When I Grow Up...

In Kindergarten we read the book The Dot by Peter H. Reynolds.  In this story, the main character, Vashti, is frustrated because she thinks she isn't a good enough artist.  Her teacher tells her to try something on her paper and all she can muster up is a dot.  She is asked to autograph it and finds it framed in the classroom the next day.  This inspires her to make more dots, even better than her first one, until she creates an entire art show.  She meets a new friend at the end of the story that has a similar problem, and asks him to autograph his work (to start the cycle over again). 

This book really highlights the theme of believing in yourself.  With just a simple dot, you can do anything!  This book was the springboard into our discussion of our futures.  I pulled out my graduation cap and showed them the tassels from my college graduations.  I explained how I wanted to be a ballerina, a teacher, an architect, a fashion designer, and a mom when I was younger...and now I'm a school counselor!  If you put your mind to it, you can accomplish anything.  I had students draw pictures of what they would like to be when they grew up and share them.

Oh, The Places You'll Go in 1st Grade

In first grade we began to brainstorm about our future.  Where would we want to live?  Who do we want to be?  What college do we want to go to?  The list goes on and on!  I explained that there is not just one way to get where you want to go.  There are many different pathways that you can take, and as long as you always try your personal best, you will succeed.  We read Oh, The Places You'll Go! by Dr. Seuss to highlight their own unique journeys they will take in life.  We learned that you'll encounter many choices, ups and downs, and fears and successes as you travel through life.

Then the students illustrated how they wanted their futures to look:

 

College & Career Ready at Lee!

The Austin ISD Office of Academics mission is to develop and systematically support high quality, rigorous curriculum, programs and resources for school communities through collaboratively planning, communicating clearly roles and expectations, and building capacity for professional learning so that each and every student is college, career and life ready for global citizenship.

 

To support this mission, we are bringing awareness to college and careers at Lee Elementary during the month of May.  All guidance lessons will be focused on this topic and staff members will be filling out a survey to share their experiences from high school and on.  I created this bulletin board to showcase our education pathways, photos from graduation, and graphs to learn about what activities we were involved in as well as how we paid for college.

Here is the survey I created based on student's inquiries:

Here is the bulletin board:

Instagram: What You Need to Know as a Parent

What is Instagram?

Instagram is "a fast, beautiful and fun way to share your photos with friends and family.  Snap a picture, choose a filter to transform its look and feel, then post to Instagram...it's photo sharing, reinvented." (Retrieved from http://www.instagram.com)

Here is a great post with pictures to explain how Instagram works from YourSphere for Parents.

What Parents Need to Know 

"Parents need to know that Instagram is a popular platform for instantly enhancing photos with cool effects and sharing them across a number of social media platforms.  The terms specify that users should be at least 13 years old and should not post partially nude or sexually suggestive photos but do not prohibit the portrayal of violence, swear words, or drugs.  Users can flag photos for review, but mature content still appears in some photos and in the comment sections.  Photos shared in Instagram are public and may have location information unless privacy settings are enabled." (Retrieved from http://www.commonsensemedia.org/mobile-app-reviews/instagram)

Parents also need to know the negative effects of children using Instagram unmonitored.  What started as a fun way to share photos with friends and family, has been corrupted by users with a more malicious intent.  As most parents do, they speak about appropriate photos to post, privacy settings, and only sharing with people you know.  However, this is simply not enough these days.  Here are some tips gathered from http://sociallyactive.com/instagram-and-kids-a-parents-guide.

• You can browse through all photos posted by a user by going to Instagram.com/[USER NAME].  You should be monitoring your child's usage daily.
• When you sign up for Instagram you get to create a user name.  Make sure your child is not using their real first and last names to create their accounts.
• There is also an optional phone number section where users can submit their phone number as part of their public profile.  Do not allow your child to enter this personal information.
• Online predators often create fake accounts to gain access to children's photos (such as family beach vacation photos).  Then they can share pictures posted on inappropriate message boards. 
• When someone "follows" your child on Instagram, they have access to the user's profile information and photos.  This means they know your child's real first name, last name and possibly phone number when they registered for an account, in addition to a photo history of their daily activities.
• Make sure the "Add to Photo Map" option is set to off.  This creates a map of where each photo was taken.  If your photos are already set to private, then no one (even followers) can see the map.  This is also referred to as "geo-tagging."
• If your child doesn't know who the person is in real life, then they should not accept them as a follower.  Many children use the number of followers as a competition between other peers - this is not safe.
• Discourage your child to post photos of themselves or friends.  If there aren't these photos posted, it increases their online safety. 

Blog Posts

Here are additional blog posts from parents and educators that give light to the negative activities that occur on Instagram everyday.  Thank you to an aware parent at our school for bringing these to my attention! :)

• Life as of Late
• Surbabble
• Cleverly Inspired

Explaining the News to Our Kids

Kids get their news from many sources -- and they're not always correct. I found this very informative article on Common Sense Media about how to talk about the news -- and listen, too.

Help put the news in perspective

Shootings, terrorist attacks, natural disasters, end-of-the-world predictions -- even local news reports of missing kids and area shootings -- all of this can be upsetting news even for adults, much less kids. In our 24/7 news world, it's become nearly impossible to shield kids from distressing current events.Today, kids get news from everywhere. This constant stream of information shows up in sharable videos, posts, blogs, feeds, and alerts. And since much of this content comes from sites that are designed for adult audiences, what your kids see, hear, or read might not always be age appropriate. Making things even more challenging is the fact that many kids are getting this information directly on their phones and laptops. Often parents aren't around to immediately help their children make sense of horrendous situations.

The bottom line is that young kids simply don't have the ability to understand news events in context, much less know whether or not a source of information is credible. And while older teens are better able to understand current events, even they face challenges when it comes to sifting fact from opinion -- or misinformation.

No matter how old your kid is, threatening or upsetting news can affect them emotionally. Many can feel worried, frightened, angry -- even guilty. And these anxious feelings can last long after the news event is over. So what can you do as a parent to help your kids deal with all of this information?

Tips for all kids

Reassure your children that they're safe. Tell your kids that even though a story is getting a lot of attention, it was just one event and was most likely a very rare occurrence. And remember that your kids will look to the way you handle your reactions to determine their own approach. If you stay calm and considered, they will, too. 

Tips for kids under 7

Keep the news away. Turn off the TV and radio news at the top of the hour and half hour. Read the newspaper out of range of young eyes that can be frightened by the pictures. Preschool children don't need to see or hear about something that will only scare them silly, especially because they can easily confuse facts with fantasies or fears.
At this age, kids are most concerned with your safety and separation from you. They'll also respond strongly to pictures of other young children in jeopardy. Try not to minimize or discount their concerns and fears, but reassure them by explaining all the protective measures that exist to keep them safe. If you're flying somewhere with them, explain that extra security is a good thing. 

Tips for kids 8-12  

Carefully consider your child's maturity and temperament. Many kids can handle a discussion of threatening events, but if your children tend toward the sensitive side, be sure to keep them away from the TV news; repetitive images and stories can make dangers appear greater, more prevalent, and closer to home.

At this age, many kids will see the morality of events in stark black-and-white terms and are in the process of developing their moral beliefs. You may have to explain the basics of prejudice, bias, and civil and religious strife. But be careful about making generalizations, since kids will take what you say to the bank. This is a good time to ask them what they know, since they'll probably have gotten their information from friends, and you may have to correct facts.

You might explain that even news programs compete for viewers, which sometimes affects content decisions. If you let your kids use the Internet, go online with them. Some of the pictures posted are simply grisly. Monitor where your kids are going, and set your URLs to open to non-news-based portals. 

Tips for teens  

Check in. Since, in many instances, teens will have absorbed the news independently of you, talking with them can offer great insights into their developing politics and their senses of justice and morality. It will also give you the opportunity to throw your own insights into the mix (just don't dismiss theirs, since that will shut down the conversation immediately).

Many teens will feel passionately about events and may even personalize them if someone they know has been directly affected. They'll also probably be aware that their own lives could be impacted by terrorist tactics. Try to address their concerns without dismissing or minimizing them. If you disagree with media portrayals, explain why so that your teens can separate the mediums through which they absorb news from the messages conveyed.

Original source: http://www.commonsensemedia.org/advice-for-parents/explaining-news-our-kids?utm_source=041813_Parent&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=weekly

 

 

***Also, for a kid-friendly newscast, check out CNN Student News.  Each weekday there is a new 5-10 minute world news report presented in an age appropriate way.***

Assertiveness

Some people confuse assertiveness with aggression, and think that to assert yourself means to be pushy, selfish, or rude.  However, that is not necessarily true.  Being assertive means having the ability to stand up for yourself, your ideas, and your beliefs, without being aggressive or demanding.

Assertive people are able to respectfully communicate their needs, wants, feelings, beliefs and opinions to others in a direct, confident, and honest manner, without intentionally hurting anyone's feelings.  Assertiveness is the middle ground between aggression and passivity.  Even assertive people may not get everything they want or need every time they want or need it.  There will always be disappointments, even when a situation has been handled well.  However, when your children know their values and beliefs, and can convey them to others, more often than not they will feel successful and confident about themselves and their decisions.

 
All young people need assertiveness training.  It is a life-long skill that helps people lead healthy lives and make wise choices.  Assertiveness is a skill that many people have a difficult time with, but it is a skill that with time and practice anyone can learn - even your children.  In our Second Step curriculum, students learn how to be assertive in the classroom.

How do children learn this skill?
Parents can take an active role in teaching children to be assertive by helping to foster their self-image, develop effective communication skills, gain an awareness of one's own values and beliefs, and most importantly by serving as good role models.

How can I help my child boost his or her self-image?
A child who has a healthy self-image and is confident in their opinion is more likely to assert his or her beliefs.  Assisting your child to develop this confidence requires welcoming them to voice their own thoughts and beliefs.  Teaching children that there is one right answer or one best way of doing something will lead them to think speaking their minds can get them in trouble.

Let your children know their beliefs are valued.  Help them understand that they can say "no" or disagree and still be liked and respected.  Allow your child to voice his or her opinions and encourage them to talk with you about their thoughts.  Be open to what your child has to say.  Ask questions to learn more about how they developed their thoughts.  Probing for more details will cultivate your children's ability to examine his or her own beliefs.  Even if you disagree with your child, make sure to let him or her know that you respect their opinion.  It is important for children to understand and appreciate that people can have different thoughts and beliefs, so be sure to share your thoughts and beliefs, as well. 

Good Communication
Good communication skills are critical to being assertive.  Encourage your child to talk and write about things that are important to them.  Writing can help children gather and express their thoughts and opinions more clearly.

Young people also need to learn the value of listening.  Part of being a good communicator is being an active listener.  Active listeners are engaged in conversations, ask questions, and seek clarification when they are unsure about what is being said.  As a parent, you can both model and teach these skills by role-playing different situations with your child.

Role-playing is a great way to rehearse what you want to say and prepare for what response may be given back.  Practice how to react in different situations and share some feedback with your child on how he or she is delivering the message.  Help your child look at an issue from another person's perspective.

Be a Good Role Model
Parents can model assertive behavior for their children.  Teaching by example is one of the best ways to demonstrate this skill to young children.  Remember that your children are watching your actions.  If you are easily frustrated or angered, most likely your child will see that and learn to be that way as well.  Being assertive is a difficult task for many adults.  You may also need to practice and role play a situation before you tackle it head on.  Showing your child that you are able to confront a situation before you tackle it head on.  Showing your child that you are able to confront a situation openly and honestly will give them the courage to do so, as well.  This will also show them that you, too, need to practice this skill and that is "okay."

Teachable Moments
Television and books are useful tools for teaching your child to recognize the feelings of others.  Point out and talk about assertive, aggressive, and passive behaviors you see in movies, videos and television programs you watch together.

Recognize situations in which your children are asserting themselves and compliment them for that.  This shows your children that you are proud of how they handled a difficult situation, builds their self-image and encourages them to express their feelings clearly in the future.

Treat your child with empathy and respect, and they will learn to treat others in the same way.  The key to promoting positive interactions among children is teaching them to assert themselves in an effective and respectful manner.

Walk For Water

Let’s Fill the Jugs: Campus-Wide Community Service Project!

Through Legacy of Giving and the Gazelle Foundation, we are raising money to build a clean water system for the citizens of the Songa region of Burundi. Kids, parents, and relatives can help by collecting, earning, and donating money.

The Lee 6th graders are leading this effort, and they are going to each classroom at Lee to encourage all students to donate their time, talent, or treasure to this cause! Check out one of the amazing powerpoints the 6th graders are using in the classrooms! (It even has a Led Zeppelin soundtrack!) 
 


Ask your kids about it! They could sell lemonade or do extra chores around the house to earn money for a great cause!

You can donate online (choose Lee Elementary) at www.walkforthewater.com and/or bring cash or checks to school and put them in the water jug for your student’s classroom! Let’s fill the jugs and meet the 6th graders’ goal of raising $1,000! That’s only $2.50 per student! Checks should be made out to Walk for the Water, with Lee Elementary in the memo line.

Finally, please join us for the Walk for the Water at the Tony Burger Center on April 27th at 8:30 am. Register for the walk at www.walkforthewater.com.