Hometown Hero Love

Tuesday found us kicking up our heels and stomping out drugs,

in boots, cowboy gear, and adorable apparel, like this:

It also found me counseling with a young perfectionist,

who hates to lose more than anything. So we played a game with our spring-loaded party poppers, a must-have for every counseling office.

After I missed a couple of time, I started negative self-talk:

I can't do this. I'm no good at this. I quit.

And roles switched. This little learner found himself in a situation

where he could encourage and uplift, 'cause it was I who was missing and not him. He told me not to give up, to just keep trying. He told me, "it's just a game." And he told me I could do it. So I said, "Wait a minute. You mean it doesn't matter if I win? I need to just keep trying?" and I asked him if he could show me how that looks using his hands. {We do a lot of hand signs!}

He said getting mad and frustrated looked like a fist, and when you keep on trying it looks like your hand opening up. Mindset? Yep!

Turns out once your hand goes closed, you've substantially given yourself a handicap. You can't grip the basket, you can't clap for successes, and you can't high five. This little superhero told me in no uncertain terms that all of that equals:

No fun!

But when you keep your ~~hand~~ mind opened, your chances of success {and fun!} are so much greater. Then he suggested an alternate way that I could win (turn the basket upside down and trap it) until I mastered the real way to win the game. Have I mentioned lately how much I love my job?

And speaking of love, today we're hosting our FHS Hometown Heroes, who'll be leading our character pep rally. We'll be dressed in superhero Ts and capes, and the character cam is sure to be busily capturing it all. It truly is one of our favorite mornings of the school year because our role models visit and launch us into greatness by sharing their thoughts and their talents with us. We expect a full house with members of the Band, the Cheerleaders, the Wranglerette Dance Team, the PALs, StuCo, The Academic Decathlon Team, and athletes representing the various sports. I can't wait!

Yesterday we heard from Sarah Crist, a counseling colleague in North Carolina, about their school-wide superheroes theme using What's Under Your Cape?.