One Little Word, One Big Impact

Today I'm excited because of THIS, the visual that our friends at FJH created using the #oneword plates they designed in our training.

Imagine the incredible potential for its inspiration and influence.

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BEeautiful Beginnings

Happy Friday; have you gone back to school yet? 

We finished day three today; what a jolt of joy it was

to savor those last seconds of summer and then

get back to the business of beautiful new beginnings at Bales.

Today one of my students brought this light box to me,

the perfect message for the entrance of our learning space.

Life is good as I start year number 34. 

Lots of laughter and joy-filled hugs

as we reunited and reconnected.

Today at lunch, some of my fifth-grade superheroes saved me a spot and taught me how to take a selfie. Isn't that super fun?

We got a starburst version of Susan Fuller's BE board idea up. 

I'm really pleased with how it turned out.

I led six growth mindset learning sessions in the last six days and my favorite part was that my dad and his wife, who were in town for Jacob's graduation, got to attend four of them, leaving my heart so SO happy. 

What a beautiful experience, to spend time with other school families encouraging their calling to build relationships. 

To help them communicate to students how much they matter. 

To help them make school a safe and cheerful place 

that their students can call home.

A place where students feel without a doubt that they belong. 

Belonging. 

What a BEautifully powerful concept. 

I'm so grateful to my friends in Angleton ISD and Clear Creek ISD for the opportunity to supercharge their school families and get them ready for their own beautiful beginning.

So tonight, as I lay my head on the pillow,

I'm exhausted but energized.

And I'm ready for an emotionally-loaded weekend

as we take the boys to Texas A & M for the next step

in each of their journeys, Joshua for his undergrad studies

and Jacob to work on his graduate degree.

Need some ideas for engaging parents as partners in your character building? Click {here} for my Free Spirit guest post from this week. I also blogged for School Leaders Now if you'd like to check out my reflections on Restorative Practices. The Spot It! game was a huge success with our staff. 
You might also connect with this list of picture Books That Inspire Hope.

Happy new year.

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Sometimes It's Frightening

Today I was telling my students the story of how teacher-authors Dave and Shelley Burgess bought us ten ukuleles for our UKE lab when one of them said, "That's so generous." Then he added, "Why would they do that for us?"

I explained that we'd connected on Twitter and that our teachers, as a staff, are studying Teach Like A Pirate this year. I told them that they love it when educators use hooks, strategies to engage and excite students. For fun, I asked my students what hooks they've noticed that I use. And I loved hearing their answers:

*puppets

*friendliness

*kindness

*a smile

*forgiveness

*stations

*ukuleles

*music

*fun games

*funny-ness (yes, humor is a hook!)

It warmed my heart. I especially liked the forgiveness comment, until the student further explained that my classroom is a place where it's okay to make mistakes.

Wait, what? Aren't all classrooms just mistake-making labs?

 Here's a non-negotiable I've learned in my 32 years of service:

Our kids deserve a safe environment to engage, explore and create.

A school where they're reeled in, hook, line, and sinker.

A place where they're firmly planted with permission to bloom and grow. 

In my work, I've had the pleasure over the years of visiting lots and lots of schools where I get to see AmAzInG things happening. With that privilege, I also see lots and lots of areas for improvement and growth. I've witnessed teachers who at frustration point resort to yelling so bad that a student once shared that, "Sometimes it's frightening." My own son experienced this in sixth grade, a scolding so fierce that he was still visibly shaking with fear after school. He stayed scared for days. And weeks. 

The respect we think we're demanding when we yell isn't respect at all. 

It's just fear. 

Don't our kids deserve better than this?

With so many positive approaches to classroom connections and management, two of which include Capturing Kids Hearts and Responsive Classroom Morning Meetings, there's really no need for an educator to be reduced to belittling, to shaming, to screaming. Ever. In fact, when we yell at kids, guess what they learn? Yep, they learn that yelling is okay. 

That yelling will help solve our problems. 

That yelling is an appropriate way to respond to our frustration. 

Or to get our needs met.

Simply put, they learn to yell.

Let me say it one more time: 

 Our kids deserve better.

Click for source ~ @BethHouf blog

 So there you have it, one of the reasons I'm so passionate about finding hooks that invite kids in, and helping reduce the undesirable practices that might chase them away. I don't ever want to hear the words "Sometimes it's frightening" at our school, on my watch. 

Tomorrow I get a chance to help with some Character Counts! implementation training in Angleton. Then next week, I'm headed to the Dallas area to Mansfield ISD to lead a Family Character Night workshop and then work with the school family at Charlotte Anderson Elementary, and I can't wait. I am super proud of the commitment of both of these districts to a creating a caring climate and I'm honored that they'd let me help them build a brighter and better tomorrow.

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Building Community

Happy August! Today I've got back-to-school on my heart and mind. 

Check out this shot of Bales Intermediate, my new school.

Consider this Zig Ziglar reflection:

How do we connect with kids so that they know that they matter, 

so that they feel loved? I started the day on an hour-long Twitter Chat {#sunchat} set aside specifically for as an intentional icebreaker idea swap.

Here's the first resource that grabbed my attention from the Four O'clock Faculty blog connecting Pixar ideals with student motivation. 

How will you help your students become better people?

One of Rich's big points has to do with the power of the morning meeting. In fact, he says that it is the "most important part of a classroom." And I wholeheartedly agree. Here's my school family, a few years back, circling up to reconnect.

So how will you build community when you get back to school,

 first with your faculty, and then in your classroom family?

What does your ideal community look like, sound like, feel like?

A small-group activity that Clifton Taulbert facilitated in Juarez asked us to choose one word to describe our ideal community, then share those words with our table-mates before weaving them into a 30-word vision statement.

Once you've created the vision, then the real work starts. Icebreakers help to relax and energize people before an activity, task, or cause. They serve to build trust and help break down barriers, so that our work together goes more smoothly.

A photo booth was also suggested, like the one set up in Mexico.

Look at how good it feels to be wanted!

Click {here} for details about a B2S Selfie Adventure.

Other icebreakers suggested in the Chat this morning include:

Compliment Booklets, PlayDoh Sculpture, One Word Project, B2S Dancing PSA 

Click for original post and more details.


Check out Ten Timely Tips.
Make Autobiographical Trading Cards.
Play Conversation Jenga.
Take this compass personality inventory.  
Play the Name Chain Game.
  Non-Icebreaker B2S Things To Remember.
Writing Prompts To Launch The School Year.



One year we asked our teachers to design a school shirt,
after which we had them model their designs.

Endless possibilities to connect abound when you're building community! Need more inspiration? Visit my Pinterest page for Classroom Connections & Team Builders. 

What's your favorite community builder?

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How FAMILY Matters

Another school year started, another first day in the books.

Things went extremely well, with beautiful "I've missed you!" bear-hugs and heaps of hope and happiness. Hope for a successful new year and happiness to be reunited with our school family. Because in the end, for us, it's all about family.

So that I'm not misunderstood, let me say that achievement is important, too. We know that our students come to us to learn so that they can achieve success for a bright, opened-door future. But we also know that they don't learn from someone with whom they're not connected, so look what we feel like has to come first. Family. Family first.

F is for feelings. We have to allow our kids to feel. They're coming to use with a bundle of feelings: easy ones, hard ones, pleasant ones, uncomfortable ones, big ones, and small ones. Honor them, the children and their feelings, because if we don't allow our students to emote, the feelings will sneak out as behaviors down the road, some of which won't be desirable.

A is for appreciation. Affirm and appreciate your kiddos. Not with over-the-top, sticky-sweet praise, but with genuine affirmations of positivity and encouragement. It feels good to be appreciated and, more often than not, those who are appreciated will go above and beyond what you expect from them. After all, what we appreciate, appreciates. Teach them to follow up a kindness with a thank-you. Have them write compliment cards to one another. Role play what affirmations look like, sound like, and feel like.

M is for movement {and music}. We must carve out time for our bodies to move to spark important chemicals in the brain. Couple those brain breaks with music to elevate mood and you've got a recipe for success. Dr. John Medina suggests moving our students every ten minutes to maximize brain power, so you might have to get creative. But you'll buy that time back in spades if you move them enough; you'll see.

I is for integrity. Your students must know what your class values are. Maybe they're set by the school district, like the Six-Pillar framework which, for us, is Board-adopted. Maybe you're a PBS school and your values are wrapped up in your three expectations. Whatever it is, you can't expect students to adhere to standards that they don't know or embrace. We teach students how to count, so why not also teach them that their character counts. First and foremost, character traits are modeled, but we also have to actively teach and reinforce the desired behaviors which accompany the values. Don't forget that there's truth in the adage: If we don't stand for something, we'll fall for anything.

L is for love. Unconditional love. Children need to know that they belong. That they matter. That they are loved. Nicholas Ferroni says this: Children who are loved at home come to school to learn; those who are not come to school to be loved. I would add to that that they all come to school to be loved and I challenge each one of you, my kindhearted readers, to find a way to make each one of them your favorite.

Y is for yearning. We want out future leaders to thirst for knowledge so that they yearn to learn. How do you engage your littlest learners? How about those intermediate kiddos? And our tweens? Teens? The more voice and choice you can give them, the more empowering it'll be. Inquiry learning anyone? How about  digital portfolios? Project-Based Learning? Look for tasks in the classroom that you can give up. Pledge to be the guide by their side. Ask lots of questions without fixed answers and give them food for thought with dilemmas to chew on that'll strengthen them academically as well as socially and emotionally.

How will you connect with your school family

this year to make it the best that it can be?

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Inner Circle, Outer Circle

Today as I'm clearing out filing cabinets and deciding what stays and what recycles, I came across an activity that I hadn't thought about in over a year. 

It's an oldie, but it's definitely a goodie and well worth sharing.

I've always used it while students are standing, but one resource from Edmond Schools {here} suggested actually arranging student desks like this.

And while you can certainly use this activity for pre-and-post assessments like suggested in the above adaptation of a handout from a 2008 differentiation training I attended, another effective use is for team-building, 
a getting-to-know-you activity, or a character-development awareness exercise.

Start with easy, non-threatening questions:  

What's your favorite movie?

What is your favorite color?

What is your favorite season?

Switch off which partner gets to start but always allow 

enough time for both people share.

Mix up the configuration in which students rotate so that they have to think:  Inner circle move three spaces to the right, outer circle move five spaces to the right. 

Assign a circle monitor so students get to decide how they'll move.

As they become comfortable and familiar with one another,

stretch your participants with questions like:

What adjectives would your friends use to describe you?

On a scale of 1-10, how messy is your room right now?

Talk about one of your dreams.

Who are you more like, your mom or your dad? Explain.

You can even give dilemmas like those on my character cards:

The cashier gives you too much change; what do you do?

What do you do when someone breaks his/her promise?

Is it fair if your older brother has a later bedtime? Why or why not?

The University of Minnesota suggests using it for literature circles {here} as does the National Urban Alliance {here}. The Texas Education Agency posted how it would work in HS English classes {here} and Ayn Grubb from Oliver Middle School in OK proposes using them to give students an active role in their learning {here}.

So much potential with this engaging movement activity;

I'd love to know how it goes if you try it!

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Intelligence Minus Ambition

I saw this quote at school today and I'm not going out on a limb when I say that 

a bird without wings isn't going very far.

I will have to give this quote some more thought, too,

because I'm not sure I know how to instill ambition.

Is it one of those caught not taught virtues?

Or maybe it's a little bit of both.

Speaking of ambitious, I'm stepping out of my comfort zone by helping lead an online discussion tonight, so don't forget to fly on over to Twitter at 7:30 CST for a #servechat to chirp about Creating A Climate of Kindness 

in our schools. 

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Kindness #Servechat

Today, a calendar item that I'm excited about; 

what are you doing Thursday night at 8:30 pm, EST?

Why not join us on Twitter for a #servechat!

Coordinated and moderated by Sheila from Pennies of Time, this month's #servechat targets the topic of creating a climate of kindness in school and I'm honored and humbled all at once to be her "guest expert." To be honest, I'm also a bit nervous because I truly feel like a digital foreigner when it comes to social media beyond blogging and Facebook. 

We'd love to see hear about your climate-changing ideas!

Go ahead, mark your calendars and 

tweet yourself to a riveting discussion.

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Seeds Of Greatness

I love this because it's clever and it's comprehensive.

Purpose, presence, promptness, preparation and perseverance.

Squash gossip, indifference, criticism, negativism.

Lettuce: Be true to ourselves,

be loyal and unselfish,

be faithful to our purpose.

Turnips: Turn up your enthusiasm,

conviction and determination. 

How do you grow seeds of greatness in the garden of your mind?

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What A Teacher Wants

I may have mentioned this before, but it bears repeating; one of my favorite things to do is outreach and training. That's why I'm excited about tomorrow evening, a chance to talk school climate with 30 aspiring administrators and six principals.

Source: The Whole Child Blog - click graphic for post

So ... what does a teacher want his/her principal to do

that'll help create a positive school climate and keep morale up?

Since nothing happens in isolation, I decided to take that question to a group of teachers whom I respect and here's what they said:

*Be in the classroom, getting to know students and connecting with us.

*Make room for a Brag Board so we can appreciate one another.

*Show gratitude: A simple "thank you" goes a long way.

*Put random notes of encouragement in our box.

*Back us up with parents; we need your support.

*Affirm us when you catch us doing something good.

*Keep us in the loop with ongoing and open communication.

*Look for positive things to share after an observation.
*Engage us in fun gatherings to bond us as a staff.

*Trust our competence and value our opinion.

*Give us freedom to try new things.

*Treat us to frequent jeans days!

*Know that we'll choose wisely.

*Believe in our judgement.

*Be kid-centered.

*Ask for our input.

*Give us early-release coupons.

*Surprise us and cover our duty now and again.

-One principal gives out a KitKat candy bar with her "Give Me A Break" duty-free time treat.

How much fun will this riveting game of Jeopardy be?

Michelle over at Teach 1-2-3 shared this post. 

And Rachel from Minds in Bloom sent along these ideas.

A few other links I'll share about positive school climate include:

~ASCD 
~Education Week: School Climate

~Faculty Frolics  

~National School Climate Center  

~The Dignity Act 

~U.S.Department of Education 

What are your principal's promising practices

to create a climate of caring and a culture of character?

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Every Kid Needs A Champion

Sadly, the world lost a character champion a month ago 

when Rita Pierson passed away unexpectedly.

Her wise words will always resonate with me:

In this TED talk filmed in May 2013, Rita discusses why

relationships are key in a child's school success.

So grab your morning cup of whatever wakes you up in the morning, 
get comfy on the couch, 
and prepare to be inspired by this
 passionate "school house" veteran.

What will you do differently this year to connect with kids?

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Caring Classroom Family Guest Post

Did you know that yesterday was Cow Appreciation Day?

At Chick-fil-A anyway.

I promise I am not making that up.

These two cows enjoy life on our family farm. When we took the tractor tour of the new barns, we were told by our tour guide that it's all about

the comfort of the cows. 

They are continuously fed so that they can graze effortlessly whenever they want. They're bedded in sand, so it's like sleeping on the beach, and they're kept in a climate-controlled environment 

so that they're always ... comfortable.

 Our dairy's goal is that each cow produce 100 lbs. of milk per day.
Turns out that happy cows produce more milk.

The secret to success is comfy cows; who knew?

If you haven't seen this clip from some Iowa farmers, watch it now 
for proof positive that it's not just the cows who are happy.

So, would it follow that comfy kids are more content?

Uh, let me think ... YES!
 

I'm honored that Laura Candler over at Corkboard Connections 
 invited me to talk about just that.

Click {here} to see how you can increase connectivity

with the members of your

caring classroom family. 
Click the graphic if you want to receive Laura's amazing newsletter. For free!

Thanks, Laura, for this cute creation!

Oh, and I think it's udderly possible that contented kids 
achieve greater school success, don't you?  
When you get moooooved back in, try some of those family-friendly ideas and let me know what happens
in your character building.

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A Culture Of Kindness

Bullying. There, I said it. It's a hard topic to grab hold of, and an even more difficult issue to handle and curtail. Let's face it; kids can be cruel. People can be cruel. The world can be a cruel place to live. The good news is that kindness can be taught. I saw this banner in my son's junior high cafeteria that urges students to:

I wonder how A Culture of Kindness looks, sounds, and feels at his school. I know how it feels at mine and, for the most part, it's amazing. Does that mean that we don't ever have to deal with the issue of bullying? With teasing and put downs? With gossip and excluding people? If only . . . 

So what are some go-to strategies for creating that culture where we can move our students away from cruelty and toward kindness so that school is a place where children feel safe, not scared or scorned? Of foremost importance is getting to know one another and sharing as a class family, something we accomplish through morning meeting. As students become connected, they're ultimately invested in and committed to treating one another with respect and compassion. We also create Social Contracts, our promise to one another, and use them throughout the year to hold ourselves and each other accountable:

If bullying situations arise, our students use this simple formula: 
Talk, Walk, then Tell. 
TALK:  If you're feeling bullied, talk to the person who's being mean and ask him or her to stop. Use an I-statement that might go something like this: 
I feel scared when you chase me. I need you to stop.
WALK:  If your words don't work, walk away, preferably toward a trusted adult in case you need assistance.
TELL: If you are unable to solve the problem by yourself, report the incident to an adult.
We're also teaching our students to be upstanders, not bystanders. If they see bullying happening, students can gather together (like a swarm of bees) and befriend the victim by surrounding him or her and getting them out of that situation to a safe place. (Of course, they would go and get an adult to go with them if it were physical in nature!)
Click {here} for a bookmark template that we've adapted from my friends in a neighboring district to help the students remember. Personalize it to make it your own and print it out on card stock. Click {here} to see our Chicken Dance using that formula!

We've also stocked our library shelves with literature that tackles bullying. Some of our favorites are:

Alley Oops by Janice Levy
Band-Aid Chicken by Becky Hinton
Billy Bully by Ana Galan
Bird Child by Nan Forler
Bullies Never Win by Margery Cuyler
Bully B.E.A.N.S. by Julia Cook
Carla's Sandwich by Debbie Herman
Don't Laugh At Me by Steven Seskin
Good Bye Bully Machine by Debbie Fox with Alan Beane
Hey Little Ant by Phillip and Hannah Hoose
Jungle Bullies by Steven Kroll
Juice Box Bully by Maria Dismondy
My Secret Bully by Trudy Ludwig
One by Kathryn Otoshi
Say Something by Peggy Moss
Simon's Hook by Karen Gedig Burnett
Spaghetti In A Hot Dog Bun by Maria Dismondy
The Recess Queen by Alexis O'Neill
Trouble Talk by Trudy Ludwig
You're Mean, Lily Jean by Frieda Wishinski

What are your best practices for 
creating a culture of kindness?

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A Climate of CAREacter

Another happy guidance moment: One of the cutest little first graders, this teeny tiny boy, said in his teeny tiny voice in response to my inquiry, 

What does a counselor do?:  Makes people happy.

Today I'm simply sharing a link to one of the most powerful pieces that I have read in a very long time. Interestingly enough, I passed the first two times it crossed my path because I didn't really care for the title. 

A title has to grab me - this post is entitled 

Why I Hated Meredith's First Grade Teacher

- and I assumed that it might be another expose bashing public schools. 

Boy was I wrong! 
Instead, it makes a compelling argument for creating 
a climate of caring and a culture of character.

So get some tissue and prepare to fall in love with Mrs. Miner, then come back to The Corner to share your reflections.

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