Olweus Bullying Prevention Kick-Off!

On Friday, we had the privilege of hosting Marshall the Miracle Dog at our all-school assembly! If you don't know much about Marshall, you need to look him up! He's been written about in a book (by his mom/owner) and is about to be a huge movie star!

We also had time in our classroom to talk about bullying. I decided to use what I learned from my summer reading (Bullying Hurts: Teaching Kindness Through Read Alouds and Conversations by Laminack and Wadsworth). We read Same, Same But Different (Kostecki-Shaw), Whoever You Are (Mem Fox), and Skin Again (bell hooks) and had a classroom discussion about how we have so much in common! Laminack and Wadsworth state, "As human beings, we are more alike than different. Those things that make each of us human are present in every other human across the globe." Truly, we are all the same, same, but different! I also led them in an activity where I had them think about the many ways we've been hurt by someone and each time someone bravely shared it out, I wrinkled up the new, fresh piece of notebook paper in my hands. I then continued by saying that sometimes the people who offend us or hurt us apologize or we try to make ourselves feel better, but the piece of paper is never truly new ever again.

Afterwards, we went to build confidence in ourselves with Master Lee from the ATA Marshall Arts studio in Manchester. He helped us recognize that bullies tend to pick on those who don't look confident and proud of who they are. Students left with a little winded after following some of the exercises, but with a few strategies of how to look and feel confident!

Our final rotation was in the cafeteria with Mrs. Miller and Mr. Shelton. We had an opportunity to watch some scenarios from the Olweus Bullying Prevention Program DVD and think about some of the ways that we would have responded instead (or even likewise)! After the scenarios, students were able to post the areas in our school that they found to be a "hotspot", but more importantly provide a solution for the problems that they posted.

All in all, our Robinson Roadrunners are ready to start the trend in being a friend!

There is no "I" in TEAM!

Can I just start off by saying that I work for the best school district ever? KIRKWOOD SCHOOL DISTRICT IS THE BEST EVER! :)

We (teachers, administrators, assistants, custodians, secretaries, interventionists ... every employee) get to kickstart the school year at a traditional "ceremony" called Opening Day. I missed my first one last year due to a little Miss E in the belly giving us a false start at the time. So, I was pretty excited to experience firsthand Opening Day. And I must say, it was a wonderful reminder of why I am a teacher and how lucky I am to be doing what I love to do in a district like Kirkwood. And after all of the thoughtful reminders of how we are ONE KIRKWOOD, it ended with a bang. Literally, a bang! See for yourself!

That was pretty cool, no? I was in my high school's marching band and it brought back a flood of pleasant and not-so-pleasant memories. Any guesses as to what instrument I played while marching around on a football field? :)

After being inspired on Wednesday, we went back to our respective classrooms and continued to prepare for the year to come. However, what's really neat about this year is that our team is really looking into ways that we can be ONE TEAM. Notice a theme here? So our team is not just the three *ahem* awesome teachers of Mrs. Bearden, Ms. Turken, and myself, but includes our wonderful (equally awesome, of course) interventionists, teachers in special education, instructional supports,... Seriously, it's all about the team.

(top row: Mrs. Cheatham, Mr. Shelton, Mrs. Bearden, and me

bottom row: Ms. Turken, Mrs. Jeon, and Mrs. Bell

missing: Mrs. Sondermann, TA's, and other amazing people!)

I can't wait for the amazing collaboration that will take place this year to ensure that learning happens for all of our students in 5th grade...one step at a time! Are you ready? I CAN'T WAIT!