The new book, written by an acclaimed principal and the co-creator of 7 Mindsets, provides proven tools and best practices to help educators implement social-emotional learning
(Roswell, GA) January 22, 2020 --7 Mindsets, the national leader in mindsets-based social and emotional learning (SEL) curriculum and activities, has announced the publication of Ridiculously Amazing Schools: Creating a Culture Where Everyone Thrives. The new book is co-authored by Tracey Smith, the principal of Brookwood (GA) Elementary School, and Jeff Waller, 7 Mindsets’ co-creator and vice president of educational services.
The book draws from Smith and Waller’s own experiences in education, along with years of researching, interviewing, and observing fellow educators. The central message is that it takes the “whole” teacher to teach the “whole” child. The key to a thriving school culture is the manner in which the adult educators in the building relate to each other, support one another, and hold each other accountable to the benefit of everyone, including the students they teach.
“I wanted to create the book I wish I had on my first day of teaching,” said Smith. “Ridiculously Amazing Schools would have helped me become the educator I wanted to be much sooner.”
Waller added, “Tracey is an inspirational leader. The title of the book comes from her rallying cry for her teachers: ‘Make today ridiculously amazing!’ Together, we’ve written a book that gives administrators the tools they need to benefit from the 7 Mindsets mission of empowering students and teachers through mindsets-based social-emotional learning.”
Ridiculously Amazing Schools examines how educators can build courageous relationships within their schools by fostering feelings of trust, significance, and belonging. Inspiring these feelings depends on five elements: belief, clarity, nurture, conflict, and play. To help educators implement the five elements leading to courageous relationships, the book includes:
About 7 Mindsets
Combining elements of relationship-based teaching and social-emotional learning, 7 Mindsets provides a framework that distills extensive research on the nature of happiness and success into tools, lessons, and training that provide a new language and operating system for schools and classrooms. With complete courses of flexible, age-appropriate online curriculum for elementary, middle, high and virtual schools, 7 Mindsets is an easy-to-implement, proven, and transformational program that has been established in schools across the U.S. and internationally. For more information, please visit 7Mindsets.com.
“I wanted to create the book I wish I had on my first day of teaching,” said Smith. “Ridiculously Amazing Schools would have helped me become the educator I wanted to be much sooner.”
Waller added, “Tracey is an inspirational leader. The title of the book comes from her rallying cry for her teachers: ‘Make today ridiculously amazing!’ Together, we’ve written a book that gives administrators the tools they need to benefit from the 7 Mindsets mission of empowering students and teachers through mindsets-based social-emotional learning.”
Ridiculously Amazing Schools examines how educators can build courageous relationships within their schools by fostering feelings of trust, significance, and belonging. Inspiring these feelings depends on five elements: belief, clarity, nurture, conflict, and play. To help educators implement the five elements leading to courageous relationships, the book includes:
- An assessment tool for readers to see how their school currently applies a given element and where they have room for improvement;
- Real-world stories from teachers and schools around the country exhibiting these elements;
- Discussion of why each element is difficult to bring into a school and why it matters for a school;
- A companion guide that provides a framework for readers to pull ideas into a plan based on what they’ve read; and
- Proven practices for each element to give readers ways they can begin incorporating an element into their school.
About 7 Mindsets
Combining elements of relationship-based teaching and social-emotional learning, 7 Mindsets provides a framework that distills extensive research on the nature of happiness and success into tools, lessons, and training that provide a new language and operating system for schools and classrooms. With complete courses of flexible, age-appropriate online curriculum for elementary, middle, high and virtual schools, 7 Mindsets is an easy-to-implement, proven, and transformational program that has been established in schools across the U.S. and internationally. For more information, please visit 7Mindsets.com.
