Thursday, May 16, 2019

Let's Grow Together on May 30th!


Someone told me this week that we have 14 days of school left and I just about fell over.  14 days?  That's it?   And then I sat back and reflected on this past school year.

It's been quite a year for my first year as an administrator!  I found out a lot about what they don't teach you in grad school, and I got to practice a lot of what the did teach me! One of the books that has guided my year this year is called Onward,  by Elena Aguilar, an instructional coach in Oakland, CA.

Onward is a book on cultivating resilience, especially in education.  Thankfully, resilience can be grown, but it takes a lot of work.  I mean a lot of work.  And much of this work forced me to look so intimately inward that at times, I wondered if I ever truly knew myself at all... yet.  And I'm kinda old.  After a lot of reading, reflection and enough emotions to send me running for the hills,  I started  practicing resilience. 

What does practicing resilience look like, you ask?  See the invitation below and you can find out!  When I practiced resilience this year, I found myself more clear headed, more able to make rational decisions that were not fueled by emotions, but rather grounded in truth, reality and humanity.  Yup, I made missteps.  Lots of them.   I spoke when I shouldn't have, I used a tone I was later ashamed of, I talked when I should have just listened~I could go on and on, but you get the point. I made mistakes.  I used to think that that was the point~making mistakes and failing, but this year I really began to understand that the true learning was not in the mistakes or the failures themselves, as much as in how I got back up, dusted myself off, and tried again (resilience).  The author of the Onward book says this; (erroneously attributed to Viktor Frankl but actually of unknown origin), "Between stimulus and response there is a space.  In that space is our power to choose our response.  In our response lies our growth and our freedom."  As I practiced resilience myself, I often thought of our school.

Our small but mighty Stone Bank School and community had a bit of a rough year as well.  I'm not  one to shield the truth.  It was a tough year, and yet, here we are, 14 school days (still kind of in denial here) left until summer break.  As I was in and out of classrooms this week, I was reminded of  one of the first blog posts I wrote this year.  As I talked to learners, gave feedback to teachers, and supported small group MAP assessments, I realized that one thing that has NOT changed this year is the gist of that first blog post because this week I saw...a hands-on science experiment complete with a visual representation of the water cycle.  I sat in on a music class that gave me goosebumps. I worked diligently with teachers and support staff to ensure that every learner was in a MAP testing environment that would set them up for success.  I sat in on a class that started their a day with a community circle that involved critical thinking, and community building.  I saw partner writing, and talked with a primary teacher on the benefits of Purposeful Play, and then ordered copies of the book for a summer book club.  I spoke with a teacher about the possibility of Spanish in the early elementary grades, as research shows that learning a second language at an early age has many benefits!  I spoke with another teacher about age appropriate STEM experiences for our earliest of learners, and how those early experiences could be the building blocks for later, more challenging STEM experiences, and could also provide opportunities for our young learners to connect with our older learners (one of the beauties of a K-8 school). I saw a teacher using visual images to elicit and build background knowledge, and had the pleasure of watching a Public Service Announcement, created by a middle school learner that both informed me, and make me chuckle!

As the winds of change swirl around us, know that not only are there already great things going on in every corner of Stone Bank School, but that the winds of change will swell and grow into even more powerful educational practices that will engage and empower our learners toward excellence and empowerment.  We are committed to that.  We are outlandishly excited, too!    

As we grow and build and navigate change, we must practice resilience as leaders and educators, and  as a community. I encourage you to practice resilience alongside us.  How easy is it?  You have an opportunity to find out!  

You are Invited!
What: A community potluck and a workshop on cultivating resilience

When: Thursday May 30, 2019
5:00-5:30 - community meal
5:45-7:00 - resilience workshop

Why: "Resilience makes us confident in our ability to manage our own, and others' emotions.  Resilience also enables us to have difficult conversations-and if we aren't having difficult conversation in our efforts of transform schools, we're probably not making meaningful progress.  Resilience will bring communities and educators out of our silos and into healthy camaraderie" (Onward)

HowWe will meet together in the commons of Stone Bank School from 5:00-5:30 pm on Thursday May 30th and share a potluck appetizer meal.  Please bring appetizer to share.  After our community meal, we will head into the library for some resilience work. All you need is your body, an open mind, and an open heart.  We will wrap up at 7:00 pm.

Please R.S.V.P to b.wartzenluft@stonebank.k12.wi.us if you plan on coming so that we can get a head count for space.  Of course, if you decide to come last minute, that is fine, too!
This first Resilience Workshop will be for adults only, and we will elicit feedback for a Resilience Workshop for learners in the future.  WE however, are the first teachers for our children as we model practicing resilience in our own, and collective lives.










Let's Grow Together on May 30th!

Someone told me this week that we have 14 days of school left and I just about fell over.  14 days?  That's it?   And then I sat bac...