February 20th - February 23rd

Despite only having four days, we got a lot accomplished! The focus this week was on Cool Buttons, which are the ways we are able to cool down when someone or something pushes our Hot Buttons.

Here's one class's thinking map on Ways to Stay Cool

The students did an outstanding job of brainstorming ways to calm themselves and I taught them a few more before starting a short project. Some of their favorite Cool Buttons are based on the idea of Mindfulness Walks. These can be done while walking, but they can also be done while in the car/bus or sitting still. During these times, one becomes more aware their surroundings by searching for specific things like letters or colors.

Gustavo is an awesome artist!

The project we began is something the kids are really enjoying because they can keep it in their binders to remind themselves to stay cool. Only a few scholars were able to finish, so they'll be finishing the assignment this week.

We celebrated our January and February birthdays on Friday with snacks and a movie. The kids always like being recognized in class and I enjoy observing them supporting one another in this way.

An example of a student's Hot Buttons

Here is how the student plans to cool down when his buttons are pushed

February 12th - 16th

This week absolutely flew! It felt like I blinked twice and it was Friday! Anyway, I was out on Monday, but the mentors and mentees continued with their regularly scheduled programming. On Tuesday, we tutored. Now that conferences are over, the students are re-energized and ready to work on their assignments.

We explored Hot Buttons (the things/situations that cause intense, uncomfortable emotions) on Wednesday and Thursday. When sharing stories of our Hot Buttons, students shared stories about siblings, classmates, and even teachers that pressed their buttons. Thursday, we talked a little about how to counteract those strong emotions by activating our Cool Buttons. Because this lesson was heavy with worksheets, we implemented many fun Kagan structures to break it up. This is a topic we'll continue this week by creating a tool for the scholars to use when their buttons get pushed.

Due to the incident in Florida last week, we spoke as a class about how everyone was feeling. Many students expressed fear about coming to school, so we discussed how fear is generally irrational. It feels real (and that's OK) but we have a safe school community so we need to think logically to combat our fears. It was refreshing to give the scholars space to open up about this issue and focus on the loving community we work so hard to maintain.

On Friday, our 6th grade scholars had the opportunity to participate in Junior Achievement, a financial literacy program. Because so many students were out (and we temporarily adopted some stray 7th and 8th graders) we took it easy and watched a movie.

February 5th - 9th

This week was lovely and long! I was out of the building on Monday, but the mentors continued working hard on their leadership projects with the substitute while our sweet mentees learning about social and emotional skills with Ms. Katrina.

The scholars presented their Belief Systems Mini-Projects on Tuesday and, for the most part, they did a fabulous job. I'm proud of how some of them have blossomed from shy students to young people who are confident enough to share their insecurities and accomplishments with their YESS buddies.

Because we had Parent/Teacher Conferences on Wednesday and Thursday, the kids were anxious to work on their missing work. I was happy to give them time to catch up a little. It's always interesting to see the level of focus rise as conferences draw near. :-) 

I enjoyed seeing so many parents during our conference times, as well. Our families are the best! They love these kids and really care about their success, which makes my job as a teacher much easier.

January 29th - February 2nd

Our never-ending quest to tie classroom content to real life

Last week was extremely productive, despite the fact that I left early on Tuesday due to illness, and I'm proud of the kids' work. On Monday, the mentors continued working on writing biographies about figures who have advanced some aspect of civil rights.Tuesday, during tutoring, scholars began preparing for their conferences, which will occur on the 7th and 8th.

Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday were a continuation of the Belief Systems Unit. They really started understanding how the beliefs they hold about themselves either boost them up or hold them back and we began a project that demonstrates these beliefs. In the project, they were asked to look ahead 10 years and ask, "What do I see?" Some kids saw themselves attending college, while others imagined their lives as mechanics or doctors. The students created posters of their imaginings and will present them this week.

This mentor did an amazing job!

I absolutely love the positive vibes from this trio of young scholars!