To encourage dialogue and reflection about intentional self-care, reflection, and growth, our question for this week is: What are the current ways that you take time for yourself to practice self-care? Embracing the Time (Week of 1/9/22) (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
After an eventful and emotional start to the new year, the snow day announcement last Thursday evening felt like a gift! Everyone in the family relished in the news and it was lovely to wake up to the pretty snowfall. With Maggie’s 18th birthday on Friday (we still can’t believe it’s been 18 years!), it was really nice to have the day to be together as a family. Hopefully the extra day was enjoyed by all.
Showing Up with Empathy
by Chase Mielke in ASCD
The emotions we feel—fear, anger, joy, sadness—are universal, and wired into us at birth. We all use these common emotions to motivate our actions to overcome challenges and survive. We all eat, we all sleep, we all want love, we all mourn loss, and we all look to belong to a group and a cause. And we all think everyone else drives worse than we do. We are more the same than we are different.
…the most critical gap we will need to bridge this year is the empathy gap—in ourselves, in our students, and in our communities. We must start by realizing that what we share is more common, more powerful, and more critical to growth than how we differ. In finding common ground, we can increase student achievement. In actively seeking connection, we reduce depersonalization, which is one of the three major components of burnout. And, in looking for relatability, we open the door for meaningful dialogue—the type that will be necessary to overcome the many challenges we face in schools.
To bridge empathy gaps, we don’t need new curriculum. We don’t need to invest in technology or fund new roles. We don’t need to stop teaching with rigor or relevance. Instead, we need to prompt ourselves to open doors of connection rather than duck behind walls of division. It starts with the most important resolution we may make this year.
My focus for 2022 is to strengthen the 4 L’s of Empathy—to build stronger connections, to de-escalate my emotions when I'm frustrated with someone, and to reduce my rumination about a conflict…
1. Listen nonjudgmentally
2. Label the emotion you think the person is feeling
3. Link to a similar moment when you’ve felt this emotion or reaction
4. Let go of any thoughts preventing you from finding common ground and productive dialogue
We’ve lost a lot this last year. But let’s not let loss prevent us from seeing what’s left. Let’s look to find common ground and to remember that human connection—human empathy—is the most powerful tool we have. And we need it now more than ever.
One way to help prevent us from ‘seeing what’s left’ and to help find common ground is to keep listening to our students and one another. The responses below provide a window into some of the hopes (#willfulhope will foster #willfulaction) we have in our community…
Sampling of Responses from Last Week’s ‘Question of the Week’: Please complete this statement: This year (2022) I hope to…
- Get in a club soccer team called Seacoast
- Be a better student.
- Help others dream big and meet their goals!
- This year I hope to work harder in school and put more time into doing the things I love and making more friends.
- This year, I hope to go to bed earlier so that I can focus better at school. I would also like to keep working on raising my hand to help participate in discussions.
- Gain a solid experience on how to deal with crises.
- I hope I can find it in myself to give more. Not in terms of $ but, in terms of time. Time for myself, friends, family and those who need it most.
- Have a good year
- work on myself and try and learn how to be less stressed and anxious
- Work my hardest at all times
- Write more
- Read more
- Workout more
- Go fishing more
- Grow, academically.
- Be on the better team for soccer and get on a volleyball team.
- This year in 2022, I hope to learn new things and help the world!
- Model positive dialogue and solution oriented approaches to problems that I face.
- Focus on my mental health
- Discover my identity
- Be a better me not a new me, improve on my participation and become a more improved on my learning skills as well. I need to work on coming out of my shell and expressing myself more
- I hope to become a better student
- I hope to go big or go home
- Be good
- Be proud of who I am.
- Go to the movie theater
- Spend more time with family
As always, let me know of any questions/concerns.
Please click here for Blake Updates.
Please click here for District Community Notices.
Take care.
Nat