DYS Homeroom

“Fit in and stand out! Fit in while winning! Be the best while also trying to be like everyone else.” - The paradoxical voice of comparison running your day Comparing oneself to others is natural, but that does not make it desirable. People often try to gauge how they are doing with an activity by looking around. Am I doing better? Am I doing worse? However, how “good or bad” you are performing compared to others is not always easy to assess. Some brains are built to highlight the strengths of others and weaknesses in themselves (or vise-versa). Also, performance is never a sign of how “good or bad” you are as a person. In essence, this default mode of the human brain can wreak havoc if you don’t learn how to tame it. Facts: Comparison is not an emotion, but it drives all kinds of big feelings (can you name some of those feelings)? Comparison often happens without our awareness and is a pervasive social phenomenon (a fish doesn’t know it’s in water) We engage in upward social comp

“The time is always right to do what is right.” - Martin Luther King Jr. “You can’t escape the responsibility of tomorrow by evading it today.” – Abraham Lincoln “Any man’s life will be filled with constant and unexpected encouragement if he makes up his mind to do his level best each day.” – Booker T. Washington This week we sought to explore the difference between wisdom and IQ. We discussed important cognitive abilities that take place in our minds but don’t show up on tests of intelligence. Students were exposed to definitions regarding the following words related to wisdom: Sound Judgment (using available evidence instead of fixed views) Tolerance For Uncertainty (patience finding an answer/delaying the need for “cognitive closure”)  Rationality (managing your resources and behaviors in a realistic way that leads to success) Practicality (common sense versus mere brain power) Awareness of bias (understand humans are biased and have faulty logic - can you spot yours?) Open-mindedne

In this week’s lesson, students were exposed to definitions regarding introversion and extroversion. Instead of being preferences for liking or disliking people (or anything to do with shyness), these personality traits simply define how people gain energy and recharge. Introverts gain energy in quiet settings with small numbers of people (or by themselves!), while extroverts recharge around others in busy environments (think parties and festivals). After going through a checklist with characteristics of both extroversion and introversion, we talked about why many (but not all) gifted individuals lean towards introversion. We also discussed being an “ambivert” with combinations of both introversion and extroversion. Optional Journal Prompts/Activities: – What do you like to do to recharge now that you know a little more about introversion and extroversion? Read? Go to a concert? Draw? – Why is it important to understand these traits not only for your sake, but for the sake of your rela