To help encourage dialogue and reflection about looking forward with intentions in mind, our question of the week is: With about a month left in school, what goal do you have to end the year on a strong note? What is one action step you can take to accomplish this goal? Planning with Intention (Week of 5/23/21) (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 a very full week (do I say that every week ?!?), it was nice to get in a quick bike ride last Friday afternoon before going to Owen’s baseball game - it was fun to see the Holliston 7th graders play against the 8th graders under the lights! We had a peaceful Saturday morning with some outside yoga by Lake Winthrop and enjoyed watching and celebrating the Holliston High seniors in their rolling rally on Saturday afternoon. On Sunday afternoon Katie and I attended the anti-racism vigil taking place at Meetinghouse Park in Medfield.
As I continued my walk back to the Blake office, I felt a more purposeful sense of calm with my ‘to do list’. It was a great reminder and tangible example of how fortunate we are to be with students every day. The 8th grade Career Day (big thanks to Tracy and Debbie for all of the work organizing a meaningful experience for our students) also provided a boost for my thoughts, listening to members of our community share their experiences, wisdom, and insight with our students. Here are some of the messages shared…
- Be curious and open-minded
- Live by the two main principles of non-violence from Dr. Martin Luther King.
- PRINCIPLE ONE: Nonviolence is a way of life for courageous people.
- PRINCIPLE TWO: Nonviolence seeks to win friendship and understanding.
- PRINCIPLE ONE: Nonviolence is a way of life for courageous people.
- Importance of working with other people
- The power of service to others
- Everyone’s paths and life experiences are different
- Collaboration is critical
- Importance of doing something you enjoy - not choosing a path based on the salary
- Allow the windy path to take place in your careers
- Power of people’s stories
- Trust your teachers and your community - they love you. Use them as a resource.
These coming weeks (I really am having a hard time wrapping my head around the fact that we have 4 weeks left, even with the year we have all had!) will be full, busy, exciting, stressful, etc. - the list could go on and on. And for all of us (students, families, community), this period marks the beginning of another transition - some of these transitions will be (or feel) bigger than those for others, but we are all experiencing a time of transition(s) with questions/feelings that begin to surface…
- What comes next?
- What will we remember?
- Am I ready?
- What should I let go?
- What should I carry forward?
As we are experiencing and thinking about these questions and answers, I have to keep reminding myself that our students feel and think about these questions every single day - both consciously and unconsciously. I believe it is important that we (and maybe I am talking to myself here) try to #slowitdown and provide the necessary space for serious and intentional thought and reflection. The post below along with the excerpt and responses from last week speak to this practice of reflection with an intentional lens for planning in a productive and student-centered manner...
The Resilient Educator / Emerging Stronger
by Elena Aguilar in Educational Leadership
As the 2020–2021 school year comes to an end, educators have a unique opportunity to deepen their resilience by engaging in a thoughtful, intentional reflection process. This a key moment to understand that resilience is built when we experience adversity and emerge stronger than we were before. One way we can feel stronger is by being able to point to what we learned from this difficult experience.
It's possible that we'll return to something closer to normal next year, but from start to end, 2020–2021 has been full of uncertainty, fatigue, fear, and a need for flexibility that's stretched even the most agile educators. We might be tempted to slam the door shut on this school year and just look forward. However, we should reflect on this year and identify insights gained. We don't need to find silver linings, and it often doesn't help to say, "Everything happens for a reason." But being able to point to learnings builds resilience. And to clarify: Resilience enables us to thrive, not just survive. It's time we aim higher than mere survival.
What I'm saying is this: Don't finish this school year without engaging in your own reflection.
Although this school year has been exceptionally hard, and although I've experienced a great deal of insecurity about my skills, I've learned a whole lot. I know that if I give myself the time and space to truly process, and if I share these reflections with others, I'll emerge from this year stronger than I was at the start of 2020. I know I'll be able to apply my learnings to whatever comes next—which I truly hope will be the routine ups and downs of life.
Below is an excerpt from a blog post earlier this year (Ideals, Goals, and Attainability) that referenced the work of Elena Aguilar and the mantra of ‘Every Child, Every Day’ and the important guidepost of Educational Equity - this mantra will help us to #slowitdown and be present for our students and ourselves...
Every Child, Every Day…
These four words (Every Child, Every Day) have stayed with me and have been in my head, thoughts, and thinking since our faculty meeting last week. They are at the core of Elena Aguilar’s definition of educational equity, highlighted from the shared podcast clip below…
Equity in Education - Part 1 (The Mindful Educators Podcast)
(18:00-19:25)
Aguilar’s definition of Educational Equity…
Educational equity means that every child receives whatever she/he/they need to develop to her/his/their full academic and social potential and to thrive, every day. By “thrive,” I mean academically as well as social-emotionally. Every child has a right to feel loved and cared for and to feel that they belong to a community. Emotional well-being is as important as academic success in this definition of educational equity.
Educational equity means there is no predictability of success or failure that correlates with any social or cultural factor—a child’s educational experience or outcomes is not predictable because of their race, ethnicity, linguistic background, economic class, religion, gender, sexual orientation, physical and cognitive ability, or any other socio-political identity marker.
Sampling of Responses from Last Week’s ‘Question of the Week’: What keeps you going and moving forward when you are challenged, down or having a difficult time?
- When I play basketball, I forget about all the troubles going on in the world.
- My brain and my heart
- Whenever I am feeling overwhelmed I find myself thinking about others whose struggle is worse than mine comparatively. It helps keep any challenges I am facing in perspective.
- My family.
- My family and the fact that it will get better
- I like to listen to EVERYONE, come up with potential solutions, and then share them.
- Thinking about what will happen as an end result
- my parents, they’re always making me move forward and strive for only the best.
- My friends, family, and supporters keep me moving forward after a challenged, down, or difficult time. They support me and help me stay positive and get through it.
- Knowing that challenges end and times do get better. Being there for my family also drives me to make it through.
- Recognizing what is the cause of the difficult time and working to make changes.
- Friends, family, relaxation, and freedom
- I think about how I can always improve.
- my friends
With these posts, reflections, and responses we can gain a great deal of insight for how to guide our work and the learning experiences for our students - in the coming weeks, but also in the coming years. Planning with intention will help us take these steps - let’s keep processing, reflecting, and learning together.
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Take care.
Nat