Loving Kindness, Saving Starfish

Today I'm feeling joyful and grateful

because of this beautiful blessing,

a collaboration with my Twitter friend Julie Woodard,

who offered to create this Sketchnote for me

as I work on my keynote for the Indiana School Counselors.

Their theme is Making A Difference, 

so using the Starfish Thrower we borrowed my students' reflection that echoed in the drawings and notes from my Smile File, like these:

Aren't their words of gratitude and kindness incredible?

I love that they get it, the role of the school counselor,

that I got to "make people care about people and make them have hope" . . . 

"even when you don't feel like it." Boom!

I'm planning to make Julie's creative image into mini-posters

to give away to workshop and training participants.

Her loving kindness, coupled with my students' reflections, has touched my heart so deeply that it propelled me to intentionally find ways to pay it forward. 

One of our highlights this week, 

a visit to Joshua's former piano teacher.

Every time Joshua would sit down to play,

I thought about Mrs. Vaughn.

Five years since he stopped taking lessons from her,

she is about to turn 90 years old and still giving lessons.

So Joshua and I took her some peach muffins

and went for a visit and to play a few songs.

It was incredible, to be able to thank her in this way.

She asked him who composed the {video game} music he played

and wondered if he knew what key he was playing it in.

Then she offered to help him with his sight reading.

Sweetest thing ever.

She even wrote us a follow-up thank you card.

She's an expert Starfish Thrower.

Isn't that a great adaptation of The Starfish Thrower story?

What other ways have we shown loving kindness this week?

*Invited some friends to come swimming.

*Played ball with the kids across the street.

*Drove a friend to her doctor's appointment.

*Called some friends just to check in on them.

*Passed along a book when I finished reading it.

*Took a bunch of cardboard to the recycling bins.

*Offered to be "on call" for Vacation Bible School.

*Met an out-of-town friend and treated her to lunch.

*Donated some gently-used books to the Little Library.

*Made dinner for a friend who's recovering from surgery.

*Followed up a kindness with a handwritten thank-you note.

*Secretly bought breakfast for some unsuspecting colleagues.

*Made this image for a friend who is transitioning to a new job.

No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted {Aesop}.

And throwing those Starfish back into the water?

It makes all the difference to each and every one,

each and every time.

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PPBF: Buckets, Dippers, and Lids

Today I'm excited because it's dewberry season; John and I have been picking these tasty treasures, a mindfulness outing that I've decided to refer to as couple's therapy. The berries are so plump, juicy and sweet this year. YummY. And what fun it has been to share the pies and coffee cakes that we've made.

I'm also super grateful because my friend Carol McCloud sent me a copy of her new book about filling a bucket of the invisible kind.

Title: Buckets, Dippers, and Lids

Author: Carol McCloud

Illustrator: Glenn Zimmer

Publisher: Bucket Fillers, Inc.

Birthday: April 30, 2018

Suitable for ages: 7 and up

Themes: happiness, kindness, conflict resolution

Brief synopsis: The bucket-filling concept goes deeper with a three-part secret to a happier life, including how to handle conflict (life's dippers) and how to effectively use your bucket's invisible lid.

Opening page: Did you know that everyone in the whole world has an invisible bucket, an invisible dipper, and an invisible lid?

Resources: More information from the publisher {here}.

Check out some of the beautiful illustrations {here}.

Listen to Red Grammer's I've Got A Lid {here}.

Mine some ideas for using the Bucket Filling concept {here}.

Read how we started our Bucket Filling journey {here}.

Why I like this book: I've been a big fan of the timeless concept of Bucket Filling since Carol penned her first book twelve years ago. This newcomer to the Bucket-Fillosophy family brings an important dimension to the idea of filling and dipping by addressing the invisible lid to help with what to do with the ouches in life. It aims to teach its readers how to bounce back when one of life's dippers threatens to steal from their bucket's emotional reserve.

Check out this new tool for your Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) arsenal; I think you'll find it'll make the intangible concepts of kindness, resilience and grit something that our learners can hold on to and apply as they learn to sail the somewhat stormy seas of life.

Then, for fun, go berry picking and surprise someone by sharing.

It's guaranteed to overflow their berry-loving bucket.

For today's other PPBF titles, visit Susana Hill's blog {here}.

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The Map

This morning as we were sitting on the window sill before school, one of my new students surprises me with this affirmation: 

Mrs. Gruener, you're like my map. 

I'd never really thought about being a map before,

so I asked him what he meant.

He said he'd follow me anywhere.

He said that I can help him get where he's going.

He said he doesn't feel so lost when he's with me.

And I almost started crying. 

October is kind of crazy for a counselor and this week has been really challenging. I've been assigned a few new jobs and I've been learning some new things, many out of my comfort zone, and all way outside of my skill set. And I'm trying to do some extra stuff, like write a grant for a new program that we want to try. So I've been seriously considering retirement, thinking someone younger could do a better job than I feel like I'm doing. Even my principal has noticed that I've been a little stressed.

And then this Bucket Filler reminds me why I love doing what I do.

I get to be his map even though I'm sometimes as lost as he is.

Maybe more lost. 

But blessed beyond measure.

Our high school PALs also serve as a map; check out these new capes 

on our super PALs Wall of Fame.

Their superpowers include

empathy,

compassion,

and kindness.

Isn't their artwork strikingly engaging?

They took their tour of our campus this week and they start their visits with their PALees on Monday. We can't wait.

Grandparents can serve as a map, too. 

As can mentors.

And teachers.

Coaches.

Parents. 

And friends.

Who's your map?

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Big Bucket, Big Sky

Today I'm feeling blessed beyond words, in part because of the best Bucket Filling interaction ever that happened last week, between one of our new third graders and me. He stopped by the window sill where I sit every morning {with my ukulele, surrounded by my band of musical friends} and said, 

"Hey, you're getting pretty good at that!"  

I responded with, "Wow, thanks. That compliment overflows my bucket!" and, without missing a beat, he pulled what appeared to be an imaginary bucket from his pocket and replied, "Here's a bigger bucket for you." 

Perfect timing, too, because I needed that bigger bucket 

under the big sky in Montana this week!

So before I get to the point of today's post, 

let me share a few character cam shots of the breathtaking beauty.

The fog blankets the terrain as we head into

Custer National Forest,

the birds flit from pillar to post, 

and a red fox camouflages against the rocky road. 

We crossed over into Wyoming at some point;

and the picturesque scenery gave me pause.

Fall foliage peeking through ...

paints a colorful canvas along the Creek in Red Lodge.

Did I mention that my bucket is overflowing with peace, hope & joy?

And the restorative road trip wasn't even the best part.

Meet Tanya, Julie & Jeri, my three new friends from Billings Public Schools.

If you've been a visitor at the Corner for awhile, you already know Tanya from her guest posts about Empathy in a (Shoe) Box, Being Wendy, Fr(I) Statements and Vision Boards. Well, she got the idea that she'd like for me to come to her district to do some training, so this determined Montana Counselor of the Year wrote a grant last Fall and, voila, in March I got an email from her, asking me to pack my bags. We set my visit for September 22nd, Character Day 2016,

 and what a day of character development it was. 

I started the morning singing, dancing, laughing and building character with about thirty counselors, principals and administrators, then spent the afternoon doing much of the same with the combined faculties of Highland Elementary and Boulder Elementary. On Thursday night, I got to hang out with about fifty new friends at Family Character Night.

We sang together.

We read Flight School by Lita Judge.

And we talked about the power of that one little word: YET.

As I flashed up this picture from my friend Kristina, whose fifth grade teachers at Whitcomb Elementary made this visual display with the students' SMART goals for the year, I asked the children to share out loud something they can't do or haven't done yet so that we, as a group, could encourage them to keep on growing by chanting the word YET. Engagement and emotion grew as our growth-mindset Padawans shared their authentic answers:

I can't dance ... YET.

I can't bake a cake ... YET.

I can't play the ukulele ... YET.

I haven't found a friend ... YET.

Tears came when the Principal at Boulder Elementary sent me this note and explained that first thing next morning, one of those Padawans was waiting at her door, to share this thank-you treasure:

And, because of your note, Brady, and these kind comments

from workshop participants ~

This is how Professional Development is supposed to be.

I could have listened to you all day.

Just the shot of inspiration I needed.

I loved everything you had to say.

It was very good and really opened my own mind-set.

I learned so much; what a great presentation.

~ my bucket continues to overflow

bigger than Montana's big blue sky.

And the rainbow on the way home, a promise ...

that one day my plans (and a plane) would take me back in that direction.

Thank you, Tanya and Billings Education Foundation, for giving me this 
once-in-a-lifetime, picture-perfect opportunity.

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Inspiring Collaboration Guest Post

Today I'm overjoyed because one of my cyberspace counseling colleagues has agreed to tell us about a strong cross-curricular collaboration that resulted in an assembly idea that I predict will be music to your ears. Please give a warm Corner welcome to School Psychologist (and my friend!) Julie Gordon-Buccitti.

****************************** 

Hello from Overbrook Elementary!                                                                                           

We were so delighted to be invited by Barbara to share with you about our special whole-school collaborative project that we initiated this year. Our collaboration is a unique one, since we’re not aware of any other school psychologist and music teacher collaboratives in our area. Bringing our disciplines together made sense though, as music is a wonderful therapeutic medium and avenue for self-expression!

 

Overbrook is a kindergarten through grade 2 school, that has been distinguished as a PBIS (Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports) Model Demonstration School. It was one of just two schools in the state of Connecticut last year to receive this honor!

With the support of our amazing principal, Diane MacKinnon, and our wonderful staff at Overbrook, we were able to create such excitement throughout our school. We began with a series of co-taught lessons that took place during our music classes and focused on the work of Carol McCloud, author of Have You Filled a BucketToday? We included read-alouds, hands-on interactive tasks, written activities, songs, and instrumental music. My friend and colleague, Denise Martino, even wrote an original song that was perfect for our bucket-filling endeavor. With the help of some local businesses, who were kind enough to donate buckets to our project, the children used buckets as drums as they sang Denise’s beautiful and very catchy tune. We even caught children singing this tune at various times and locations throughout the day!

I also purchased the book in Spanish, as we have a large population of bilingual students at our school, and, with the help of our kind ELL Aide, Miss Claudia, I was able to co-teach a lesson in Spanish. I was so touched as our bilingual students helped me, as I was attempting to read and communicate! This was a good empathy lesson for me as I took on the challenges of using a language that I am not as familiar with.

In our school, there have been many social-emotional learning initiatives. Some of these initiatives have included whole group and small group lessons in classrooms and centers, whole group lunch lessons in the cafeteria, and co-teaching in our music classes. In addition, there are now plans underway for bringing social-emotional learning into gym class. It was my hope that by bringing social-emotional learning to our students across a variety of settings, that we would see carry-over of the skills taught into multiple settings throughout the school. Based on feedback I have received from students, staff, and parents, this is exactly what is happening.

Recently, Denise and I had the pleasure of putting together a Bucket-Filling assembly. This assembly was attended by our entire school, as well as community stakeholders like our Superintendent of Schools, Pupil Services Staff, and our local newspaper, The New Haven Register. During our assembly, we incorporated a number of activities, making sure to include variety and opportunities for movement, in order to keep our little ones actively engaged. Our students performed Denise’s original song, there was a read-aloud, we all took a bucket-filling pledge together, and acted out some skits and asked our students to identify whether we were bucket filling or bucket dipping. Our students have become quite the bucket filling experts! We also made some special edition bucket filling PBIS tickets, to tie in bucket filling with our Model PBIS program already in place.

Click to download these special-edition tickets.

At the end of our assembly, we wrapped up with a bucket filling music video and our students and staff had so much fun singing and dancing. Both music teacher and school psychologist are being asked when the next bucket filling lesson will be taking place. I wonder if our littles know how much they fill our buckets each day.

Our assembly was also written up in our support staff and specialists’ newsletters to parents, so now our parents can use similar bucket filling terminology, and together we can reinforce the importance of being a bucket filler at school and at home.

It was truly heartwarming working together to make this project a success. So many staff members helped in so many ways. I owe a huge thank you to my wonderful collaborating partner Denise, too; our buckets are overflowing!

Thank you for allowing us to share our story and our excitement about this project with you. We look forward to continuing with our bucket filling work, and encouraging kindness throughout our school and community!

Julie Gordon-Buccitti, School Psychologist  jgordon@east-haven.k12.ct.us

Denise Martino, Music Teacher dmartino@east-haven.k12.ct.us

Overbrook Elementary School 

A K-2 PBIS Model Demonstration School
East Haven, CT

 Thank you, Julie & Denise, for sharing your heartbeat with us;
we are positively inspired by your bucket-filling collaboration.

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Taking Turns

Can it be that it's April already? No foolin'?

Did you make it through the day unscathed?

Yesterday, as I was checking in with my individual counseling kids, one of my littles asked, "When is it gonna be my turn? I don't know when you're gonna pick me up, what month or what day. Am I ever gonna get a turn?" 

Her smile grabbed my heart and held on tight. So, I did what any school counselor would do; I scheduled an appointment for today, to give her a turn. 

Look at the gratitude she gave me in return.

Heart warmed!

Kindness is like that.

Do a kind act; it'll boomerang back.

Give kind, get kind, just like that.

Will you be joining the JNP Project Million Acts Challenge?

I'm super excited to participate with our school family.

What kind acts have you been up to lately? 

Here are some options to consider:

*Take dinner to a neighbor in need. 

*Write a note of congrats to someone for a success.

*Pick up a coffee or coke to surprise someone.

*Start a conversation to connect with a colleague.

*Send a happy text or email to a friend or family member.

*Post something inspirational on the restroom mirror.

*Express gratitude for something ordinary.

*Participate in a Fun Run to raise money for a cause.

*Support a campaign or project on social media.

But wait, there's more. Here's an opportunity to do that last one right now. My daughter's Solar Decathlon Team at the University of Texas is in a U.S. Department of Energy competition. Part of the project includes sharing it on social media. If you're on Facebook, please consider clicking on their logo below 

to Like their page.

Finally, do you ever get a song stuck in your head,

one that you find yourself singing over and over again?

It's a  Red Grammer/Carol McCloud creation ...

and it's positively powerful! 

Treat yourself to these little Bucket Fillers belting it out.

 Now, it's your turn.

What will you do to change things in your world today?

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Bucket Filling from A to Z Giveaway

Happy October.

Today I'm excited because Carol McCloud and co-author Caryn Butzke have 

a new kid on the block:

I traveled through the ABCs with my Kindergarten kiddos in Peace Class yesterday and they loved it. We started out by singing The Alphabet Song, first my puppet Boris sang it for them in Spanish, then they sang it for him in English. 

AdOrAbLe! 

We reviewed what they understand about filling and dipping, then we read this treasure page by page, paying particular attention to the 

brilliant, colorful illustrations.

We played I-Spy and looked for pictures of kids with a dipping ladle so that we could discuss how to change those behaviors from dipping to filling.

We finished by singing my Fill A Bucket song.

I keep this bucket bag in my office so that when friends need to reflect on their behavior we can do it together ... there's a little mirror inside so they can see that they are a Bucket Filler.

Oh, and see how my friend and expert Bucket Filler Carol McCloud signed this book? Well, it's for one lucky Corner visitor. Just leave a comment telling us what fills your bucket and you'll have an entry in my Bucket Book Giveaway. 

How about we leave the giveaway opened through Friday night, October 4, 2103, at 10 pm central. The Gruener Generator will choose one winner from all of the comments and we'll announce if it's you on Saturday morning.

This giveaway is now closed.

How will you fill a bucket today?

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