Gratitude is an Awesome Attitude

Well, we watched Kid President again last week for our Gratitude Journals. We re-watched the one I showed the previous week (check it out here) and then watched the viewers response video. 

As always, the class loved it. There is just something infectious about Kid President! 

The Gratitude Journal response was to the last part of the video where he talks about saying "I Love You" more often. A lot of viewers thought we should say this more often and he agreed. But he pointed out that there are a lot of ways to say it that don't involve using the words. 

So, for their journals, the class had to come up with five ways that they say "I Love You" without using words. Some really got the concept. Some not so much. 

Most of the class said things like doing chores, listening to their parents, playing a game etc. The typical, expected responses to the question. Pretty much what I was expecting and looking for from the bunch. I mean they are only 6 and 7 years old and it was the first time we had discussed something as deep as ways we show our love without words. 

However, my heart melted just a little when I read the one from a student that said one of the ways he showed his love without words was by running and jumping up into his Dad's arms.

This kid is my "out of the box" thinker and he always has a way of seeing things that shows that he gets it but not always in the way that I thought he would get it. Sometimes his thinking is way deeper than I anticipated. He is so unique and I love that about him. 

(The day before I watched this same little guy as he just grooved quietly at the edge of the room to some music I had on as kids came in for Theme Studies . He was so in the moment and it was awesome to see. Did he care if no one else was really dancing to the music I had on? Nope. He was doing his thing and loving it. Hence the reason I love him so much!

What a lucky kid to be able to follow his own drum and know that it is okay. What a lucky kid to be able to show his love in his own way. And what a lucky Dad to have a kid like that.

How do you say I love you without using words?

Ms. Hughes

Things We Should Say More Often...

For our Gratitude Journals this past Friday, we watched a video by Kid President.

I loooooove this kid! He is so cute and funny. AND...he says things that need saying.

Wish more of us would follow his advice.

Anywho, we watched this video...

And then we had to think of things we could say more often. The teacher next door did the same thing but had her class write about one thing that they think should be said more often. One of my previous students is in her class and wrote this:

I love, love, love the way 7 year olds can just put it all into perspective. We do need to tell people this sometimes but we never want to hurt any one's feelings. 

The truth of it is...people need to take breaks from each other. Friends from friends. Parents from kids. Wives from husbands. 

Knowing when you need to take a break and refuel yourself is such an important skill. I worked with her last year on this same skill. We learned to "take a vacation" from friends every once in awhile if you are getting on each other's nerves. Because just like you don't stop being friends when one of you goes jetting off to Hawaii, you don't stop being friends when you take a mini-vacation from each other at school.

She has learned to take care of herself and let people know what she needs. And, sometimes, what she needs is a break. I am so proud of her for finding the 1,000,000 pounds of courage it takes to say it!

So, what do you need to find 1,000,000 pounds of courage to say?

Cheers!

Ms. Hughes

I hate being sick!!!!!!

So, I went back to work on Monday after sleeping my weekend away. And two days later...I am home with laryngitis. Ugh!!!!

I hate, hate, hate feeling well enough to teach but having no voice to do it with! It totally sucks! 

So, in an attempt to make myself feel better, I have been surfing youtube finding videos that make me happy and fill my heart. Consider yourself warned...I will undoubtedly jump on my soap box a time or two today!!!!!

I like to think that my being forced to sit at home and get better might result in your enjoying a big smile!

The first one is the Gratitude Dance video that I am planning to show on Friday when we do our Gratitude journals.

This one I love because it proves so clearly that appearances can be totally deceiving.

Here's a video by my favourite band, The Script. This song always makes me think of  my Dad. FYI, there is one swear word in this video (just in case you watch with children nearby!)

And another video that makes my heart full. Anyone who know me, knows that I am fully supportive of inclusion for all regardless of any differences, be they race, gender, sexual orientation or anything else. In my eyes and in my heart, we are all equal and deserve to be treated with the same love.

My brother-in-law and his husband celebrated one of the very first marriages in Ontario, over a decade ago, when same-sex marriage became legal. After many, many years together they were finally able to be legally recognized. How wonderful!

Soon after their marriage, at the young age of 5, my daughter experienced her first run in with homophobia when a parent in her kindergarten refused to let her play any longer with her daughter once she learned that my good egg has two married uncles. 

Today, I look at my beautiful, strong, 17 year old daughter, who sees no difference between gay and straight and feel proud to have raised her to look with her heart. This song gives me hope that, one day, the whole issue of marriage being straight or gay will be a long distant memory. That one day marriage will just be that...a marriage of two people who love each other.

Okay, stepping off my soapbox, now!

And, last but not least, a flash mob that brings a great, big smile to my face! And (to your relief) doesn't send me to the top of another soapbox!!!!!

Cheers!

Ms. Hughes

What's your awesome?

Okay, so last week we did our gratitude journals a little bit differently. If you got them at home and were wondering just what the heck was going on with them, I will explain...

I want the class to think about gratitude as being more than just things that they are grateful to have. I mean, there are only so many "I am grateful for toys" that I can handle!

We want to go deeper people!!!!

So, last Thursday we watched two videos on youtube. They are soulpancake videos done by Kid President. Know who he is? No? Well, you are in for a treat!

These videos crack me up!!!! And...they have the added bonus of talking about "bringing your awesome" which is what we wrote about last week.

I asked the kids to tell me what awesome they were going to bring to our school community. What would they do that would make other people grateful for them? 

So, here's a peak at the videos...

This kid makes me laugh, smile and want to be a better person. I love him!

Aside...I asked the students after the song what they thought it meant about the waves being bigger than our boats. I got lots of answers but...

after we were all done and heading off to write in our journals, one of my lovelies came up to me and said, "Ms. Hughes, I think it means that life can be hard but we can get through it if we try." 

Wowzer!!!! My heart got so full! It just about burst! 

Here is this kid who has trouble getting his thoughts on paper, who is struggling in some areas and, yet, when it comes to the really important stuff, the HEART stuff, he GETS it. I mean, he really gets it! It makes me feel so blessed to have moments like that with students.

Anywho, am off to hug my lovelies for another day!

Cheers!

Ms. Hughes

Worth Watching...

Saw this on the weekend. Gave me goosebumps. Worth watching for sure!

Ms. Hughes

Gratitude 101

Okay, so many of you know that my school is part of a Gratitude Project.

As part of the project we have been writing our gratitudes (you know for things/people/places/etc) on ribbons and then tying them to the fence at the front of the school (I'll get a pic this week. Pinky promise!) It is looking pretty colourful and makes my heart full to see so much gratitude in our community.

We even made it on the news! Seems like every time I turn around Global news is at our school filming something!!!! Ha ha ha!!! Here's the link!

So there have been lots of big things happening around gratitude so far this school year. I love it. I am one of the teachers involved with the project directly and am so thrilled to be doing something about our school's emotional well-being. IMHO, emotional health is as important (if not more important) to academic ability when it comes to learning. Let's face it, happy children learn better!!!!

In our class we are trying to bring gratitude into our weekly (and, eventually, daily!) routines. Last year we did Friday Journals where we wrote to our parents letting them know what we did at school all week. This year we are doing something different.

We are doing Gratitude Journals. 

I am loving this because I can finally justify all the time spent on Youtube looking at videos! (Yay! They aren't just wasted hours! They are hours of research!) I try to find a video to show each Friday that gives the class insight into being grateful or practicing gratitude. 

Anywho, this was the one I showed on Friday. I love it! The kids made some amazing connections after watching this. I wanted to just hug them all and tell them how grateful I am to be their teacher. Hmmm...come to think of it, I think I did that!

Feeling grateful that there are people out there that check in on me and this little ol' blog. Thank you!

Ms. Hughes

Happy Thanksgiving!

Thanksgiving has become a bittersweet holiday for me. 

I am so grateful for all that I have in my life.

And I want the day to be about remembering all the wonderful things that I have - my health, friends, family, a job, books, a home I like etc. etc. etc.

But...the day is also tinged with sadness as my Daddy passed away on Thanksgiving day three years ago. Since then, the day hasn't been the same.

I read somewhere that things never really get better after losing someone you love dearly. They just get less worse. 

I get that. I really do. I still think of him daily. I miss him very, very much. And, well, I just miss him that much more on Thanksgiving day. 

So, today I am going to give thanks for my father.

Ten (of a Gazillion) Reasons I am Thankful for my Dad:

1. He paid for my entire university education without complaint (something I am even more grateful for as I look at the prices for my daughter entering uni next year!!!!)

2. He taught me that it is not only okay, but essential, to carve out alone time each day (for him it was by listening to music - for me it is reading).

3. He taught me to teach for 40 years rather than teaching one year 40 times. 

4. He taught me to learn the difference between doubt and fear. And would always say, "If in doubt, don't" I still live by these words.

5. He spent time each week making my then young daughter a "girled" cheese sandwich and then watching old movies on AMC with her on her early dismissal day. I never had a close relationship with my grandfather as he lived 3000 miles away. Seeing the closeness between my child and my father filled my heart. 

6. He never judged me. 

7. He showed me that if you have a passion (his was Rachmaninoff) you need to follow it no matter what others think.

8. He taught me not to bring work home. (I only bring work home about 2% of the time. Not perfect but pretty darn close!)  

9. He kept his own counsel. He was like a vault when it came to being professional and keeping information private. I could tell him anything and know that he would maintain my privacy. This is a lesson everyone needs to learn.

10. He gave me a love for the South. He was born in small town Georgia and I love all things Southern. Give me some shrimp and grits any day of the week and I'll be happy! 

This song always reminds me of him and the small town, Homerville, where he grew up. She sings of a town in Carolina while he was from Georgia, but, the images she evokes are so clearly a Southern town that it could be any small town in the South. Listening to this song brings back so many happy memories of visits with cousins, aunts, uncles and grandparents. 

I love you Daddy and I know that you are with me always.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Ms. Hughes

Terry Fox

Hello friends!

Last week we had our annual Terry Fox run. 

It rained.

But, hey, Terry ran in the rain, didn't he? You bet!

So, we went out in the rain and ran.

Thankfully, the decision was made that the primary grades would stay at the school to do the run rather than walking to the park nearby.

The walk to the park and back would have meant over an hour in the rain. And, while I totally respect Terry's stamina and determination to run through anything, coming back to school to spend the rest of the day with a class of wet kids didn't appeal at all! Staying at school kept it under 20 minutes. Phew!

Plus, I can't lie, going to the nearby park is a huge stress for me at this point in the year. I have students who wander off walking from the classroom to the music room. And I am supposed to walk them 8 blocks from school? Without having a panic attack?

Seriously?!?!

Thanks but no thanks!

So, I was quite happy to stay at the school to do the run!

Anywho, the afternoon before the Terry Fox run we did a community activity that tied in to Terry Fox. 

After wandering the shelves in Kidsbooks for over an hour looking for just the right book, I found this book by Michael Nicoll Yahgulanass. (And how nice that it being a book by a First Nations author ties in so nicely with our school goal regarding First Nations education!)

It is not about Terry Fox but I think speaks to the spirit of Terry Fox. It is about doing what one can to change something that is seemingly unchangeable. It is about bravery and courage in the face of adversity. It made me get goosebumps the first time I read it. 

I dare you to watch this and not feel something!

After reading the story and watching the animation made by the author, students wrote and drew a response answering the question "What small action can you do to make a difference?"

Now, this is a pretty deep question for adults much less 5-7 year olds! But by tying it back to our school community, the students were able to come up with lots of great answers. Things like turn the lights off, pick up garbage, help each other, plant more trees, clean up after yourself, recycle, the list went on. 

I was proud of my group for all the great ideas they had. Now to put those ideas into action!

And, on an aside, at last count our school had raised almost $8000 for the Terry Fox Foundation. Now that is generosity! I feel so blessed to work at a school that has such a giving heart.

Cheers!
Ms. Hughes

Ten Ways to Avoid Writing Report Cards

1. Take a nap


Wish it was taking a nap in a place like this but, no, I have to deal with my messy bedroom and a cat and dog vying for position on the bed. Still a nap is a nap!

2. Play with the kitten

I mean, awwww, who wouldn't want to play with all that sweetness wrapped up in a little furry, cuddly bundle?

3. Read a book

Just finished this one. It is one of a series that Jude Deveraux has written about a little town named Edilean and the people that live there. A simple, sweet, happy ever after kind of read.

4. Surf the web

 

I can never get enough of design blogs. The first two are new ones to me but the bottom one is a personal favourite. I long to create that house by the sea look in our apartment. Hmmm....maybe this summer?


5. Pin images onto Pinterest

source unknown

focalpoint

a beach cottage

6. Go on itunes and listen to the latest songs. Then buy a few!

7. Answer emails. This one is especially good because most of my emails are from  letting me know that someone has repinned a pin of mine. This means checking out that person's board and, before I know it, hours have gone by!

 

8. Put together new itunes lists for my ipod. Again hours and hours of report card avoidance!

 

9. Take a bath

I am fortunate enough to have a clawfoot bathtub and all I can say is....pure heaven! Ours is white, not yellow, but we do have ruffled shower curtains like that. Only in a deep turquoisey colour. We have lived here for almost 6 months and I bathe every day. So far I have only used the shower twice! I love, love, love the tub!

and.....

10. Spend all day writing this post!

p.s. believe it or not but in and around all the avoidance tactics I used this weekend, I actually got all of my report cards written! Well, draft 1 at least. Tomorrow I will print them out and edit. I still find that I do better editing on a hard copy, you know? 

Worth a second (or third...or fourth...) look

I have watched this video many times and it still energizes me and makes me want to read. Enjoy!