Engaging Parents is VERY difficult.
Sure, there are plenty of engaged parents, but that still leaves many “out of the loop” as to what is happening in their child’s classroom. With that in mind, we continue to share the fantastic letters that articulate what is going on (in regards to Top 20 concepts being taught that week) in the 4th-grade classroom at Saint Mark’s School in St. Paul, MN. Mr. Bowlin has been generous enough to share his communications with us and we in turn want to share them with you!
Enjoy!
Top 20: The Feelings of NGE
This week our OPOs (Other People’s Opinions) discussions surrounded the ideas of navigating through feelings of NGE (Not Good Enough). It is very natural to encounter feelings of NGE, but it is important to make an intentional effort to ignore this feeling and understand that we are constantly evolving and striving to get better. Our thinking is extremely powerful when put into situations where feelings of NGE could occur, but we have the power to decide whether the OPO is in our best interest or not in our best interest. If it is not in our best interest, we can choose to let the OPO go and not allow it to ruin our experience.
A Top 20 understands that failure is an event and not a person. We will all have moments that we will feel NGE, but it’s our response to those moments that will define the type of person we are. After hearing about a couple of my own NGE events on the football field and in the coaching profession, we discussed some daily encounters that could potentially cause us to feel NGE if we allow them to do so. Some examples we came up with were losing a game, getting a poor grade on a test or quiz, being picked last for a game at recess, striking out, raising your hand and giving a wrong answer, being the only person who can’t do something, etc. All of these situations immediately could cause us to feel NGE, but ultimately we have the choice to decide whether we accept or decline the NGE feelings.
How you bounce back from the event of failure says a lot about your character. Failure and feelings of NGE can often be a huge motivator for us. The desire to prove any doubters wrong can be very powerful. However, it needs to become more about what we are proving to ourselves. The self-satisfaction of doing your best and tirelessly working to become your best is what is most important. Feelings of NGE often humble us and serve as a great reminder to keep pushing ourselves to get better.
Sorting through feelings of NGE also help us develop Top 20 Star Qualities. It teaches us humility, persistence, perseverance, patience, and self-motivation. Understanding that one has the choice to let go of OPOs and feelings of NGE enables us to put the power of our thinking into action. The feeling of NGE can only be a roadblock to our success if we allow them to be.
-Mr. Bowlin
