Building Character-there's a science to it!

Anyone who has spent anytime at St. John Vianney High School knows how serious we take the Character Development of our students. It has become our motto, our rallying cry, and statement of who we all aspire to be, an example we hope to set for others--"Men of Character & Accomplishment."

Similarly, anyone who has spent five minutes with me has likely heard my speeches or even viewed my presentations on the importance of school culture.  I believe culture fuels everything in a school. The more positive people are, the more open, and willing people are to take risks, the more caring and loving the people are, the greater the outcomes will be!

Of course, one reason our culture has been so strong and so outstanding in improving student learning is our commitment to implementing neuroscience and groundbreaking brain research.

While most of our implementation has been on brain-based instructional strategies, the research also demonstrates that we can "train" our brains and shape how we approach the world and complex problems. 

We understand that our brains have tremendous capacity to take on challenges and learn new things. While this may seem obvious, it takes some training to tap into our potential. Often, we fool ourselves into thinking we can't do something. (How often do you hear someone say,"Oh, I am no good at math"?)

Some people have trained themselves to operate with a “fixed” mindset. At Vianney, we want to promote a "growth" mindset, and science tells us that it is possible to teach both young and older brains how to expand their potential. 

It all comes through practice. If we respond to the world with disappointment and doubt, we reinforce that mindset in our neural pathways. Essentially, "We are what we practice." Through practice and deliberate effort, we can train our brains to see the possibilities and opportunities that sometimes even failure presents.

Check out this short 8-minute video that captures this science in an amazing way.

The video was produced by Tiffany Shlain & The Moxie Institute Films.