What you think about, you bring about...

I love this thought that "whatever we put out into the universe, we get back." It makes total sense when we think about it with a sound mind, but what about when we are in a funk or a negative state of mind that we just cannot seem to shake? Asking for a friend (haha, but I seriously am). If we are looking at this idea or quote through a negative lens, do we really get it? Can we really get it? How can we help others see that the energy they are expending is coming right back at them - whether it is negative or positive?

It is funny that when we are "doing" self-care or reflection, whether that be writing or talking or thinking, we are looking for answers, but what usually happens is that we come away with questions. Hopefully that means we are doing it right.

For today anyway, in order to help my friend, I am going to focus on putting out good energy into this world. Maybe that energy will show, or maybe not. But it will definitely radiate and bring about positivity in my own world. What we think about, we bring about... I'm up for the challenge. And here's to getting my friend to be up for it as well!

Opening minds to the world...

So many times, lately, my "WHY" has popped up and hit me right in the face. My "why," meaning the reason WHY I do what I do. We all have a "why." What is yours? Well, mine just so happens to be this: you know that feeling you get when one of your students all of a sudden has an "ah ha" moment?" My why is about that, but then I take it a step further. My "why" is when a student has a "light-bulb moment" when their mind gets opened up to a broader, more accepting and tolerant world. 

I left a job in a big school district to come to a small, rural area for a reason. I didn't know that reason completely when I left, but it has been slowly revealed day by day. My "why" comes about often here. What a blessing (in disguise, of course). Don't forget to look for your "whys" every day! 

Origami - it can change our minds

I cannot help but talk about this really great thing a 9th grade boy did. Because he was challenged to do a random (secret) act of kindness, he came up with this idea. He created something like 20 different pieces of origami, and wrote positive quotes on them all. THEN - he spread them around the school for people to find. Let me tell you, it is amazing. What a great idea.

One example of this happy experiment changing viewpoints is this: we got a new student right on the day that he was spreading the origami around. The new student, scared and shy, did a double-take when she saw the goat origami piece. I told her she was welcome to have it. She smiled, took it and read the positive quote. She talked about how it was so perfect because she has goats at her grandma's house. This was great; especially because this girl is in the middle of a terrible situation, being uprooted from her previous school. She has no control over what is happening in her world, and the one bit of positive was just enough to put a smile on her face.

It's the little things, folks.

What is your why?

Sometimes I am so blown away and mind-boggled by the point of view my students are coming from that I can't help but shake my head. But here's the cool thing: our students are so mold-able right now that they NEED us to help them see beyond themselves. If we get too boggled or upset about how narrow minded some students are, we might not get to the good stuff!

This week, I had a student who was adamant that it was okay to use really offensive words (cue words like the N-word and you know what I'm getting at) when talking with your friends - because, "hey, our friends know we're joking." After a long and calm discussion about this, the student went on his way. An hour later he returned and said, "hey, so I've really been thinking about our conversation... I think I get it. I have a question. If I'm talking about something and use the word 'gay' to describe it, is that a bad thing?" The student was so genuine in his question. Though I was totally confused WHY HE DID NOT KNOW THIS ALREADY, I calmly and almost excitedly invited him to answer his own question. We processed this too. It was a real and honest "AH HA" moment. 

This is exactly why I do what I do. I love the AH HA moments the most. What is your WHY?

This is a great video that puts it into perspective on why we need a WHY... :)

Mindfulness thoughts...

I often talk about the brain, introduce new mindfulness techniques and "meditate" with the students... there are many thoughts about this, and sometimes I worry it won't be taken seriously, but the students love it. Little by little, they learn to use it on their own. I like this school-wide initiative:

Check out this school!

Creativity and Imagination

What fun to be with children when the only real goal put forth is to allow them all the creativity and imagination they want in an activity. Children come from a very different perspective, and often we forget to take that seriously. This week, the questions were, "If you could come up with the craziest, wildest, goofiest imaginary friend ever, what would he/she look like?" AND "What are the many, varied and unusual ways you would use one million beach balls?" When we get beyond the typical and move into imaginative thinking, some really great things come out.

This type of thinking is definitely a part of social, emotional learning (SEL) - especially if the kids are presenting and listening to each-other present on their outlandish ideas! Why not even take this idea into academic and career planning (ACP) with having them present on their creative job ideas. Or, what about a student professional learning community (PLC) that was all about creativity, giving them ideas to run with!? Taking our major initiatives and making them into something exciting gives them a new twist. Why not?

Some of my favorite responses were:

"I'm going to eat all of my beach balls and then, look, here is a drawing of what I'd look like!"
"I'm making a flying pig and flying bunny who play with me all day!"
"I made a beach ball mountain so I can climb high - all the way to the top!"
"My imaginary friend is a ghost and let me tell you all about him...." - he went on and on!
"I'm jumping into a giant beach ball pool and look, beach balls are flying up as I jump into them!"

In the spirit of Random Acts of Kindness...

This week, my students are all starting their random acts of kindness, through the secret agents program they started. I'm excited and nervous for them! I really want it to go well.

After a semi-negative start to the school year, this was so necessary! I did not even realize how important it is to talk about positive things. Just the mere act of talking about something positive can lighten a mood, change the energy and truly transform a space. Now, what if we extend that concept to an entire school building. If more and more people are seeing and saying positives, what might happen? Yes. Challenge accepted. After all, the kids did name me, "Agent Short Stack."

P.S. - I never even realized I was almost the only short one in the group!