Saturday, March 30, 2013
Friday, March 29, 2013
Cesar Chavez Day - April 1
I am new to California and this state holiday, but I am very familiar with Mr. Chavez's wonderful work toward equality.
Here are a couple of my favorite quotes of his:
"Preservation of ones own culture does not require contempt or disrespect for other cultures."
"Once social change has begun it cannot be reversed. You cannot uneducated a person that has learned to read. You cannot humiliate a person who feels pride. You cannot oppress people who are not afraid anymore."
Here are a couple of my favorite quotes of his:
"Preservation of ones own culture does not require contempt or disrespect for other cultures."
"Once social change has begun it cannot be reversed. You cannot uneducated a person that has learned to read. You cannot humiliate a person who feels pride. You cannot oppress people who are not afraid anymore."
Clockwise from top-left:
- Meet your class at the local farmers market to meet the folks that bring us our food. Great job Mrs. K!
- Use this gardening poster to help your students evaluate their own learning.
- Grab this free facts sheet about Chavez's life.
- Esperanza Rising is the BEST book I've read about migrant farm life. It's riveting and gives an amazing perspective on the lives of families that lived the life of inequality Chavez worked to abolish. I couldn't put the book down! However, it is not for young children.
Friday, March 22, 2013
Life is a Collage: April Fool's Day
I am lucky enough to have April Fool's Day fall within our spring break. Yay!
For those of you that will be in school, here are a few fun April Fool's Day tricks!
Before regular snacks are passed out, bring out a delicious pan of brown E's!
Write your Morning Message backwards.
Slap some googly eyes on that pencil sharpener.
Good luck! (And that's no joke!)
Thursday, March 21, 2013
Happy First Day of Spring!
What do you do to help your students understand how the seasons are created?
In my class we always act out the Earth's rotation, with one child being the sun and holding a flashlight and another holding a globe. We sing the months of the year song as Earth orbits, then say the seasons.
I'm still looking for a great video clip/animation for the kids to watch. Any suggestions?
Tuesday, March 19, 2013
Changing the Paradigm
Today I attended a conference entitled Changing the Paradigm: The Intersections of Adverse Childhood Experiences, Trauma Informed Care and Nonviolent Child Raising.
It wasn't a conference specifically designed for educators; the room was mostly filled with a variety of social workers and therapists.
I listened to some very well-informed folks and enjoyed spending the day taking in new information. Of course, the most important part of new learning is reflection time and I wanted to share a few thoughts that I took away from the day:
- We are agents for change for children. If something needs to be changed, we can put into motion what needs to take place.
- Asking/answering the question "How are the children?" can be an excellent indicator of our society's success. Can we say that the weakest/voiceless/powerless members of our community are treated with dignity and respect?
- Change the question, "What's wrong with you?" to instead "What happened to you?"
- Trauma can overwhelm a person so much they have an inability to cope, not just with the past, but with daily life. I see this with my students when they fall apart over a small social misunderstanding or are paralyzed with no options in sight when their pencil breaks.
- An overwhelming event + an inability to cope = loss of safety
- We can help by (1) increasing a person's ability to cope in daily life and (2) help them feel safe now.
- "Often trauma victims are protected by shame, secrecy and social taboos..." (I thought the use of the word 'protected' was so interesting)
- All traumas can influence brain development in childhood (effecting learning ability)
- When a child's home base is unsafe and they are confused in situations (i.e. abuse, neglect, etc.) the first thing they will do is blame themselves. ("It must be me. I am the one evoking the abuse/anger. I am dumb - everyone gets it but me.")
I could go on and on, but I know I need to internalize this information a bit more before adding to this list.
Thoughts, anyone?
It wasn't a conference specifically designed for educators; the room was mostly filled with a variety of social workers and therapists.
I listened to some very well-informed folks and enjoyed spending the day taking in new information. Of course, the most important part of new learning is reflection time and I wanted to share a few thoughts that I took away from the day:
- We are agents for change for children. If something needs to be changed, we can put into motion what needs to take place.
- Asking/answering the question "How are the children?" can be an excellent indicator of our society's success. Can we say that the weakest/voiceless/powerless members of our community are treated with dignity and respect?
- Change the question, "What's wrong with you?" to instead "What happened to you?"
- Trauma can overwhelm a person so much they have an inability to cope, not just with the past, but with daily life. I see this with my students when they fall apart over a small social misunderstanding or are paralyzed with no options in sight when their pencil breaks.
- An overwhelming event + an inability to cope = loss of safety
- We can help by (1) increasing a person's ability to cope in daily life and (2) help them feel safe now.
- "Often trauma victims are protected by shame, secrecy and social taboos..." (I thought the use of the word 'protected' was so interesting)
- All traumas can influence brain development in childhood (effecting learning ability)
- When a child's home base is unsafe and they are confused in situations (i.e. abuse, neglect, etc.) the first thing they will do is blame themselves. ("It must be me. I am the one evoking the abuse/anger. I am dumb - everyone gets it but me.")
I could go on and on, but I know I need to internalize this information a bit more before adding to this list.
Thoughts, anyone?
Monday, March 18, 2013
Grant...Granted!
It was a wonderful day in my class today! The Prize Patrol arrived right on time and the kids were elated (and so was I)! Now we're off to do some shopping!
Friday, March 15, 2013
Happy St. Patrick's Day!
How about creating a St. Patrick's Day photo booth? Students can create WANTED posters and write personal narratives about their mischievous leprechaun ways. Some great mentor text for writing from another's perspective include 'Memoirs of a Goldfish' by Devin Scillian or 'The True Story of The Three Little Pigs' by Jon Scieszak.
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