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!