Dear Parents and Guardians,

I want to take this opportunity to introduce myself and express my sheer excitement about working with your child during this school year! This will be my twelfth year in education and I’ve been blessed to work in many different capacities – previously serving as an administrator as well as, a science teacher to both primary and middle school students. I have a B.A. in Elementary Education from Northeastern University and an M.Ed. in Curriculum and Instruction from National Louis University.

As a middle school science teacher, I had great success in preparing students to develop the confidence within their communication and collaborative skills while also gaining a deep understanding of and an affinity for science and how it applies to the real world. As a result, some of my previous seventh and eighth grade students moved on to win Gold Medals at IJAS city and state competitions. Working with lower school students, I strive to instill the same values while also facilitating them to build on their inquiry skills as they participate in hands on lab investigations to build a greater understanding of scientific concepts.

It is my overall goal is to encourage students to ask questions about the world around them and think outside of the box while instilling a love of learning that will lead to a successful future. In order to do so, I believe that communication between teacher and parents/guardians is vital. I offer options for parents to stay in touch and up to date with what’s going on in my classroom. This includes regular Twitter updates (@LisaDiones) highlighting what we are doing in class and blog updates that will showcase activities and student work.

If at any time you have any questions, comments or inquiries, please feel free to email me at lisa.diones@questacademy.org or contact by phone at (847) 202-8035. I will also be more than happy to meet with you during office hours (Monday and Thursday from 3:30-4:30 pm).

I’m excited to work with you and your child, and am looking forward to another wonderful year of learning at Quest Academy!

Sincerely,

Mrs. Diones

Proud Lower School Science Teacher

Each year, the first week of school has always been one that I have looked forward to. The atmosphere instantly changes as the halls come back to life with students bustling from class to class, enthusiastically reconnecting with friends while sharing stories about their summers. Smiling faces can be seen all around as teachers greet their new students at the door and parents wave goodbye and breathe a sigh of relief now that the new school year has begun. The first week is the catalyst for many positive things but especially for creating opportunities to teach our gifted students about growth mindsets, in which we strive to support and preserve throughout their academic careers at Quest.

Educators and researchers alike have found a correlation between perfectionism and gifted learners. As Pyryt (2004) points out, there are two major concerns about perfectionism for gifted students: underachievement and emotional turmoil. Perfectionistic tendencies make some gifted students vulnerable for underachievement because they do not submit work unless it is perfect. While other gifted students who are perfectionists might suffer emotional turmoil when they fail at unrealistic challenges or goals set forth. Many of the perfectionist tendencies mimic that of a fixed mindset, which contributes to feelings of doubt and result in underachievement. Perfectionist or not, gifted students who have exhibit a fixed mindset think their abilities, talents and intelligence is stagnant and ignore efforts to make improvements or progress in a given endeavor.

Recognizing the imperative need to equip our students with real world skills, instilling them with a growth mindset prepares them to be adaptable and apply perseverance to overcome daily challenges. As students embrace a growth mindset, they may come to realize that their natural talents, abilities and intelligence is only a starting point from which real progress begins. They learn that anyone can learn or accomplish goals through dedication, persistence and hard work. In attaining this mindset, personal responsibility and agency, tends to facilitate a passion for learning and a willingness to keep trying in the wake of mistakes or failure.

The partnership and connections between home and school are equally important to facilitate optimal learning of this way of thinking. Parents can cultivate growth mindsets within their child or children at home in a variety of ways. As Carol Dweck, a Stanford psychology professor and advocate for growth mindset explains, “If parents want to give their children a gift, the best thing they can do is to teach their children to love challenges, be intrigued by mistakes, enjoy effort, and keep on learning.” Outside of the classroom, children observe and model the behaviors they learn from their parents or immediate family members. Exhibiting a positive attitude in the face of adversity, teaching your child how to cope when mistakes are made and how to respond to challenges or obstacles that present themselves are other ways to teach and model growth mindset.

Studies have shown a correlation between growth mindset and student achievement. This lends further support to the implementation of this practice in educational pedagogy and suggests that the faster a child develops this mentality, they will be able to successfully bridge and apply these skills in school and in the real world. If we as parents and educators collectively foster  growth mindsets at home and school, our gifted learners  will become more adept to internalizing and modeling these same behaviors which will not only prepare them to be successful in academics but in all personal endeavors and challenges the real world presents as well.

Check out these links:

Tips for Parents: Promoting Achievement Through a Growth Mindset

Carol Dweck: TED Talk