through Triggers, Negative and Positive Habits An Ah-Ha moment for me was learning about positive and negative habits in Habits and Happiness by Braco. I found this book very useful in that it taught me about triggers that set me off in both positive and negative habits and ways I can go about changing bad habits and implementing good ones. The mind is such a powerful thing and if we can train our minds to think more positively then we can, in fact, live a more positive and healthy life. Positive Psychology opened my eyes to understanding what triggers me to think and act the way that I do. I learned how to change my negative thought process and how to change bad habits into positive ones. Becoming a more positive person mentally and physically is something I feel I can achieve after taking this class. About the Author: Aubrey DiLorenzo is a student at Chaminade University. She plans on getting her Bachelor of Science Degree in Early Childhood Education and hopes to become a kindergarten teacher one day. Aubrey is a mother of two girls and a wife to a...
by Lynn Soots | July, 2017 | Classroom Reflections
“The happiest people spend much time in a state of flow, the state in which people are so involved in an activity that nothing else seems to matter…” If I’m being honest, I wasn’t 100% willing to go back to college. I had taken a small hiatus in between classes, which was dearly needed. As a single mother, it was hard to take two classes at the same time, while balancing daily life with two children. When I failed my online course, I realized that I needed a break. However, similar to a shark, once I stop swimming, I die. Or in this case, throw away all of my hard work. So, I sucked it up and signed up for another online course. Positive psychology didn’t really stand out to me in any way. It was just another course I needed to take in order to qualify for my bachelor’s degree. While I wasn’t fully mentally prepared for this course, I sure am glad I took it. Renewable Energy: FLOW What really touched me the most during the past weeks was FLOW. It can be defined as a mental state of operation in which the person performing an activity is fully immersed in a feeling of energized focus, full involvement, and enjoyment in the process of the activity. In my opinion, FLOW can really do wonders regarding one’s mental state. Feeling down? Engage in an activity that encourages FLOW. Not feeling too hot? Engage in an activity that encourages FLOW. However, I can say that I was confused about what produced flow. I used to think that in order...
