Parts Of The Whole

Do you ever feel like your life is a puzzle 
and you might be momentarily missing a piece?

While I know that all of the pieces in this puzzle ball are here, try as we may, my counseling kids and I have been quite unsuccessful in putting the pieces together to recreate the whole. It's puzzling, really, because it's only nine pieces and it ought to be pretty easy.



The puzzle serves as such a great metaphor for what a lot of my kids are going through, so I leave it on my table and let students try to reassemble it while we're visiting.

Reflection questions I might ask include:

*What's happening today to make you feel less than whole? 
*Whom can you go to for help when it feels like 
you're falling to pieces?
*What might happen if you don't have all the pieces right now?
*Can you repurpose the pieces to create a different shape?
*How might it feel to change shapes? 
*What might you need while you're adjusting to your new normal?  
*What would the experience be like for you to put the puzzle aside 
and come back to it later?
*How will it feel once all of the pieces fit together again? 

What might you ask as you're assembling the parts of the whole?


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When Both Teams Win

Perhaps you've seen it by now, the 
On The Road With Steve Hartman 
story from earlier this month about the El Paso rival high school
 basketball teams and Mitchell, one team's manager, 
whom the coach lets suit up in jersey #24 and play. 

If not, grab some tissues and watch this 
amazing display of sportsmanship.
(Thank you, Jo, for sending me this link!)

Just imagine a world filled with kids like #22
teens who at a young age were taught to 
treat others like they want to be treated.

Share the clip with your students, then complete the graphic organizer about this win-win game.  
Click {here} if you want to download the document.


Encourage them to tell about a time when they 
created a win-win in their lives.

Don't you love it when both teams win?



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The Fifty Flags Blog Hop

In case you missed it, over fifty bloggers have worked to put together this Blog Hop so that you can Book Across America and read a book about each state in the U.S. of A.

Here's a second version of it, this one with a visual representation of the states {thanks Carolyn!}. Just click the flag to be transported to the post about the state that you want to study. Each post includes a book review and crafts, activities, or freebies. 
Safe travels!

Booking Across the USA Host: Growing Book by Book
Blogging Across the USA Blog Hop button
Flag of Alabama from Wikipedia CommonsAlabama Blog Post by Everyday Snapshots Blog  Flag of Alaska from Wikipedia CommonsAlaska Blog Post by Little Wonders' Days Blog
Flag of Arkansas from Wikipedia CommonsArkansas Blog Post by Homeschooling in Arkansas Flag of Arizona from Wikipedia CommonsArizona Blog Post by Simply Kinder
Flag of Colorado from Wikipedia CommonsColorado blog Post by Learners in Bloom
Flag of Colorado from Wikipedia
Colorado Blog Post by Living Montessori Now
Flag of Connecticut from Wikipedia CommonsConnecticut Blog Post By Teacher Park Blog Flag of Delaware from Wikipedia CommonsDelaware Blog Post by Mama Miss
Flag of Florida from WikipediaFlorida Blog Post by the Teaching Stars Blog Flag of Georgia USA from Wikipedia CommonsGeorgia Blog Post by Fabulously First Blog Flag of Hawaii from Wikipedia CommonsHawaii Blog Post by Teaching with Style
Flag of Idaho from Wikipedia Commons
Flag of Illinois from Wikipedia CommonsIllinois State Post by Growing Book by Book Flag of Indiana from Wikipedia CommonsIndiana State Post by Teach Pre-School Blog
Flag of Iowa from Wikipedia CommonsIowa Blog Post by Surviving a Teacher Salary Blog Flag of Kansas from Wikipedia CommonsKansas Blog Post by KCEdventures Flag of Kentucky from Wikipedia Commons wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Flag_of_Kentucky.svgKentucky Blog Post by Chicken Babies
Flag of Louisiana from Wikipedia CommonsLouisiana Blog Post by Your Child's Next Book and Project Blog Flag of Maine from Wikipedia CommonsMaine Blog Post by Country Fun Flag of Maryland from Wikipedia CommonsMaryland Blog Post by Picture Books and Piourettes
Flag of Massachusetts from Wikipedia CommonsMassachusetts Blog Post by Mama Smiles Blog Flag of Michigan from Wikipedia CommonsMichigan Blog Post by Play Dr. Mom Flag of Minnesota from Wikipedia CommonsMinnesota Post by the Wise Owl Factory Book a Day Blog
Flag of Missouri from Wikipedia CommonsMissouri Blog Post by Ready, Set, Read Blog Flag of Montana from Wikipedia CommonsMontana Blog Post by The Honey Bunch





Flag of North Carolina from Wikipedia CommonsNorth Carolina Post by the Realistic Teacher Blog Flag of North Dakota from WikipediaNorth Dakota Post by ND Health Works


Flag of South Dakota from WikipediaSouth Dakota Blog Post by Wise Owl Factory Book a Day







Need even more info on America, visit Really Good Stuff for the blog post 5 Ways to See The United States Without Ever Leaving The Classroom.

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