Second Quarter-Let's Focus on Being Positive

     This time of year is always hard. It's officially November. It's getting colder, darker, and the school year is getting tougher. Students have now been in school long enough that it's no longer a new and fun experience for them. They're beginning to realize the workload is increasing as well as expectations. Students that slacked off at the beginning of the year are now feeling overwhelmed and overworked. At this point, they're received their first quarter grades and are beginning to understand the seriousness of the time and effort they put into their work. Our first quarter grades went out last week and already I'm seeing some behavior shifts. There are the students who persevere and see their grades as a chance to improve and push themselves to be better. There are students who have decided they are not where they expected to be and are giving up. Not only are kids dealing with school stress, the seasons are changing. When kids wake up in the morning, it is dark. When kids leave school and go home in the afternoon, it is dark. We go days without actually seeing the sun. I know at least in our case, these past few weeks have been rainy, cold, and just dreary. It hasn't exactly been promoting a positive mentality.

     That's why it is so important to remind students of their goals and ways to stay positive throughout the day. At the beginning of the year, my students set goals for themselves as well as positive quotes to keep them going throughout the year. There are several activities we're going to be completing the rest of this month to work on keeping a positive mindset. First and foremost, we are revisiting all of our goals from the beginning of the year. We are going to discuss how they are going, how we're going about reaching them, and if any modifications need to be made to reach them. If students are modifying goals, I'm not telling them they can't reach their goals. I'm simply asking them to consider whether they chose an attainable goal and if not, how can we fix it? Once students have discussed their goals and how to continue working on them throughout second quarter, we will discuss strategies for dealing with stress. I'm asking my students to focus on three: do a round of "yoga breathing" (several breaths in through the nose and out through the mouth), journaling or making a list, and taking a "time out" for personal reflection. A lot of students overwhelm themselves. They look at class walk and homework and tests and chores at home as a huge mountain to climb, something they'll never reach. It is important to remember to take it one day at a time. What can we accomplish today? At the end of the day, think back on one positive thing you were able to do. If you can think of one positive, the day was well spent.

     Another activity we will be experimenting with, will be "Elle's Snap Cup." I first heard about this (obviously) from the movie Legally Blonde. However, a colleague recently brought it up again in a team meeting about ways to create a positive environment in the classroom. If you haven't watched the movie, the premise of the "Snap Cup" is to write positive notes about each other anonymously and then add them to the cup to be read aloud. In our team meeting, we discussed having students write their name on a notecard and then "snowball" them around the room for several minutes. After several minutes, each student is responsible for picking up one of the notecards and writing a positive note about whichever student's notecard they received. Students do not have to put their name on the notecards ahead of time, but doing it this way ensures every student has something positive said about them.
     We're also going to spend at least two days a week doing quick writes about positive moments in our lives or things we have to look forward to the rest of the school year. I've chosen a few prompts I think will get students talking, such as:
- What is one thing you've done today that you can be proud of?
- Throughout this week, what is one goal you would like to work on?
- List three ways you can help a friend or family member this week.
- When you look in the mirror, what is one positive thing you can say to yourself?
     I want students focusing on what they can achieve and do instead of all the things they can't accomplish yet. Students need to be reminded that life isn't easy for anyone, we all have bad days we need to work through. Throughout second quarter, I will be writing along with my students, as well as posting throughout the room positive things I see or do. I want students to know that the good things they do or say are not going unnoticed and I am paying attention to them and their needs. Hopefully, this will in turn create more positive attitudes and actions for the rest of the school year.

If anyone has any good ideas or activities for positive growth that I can use with my kiddos, I would greatly appreciate it!

                                                                                         Have a great week!

                                                                                                  Love,
                                                                                                      💜  Ms. Haury