To encourage dialogue and reflection about the importance of naming ‘good things’ in our lives, our question for the week is: Share 3 good things that have taken place or you have witnessed recently in your life. Naming the Good (Week of 10/23/22) (This is an anonymous Google Form)
Blake's Guiding Lights
Our Students
Blake's Core Values: Respect, Responsibility, Resourcefulness, Reflection
Our Essential Question: How can we cultivate and curate the progression of student learning and growth?
Our Mission: Blake Middle School believes in a living mission statement, based on the concept that our community seeks and respects knowledge, integrity, character, wisdom, and the willingness to adapt to a continually evolving world.
The most important attitude that can be formed is that of desire to go on learning. - John Dewey
You cannot teach today the same way you did yesterday to prepare students for tomorrow. - John Dewey
This past weekend felt like a gift, having not had a full five-day week in a while - I have to say, I felt a little more tired than usual on Friday evening! We spent much of the day outside on Saturday (ongoing leaf pick-up!) and had a few sports games for the boys on Sunday . We enjoyed seeing Ina Garten on 60 Minutes Sunday evening - she is one of our favorites!
I will be sharing resources and learning from the two days in the upcoming weeks, but there were a few key ‘take-aways’ for me that have really resonated and stayed with me that I wanted to lift up and share this week (these are notes from different sessions and thoughts that came to mind throughout the workshops)…
- Learning Organizations: “people continually expand their capacity to create the results they truly desire, where new and expansive patterns of thinking are nurtured, where collective aspiration is set free, and where people are continually learning how to learn together.”~Peter Senge
- Cycle of Reflection - Learn, Reflect, Act, Assess
- Steady decline in how kids feel about themselves about their work and learning in school
- Cultural Humility
- An ongoing process of self-reflection and self-critique
- Taking a learner’s stance in seeking to address structural inequities
- Being curious and acknowledge difference
- An ongoing process of self-reflection and self-critique
- Label the action, not the student
- Children value themselves based on others’ reactions
- Be open to the surprises
- We may not comprehend everyone, but we can have compassion for everyone
- We are in education because we know what is possible
- Pay attention to social dynamics of students
In sharing these notes, my hope is that they will serve as a concrete reminder for myself and also open up questions, thoughts, and ideas for others. I look forward to future conversations and ideas about how these ideas and processes may connect to our work at Blake with our students and one another.
Two poems below by Mary Oliver were shared by Jeff P. and they underscore the importance of carving out space for joy, hope, and openness. It may sound overly idyllic and idealistic, but that is an aim and vision I think we can all get behind for our learning community…that it can serve as that space for students, families, and staff. If that space is fostered and nurtured, I think we can build upon our practices to help one another name our hopes and dreams while taking steps towards reaching them.
- I dream that I will inspire students to make something that gives them a sense of pride.
- I would like to get better at horseback riding. I can do this by practicing.
- I want to get some full size candy this Halloween (ex. Hershey and sour patch kids)
- I hope to become a better soccer player. To achieve this goal I am going to first get my injured foot better and then practice more
- Go to the New York Tisch acting school, become a famous actress.
- A dream I have for the future is becoming an amazing athlete, actor, and singer. A step I can take to achieve these dreams is practicing all of those talents.
- Letting go a bit
- Get better at science. Study for longer and harder
- to get better grades -> practice more
- My biggest dream in life is to be able to support my kids with everything they have ever wanted, but teach them to be humble about it.
- I want to be a professional baseball player and I will practice a lot to work towards this.
- Get good grades. Study harder.
- Get out of school. Do school.
- I have a dream of becoming a voice actress. I can train my voice and in the future, I can become a great voice actress.
- When I grow up, I hope to be an artist. But I'm not a very flexible artist. I can only draw eyes, and I'm starting to draw people. Ways I can improve my drawing is expanding my horizon.
- I will work harder at dance to become a better dancer
- I want to be on the varsity basketball,soccer and tennis team
- I hope to one day be the CEO of a company. One step is to get good grades in school, because they help with college admissions.
- I hope I will become better at practicing my viola by bringing it home more. And I hope that HSM will go wonderfully!
- I hope that I will get a good grade on my math test. I will try and study 3 days a week.
- I hope I get good grades. I will pay attention in class.
- I want to be better at essays. Practicing.
- I want to be successful in life
- I want to be a wnba player, I will practice basketball everyday
- I want to become a professional sports player. I will work really hard and practice every day. I will also play against other teams and players.
- To get into a good college and graduate high school.
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Take care.
Nat