Unleashing Passion

So today I'm excited because yesterday I woke up to this breathtaking view

 from the bedroom window in my new favorite Air BnB.

I'd kind of forgotten how incredibly beautiful Seattle is;

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What's On Your Plate?

What a week! Today I'm excited to share just a quick summary

of what's been going on in my corner of the world.

Isn't this the prettiest picture?

It was taken at our new-to-district employee luncheon,

while the crowd was arm-in-arm

singing the Cheers theme song as our launch.

Be still my heart ... talk about your caring connections.

I'm so grateful to my hero Michele Borba for the inspiration

and the permission to piggyback her idea and share it as I speak.

Here's how it went with the Friendswood Junior High leaders.

What a fun and engaging day that was, connecting with the faculty and staff at a school where all three of our children went in grades 6-8. We talked about being HOPE dealers and how to grow as a family during their Mustang Impact Time.

As a silly out-of-the-box activity during the Mindset piece, we drew a back-to-school picture on the plate atop our heads. Afterward, we wrote the one word that we want people to feel when they leave our presence on the plate for a "What's On Your Plate?" character wall display. 

Here's how that very activity looked the following day

with these delightfully passionate educators in Deer Park.

Both groups especially seemed to enjoy exchanging their 

one word in a riveting game of Give Me Your Hand(le); 

such a cool icebreaking activity that truly has the power 

to change the climate in the room.

Wanna practice handshakes and eye contact;

here are the instructions so you can give it a try.

 Afterward, one of them wrote me this sweet sticky note.

Such a thoughtful gesture.

I did manage to carve out some shopping time for the boys, who launched into another year in Aggieland today. Look at what our character camera spied on the wall at the local Kohl's Department Store.

Wouldn't that make a fantastic bulletin board in a school?

We also saw this brilliance at a school visit ... 

at Webb Elementary in Navasota, TX, this morning.

I went to visit Principal and author Todd Nesloney, to treat him to a Sonic drink, to thank him for his inspiration, and to ask for a tour of his school. I'm finding a lot of really creative ways to spend my time now that I'm not back at school.

My plate is overflowing with good things;

what's on your plate these days?

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When Life Gets Dicey

Today I'm excited because yesterday I saw the most beautiful light in this child's eyes. Meet Bella, one of my fifth-grade girls. I can't remember if I shared her story yet or not, but we snapped this picture in our Clothing Exchange, shortly after Hurricane Harvey took everything but her clothes away. She wanted to donate these beautiful items, some that still had price tags on them, because the flood made her realize that she didn't need so much stuff. She said she knew that there would be someone who did lose their clothes and needs it more than she did. 

And she was right.

Just to give you a frame of reference, this is Bella's house during

 Hurricane Harvey.

Please don't misunderstand; Bella smiles every day. In fact, she's one of the sweetest children I know. In kindergarten and first, she used to draw me these beautiful pictures and write me these heartwarming love notes. It was clear early on that Bella has a heart bigger than the flood that would one day destroy her living quarters. {I'm pretty sure she gets it from her mom!}

So why was Bella's smile extra big yesterday?

Because today is move-in day, to their new house.

She was simply giddy with joy as she told me the good news and added that the move would be pretty easy, too, since all they have to move is their clothes.

Can you imagine?

Life has been really dicey for Bella and her family and their neighbors. But she has managed to find a silver lining along with a way to hang on to her joy and to 

be the rainbow in someone else's storm.

Bella, your school counselor is so proud of you

and grateful for the impact your kindness footprint is making.

We're so happy that you'll be home for the holidays!

Speaking of dicey, have you heard the great news?

Our friends Susan Ragsdale and Ann Saylor

have published the Dice Edition of Great Group Games 

just in time for your holiday gift-giving.

Click the image to purchase it on Amazon.

I've already read through it and earmarked the games

that I want to try with my superheroes:

My favorite part has to be that all of the games include a Going Deeper section to help sustain the activities and make them more meaningful.

 And since we all know that play heals,

this will be a great resource to keep next to that

favorite pair of dice for when life gets dicey

and you need a play break.

Click image to download and share with family and friends.

Who's ready to roll? 

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Gatekeepers & My First Vlog

This morning, I tried something new.

I made a video blog.

A Vlog.

Basically it's a four-minute explanation of how I plan to combine this game

with the Inner/Outer Circle activity

for a staff learning session about the services that a school counselor provides. We'll focus 

on belonging, 

on mattering,

on connections, 

on empathy and emotions, 

and on the power of the circle, 

so you can imagine my joy at remembering that Spot It! cards are circular. Anyway, here it is.

Did you catch my cat's cameo?

My friend Lisa in VA, who sent me this game years ago, is going to be field testing the activity in a week or two and I can't wait to hear how it goes. 

If you try it, please post details in the comments below.

I'm thankful to my friend and colleague Gary Smit from the Character Counts! National Faculty for encouraging me to record and share.

And now for today's book recommendation: 

Gatekeepers by edu-hero Tammy McMorrow.

Although I've not met first-grade teacher Tammy McMorrow in real life ... yet ... she is a cyberspace collaborator of mine through our shared love for writing, passion for education, and our commitment to raising character kids. She blogs over at Forever In First and wrote a guest post at the Corner once a long time ago {here}. I'm tickled pink that she decided to publish a book and share her thoughts and reflections. She starts each essay with a quote, something to think about, just like she does on her blog's weekly special, Saturday Sayings. Her words of wisdom invite the reader into a conversation as if you're sitting right there with her, trying to sort things out together. I know that Tammy is a lifelong learner because a few times over the years she has reached out to me for guidance with hurdles or challenges that have come her way. One of them was the exact time she writes about in Essay #36, Learn, Not Pay. 

She probably didn't really need my help,

but she sought out my counsel anyway.

Her follow-up essay about it is spot on.

She just wanted them to learn.

To be better next time.

To do better next time.

These learners are blessed to have a Gatekeeper like Mrs. McMorrow and I'm blessed to have her as a friend. Check out her book and you'll be blessed by her insights and reflections.

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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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A Friendly Twist

I'll admit it freely ... I'm a sucker for clever.

I marvel at magic.

I'm drawn to adorable.

I'm easily caught by cute.

So this Coke icebreaker with a friendly twist clip

melted me before I even saw it.

How is that even possible? you might wonder.

Well, someone told me about it ... 

and I couldn't wait to get home and search for it.

And I loved it every bit as much on the screen.

What a FUN engagement {n}ice breaker!

I think we've come close to this idea twice.

Once, we grouped our staff with a simple song.

Each faculty member got a 3x5 card with a song title.

They had to sing (or hum) the song to find their group.

Songs like Happy Birthday or Row Row Row Your Boat.

It was a riot, for most of us anyway.

The other time we needed pairs, I made bumper-sticker sized

cards from old file folders with common cliches written on them.

Font by Kimberly Gaswein

I cut the cards in half like puzzle pieces 

and we gave one to each participant.

When it was time to pair up, they were told to find

the half that would complete their cliche.

There was an instant energy in the room

as they interacted with one another 

to try to find their other half.

Again, kind of a friendly twist.

What are some of your best icebreaker ideas?

To our friends at Coca Cola, thanks for the Saturday smile!

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Winners, The Rat Thing & An Icebreaker

Today I'm excited because we have three winners in our KOGO giveaway ... my Gruener Generator (Joshua, Jacob and John) picked one name each from the comment entries ... drum roll please ... Tammy M., Katie N. and Lisa S. ... congrats! I will be in touch for your US postal addresses and put not one, but two books - Feel Confident! and Be Positive! -  into the mail. 
Have fun giving that second one away. 
Thank you to everyone who entered; I wish I had copies for all of you. And thanks to Free Spirit Press for their partnership!

In honor of my family's hometown team, the Green Bay Packers, making the playoffs and playing later today on the frozen tundra against the 49ers, I'd like to introduce Pack, the newest addition to our puppet family team. 

I got him from Anna, my amazing intern this past semester. She had a really creative idea about doing a lesson with the things this pack rat packs away and carries around in his sack. Love it.

I was toying with a play on words with ChaRATer ... or something about RATS spelling STAR backwards. There's also potential for an adorable careers lesson if Pack had trinkets in his knapsack that represented the careers he was trying to narrow down for himself.

Then I decided on a friendship lesson. 
Friends do the rat thing ... 
say that with a southern twang ... the rat thing ... get it?

So I'm cooking on a trustworthiness lesson using 

Don't Need Friends, written by Carolyn Crimi 

and illustrated by the illustrious Lynn Munsinger.

Do you know this book? Basically this rude, cranky rat (think Templeton from Charlotte's web) decides he doesn't need any friends after his friend Possum moves away. But what will happen when this junkyard dog, who's coincidentally every bit as grouchy as he, gets sick and needs a friend? 
Listen to a podcast about the book {here}. 

I'm planning to combine Anna's idea about having junk stuff in Pack's sack ... things that will end up representing friendship ... and I can't wait!

I'm also eager for a workshop I'm doing tomorrow for Ward Elementary down the road. Because I know many of you will be home on a snow day, I'm sharing the icebreaker we'll be using:

Though it's cold outside, I hope you're feeling warm and cozy! 

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Disconnect To Connect & A Winner

Happy August!

First things first; we have a contest winner.

Congratulations, Sarah. 

I'll be in touch to connect you to my friends over at Carson-Dellosa Publishing. Thanks to everyone who stopped by and commented.

How have you been spending your last few summer days?

Quote by Ivan Turgenev 

Have you seen the video clip called Disconnect To Connect? 

{You may have to be on FB to get that link to take you there.} 

It's a poignant piece about how disconnected to those loved ones in our presence we really are when we're connected instead to the virtual people on our hand-held technical devises. And though I personally still use a flip phone and don't take WiFi with me wherever I go, I know I'm guilty of spending waaaay too much time on my laptop and online. In the past two years, 

I've written 738 posts.

That's a lot of screen time.

I started writing at the Corner in the first place to see if intentionally seeking inspiration would make me more joyful. And I think it has. But now I'm ready for a brief break from the blog, a couple of weeks, maybe more, to invest my time in continuing to recover, playing a few more hands of Canasta 
with our youngest, launching Jacob into his college career, 
and getting ready for my 30th year in education.

Click graphic for more icebreakers at Wilderdom

Before I go, here's a bonus icebreaker to introduce new faculty or connect a new class family. I hope I can explain it well 'cause it's great fun. Instruct participants to find someone in the group to shake hands with, practicing eye contact and a good, firm shake. As they shake hands, 
they introduce themselves with their first name:
 Hi, I'm Barbara. Hey, I'm Jennifer. 
With our handshake, we trade names. So I leave the interchange and find another participant to introduce myself to using Jennifer's name. 
And Jennifer becomes Barbara. 
Jennifer gives my name to the next person she meets and takes that name. And so on. 

The goal is to remember who you are through the confusion, shake hands with some new friends, and ultimately get your own name back. If you already all know one another, use adjectives instead:
Hi, I'm trustworthy. Hey, I'm optimistic.

Get ready to reconnect with laughter and joy.
Click {here} for more intriguing icebreaker ideas 
and {here} for Marissa's Memory Circle activity.

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Feel free to stay for a spell and 
read the posts that you might have missed, 
drop me an email just to say hello, 
or leave a comment to let me know what you're thinking about 
and what you'd like to see more of at the Corner when I'm back.

Want to help your kids unplug? Click {here} for advice 
from my go-to parenting expert Michele Borba. 

It's Throwback Thursday. Enjoy these inspirational posts again: 

Dying For Just One More Day 

Seed Money 

Sometimes I See My Mom

Lorenzo's Gift

Uncle Royal's Friend Leuk

That Doll 

Forgiveness On The Fifty

A Prayer For Grace

It's A Sign

Monte's Ministry 
Dear Stranger

The Kindness Boomerang 

The Stranger At Starbucks 

She Was My Hero

Her Instrumental Legacy 
A Heavenly Call

Struggling To Smile

Thank you for being here with me on my journey 
and sharing my favorite experiences. 

Happy 2013-2014 school year. 

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