Summer Stretch- Community Service in Costa Rica

Community Service 

in Costa Rica

12 girls, 4 parents, and 2 of us coaches from the STMA High School Girls Basketball Program went to Costa Rica on June 5th-13th. During our time here we played 2 basketball games against the Costa Rica 17U International Team, performed 3 community service activities, did some fun adventurous activities, and were at the beach! Throughout the whole trip, my favorite part was going to the schools and children's center to work with the kids. We taught the kids some basketball skills, did an art project, and played with the kids. Most of these kids live in poverty or have drug infested homes. We donated old basketball jerseys, shirts, school supplies, toiletries, stuffed animals, and basketballs. The kids were all starving for love and attention and instantly touched our hearts. There were many tears leaving the schools and center, as we became so attached to the kids. Our hope was to help make a difference and we are seeing that through some of our families that have already stepped up to help donate to the places we were at. We are hoping to keep in touch with the people we met in Costa Rica

and keep helping and assisting in any way we can.This experience made me realize how easy my life is and how fortunate I am. This was a life changing and emotional time for all of us and we are already looking forward to planning our next trip with community service activities so we can help more people! #puravida 

             

    

The Courage to Say "YET"

The Power of Yet has made me realize that we are not failures at things, we just need more time to practice and get better. As a teacher, this had made me realize what that "F" on their test or homework tells them. Why should every person have to accomplish things at the same time? That is not realistic. I think about babies when they are learning how to crawl, walk, talk, etc. If a baby doesn't learn how to walk by the time they are a year old, we don't call them failures or give them an "F" on that skill. Instead we encourage them to keep trying and we know they will get the skill when they are ready. So why when we get older, do we find the need to tell people that they fail at something? 

Going forward as a teacher and giving grades, I would really like to give kids a "not yet" grade. This would tell them that they are working hard but have not accomplished the skill quite yet, which is okay! It will keep them motivated to keep trying and know that they are improving and getting close to achieving that skill. I would like to take off needs improvement, "F" or not satisfactory on the report cards because these send a negative message to the child. Having that "not yet" will keep it positive and inspiring that they will get it. 

When I face challenges, I want to remind myself to add "yet" to whatever I think I can't do. I want this to remind me to keep trying and not to give up. I usually strive on having a challenge because I like the feeling of accomplishment afterwards. Thinking of that moment of accomplishment will help me work through any challenge I face. I think about last summer when I was hiking with a friend in Glacier National Park in Montana. We got to this path that was called the Grinnell Glacier Overlook trail. It was only .6 miles but 900 feet climb in elevation. It is a very strenuous uphill climb. When I first saw it, I was thinking that I can't do it and we should keep going. But, my friend had said we are only here once, let's go! So I bucked up and we did it! When we got to the top- it was amazing! So worth the hard work that was put in to get there. The feeling of achievement was exciting and wondrous! I want to remember this feeling when I say "I can't" to help work through any struggles because if you don't work through them, you will never see or experience that moment of accomplishment and may miss out on something great. I am sure glad I overpowered my "I can't" and didn't miss out on this!

REMEMBER THIS MOMENT OF ACCOMPLISHMENT!

Golden Circle

Why? I am a teacher because I wanted my career to provide joy and fulfillment in my life by making a difference in other people's lives.  

How? I invest myself into my students lives by making connections and learning about each individual child on a daily basis. 

What? Everyday I build relationships with my students and teach them lifelong skills such as teamwork, collaborating, how to read, social skills, problem solving, etc. 

Each morning I have a morning meeting with my students to to provide joy and community in my classroom. During this time students are developing their EQs (emotional quotients), as we all learn about one another and make connections to greet each other, share, and play games. I want each child to know that they matter and are important.  Morning meeting is a time where the students are developing social skills such as listening, collaborating, working as a team, and being respectful. All of these skills will be important as they grow and are out in the real world. 

#millennials

Social media is changing our world. When you are at stores, restaurants, sporting events, etc.  you often see people on their phones like the above picture. There is more communicating over social media than there is in person. 

Did you know that social media gives our bodies doses of dopamine? Today we are addicted to getting "likes" and "snaps" back to feel a sense of belonging. But, do we really feel the love and fulfillment in life from this? No, they only get an instant gratification but it does not help them build their self confidence. Social media is addictive and it is something that needs to be balanced in our lives. 

In my classroom, I want to teach my students the importance of creating relationships with one another. In the elementary setting, we are big on creating a community and building their social skills. I think this is important for the kids to learn. When it comes to technology, there needs to be a balance. Technology and social media is a great resource for the students, but it needs to be monitored and restricted so they don't become addicted. I provide my students with technology time but it is restricted to short amounts of time for each student and they are not using it every day in the classroom. Every week in my classroom, we have Fun Friday that is a time for the students to play. I have started letting my students go on the computers and ipads during this time, but I am no longer going to give them this option. Fun Friday needs to be a time where they are learning how to work and play with others, use their imagination, share ideas and thoughts, and build relationships. I am doing a disservice to my students when I allow them to play on the computers and ipads because they are not practicing their social skills during this time. 

According to the book, Top 20 Teachers, it is important for people to have a high EQ (Emotional Quotient). They explain that people who have higher EQs than IQs will be more successful. The emotional quotient is where people are able to connect to one another and understand each others feelings. If we allow our students to get addicted to social media, they will not develop a high EQ. We need to provide our students with opportunities to develop their EQ in school and this can be done by having restrictions and balance on technology. 

You're Gonna Miss This

On the last day of school, I want my students to leave with memories that they will remember forever. I give each of my students their First Grade Memory Book that has class pictures, work they've done, and individual pictures from different parts of our year. We take time to look through the pages and remember the fun times we had. At the back of the book there is an autograph page for the students to sign their names in each other's books. I hope that this book will be something that the students keep forever and look back on to remember the people, learning, and experiences that they had. I want them to remember first grade as a fun and memorable year that had a positive impact on their lives.

My student's futures our so bright they have to wear shades! 

Yesterday was our last day of school and we celebrated by looking through our memory books and signing them. The kids loved looking through all of the different things we had done throughout the year! Then, we signed each others books! My students absolutely loved their books and I got many emails from parents about the book and how thankful they were for it! I will continue to do this each year! One thing I decided to add this year, was to have my students write a letter to next years 1st graders. They wrote about what to expect in first grade, what they should know about me as their teacher, and then gave them some advice for the year. These will go in each child's desk at the beginning of the year to read! Yesterday was a bitter sweet day- we are all excited about summer, but are sad that we have to move on and won't be together any more. There were a lot of tears, smiles and laughter and I will forever hold this class and each individual student in a place in my heart! I guess it's true that all good things come to an end. 

Little Miss

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Potpf_Xqbh0

The song "Little Miss" by Sugarland is meaningful to me because it reminds me that no matter how hard life can get, things will be alright. It reminds me keep my head up and keep trying even when things aren't going my way. This song helps me put my life into perspective, stay positive and inspires me to get tough and keep fighting through the daily challenges in life. 

STOP saying "Good Job"

   

How many times do you tell someone "good job" each day? I know I repeatedly say it multiple times every day to the point that it starts to become MEANINGLESS.  I started to think....

What kind of feedback does this give to my students?

 Does this actually make them proud of their work? 

NO! The only thing that "good job" is telling them is my approval that it is good enough. The students leave with no information on what specifically they did well or what areas they could work on. "Good job" has become one of those cliche phrases that we use on a daily basis when our kids are really asking for more. We are not appreciating the hard work that our students are putting in, instead we are only recognizing it. I do not believe that we will be able to entirely get rid of saying "good job" and I think that is okay. We just need to provide specific feedback more often and not over use the phrase. 

I plan to continue to be aware of my word choice and correct my feedback as much as possible. I have been finding it easier to give specific feedback when I am writing it on their assignments. When I am speaking with students, the phrase just seems to slip out. I want to take the time to correct my feedback when I catch myself saying "good job"and am hoping I can break my habit and start a new habit of giving proper, specific feedback. I want my students to feel appreciated instead of just recognized. 

I am going to be honest that this has been a hard thing for me. Just today I was talking to a student about their reading homework and it just slipped out! Inside their reading homework, I took the time to write specific feedback, but then when I gave it to them and we were finished talking, I told them good job! Immediately I was thinking, I can't believe I just said that! Then I corrected myself and gave that student a compliment on something specific that they did. I believe the first step to breaking this habit is to become aware of yourself using the phrase. Now that I am aware, I tend to correct myself shortly after with something more specific. From here, I plan to keep trying to phase "good job" out of my regular feedback talk. I believe that I am getting better at this every day but still have a far way to go!