Becoming Insightful & Knowledgeable Educators (and Parents)

Can you identify your temperament?  How about your child’s temperament?

During Professional Development Day on February 20th, we dug into the social-emotional development of a child in relation to temperament, taught by Jen Rothmeyer of Two Wishes Training.  The day was dedicated to becoming insightful and knowledgeable educators on our journey of fulfilling our mission to “put good humans into the world and leave the world better than we found it.”

We are excited to share a few gems of information with you from professional development that we think are relevant to parents as well as educators!  

Temperament & the Child

Temperament refers to the way we explore and react to the world; it is present from birth.  Experts say there are three broad categories of temperaments: easy going, slow-to-warm, and active (previously called “spirited” or even “difficult”).  During professional development, instructor Jen emphasized that all temperaments have traits that are positive.  There is not one temperament or trait that is always negative or always positive. Respecting the child means respecting how they are wired!

In a classroom, and at home, it’s important to not just understand how your child is wired, but how you are wired, as lack of compatibility between temperaments can cause misunderstanding and friction.  To reach compatibility you do not have to change your temperament, but you can parent, teach and guide with understanding and respect.  It is “smart parenting” and “smart teaching”!  For example, if you know your child is of an active temperament, you understand that it is unrealistic to ask them to sit still for extended periods of time.  And so, you might bring a variety of activities to engage them during times where waiting is mandatory. If you have a slow-to-warm child, you take extra time to prepare them for transitions, and give confidence and patience when they struggle. 

sonnet school professional devlopment day
teachers at sonnet school development day
smiling teachers at sonnet school development day

Leading Yourself Well

Another session, led by instructor Tom Wood of Hinge Consultants, delved into becoming leaders – and the first person you lead is yourself!  We learned 10 tips to lead ourselves well, including: thinking ahead, starting your day off right, staying away from unnecessary conflict, staying organized, taking care of yourself, looking at your day as a sprint (not a marathon), doing things for others, connecting with others, learning new things, and being grateful. 

Tom also asked us a few key questions:

  • What do you want “this” to look like in five years? What about ten years?
  • What do you need to do differently NOW to get where you want to be THEN?
  • What condition do you want to be in ten years from now? Choose today the lifestyle you need in order to make that happen!
  • Who do you need to connect with today (life is a team sport)?

What are you thankful for personally and professionally?

Digging into More Learning

speaker at sonnet school dev day
staff at sonnet school development day

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