Graduation is usually a time when we contemplate our future and purpose. It can be both a time of great excitement and, what I like to call, preventative worry. I certainly remember the anxiousness I felt after each graduation. Whether you or your child are graduating Kindergarten, middle school, high school, or college, or just know a graduate, take note of the 11 lessons author, Jon Gordon, shares from his book, The Seed. May they empower you and your child on the next steps of the journey forward:

Here’s hoping our planted seeds of this school year truly change the world! 🙂

It’s been a full week of blessings, praise, accolades, bravos, and so much more! From the festive themes each day (and dressing choices) to the cute snacks and scrumptious treats, we have enJOYed Teacher Appreciation Week indeed! Thanks to our amazing PTO for the homemade meals and daily mailbox surprises. Thanks to the parents and families who showered our teachers in special gifts and daily lunches. Thanks to our learners for the sweet notes and fancy cards. As one little friend shared with me today: “Mrs. Van, it’s nice to be important but it’s more important to be nice…thanks for always being nice and calm all the time.” What a blessing to be in a position to share the JOY of learning with others everyday! Have a safe, calm weekend, LME! 🙂

Some highly creative poets and writers open their colorfully-decorated journals to share some personal journal writing with the visitors in class. They eagerly anticipate this opportunity because the journals have been “private” from these visitors all year long, until today, that is. While it’s a personal endeavor each school day, these writers like to read and share aloud to classmates, but the visitors are not aware. There truly is magic in the effort of writer to phonetically write and then read words freely without correction or criticism. They smile, giggle, and genuinely enJOY sharing their words, describing everything from slightly exaggerated fishing trips to painful injuries to hopes and dreams for the future. It’s a marvel how they express themselves with great depth, emotional maturity, and compassion for each other as writers and poets!

Throughout the months of this school year, the teacher may have given topic ideas, daily story starters, prompts, and more, however, the contents are left up to each writer for the day. For many, creating an illustration for their daily entry is a favorite part of the writing process, especially to a child who struggles with the process skill of writing.

The visitors took their perspective place alongside each child’s table area. They began to listen, laugh, and identify spontaneously as funny experiences about learning how to ride a bike, what not to say at someone birthday’s party, catching “the big one,” and more poured out from the worn pages of each child’s journal. The visitors placed their arms around each child, wiped their eyes, spoke softly, or laughed belly-style as they listened to individual stories and poems. Here was the true value of writing for these young learners–their unique self-expression was shining through in their own words, allowing each writer’s parent (the visitors today) a brief glimpse inside the child’s perspective of daily school life and living. One parent in particular grasped the journal in her hands exclaiming, “I’ll treasure this always!”

Everyone is a teacher to someone…sometimes it is easy to forget how learners teach us and those around them everyday. With great attitude and effort, these young writers experience the power of the written word daily. As one learner notes, “WRITE on, Mrs. Van!”

As we discussed yesterday, setting limits is a specific alternative to punishment and threats. Giving a child limits is a tool in the parental (and educator) toolbox for providing positive discipline for a child. In fact, children crave routines and knowing their limits on behaviors; both help them feel safe.

Here’s five-step approach we use in classrooms to set limits with our learners in order to increase effectiveness for everyone:

Explain which behavior is inappropriate. Simply saying “stop that” may not be enough. The child may not know if you are objecting to how loudly he is talking or objecting to the language he is using. Be specific in your directive.

Explain why the behavior is inappropriate. Never assume the child knows why the behavior is not acceptable. Is she disturbing others? Being disrespectful? Not doing a task you asked of her? Again, be specific.

Give reasonable choices with natural consequences. Instead of using the ultimatum (“do this or else”), tell your child what the choices are and what the consequences of those choices will be. Ultimatums lead to power struggles because you are forcing one thing. Providing choices with consequences does not force your decision, but the child’s personal choice. Likewise, consequences that logically follow from your child’s actions usually work best as a teaching tool. Example: In an angry moment, the child chooses to break something. A logical consequence would be for the child to clean up the mess and pay for the item out of her allowance.

Allow wait time. It’s usually best to allow a few moments (not too many) for the child to make the decision. In upsetting moments, it is critical to remember the child is not thinking clearly (and neither are you, most likely). It may take a few moments for everything to process before a choice is made.

Be prepared to enforce your consequences, even when they are inconvenient. Setting a limit is completely meaningless if you do not consistently and persistently enforce the consequences you set with the choice. For example, if your consequence is no TV or social media for a month, be ready enforce it the entire month–no exceptions! Never back yourself into a corner; set reasonable enforceable consequences and stick to them!

Limits are powerful teaching tools to modeling appropriate behaviors. It’s really not about who’s the boss; it’s about modeling respect, giving guidance, and ensuring an overall feeling of safety and security in a nurturing, calm manner. You are your child’s first and most important teacher; practice these techniques and never give up hope! As I remind parents daily, the days of raising our children are long, but the years are far too short…

She’s one of our youngest learners on our campus but has the heart and soul of an adult.  Her answers to my questions always reflect maturity and just a little too-much-knowing-beyond-her-years.  It’s always such a JOY to talk with her.

This little friend loves being a nurturer to others, especially the dolls in the home area where she has a particular favorite each time.  Her motherly instincts are strong for one so young and I’ve often thought she could demonstrate some valuable parenting lessons to new moms.  She talks softly and kindly to her baby, feeds her, changes her clothes, gives her a bath, and takes great care to show love above all else.

This afternoon, my little friend was called away from her chosen area to visit with her teacher (doing some group work, you see).  She turned to me, “Will you please watch my baby while I go with my teacher?”  I responded with a smile, “Consider it done; I’m happy to help!”  Her little face scrunched some and she looked straight into my eyes, “I’m counting you, Mrs. Van.”  My responsibility deepened then, “Yes, yes I will do my personal best; you can count on me.”

Those little words, “I’m counting on you, Mrs. Van”…what a soul-searching statement in one so young to one much older!  I held the baby and pondered the countless numbers of children we serve daily, yearly, each decade who “count on us” in our classrooms.  We are truly entrusted with a most important task in our call to serve learners each day.  Whether spoken like my little friend or not, they each remind us, “I’m counting on you…”  Here’s hoping we continue our journey to #LoveServeCare daily because yes, they are counting on us all!  🙂

Note:  Just one more full day of testing (and then some makeups on Friday).  Thanks to everyone for your patience this week!  

Once testing was completed, I made the rounds to visit some who were not testing but working in their classrooms on “important matters.” A 5th grade friend stopped me to share how they were talking about our school as a community and how we function as a community. In today’s society, there are few communities with the purpose and depths of a school community–our work is universal, long-lasting, and broad in nature since we serve every single child with no exclusion. From age 3 through 5th grade, our LME learning community sets the foundation and purpose of preparing the next generation to carry forth a way of life in society with values, freedom, responsibility, and more. The most important aspect in the community, though, is the relationship with each child.

Relationships matter; the foundation of any community is the network of relationships. Children need to feel safe and encouraged in order to learn. Likewise, learning and using their social/emotional skills, communicating effectively, and learning to take responsibility for actions and words help build strong relationships in the community. Passing a STAAR test does not include any of these skills, nor does it really indicate career readiness in life. Learning life skills such as working within a community (our school community) ensures each child learns how to be a contributing member of society…”to develop the character, confidence, knowledge, and skills to be successful in life.” (part of the MISD mission statement). Building a climate of healthy relationships in a diverse learning community where every student feels a sense of belonging is a challenge in today’s schools. As my 5th grade friend noted, “We build our school as a community one day and one student at a time.” Well said; build on!