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
Sharon
10/16/2017 02:32:20 pm
Thank you for the updates and taking the time to include us all with the webpage!
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