Every June I cut my flowers as soon as blooms appear. I cut them at an angle, near a new leaf, so that they grow out, as well as up. I have found that cutting them early promotes growth.
Cutting my flowers before blooms are ready has me thinking each year, let them continue to grow on the path they are on and enjoy the beauty of the full blooms sooner. Just let them grow. But then by mid July I have flowers propogating everywhere, the stems are long, and the blooms are big. Promoting growth by “pinching” is a successful strategy for my zinnias, cosmos, and snapdragons.
As I was cutting the flowers I thought about the importance of promoting growth in the classroom as well. Sometimes in August and September we just want to get started on the content. So many standards, so little time. This year let’s trust that we will get through what is important to cover and cultivate in some strategies that promote growth at the beginning of the year. Think about one idea that you want to dig deeper into this year. Read and reflect on it to determine if it will work within the reality of your classroom.
- Set Goals Goal Setting
- Encourage Effort Ten strategies that promote motivation
- Provide Guidance 15 positive guidance strategies
- Set Up a Safe Environment for all Learners 20 tips for creating a safe learning environment
Gather some flowers and enjoy the journey the blooms took to be where they are for you today!
A thought to puzzle over…
What do you need from others to promote growth in your classroom? How could your year be different if you sought out help in August?
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