shower of compliments

This idea was passed on to me by 3rd grade teacher Michelle Kaney

My favorite activity this month has been our Shower of Compliments, where I have one student every day stand up in front of the class and we spend five minutes "showering" that student with praise about their behavior, their talents, their beautiful green eyes, their honesty, whatever!

I model how to take compliments by letting the students pump me full of praise first, and simply looking at the person and saying thank you.

Even the child who thinks nobody likes him or that the world is out to get her begins to smile and stand tall with this barrage of praise. Just love it. I do it a few times a year. Works wonders for class morale and individual self esteem.

student ARFF

Natasha:I got to sell at the bake sale and we sold all of the rice crispie treats I brought.
Belleza: I get to be in the Nutcracker!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Devinn:I read my favorite book ! "The Hundred Dresses"

quote

"Whatever you focus on you will get more of."

-Bridget Martel, teacher extraordinaire

Natural High

It's Red Ribbon Week and so I am showing the DVD Natural High 2. It features Tony Hawk and other accomplished athletes who have chosen to be drug and alcohol free. The students get to see great video clips of snowboarders, down hill skiers, hip hop artists and more. The athletes give great advice such as
eat well
sleep well
focus on what you love
and your brain will naturally make "feel good" chemicals.
What I realized from watching the video is how important it is for kids to discover their passion early in life. It can help them put their energy into healthy pursuits, surround them with good mentors, and give them a reason to stay away from dangerous influences.
I want our school to be a place where kids can try lots of different sports and art forms and activities in nature so they can discover what gives them energy and brings them joy.
Here's some great ideas from two of our great students:
Have more clubs such as ski club, biking, nature, art, writing, dance and study groups.
Have more activities for Freshman since this is a big year to be exposed to drugs and alcohol.
Any other ideas for bringing enrichment activities into our school and community?

Achievement: Support groups are ready to start next week thanks to Scarlett, Trish, Ryan, Mike, Jill and Michele. They will be giving up their prep one day a week to spend with middle school students.
Respect: I was invited to lunch tomorrow but will have to take a rain check.
Fun: Going for a walk in the sunshine
Freedom: Leaving for Seattle in the morning.
Big ARFF to come!

the power of modeling

I did the same listening activity today as Monday only this time I took more care in setting the tone for the exercise. I chose to share about our cabin in Alaska and how much I miss being there. The students responded by sharing things that they cared about. Some were deeply personal and accompanied by tears. Again, at the end of the exercise students said it felt good to be listened to. It was a simple exercise made more powerful by being mindful and careful with my words and tone of voice.

Achievement: We have 10 volunteer presenters for the middle school career fair including Her Alibi Salon, Soucie and Soucie, Beth Morganstern from Edward Jones, and Krista Schaefer from the Parisi Speed School.

Respect: Great faculty discourse at the Forum meeting with regard to our district's efforts at creating quality assessments.

Fun: 4th grade girls played hide and seek in my office. (How do you hide in a 12'X16' office space?)

Freedom: I had a completely open schedule today so when kids or teachers said, "Do you have a minute?" I could say "Sure!"

team work!

Steve planted and cared for the seedlings. I watered and fed them.
Now we get to harvest and enjoy! Gardening ARFF!

Today's activities blurred the lines between achievement, respect, freedom and fun. Since I work at a church, Monday is my Saturday, a day that represents freedom, that overflows with fun, that calls for an order of achievement with a side of fun. From cooking and cleaning to knitting and running, my mission was simple: to enjoy a day to myself.

Mission Accomplished

Happy Monday!!

Well, today has been a blur but I will do my very best to remember my ARFF!!

Achievement: Have been working with a group of girls who have been bullying one another on a consistent basis. Had several meetings with them last week and a follow-up today. I'm happy to say that they are continuing to use the skills they learned last week to get along!! I love it when my job actually works!!

Respect: Went into the 1st grade today and a boy said, "Oh Mrs. Wood, I love you so much!! You're my favorite teacher ever and I'm not even kidding!!" Hello Respect!!!

Fun: My job!! Getting out of the house!! YES!!!

Freedom: My job!! Getting out of the house after being stuck there for weeks!! I love getting ready, putting on some makeup and wearing REAL clothes instead of sweat pants!! FEELS GOOD!

just listen

I met with Mr. Pitts 5th grade today. We sat in a circle and one at a time told the group something we wanted everyone in the group to know. We practiced nonverbal listening skills. No interrupting, no questions, just nods, and giggles, and sometimes looks of concern. We heard lots of great stories,some silly, some a little gross, some quite sad. When we were done, I asked the students to tell how it felt to tell a story without being interrupted. Many of the kids said good or weird. Alot of them never get to talk without being interrupted.

What a gift we can give our students by being a listening ear.

silly and kind

I just heard a piece of advice that I think is worth passing on. Everyday, do one kind thing and one silly thing.
Wouldn't school be more joyful if everyday we gave our students opportunities to do one kind thing and one silly thing?
I looked through all my archives for a silly photo to accompany this post and this is all I found. I think I have a good goal for this year: Collect photos of people doing silly things. Send me yours!

Big ARFF Day

Achievement: Good discussion in HPT regarding the purpose of building a common assessment. We discussed the idea that the process we are going through will help us learn what a quality assessment should look like. We can use the knowledge we gain in this process to help us design quality assessments in each of our specific subject areas.
Respect: I am always honored when students are comfortable confiding in me. I get a little elated feeling when a student walks up to me and says, "Can I talk to you about something?"

Fun: I asked 7th and 8th graders to write what they like about our school. It was fun to read their responses. A lot of them said, "The Teachers"!

Freedom: I taught "goal setting" with middle school students today and I was able to take that main idea and custom fit my teaching to match the mood/needs of each particular class. 7th grade was more about school survival skills such as turning in homework and asking for help. 8th grade was about making healthy choices. I got on my soap box and talked about the importance of rejecting the drug and alcohol scene and putting energy towards accomplishing personal goals and finding safe, legal ways to have a fun time.

Looking forward to an ARFF filled dinner out with Steve.

Achievement: I have gotten some great volunteers for Career Day. A wildlife biologist, financial advisor, fitness expert, two salons, and law enforcement.
Respect: 6th grade girls "hung out" with me at lunch.
Fun: Taco Tuesday at Taco Mexico
Freedom: Taking Friday off of work to attend group training.

homecoming

This is my first post of the school year and we are 4 weeks in. It has been a whirlwind with lots of ARFF all around.
Achievement: The 5th and 6th graders made ARFF posters for the hall outside our counseling offices. The assignment was to draw what they want more of in their life. My favorite is a picture of a kid sitting on the ground watching the sunset. His caption read, "If I had more time I would go to the harbor and watch the sunset." This is an activity I will do again because just imagining having your ARFF filled can have some of the same positive effects as actually doing it. Also, just having them up in our hall reminds me that to do my job well, I need to keep my ARFF filled.

Respect: I get to work with really talented people who want to do all they can to help kids feel safe, welcome, and ready to learn. And I get to hear kids ideas. Today, when I asked fifth graders what we could do to make our school safe and welcoming for everyone, one student said, "I think everyone should have a chance to express what they are good at and have something they are proud of because sometimes I think kids who bully don't have anything else that they are proud of. The others agreed and suggested we do Enrichment Clusters again!

Fun: Kids know how to have fun. We should all play more. At least once a day. Tonight's fun will be cheering on the football team at the homecoming game.

Freedom: Today Ryan and I played, "Change Seats If You Brushed Your Teeth Today" with the 6th graders. We were laughing and carrying on and got pretty roudy. The office staff heard the commotion and were concerned but their teacher said, "Mrs. Ahnert's in there," and they let us carry on!

Fourth of July ARFF

Summer ARFF

Every day is an ARFF flood. Here's just a few highlights from the summer so far:
Canoe trip down the St. Croix River with Scotty and family.
Lovely wedding in a beautiful red Minnesota barn.
Morning coffee on the dock with Cameron, his blanket, and Patches.
Fresh corn from the farmers market.
Fresh radishes from our own garden.
Mountain goats and sheep on the Garden Wall in Glacier Park.
"Pie for Strength" at the Park Cafe.
Progress on the "messy room".
Two days of huckleberry heaven. Thick patches, and great companions.
Time to reconnect with old friends and family.
and there's more to come...
We'll celebrate our 30th wedding anniversary this weekend with a trip to Kintla Lake and the Historic Lodge at Many Glacier.

Flying hat

Mountain ARFF!

Wedding arff!

Still working ")

Achievement~Mary and I have been working on a grant for Yoga!

Respect~Husband and I finally had a chance to visit last night - we've had a lot of company hanging around.

Fun~Went for a walk with my FUN dogs!

Freedom~Did I mention my house was quiet and I (just lil' ole' me and my dogs) went for a stroll last night. It was delightful!

A: Lot's of achievement this week! I wrote a grant for robotics equipment with Pogy and now I'm writing a grant for a yoga class with Dana and Jen. I'm learning how to type on an ipad. I learned about naming "one thing" each day that I'm going to do rather than making a whole to do list. I like that idea. I think it will help to focus and get more done. Yesterday my one thing was to send birthday gifts to Hugh and Barb and that was done before noon so I had the rest of the day to get tons of other bonus things done.
R: I've heard from Miriam the last few days and I'm hoping to see her in Seattle this summer. Maybe she'll let me post her tap picture here.
F: I'm taking tickets at the playhouse tonight.
F: I planted all different flowers that I've never planted before. It felt kind of free to get out of my flower rut!

A:my iPad arrived today and I'm learning a whole new way to maneuver through the world.
R: Seth and Jess are my very skilled tutors.
F: a dinner time call from Stephany and Jesse. They are moving forward with wedding plans.
F: Slept way in!

my first ARFF post

A - created an eBook of a book my mom was searching for, so she can put it on the new iPad!
R - my wife let me sleep in
F - made grilled pizza with the whole family
F - worked on a new computer project

Looking for the SUN!

Achievement - Did some graphing today!

Respect - My husband is working this weekend (so I can be a bum in the summer) - even on Father's Day - well, maybe he'll be home in time to enjoy Father's day. Let's hope so!!

Fun - My cousin is flying in from Vegas! She'll be here at 7 pm sharp!

Freedom - (See Fun) "0)

Holy Moly - can you believe another school year has gone by???!!!

Achievement - Did I mention another school year has gone by - pretty successfully I might add ;)

Respect - Lacking some big time respect from my daughter last night (tough being a parent sometimes, isn't it?) BUT THANK YOU DENNY!! She clearly wanted to upset herself and I brilliantly let her!!

Fun - Well heck - life is fun!

Freedom - Here I come!!

Eight Grade Graduation was pure ARFF. Through the efforts of our entire staff, and a lot of hard work and perseverance on the part of the students, all the 8th graders passed and were able to join in the celebration. It's a very diverse group of students, and they have really come to respect one another. Their speeches were meaningful, with some lighthearted comments sprinkled in for fun. The slide show celebrated their diversity and ended with a perfect prank to fuel the Bobcat/Griz wars. The reception was simple and beautiful. BIG Bountiful thanks to Jackie and Jeannie.

Achievement: Jen and I are finishing up our work on the careers curriculum.

Respect: I've enjoyed welcoming incoming students for next school year.

Fun and Freedom: Walking, gardening, picking flowers, enjoying the sunshine....

Achievement: I'm seeing the light at the end of the scheduling tunnel.

Respect: My sweetheart brought me a yummy detention salad from Rosa's.

Fun: Going home to dig in the garden.

Freedom: I'm planning on singing all the way home.

Had a crazy weekend and lots of ARFF too!!

Achievement- We had 2 kids graduate from high school this past weekend. It's a very strange feeling but definitely one of achievement :-)

Respect - Hosted a BBQ at our house and everyone showed up - YEAH!

Fun - Although it was a crazy weekend filled with many emotions, there were definitely moments that were filled with fun...like when we took family pictures...lots of laughing.

Freedom - SUNDAY...went to church and just rested!!!

Achievement: Working hard to make next years schedule work for everyone.

Respect: Students have been very respectful and patient as they ask for schedule changes.

Fun: Raucous game of Chef Salad with 6th graders.

Freedom: Going home to do absolutely nothing!!

This is my first post on the daily ARFF blog!

I had to work hard today, but I think I did pretty well...

Achievement: I completed two assignments for my online Masters courses.

Respect: One of my classmates commented in our class discussion that she liked what I added to the conversation and agreed with my ideas.

Fun: I got to sip a latte and look at magazines with my hubby :)

Freedom: I ate pie for lunch!

ARFF: Heading to sunny Colorado! Love long car rides. Love the snacks, the time to read, relax, and listen to great road tunes. An ARFF flood is coming my way!

Achievement Respect Fun and Freedom: Cory and I hosted Hellgate Elementary and Middle School administration and teachers. They were here to find out about our Olweus program. They were so appreciative and interested and I loved sharing all the good things our school is doing. One of my favorite things about our program is getting our middle school students together with elementary students for "activity days". Here's a photo from one of those days. Perfect ARFF!

Achievement: Met with the 6th graders to plan for next year.

Respect: Amber surprised me with a yummy sandwich from Kravings.

Fun and Freedom: These are in short supply this week so I'm taking some time each day to look back on old photos and remembering some great times. This was a beautiful spring day in Spokane a few years back.

Achievement and Respect: Met with each 7th grader regarding their schedule for next year. It's good to be able to listen to their interests and try to make their schedule work for them.

Fun and Freedom: Remembering a great time with Jackie.

Achievement: 7th grade schedules

Respect: 5th grade boys group

Fun and Freedom: birthday lunch with jackie and jen

Jen and I are reviewing our workbooks from Denny's class. I ran across an ARFF related comment to share. If your ARFF is filled, your spouse (boss, students, coworkers...) will look GREAT! I suppose the opposite must be true. If you haven't filled your ARFF, their flaws will be quite apparent.

I need to go find some fun and freedom so Steve will look really good.

Achievement: Scheduling!!!

Respect: I liked the time I spent with the 5th graders today. They made a list of all the things they're afraid of: war, premature death, drugs and alcohol, bullies... They made another list of the things that make them feel safe: God, family, school, seatbelts... They each drew a picture to represent the things that protect them and they listened as each one told about his picture. It was a pretty respectful time for a bunch of rambunctious boys. They celebrated by running around the playground picking up trash!

Fun: I'm heading home to do Jen's Turbo Jam workout.

Freedom:I think I'll call a friend tonight and just chat for a while.

Achievement: Sent 100 kids off to field trips. Whew!

Respect: I'm practicing a new saying today. When someone says "Thank you" to me I reply, "You're welcome. It was my pleasure." I like the sounds of it.

Fun: I played with Michaela who turns one year old this weekend.

Freedom: Ending the day with a walk and some time in the garden.

If one of your ARFF's is lacking, get support! Tell your positive truth. Here's some examples:

Achievement: "I would like support learning how to blog."

Respect: "I would like to spend more time with you."

Fun: "I would like to dance in the rain."

Freedom: "I would like to sleep in tomorrow."

So here's my positive truth for the weekend:

I would like support with the yard work.

Ready to plant the pansies!

This is a Denny quote illustrated by a former student. Good reminder as teachers and students bring in their problems.

Achievement: Seth told me it was easy to add a photo to a post so thought I would try it without asking for help. Yipee! I did it!

Respect: Jen treated me to another Grateful Bread treat. The Southwestern Club. YUM!

Heading out to the sun for some Fun and Freedom!

I just realized some of my most ARFF-filled moments involve being part of a team.

This school is really all about team work. Administrators, counselors, teachers, support staff, all working together to try to figure out what is best for kids. Lots of energy going to solutions. Yeah!

Mother's Day ARFF:

A sweet card on my pillow

a yellow mum

Breakfast at Glacier Park

Hike in the rain

Harlequin Ducks

A & W

A box of Pansies

shrimp on the barbe

strawberry shortcake

calls from Jesse and Seth

May 11, 2010

Okay so I got Mary Ahnert on and posting how about I try it.

Achievement: Today I set up our internet, my brother is usually doing that.

Respect: Today I helped my parents move stuff.

Fun: We got to go to the beach and play in the water.

Freedom: We got to play in the water, and I liked to jump at the waves, and feel their power.

Hey followers of this post! Are you voting on the poll? I've noticed no one is filling their FUN. Remember ... a good teacher is a happy teacher! So the best thing we can do for our students is Have Fun!

Achievement: The fifth and sixth graders have been learning about reproductive health and issues related to that topic. The county health department taught them a lesson on bodily changes and I covered sexual harassment. Today the students each wrote down something they have learned from these lessons. I love what they wrote:

"I learnd that sexulhras ment was elegel"

"I learned that if I'm being harassed, I can get help"

"I learned it is not okay to sexually harass someone"

and my favorite... "Puberty is unstoppable!"

Respect: Belly laughs with colleagues

Fun: Paid $1.oo to wear a hat all day for 8th grade fundraiser

Freedom: I worked on my annual staff evaluation. I like that I get to reflect on my accomplishments for the year and set professional goals for next year.

One of the reasons I'm journalling my ARFF is to focus on the positive. Since I'm a counselor, I'm called on throughout the day to help people solve their problems. In order to be helpful, my mind needs to be open and available to help them think through their options. If my mind is focused on the negative, I'm less able to come up with options. When my mind is positive, even playful, it can come up with some amazingly creative solutions.

So this blog is not a journal of my day. There are lots of yucky things that happen each day, but they don't get put on this blog. They get prayed about.

I like this blog because it's holding me accountable for filling my ARFF. Yesterday wasn't particularly fun at work, so when I recorded my ARFF I decided to go home and do a FUN new work out. Turbo Jam was a blast! Wild music, fast kicks and punches, and me barely keeping up with it all, looking pretty dorky.

Achievement: Finding a solution for a group of girls.

When a group of girls are having issues it's usually called "drama" because of all the crying, blaming, and accusing that goes on and on and on. There are no solutions and afterwards, everyone is just worn out, including the counselor. So today, with my ARFFED up brain, when a group of girls asked for help, I handed them each a piece of paper and a pencil and asked them to write down what they wanted from each other WITHOUT TALKING! When they finished writing, they chose to have me read their statements out loud. Each girl was given a chance to respectfully respond. They worked through some hard stuff, clarifying feelings and misconceptions, then we ended by each girl giving a positive affirmation to each of the other girls. To seal the deal, the girls are going to work together to help an elementary classroom tomorrow. YEAH!

Respect: After the girls gave each other positive affirmations one of them said, "It's Mrs. Ahnert's turn." And they each told me something they appreciated about me. WOW! Icing on the cake...

Fun: I'm having a "Denny" meeting after school today. (a Denny meeting is for anyone who has taken his class. We tell about our "Big Kahuna's" and we practice "growing in gratitude".

Freedom: It feels really free to be able to take time to journal.

Achievement: I added a "gadget" to the blog. Before today I didn't even know what a gadget was! I'm pretty excited because it looks like lots of things can be gadgets so maybe I'll add another one tomorrow!

Respect: My girl's group practiced open and honest discourse. It was hard work, but I think good will come of it.

Fun: I'm going home to do a Fun workout. Jen says it's fun and I believe her.

Freedom: I took a little break this morning to make a muffin run for Jen and I. Grateful Bread flax bran muffins are the BEST!

Achievement: I closed the blinds in my office and locked the door and completed the online registration for all the 7th and 8th grade girls to go to a field trip to FVCC.

Respect: Steve made me breakfast!

Fun: Looked at some inspiring gardening photos while waiting in the Dr. office. I'm ready to fill the deck containers with pansies. It was fun reading the comments left by Jess and Steve.

Freedom: Slept in!

First Post

Thanks Silas for getting me going on our Blog!

I'm excited to get started journalling so here goes...

My ACHIEVEMENT today was

1. Remembering to bring tomato and squash starts for the community garden

2. Getting this blog going (thanks to Silas, David, and Mr. Pierce)

3. Teaching a 6th grade class (thanks to Alex for the AV help)

4. Having a great 5th grade boys group (thanks to Stephanie's flexibility)

My RESPECT today was a lovely visit with Nancy reminiscing about the years we taught 4th grade together. I miss us loading up the buses for a trip to Glacier or Big Mountain. I'm a little jealous when I watch her heading off with her students to go fishing for the day. I loved it when she said I am welcome to come along anytime. Maybe I will!

My FUN today was Stephanie's group activity. I got to pick an object out of a bag and tell how I am like and not like the object. I picked a cookie tin. I'm like it because I love baking cookies. I'm not like it because I'm not empty.

My FREEDOM today is I'm choosing to leave my desk a mess and go home and enjoy the sun and check out the daffodils and hyacinth in the yard.