It's almost here, the end of one year, the start of another.
Today, a few things before I unplug for digital detox.
First, I wrote these prompts to make holiday cards
to take along on our vacation home to Wisconsin.
in case you want to adapt them to your cultures and traditions.
Print on Avery 18160 labels and trim slightly to fit your cards.
I anticipate lots of fun sharing our answers to these prompts
during our gift exchange and during card games,
to create favorite moments while we make new memories.
Second, I suggested on Twitter that teachers ask their students
a connection question, about their favorite holiday moments.
Turns out a lot of my cyberspace colleagues on Twitter
really connected with this idea as a writing prompt
or morning meeting discussion starter
for when they get back to school.
I hope it'll help them reconnect
while working with intention
to nurture their students' SEL needs.
Third, I simply must recommend a new fave, The Princes Of Serendip;
click the front cover image for a book trailer. Penned by Principal Author
Allyson Apsey and beautifully illustrated by Molly Blaisdell, this royal gem is a retelling of the Persian Fairy Tale about The Three Princes of Serendip.
After seeing that all his three sons want to do is lounge, nap, order their servants around, and polish their crowns, the King worries that "All hope is lost for this kingdom." When the young men see the tear in their King's eye, they themselves worry that they might be spoiled. In an attempt to make their Father proud, they head out to find a villager to shadow for a spell. As they work with intention to uncover the meaning of life, the Princes end up finding that their crowning moments of hard work and callused hands with the villagers resulted in heart-warming feelings they'd not felt before: gratitude, kindness, pride.
Then check out this book; it's a regal tale
that'll bless students, staff, and stakeholders alike
for days, weeks, months, and years to come.
Finally, I was honored and grateful to see my post
on SMART goals for SEL skills was number 1 in
their Top 5 Best of 2018 at Free Spirit Press.
I really enjoyed assignment writing for them;
look for more posts like that over at
Prosign Design and Character Strong blogs in 2019.
Happy new year, dear reader.
I hope and pray that 2019 brings many memorable
and magical crowning moments your way.
I passed along your idea to my teaching staff about asking students WHO they spent their break with - what a great idea! There is always a disparity in gifts, vacation locales, even religious customs. Focusing on their connections with people breaks it down to what's most important! Love it!
ReplyDeleteIt's so easy in the holiday mayhem to forget what really matters, the moments when we connect and share with the person in our presence. Thanks for sharing; I hope that it'll be transformational for those teachers who try tweaking their reflection question this year.
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