I am a TERRIBLE salesperson – PLEASE buy and WEAR Ally Week buttons!!! They are still available from me, from the office, and the student store for $0.50 each. I welcome all support to promote the sense of safety for ALL students here at Ainsworth, and all students have learned what it means to be an ally. We recognize national Ally Week next week (October 21-25) by refraining from name-calling, taking a stand when we safely can, and supporting the efforts of others to make Ainsworth and every school a safe place for all students. Please take a moment to appreciate student art work on display around the main building (in the stairwells) with the Ally Week theme.
Coming up: We’ll be focusing on specific ways to help others. Students will be acquiring “the knowledge, attitudes and interpersonal skills to help them understand and respect self and others” (American School Counseling Association, 2003). I will be reading the book, “Have you filled a bucket today?” by Carol McCloud to children in K-2, and delivering the lesson “How would you feel?” from Teaching Tolerance, a project of the Southern Poverty Law Center to students in 3rd, 4th & 5th grades. These lessons will also draw on the Ready, Set, Respect! curriculum I have mentioned in earlier posts.
In November I will introduce Kelso’s wheel to all Kinder, 1st & 2nd grade students. If you’re unfamiliar, Kelso’s wheel encourages kids to distinguish between “big and small problems” and to use one of nine solutions to solve smaller problems. These solutions are: Go to another game; Talk it out; Share and take turns; Ignore it; Walk away; Tell them to stop; Apologize; Make a deal; Wait and cool off. I tell students that the hardest but most effective one is “Talk it out”, which many adults also struggle with. The easiest one is to “Tell them to stop” and it’s a basic first step towards a solution.
A little bit at a time, I will be deviating from the personal/social guidance lessons for 3rd, 4th & 5th graders. I’m going to particularly focus on academic skills – “students will acquire the attitudes, knowledge and skills that contribute to effective learning in school and across the life span” (American School Counseling Association, 2003). This includes accepting mistakes, persistence, asking for help, and balancing independent work with cooperative work. In the spring, I will push heavily on career skills.
…which leads me to my continuing ask for supporters of this year’s Ainsworth career fair! I have already gotten volunteers to share their passions for civil AND computer engineering, flying airplanes, law, property management, and tax support. I will start making cold calls soon, so if you want to help with that, let me know!!!
Coming up: We’ll be focusing on specific ways to help others. Students will be acquiring “the knowledge, attitudes and interpersonal skills to help them understand and respect self and others” (American School Counseling Association, 2003). I will be reading the book, “Have you filled a bucket today?” by Carol McCloud to children in K-2, and delivering the lesson “How would you feel?” from Teaching Tolerance, a project of the Southern Poverty Law Center to students in 3rd, 4th & 5th grades. These lessons will also draw on the Ready, Set, Respect! curriculum I have mentioned in earlier posts.
In November I will introduce Kelso’s wheel to all Kinder, 1st & 2nd grade students. If you’re unfamiliar, Kelso’s wheel encourages kids to distinguish between “big and small problems” and to use one of nine solutions to solve smaller problems. These solutions are: Go to another game; Talk it out; Share and take turns; Ignore it; Walk away; Tell them to stop; Apologize; Make a deal; Wait and cool off. I tell students that the hardest but most effective one is “Talk it out”, which many adults also struggle with. The easiest one is to “Tell them to stop” and it’s a basic first step towards a solution.
A little bit at a time, I will be deviating from the personal/social guidance lessons for 3rd, 4th & 5th graders. I’m going to particularly focus on academic skills – “students will acquire the attitudes, knowledge and skills that contribute to effective learning in school and across the life span” (American School Counseling Association, 2003). This includes accepting mistakes, persistence, asking for help, and balancing independent work with cooperative work. In the spring, I will push heavily on career skills.
…which leads me to my continuing ask for supporters of this year’s Ainsworth career fair! I have already gotten volunteers to share their passions for civil AND computer engineering, flying airplanes, law, property management, and tax support. I will start making cold calls soon, so if you want to help with that, let me know!!!