Showing posts with label caring. Show all posts
Thursday, November 10, 2016
Our True Colors Counselor
Today I'm joyful because of a note I received from a third-grade superhero that sent my spirit soaring; it read, "Thank you for being our true colors counselor."
Her gratitude touched my heart so deeply.
What a cool job it is, to plant character seeds
and watch them take root and grow.
I've been writing about sprinkling kindness like glitter a lot lately.
Superhero Dr. Jean invited me to guest post at her blog on Tuesday and I'm over the moon with gratitude. Click {here} to read A Kinder World.
And in case you missed it, author Sue Scheff allowed me to share my thoughts about inspiring Kindness Footprints at her blog.
I'm so blessed to get to do what I do,
to be a true colors counselor
and share my ideas about
warming the world with compassion and kindness.
For more ideas, visit my friend Lisa at Ripple Kindness.
And {here} for a Christmas Kindness Countdown Calendar.
For more ideas, visit my friend Lisa at Ripple Kindness.
And {here} for a Christmas Kindness Countdown Calendar.
To our Veterans and their families:
Happy Veterans Day tomorrow.
We honor you, we celebrate you, we thank you,
and we will never forget your service and sacrifice.
Wednesday, December 16, 2015
A Darling Daddy-Daughter Duo
Today I'm excited because I've gotten a sneak peek at Flashlight Press' upcoming book, scheduled to release on April 1, 2016 (no foolin'!), and it's a keeper.
Written by Josh Bledsoe and aptly titled Hammer and Nails, this adorable adventure begins as a disappointed Darcy discovers that her playdate plans have gone kaput. In walks her doting Dad, who seems willing to do just about anything (including don a tutu?) to turn his daughter's day around. And though his offer for a Darcy-Daddy Day is initially met with some skepticism (exactly what's on his to-do list anyway?), Darcy decides to give it a go. And is she ever glad she did!
Their playdate starts when the two connect over coffee (and chocolate milk!) and ends with a new appreciation for the everyday things that make each other tick.
Jessica Warrick's brilliant illustrations sweeten the story to endear its readers to this darling daddy-daughter duo. As for its eSPAcially clever ending? Nailed it.
Need some enrichment ideas?
*Watch this cute dad dance his chores away {here}.
*Host your own parent-child dance party.
*Check out these Dad's Book of Awesome project ideas.
*Make this Footprints Worth Following craft.
*Encourage students to plan a playdate with their caregiver(s).
Thursday, December 10, 2015
Gifts From The Heart
Today I'm bubbling with joy because I'm linking up with Carla over at Comprehension Connection to celebrate gifts from the heart.
It's likely you've heard this before . . .
. . . and it's not just a sweet sentiment.
It's true!
Let's start with the gift of mentoring.
Yesterday our Character Cam caught this PAL pair playing
ring toss with our giraffe friend, Junior.
Oh, what fun, right?
I could just feel the joy.
Whom are you mentoring right now?
What could he or she learn from you?
How could he or she benefit from your wisdom?
And what might you learn in return?
Listening is also a gift from the heart; maybe someone has a problem that you can coach them through. Check out today's guest post about resisting peer pressure at Free Spirit Publishing by clicking our decision-making model graphic below.
I experienced an act of kindness yesterday when I snuck over to the elementary side of our school and found first graders in Mrs. Collins' class writing thank-you notes for their mail carriers. As they attached a candy cane to sweeten their sentiments, they enthusiastically shared that they'd left notes for their garbage carriers the day before. The sweetness spreads ...
Gifts from the heart don't have to be grand to be great.
I've seen students holding the door for a friend without being asked.
I've seen them carrying a bouquet of flowers from the garden.
I've seen them bringing in fresh fruit from their citrus trees.
A kind compliment here ...
My friend {and IT expert} Libby designed these gift tags that we're making available to our staff so they can affirm one another in writing. What a gift!
Click {here} to download the "school family" version
that you can use on your campus.
Check out these cool Compliment Cards
if you want a fun template for kids.
. . . a generous gesture there.
How about setting up a hot chocolate bar with candy canes to stir? Or bringing in a batch of your homemade, hand-dipped chocolates to share? Maybe decorating smile cards to put on the windshields of the cars in a parking lot?
Sometimes the gift from the heart is spelled T-I-M-E and it looks and feels like cozying up with a loved one and a good book or a Hallmark Channel holiday movie. Or maybe it's the gift of a song, either played on an instrument, sung with some carolers, or sent to an inbox via email or text.
I wonder what other gifts from the heart will enrich with special significance
your celebration this holiday season?
Friday, October 30, 2015
Can You Stay?
With another Red Ribbon Week celebration in the books,
I'm tucked in comfortably on my couch, reflecting.
I'm tucked in comfortably on my couch, reflecting.
One of my all-time favorite days of the school year is the day we set aside for our Hometown Heroes Pep Rally. This year marked our 15-year-anniversary of this celebration. We invited members of our High School football team to open up car doors and greet our students as they arrived for school. The smiles on our star-struck students said more than my words possibly could.
Inside the gym, our superhero role models signed autographs before school.
The gym was packed with FHS role models from the band, most sport teams, the color guard, the cheerleaders, the drill team, the student council, and the Peer Assistance and Leadership students, all there to remind their littlest fans about the importance of making healthy choices, not just this week, but for life.
I seriously did not think the week could get much better.
Until this morning.
I was invited to be a mystery reader in Jennifer Collins' first-grade class. I chose the book The Legend of Spookley, the Square Pumpkin.
Until this morning.
I was invited to be a mystery reader in Jennifer Collins' first-grade class. I chose the book The Legend of Spookley, the Square Pumpkin.
I took my ukulele so I could play and sing the last two pages. It was the cutest thing when they sang with me: Maybe one day we'll all discover, that you can't judge a book ~ or a pumpkin ~ by its cover.
Then a little girl whom I can't say I recognized raised her hand. I thought that she might have a connection. Or a story to tell. Instead, she had a question:
Can you stay?
Can you stay?
Well, dear reader, let me just say that words can't adequately describe how it felt, to hear those beautiful words of affirmation. And it got me to thinking about some other three-word phrases that people might need to hear more often.
Three words that send a heart soaring.
Three words that someone might be waiting for.
Three transformational words.
Here are a few of those phrases that I think could positively impact a moment, a day, a week, a month, a year, a decade, a lifetime.
*I see you.
*Are you okay?
*Let me help.
*Come with me.
*I forgive you.
*I am sorry.
*Please forgive me.
*You're a light.
*You're a light.
*I admire you.
*Let's be friends.
*Help me understand.
*Tell me more.
*Help me understand.
*Tell me more.
*You're so caring.
*I trust you.
*You inspire me.
*I miss you.
*Let's get together.
*Please be careful.
*I appreciate you.
*I am grateful.
*Thank you kindly.
*You come first.
*I love you.
*Please stay longer.
*Be the reason.
*Be the reason.
Don't those three little words feel AmAzInG?
What would you add to this list?
And who do you know that needs to hear these from you?
Before I sleep, a few resources to wrap up Red Ribbon Week, starting with this visual display that the first-grade team put up ...
 |
and some energy-saving tips from our district Energy Guy. |
Watch Fresno Unified District's Human Kind masterpiece {here}.
And check out the newbie bullying-prevention emoji.
And check out the newbie bullying-prevention emoji.
What a week!
Saturday, September 5, 2015
Master Classroom Management
Today I'm excited because I've got three whole days {without too much planned} that I can spend digesting the treasures in this book I've been reading.
From the publisher: Dr. Jerry Evanski’s approach stems from a simple and practical idea: that classroom management is based on teaching methods that keep your students interested and engaged, not on disciplining students when they misbehave. As he says, “Poor teaching strategies can trigger behavior problems. You can prevent problems before they occur.”
Based on significant review of educational research that is sprinkled throughout the book, Dr. Evanski has developed a program that offers one simple skill a day to build a repertoire of classroom management techniques. After eight weeks, teachers have mastered 40 new skills that cover the key teaching areas of:
- Getting attention
- Keeping attention
- Engaging students
- Teaching the lesson
- Getting participation
- Giving directions
- Communicating
- Transitioning
Here is a sample of some of the skills covered in the book:
- Your Teaching Spot - Teach students to associate specific locations in your classroom with different messages—one spot for teaching, one spot for announcements, etc.
- The Big Picture – Help students establish the context for what you’re teaching by showing them how it fits into what they are learning throughout the year.
- Acknowledge the Effort – Encourage participation by teaching students how to enthusiastically acknowledge the effort of their classmates.
Why I'm loving this resource: The first thing that draws me to this book is that Dr. Evanski's ideas, many of which are backed by brain research,
exude engagement, motivation and fun. I have a feeling that educators like me will learn and grow by leaps and bounds as they tailor these tips to fit the needs of the students in their classroom families.
The second sticking point is how the book is set up, with an idea to test-drive every day of the week for eight weeks, to facilitate learning and implementation.
The third-and-equally-important reason I'm endorsing Dr. Evanski's work is that it's a tool that supports my firm belief in disciplining through proactive modeling, teaching and practicing of skills rather than with a reactive punishing of skill deficits. Isn't that what our students deserve from us? And isn't that how we hope they'll lead when they're in charge?
Check out this book; I predict it'll be a positive influence and support as you work with intention to create a culture of dignity, caring and respect in your
character building.
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