Hello families, This past week brought some opportunities to be reminded of how to value ourselves, each other, and our experiences. Mrs. Gaudet came to have a discussion about being a "buddy" to new or visiting students. This is such an important role as we want to be sure we create a safe environment for all. As we talked, some of the students reflected on their experiences when they were new. "I felt good when I visited. My buddy was really nice. I wasn't nervous at all." "I was shy, but everyone was so nice." While we assign a specific buddy to our newest students, we often mention that we are all buddies. Each of us has a responsibility to create a welcoming, stimulating, and encouraging environment for everyone. If we are socially confident, then real learning is able to take place. As our meeting concluded, Mrs. Gaudet asked, "So, what can we do when are hosting a visitor or being a buddy to some one new?" "Just act normal and treat them like they are our friends." "Ask them questions. Find some connections with them." We were lucky to host Cherise Mericle Harper on Friday. She is an author illustrator who gave us a great presentation with many valuable reminders. She writes and illustrates picture books, early readers, graphic novels, chapter books, doodle books, comic books, to name a few. She is prolific and dedicated. But mostly, she was hilarious!
She reminded us that in order to get good at something, you have to... spend lots of time doing it. She also mentioned about the importance of getting ideas down on paper and editing them later. "I only get to have the first thoughts once." She mentioned the benefits of working consistently and the perils of procrastination. She talked about how she first gets ideas down and then needs time. "Time is great. You need time to draft, sit with it, edit, and find out how to make it better. What you think was initially great, might not be your best effort." So when you procrastinate, you do not have the time to let your thoughts settle, process your work and allow for improvement. During her presentation, she said, "I'm still doing the same stuff I did as a kid, I just got better at it. So you'll probably be doing something similar to what you are doing." I loved this notion because it gave the students the sense of value and worth. We are always working towards the best version of ourselves. Thank you, Putnam
1 Comment
There are always multiple ways to view things in life. We seek to learn from them...
This week's advisory conversations were centered around homework, organization, and time management. The students share their increased sense of responsibility and accompanying stress levels. They share and talk about their strategies to meet the demands of sixth grade. Ms. Velazquez and I do our best to listen, guide, and ultimately allow the students to make their own choices. If students need further explanation or demonstration about how to use an agenda, plan homework, or something else, we certainly step in offer assistance. If a student requires a candid or private conversation, we provide a safe place for them. As your point-person, we will help to facilitate the school-home connection. Topics of technology surface as well. On-line versus face-to-face communication, and amount of time spent on our devices seem to direct our conversations. For the most part, the students seem to understand moderation as an important part of technology use. It is, however, that online persona that seems to bring upon debate. While the students intellectually know that engaging in emotional and private conversations is perhaps not ideal, they still find it the easiest and most accessible means of communication. We talk about: Think. Breathe. Love.... with everything. And most importantly when deciding to engage in online communication. It is too easy to fire emotional outbursts back and forth, and therefore too easy to type things one might want to rescind at a later time. Again, it is the emotional well-being that drives our goals for advisory. We will continue to listen, talk, play, navigate, share, and therefore, connect with each other, growing our circles of friends and systems of support. Thank you, Putnam Laura |
Details
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. Archives
February 2019
Categories |