On Tuesday, September 14, students at Atkins and Keystone Elementary celebrated International Dot Day. Dot Day is a global celebration of creativity, courage, and collaboration. It is a day inspired by Peter H. Reynold’s book The Dot. In the story, a caring art teacher dares a doubting student to trust in her own abilities by being brave enough to “make her mark”. Dot Day is a great way to teach students about growth mindset and get them excited about learning!
The students always look forward to Dot Day. Students and staff are invited to wear dots to remind them to “make their mark” in the world. While walking through the halls on September 14, there were homemade shirts with dots, pants with dots, hair bows with dots, hats with dots, and lots of creativity! The students were very proud and excited about their dots they made hanging in the hallways as well as their outfits. That sense of pride feeds a student’s growth mindset and teaches them to trust in their own abilities.
Dot day is not just about wearing dots; it is also a way to get students excited about learning and teaching them that they can do anything they put their mind to. While walking around classrooms, there were a lot of activities and lessons designed around The Dot. Students were comparing and contrasting, they were writing persuasive and opinion pieces as well as using dots to support their work in math. Ask any Atkins or Keystone Elementary student about Dot Day; they will be sure to light up and tell you how they are going to “make their mark” in the world!