October 20th - 24th

Despite a tragic loss in our school community, this was a week full of hope for the future. While I have spent most of my time preparing for the start of class, many mentors came to me for support as they dealt with some very grown-up emotions. Happily, there was a strong team of professionals I could direct them toward (after sharing a piece of chocolate, of course).

I met with several parents, who were delighted about the positive opportunities their kids will be receiving by participating in YESS. Parent/teacher conferences were also a wonderful time for me to speak with parents and start building a relationship with the mentors' families.

Wednesday, I attended a training called "Coaching your Students to Academic Success," which was hosted by the Youth Mentoring Collaborative. I left the seminar with a deeper knowledge of effective listening, how to ask empowering questions, and the confidence that everything I learned about teaching hadn't been lost in the ether of my mind (what a relief). I've already been implementing one of the techniques: validating the speaker's emotions. As I've interacted with students and begun to incorporate the phrase, "it makes sense that you feel that way because...," I've noticed the kids pausing and acknowledging their feelings before continuing the conversation. I'm excited to teach this tactic to the mentors, as I'm sure it will have a positive effect on the way our mentors and mentees relate to one another.

Today, the mentors received their new schedules and have been stopping by my classroom all day. Many students came in just to say "hi" or ask a question about who else was in their class. Regardless of their reason, I could see the excitement on their faces. I feel truly blessed to be working with an organization that inspires kids to help in this way. Even though most of the kiddos are willing to wait to start class on Monday, three mentors wanted to act as student assistants today. I'm pleased to introduce Victor, Brayan, and Sebastian, enthusiastic YESS mentors.

Next week, we'll be doing the typical first-week-of-class stuff like learning rules and playing lots of icebreaker games, as well as choosing a service learning project. We'll also be celebrating the beginning of the program with a burrito party in the morning classes and a pizza party in the afternoon classes. Additionally, I'll be attending the band and choir concert on Thursday to support the mentors participating in those classes.