Lessons My Granddaughter Taught Me - Lesson #2 - The Power of Recognition

My granddaughter was about to burst when I picked her up from PreK, brandishing a note from her teacher and a sticker.  "I got a Good News note, Nana! And a sticker!"  Her good news note said that she had played with a new friend today.  Now, if you know my granddaughter, you know that making new friends isn't all that unusual for her.  She loves making new friends and is constantly on a mission to make a friend of anyone she sees.  But what was different this time was that she got recognition for it.  Not anything big, just a note and a sticker from her teacher.  She was so proud and so thrilled that it reminded me of the power recognition holds.

As educators, and as parents, sometimes we are busy and often forget to give that little bit of recognition for a job well done or a small kindness our students, our children, demonstrate.  Yet, how great do even we feel as adults when someone gives us a small nod of recognition or appreciation.  Here's to remembering the power of a Good News Note!

Lessons My Granddaughter Taught Me - Lesson #1 - Do Your Research

My granddaughter attends our district Universal Pre-Kindergarten program and I have the happy job of picking her up each day after school.  One day this week she and I arrived at my car in the parking lot and she announced that my car "is a girl car."  Now I drive a silver Chevy HHR.  It might be considered a 50-something-year-olders type of car, but I couldn't figure out what made it "a girl car," so I asked.  "Well," she said, "You have Cinderella's coach on your antena."  I do have that as my antena topper.  She brought it to me from her recent trip to Disney World.  "And," she said, "Boys don't like Cinderella.  I asked Justin (her cousin) and he's a boy and he said boys don't like Cinderella.  Girls do."

When you have an opinion that is backed up by field research, it's hard to argue with the conclusion!  Leave it to a four year old to remind me of the power of doing your research!