March 3 - Week 8

Finally a full week of school!!

TLS Curriculum w/ Ms. Jackson: Superheroes 
This weeks goal was to create a superhero. I divided the class into groups of 3. They were instructed to create a superhero. The superhero had to have 2 strengths / superpowers and 1 weakness. The superhero also had to have an alter ego. Once this was completed, the groups presented their superhero to the class. Afterwards, we discussed, in small groups, how these superheroes could help themselves, their community, and the world. We talked about what real-life superheroes looked liked and what strengths and what weaknesses they had.

The students were quite creative with their superheroes, at times they were a bit unrealistic / fictional, but the groups came together in the end creating serious discussions on what and who superheroes are.

Below are some photos: 

 

Cooking Club:

This week we cooked Macaroni and Cheese. Homemade Mac and Cheese. It was delicious. Ask any of the girls if they know how to make it and they should be able to help you out! 

 

AG Club Continues on:
The bunnies are alive and well. They have been moved back to their original homes with the exception of one, who ran into the wild! Additionally, observations are still taking place with the seeds planted.

February 24 (Adventure Camp) - Week 7

Having a February and an April vacation week is knew to me. Back in Virginia, we were out for Christmas break and for Easter break. Other than that and snow days, we were scheduled to be in school. Boy, these kids are lucky!

During this week, Kieve hosts an Adventure camp. Here students from the community are offered a place to hang out with friends and make new ones from 9-4 while their parents are off at work. I had the pleasure of working with the 1st-3rd graders. During this week, I build stronger relationships with some of kids I have already been working with at GSB as well as met different kids that live throughout the community.

Each morning, my co-worker Noah and I would take our kids on a morning walk. Here they got fresh air, explored the world around them, and released some early morning energy. Afterwards, we had a quick snack, followed by recess, and an indoor craft. Through the week the kids made various things including: 3D snowflakes, an animal's den, and tie-dye socks. Afterwards, we enjoyed a tasty lunch. After lunch, we went to the indoor rock climbing wall. Next up, was an outdoor adventure which mostly included sledding, however, we also did some snow painting and build forts in the snow. We then enjoyed a quick snack before going for our evening walk and heading back to the top of the hill to sled before the parents picked everyone up.

It was a great week. We were fortunate to have snow from the week before, but sunshine and warm weather this week for the kids to play in.

Here are some photos:

February 10 / February 17 - Week 5/6

Winter is here! The school days have been far and few in between. Raised in Virginia, I had imagined Northern winters to be crucial. Before heading to Virginia for winter break, I was surprised at the lack of snow on the ground, but was also was quite surprised when I returned to Maine in January with snow piles taller than street signs. Weeks later, snow finally arrived! More snow than I had ever seen in my entire life!

On the days when it was safe enough to come to school, everyone was hard at work. I incorporated TLS curriculum with the 5th graders. We started working on Squiggle lines with Ms. Jackson and Ms. K's room.

Squiggle lines:
                        How it works...
The facilitator (me) draws a squiggly line on a poster board. The students are divided into groups of 4 people. They all receive a poster board with the same squiggle line. As a group, the students decide what they are going to draw (using the squiggle line already drawn for them). Afterwards, they are each handed a different color marker. They are required to use the same color marker for the entire project. They are then free to draw their part of the project.

                       Conversations that arise:
After an allotted amount of time and after students have discussed what worked well, what didnt work so well, and what could have been differently, they shared their drawing with the class. It was interesting listening to the concerns of the students. At times, students felt as though their voices weren't heard, that their classmates did what they asked them not too, and that the original drawing did not turn out quite as planned.


                      Discussion:
We then discussed how this related to life. If they felt like their voices are often heard or ignored and what they could do to change this. We then reflected individually and wrote down what they brought to their classmates. For an example, do they bring their sense of humor, their creativity, their passion, their honesty, etc. Students also wrote down a short term goal to accomplish within the next couple of weeks.


Ms. K and Mr. Hupp visit Kieve:

Friday, February 17th, the 5th grade classes visited Kieve. One part of the day was spent inside at the indoor rock wall. Here students worked together belaying their classmates (something they were not expecting upon their arrival to Kieve). Usually, a belayer is an adult pulling the rope down as the student climbs up. At Kieve, we challenge the students with an Australian belay. This belay system requires at least four students to belay their classmate while climbing. Its a great way to practice teamwork and building trust among the group. I enjoyed watching everyone challenging their comfort zones and encouraging their classmates along the way. The second part of the day was spend outdoors, snowshoeing! With the recent snowstorms there was plenty of snow for a good hike around campus. Here the students tested their physical stamina and mental energy traversing around the campus, at times, breaking new trail!

AG Club continues on:
Due to the storm, the bunnies were moved to the hoop house. Here they were protected from the feet of snow that protruded into their homes.

Cooking Club:
With Valentine's Day around the corner, we created chocolate covered strawberries. The girls enjoyed melting both milk and white chocolate and dipping fresh strawberries and blueberries in creating a perfect mixture of fresh and sweet. A perfect Friday afternoon treat!

February 3rd - Week 4

The weeks are starting to fly by here at GSB. I am starting to settle into my weekly routine and look forward to what each day brings me. Below are just this weeks highlights.

TLS Curriculum - Hula - Hoop Pass
This week we are working on working together as a team. The class started with an open discussion on the differences and similarities between a group and a team. Many of the students were unsure of how to define either of these terms while others just did not understand how there was any difference at all. After creating a chart defining the two, we played Hula Hoop Pass.
Hula - hoop pass requires everyone to participate. The students can either just work for themselves and only pay attention when it is their time to or they can choose to help each other out and provide encouragement to all of their classmates.
How it works: the class forms a circle, interlock hands (or puts another object between themselves and their partner), and as the name suggests, must pass the hula-hoop from one side of the circle all the way around to the other. This may seem like a simple task, but never judge a book by its cover.
The differences between each of the classes were interesting.

The first class to attempt the challenge was Ms. Jackson's 5th/6th grade. After providing thoughtful definitions  of a group and a team, we started the challenge. The class was focused, everyone was engaged, and the encouragement that was provided was uplifting!
I was proud of the classmates working together as team.

The second class to complete the task was Ms. K's class. This class questioned the difference between a group and a team and believed that they were the same and could not be separated. They were skeptical of the definition but were excited to complete the hula-hoop pass challenge.
This class performed much differently than the other class. They were silent, little encouragement was provided, and more distractions arose. Rather than cheering their classmates on, these students decided to try the wave, working against the students who were trying to make their way around the hula-hoop. Irregardless, they completed the task.
They did not see any fault in their distracting wave movements. This turned into a conversation about different perspectives and not knowing those perspectives without communicating with the other members.

Lastly, Mr. Hupp's class completed the Hula-Hoop Pass challenge. Beforehand, as with the other classes, we defined a group and a team. In this class, there was conversation about teams working with sports and groups being other organizations, however, after we completed the task, the class had a different opinion.
I was shocked at the individuality within this challenge. The room was relatively silent and little encouragement was provided. At times, members laughed when someone did not know what to do. This led to a great conversation about working together as a team regardless of what your affiliation is. The classroom began to see that they are all after the same goal and that they are teammates and that they can help each other out. Of course, at all times, except on tests!

Lunch with 1st and 2nd grades
Each Tuesday and Wednesday I have special lunch groups with the first and second grades. Each time I take a different group of students and we have lunch in a quiet area and are able to have open conversations. This is just a time for the kids to talk to and express whats going on in their lives. Each week as the groups continue to change I learn a little bit more about the life of a 1st and 2nd grader.

Agriculture Club
Per usual, on Wednesday's we meet from noon to 1. As lunch begins to digest, we begin to learn more about plant life. This week we checked on the seeds we planted in the Greenhouse, finding only a few sprouts, and we also planted seeds inside under a lamp to see if they would grow better without the elements. Before our time ended of course we fed the rabbits.

Cooking Club -
To kickoff cooking club, I asked the girls what they would like to cook. Although I had a goal of cooking nutritious, quick, simple, and inexpensive meals, I also wanted to make sure they enjoyed the food as well. One of the requests were smoothies, so this week, we crossed one wish off of the list. The girls learned the different steps of measuring out the required ingredients as well as adding ingredients to add more flavors. We made a mixture of blueberry, banana, and peanut butter smoothies. This is definately one that will hit the books.

1st grade Crafts
Typically, I only spend my mornings with the first graders. They enhance their reading skills while I get listen to cool stories. I have a few "usual" students that read to me each day. Typically before they start to read, I ask how their lives are going and have a small conversation. One of these students has been requesting that I bring in a trophy so they can give it to their parents. I thought on this for a while, wondering how I was going to help this kid out, without leaving anyone out. I provided tips of where to buy one and how to make one, but they really wanted me to bring a trophy for them to give to their parents. After a week and half of continuously putting it off and thinking they would forget, I finally gave in after I knew this was going to continue to persist. I then did some quick research and asked the teacher for a favor. With some creativity, some supplies, and some love we were able to allow the entire first grade class to make their own trophy to give to someone special in their lives. The children had a blast creating these masterpieces out of solo cups, muffin cups, pipe cleaner wire, and tape. I was impressed with the creativity, love, and spunk put into each of these pieces of art.

Thank you first grade teachers for letting me run your crafts this Friday. I had a blast!



Its been an eventful week with many many smiles. Each day brings me more and more joy. Have a good weekend all.

January 27th - Week 3

Monday -
What an adventurous week I had! Monday was spent at the Hidden Valley Nature Center with Mrs. Fake's 2nd grade class. Here we spent time walking the icy terrain to the barn where we wrote about our grand entrance. Once snack was over, we split into groups and studied different animal tracks throughout the area. After lunch we walked up to the yurt and listened to a story that was perfect for the occasion. Before ending the day we found sticks the lengths of rulers and made varies shapes and perimeters. It was a beautiful day well spent in the outdoors. A day all should be very thankful for.

Tuesday-
Tuesday school was canceled. Mother Nature decided to lie a bed of rain and ice on the Earth's floor.

Wednesday-
The rest of the week was filled with various adventures. Wednesday a "TAR WARS" presenter spoke about smoking. He took a different approach, asking the 5th graders to come up with a poster showing how not smoking was cool. Showing a representation of life, smoke free. Soon posters will fill the wall and one poster will be chosen to compete against all of the schools in Maine.

Wednesday
Agriculture Club-
This week we cleaned up the slushy sidewalks, fed the bunnies, and checked on what we planted last week. The Greenhouse effect isn't working just yet, but it can take up to 10 days before they sprout, so we are looking forward to seeing those this coming Wednesday. Additionally, we reused the seed of an avocado to plant more.


Wednesday and Thursday
TLS -
This week I got to spend a class period with each of the 5th grade classes. We spent our time getting to know each other better than what meets the surface. Students were put into various groups and asked to come up with commonalities that they have. These commonalities had to be specific. They couldn't say anything that I would know by looking at them or by being in their community (ex. they are all wearing boots or they all live in Lincoln County). This was a challenging task for the students, but they were able to overcome it and dig a bit deeper. I was able to observe strengths and weaknesses. As stated before, I am really looking forward to seeing these kids grow closer together.

Friday
Cooking Club-
Last winter, Maggie started the cooking club and it was a hit. Friday it officially re-started with a group of 6 graders. This year my goal is to provide a sample of each mealtime, a snack, and a dessert. I want to teach children how to cook items that are quick, inexpensive, healthy, and something that the kids can do by themselves if they would ever need to.  This week we enjoyed a breakfast meal, eggs. These were not ordinary eggs. They were not fried or scrambled or boiled, but rather baked in a muffin pan. We created a delicious ham, egg, and cheese muffin tin dish in under 25 minutes and they turned out fantastic. One girl stated how she always had to have ketchup with her eggs, but that these were perfect without it. The other girls stated how they couldn't wait to tell their relatives so they would start making it for them. I would call it a success.

January 20th - Week 2

Thankful, that is how I am feeling right now. Thankful to become part of the local community. Thankful to walk into a school each and everyday with the same kids smiling and greeting me. I am thankful to have teachers who are patient and kind. Teachers that walk me through things that are new to me and teachers that hold high expectations for a person who has only been in a school for 2 weeks since graduating high school (and attending college).

I have learned so much about the developmental stages of children in these past couple of weeks than any book in any of my psychology classes ever has. The mind is a beautiful thing and can learn much, but until you do, it does not become habit, it does not set it, and it does not become real.

This week was exceptional. I took part in Mr. Brown's identification course and was introduced to the agriculture club.

On Tuesday's Mr. Brown puts together activities for his class to complete. These activities are more hands on and tailored towards the outdoors. This week we paired up and tested our senses. We set out on an adventure using our eyes, our ears, our touch, our smell, and even our taste. One pivotal point during this activity was when Tiona and I had to see a bird fly. We looked around and we didn't spot any wildlife, but then we stood there, silently, as silent as we could and suddenly we noticed multiple birds chirping in the trees above. Moments later, one flew away. Had we not stopped and listened we would have never known the birds were there and would not have heard the beautiful calls made by these animals.

The following day I was introduced to the agriculture club. Each Wednesday afternoon, a group of students come together and feed the school rabbits and also learn how to plant and grow seeds. This week we quickly fed the rabbits and provided them with fresh water. Shortly after, we learned about the greenhouse effect and planted different seeds that would eventually provide food to the rabbits.

The end of the week was topped of with bring TLS to the classroom. I was able to spend some time with Ms. K and Mr. Hubby's 5th grade class. This week I introduced them to LEADSTAR which is an acronym that provides 8 guidelines of effective communication.

L - listen to the entire message
E - eye contact
A - avoid distractions / avoid being distracted
D - dont interrupt
S - speak loudly and clearly
T - think before you act and speak
A - ask questions (about the topic)
R - repeat the message


Its been a fun-filled week. I am continuously learning and growing while watching hundreds learn and grow!

Highlight not mentioned: Mrs. Fake's 2nd grade class play performance about Tanzania :)

January 12th - Week 1

Happy New Year,

For the start of 2017, I have the pleasure of working at one of the four local schools in Lincoln County, ME, Great Salt Bay, which houses grades K-8 for the Damariscotta, Newcastle, and Bremen area.

Arriving at 8 a.m., I am welcomed with morning greetings from the 1st graders. This morning a girl told me how she hopes the rest of her day goes well. This morning she was getting ready to walk her big, black German Shepherd, but fell onto the ice and into a big puddle creating a very wet pant leg. Before settling in, I wished her a wonderful day, and then began to read one-on-one with the 1st graders. This is meant to be extra practice for the kids, but they never make it seen like work. They all want to come read with me and continue to progress as each session continues.

After, I assist with 2 different kindergarten classes during their Daily 5 lesson. The Daily 5 lesson is designed to enhance the kids reading and writing abilities. They rotate between two different stations each day. Here you can find them sounding out different vowels, reading to a friend, or stamping the letters to a word written down. Keeping them in check and offering an extra hand is my primary responsibility.
One of my highlights this week was from Mrs. Ball's K class. They have a morning greeting where the students take turns going around a circle and shaking a students hand while saying "Good morning (students name). It is nice to see that the kids are implementing Kieve's rule, that everyone and everything has the right to be treated with kindness and respect. This activity also teaches them much of what our imfamous LEADSTAR teaches: listening to the entire message, using eye contact, avoiding distractions, not interrupting, speaking loudly and clearly, ask questions (for example, Laney not knowing my name), and repeating the message.

All of a sudden it is lunch time. I do go to lunch early, but so far the day has zoomed by. I love spending part of my day hanging out with the K class, but having lunch with them is even more exciting. They know how to tell such cool stories. Its nice to see their imaginations and creativity at work! Today I spent lunch hanging out with the boys. One of them spent the entire lunch period telling me how to read time. He continued counting 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12,13,14,15,16,17,18,19,20,21,22,23,24. I stopped him, informing him, that he was indeed correct, and that there are 24 hours in a day. He was even table to tell that 3 could also be the 15. I am sure it didn't make much sense to him, but he clearly knows how to count and is striving to learn how to tell time! He continued on, telling me the difference between night and day not only here in Damariscotta, ME, but also knowing that the other side of the world is opposite of us. I think he is onto something great!

In the afternoons I spend a portion of my time with the second graders. Here I help with various tasks including creating maps of Tanzania, a country they are studying, as well as making sure the students are excelling in spelling and math.

The rest of my afternoons will be spent with the 5th graders! Here I will bring Kieve to GSB. Today I introduced LEADSTAR to the 5th and 6th grade combination class. Some of the students had the privilege of working with Maggie last winter. I look forward to seeing how they retained and apply the information this year and how they become leaders to the new folks.


That's it for this week. I have gotten a grasp of how the school works, what my schedule will be, and what I look forward to accomplishing during my short time here. Next week, I will have more time working with the 5th grade classes, I will start a cooking club that Maggie introduced last year, and I will begin a short yoga session with the 8th grade students. I am looking forward to my new weekly adventures!


CAPTIVATING...
The best thing I heard all week:
K: "Kasie, look, look" (a student is pointing to a jet stream trail)
Me: "Wow, look at that!"
K: "Its Wonder Woman!"

I could not stop smiling :)