“Who you were, who you are, and who you will be are three different people.” – Robert Tew
This week, our students held their 3rd Showcase Evening and this quote was displayed at the beginning of the event.
To us, it represents one significant idea that we’re always investigating: PROGRESS.
Our students have shown such incredible progress since the beginning of the year, in more ways than just higher test scores or enhanced reading abilities. Our students are becoming completely different people.
Not that anything was wrong with them before. They are simply improving upon themselves. They are growing and learning in more ways than they may even realize.
They now recognize the significance of having a GROWTH mindset, because they know that it is acceptable to make mistakes as long as you learn from them. That it’s okay to not know something and to struggle, because you will be able to understand it eventually.
They are more enthusiastic and confident, and are even surprising themselves with what they can accomplish. During our recent Showcase Evening, these positive changes were especially evident.
At their 1st Showcase, some of our students were so nervous and uncomfortable during their presentations, they were physically shaking. Some could not even speak in front of our families but recorded videos instead. Last week, however, these same students were confidently giving informational presentations (some in character) in front of a packed room-including people they did not know!
In addition to being more comfortable presenting, our students are not afraid to try new things. They are not afraid of a challenge or of being HONEST.
Our students can be honest and say, “No, we did not do our absolute best with our last presentation. But we WILL kill it next time!”
Our students can be honest and say, “No, I don’t think I would do this project again in the future, but here is why it was still an excellent learning experience…”
This shows, more than anything, tremendous progress.
And here at Indi-ED, we are all about two things: doing what’s best for kids and making positive changes.
When doing what’s best for kids is helping them realize that they can CHANGE, that it is possible, and that they are capable of changing the world around them, true success can be achieved.
Our students are gaining important life skills that even some adults have yet to master. They know how to constantly self-evaluate, reflect, and adjust in order to improve upon themselves. (Some of our students even chose to feature this reflection process as the main focus of their showcase presentation.)
One particular student who has shown remarkable progress said this week, “This has been one of the happiest weeks I’ve ever had.” -BR
The happiness this student was expressing was equal to, or even exceeded, the happiness shown when he was doing his favorite thing in the world- playing guitar. He seemed equally as comfortable giving a humorous presentation on teamwork as he did rocking out.
He is becoming a different person. He is changing, adjusting, improving, and making progress- just like ALL of our students at Indi-ED.
