Thursday, December 13, 2018

Thursday Already?!

Wowza - This has been a quick couple o' weeks! Last week, I arranged and hosted half a dozen interviews, coached some staff, collaborated with Emily on an exciting volunteer program, created some super practical training videos, among other things.

More recently, I did some more coaching/active listening, hosted our team meetings, continued working with our job applicants (we're so close!), hung out with y'all at Peter Grady's house, and planned our week together in January. The highlight of the week has to be the training I attended on Tuesday: Creating a Positive Feedback Culture, presented by DQUAC. I learned all about a conversation technique called COIN. It's a framework for providing difficult feedback and, while it was presented as a way to work with colleagues, I think it may prove useful for you in the classroom. If you try it, let me know how it goes!

On a separate note, I want to remind you of what important work you're doing each day. So many of our students look to YESS for love, support, and a sense of belonging. Even though we may never know the positive impact we have on our kids, we can rest easy knowing that they are benefitting from our efforts. In case you missed it, here's an inspiring 60 Minutes clip about Ryan Speedo Green.

Monday, December 3, 2018

My week, as told in GIFs

Monday

I knew I was supposed to be doing something... But what?


Oh, that's right! It was everything! I was supposed to do everything!

Tuesday

But then, Garcelle invited me to observe her classroom and Angie was there as an added bonus! (Side note: Garcelle found a way to make cell phones useful in the classroom. Ask her about it.)

Wednesday

I got to visit the Medinas and drop off some supplies. Woot!

I got some serious work done AND see Patricia in the afternoon!

Thursday

I dropped some things off for Megan, then drove to see Alex. (Another side note: She has secured a class set of The Hate U Give and has offered to lend this resource to other programs. Ask her about it.)

I rounded out my week by learning about programmatic best-practice and working on on-boarding procedures for January! Ask me about it.