End of April

This is going to be a quick update. Ready... Set... Go!

I've visited WLA, North, Westy, and Lincoln over the last week and it's astounding to hear how quickly the seniors' last day is approaching. Every program has numerous success stories and I'm beyond impressed with the work you all have done.

I had an opportunity to apply for a Technical Assistance opportunity, which would allow us to receive free resources and help from MENTOR Colorado. We're looking at working with this group to revise/refine MOUs with schools and to deepen our on-boarding processes.

I forget if I've already shared this resource, but it might be worth a second (definitely a first) read. It talks all about why schools should prioritize relationships. Mr. Medina and I even had a chat about how student success is totally tied to SEL skills. In his words, "You have to peel back the layers of the onion. When you get to the center, then you can move kids forward." Brilliant!

Anxiety

If you've known me for more than 72.4 seconds, you likely know that I struggle with anxiety. My brain has been fairly nasty the last few weeks and the universe has responded by dropping all kinds of resources and loving humans into my lap. Thanks, universe!

Do they still make these things?

I recently read an article about allowing kids with anxiety to sit with their discomfort and learn from it. I remember when I was in fifth grade and my math teacher made a joke about how high up the pencil sharpener was mounted on the wall. He said, "That must feel like a mountain to her!" Maybe this is why I hate math? Anyway, my mom (who is also short) stormed into the school the following week to yell at him. That was a missed opportunity for me to work through my feelings and practice some coping mechanisms. Now that I'm grown and have taught youth to work through situations like these, I wish that she had educated me instead of turning into momma bear. It's the same with teaching, we mustn't allow our students off the hook just because they're uncomfortable.

I've seen a lot of educators over the years who struggle to find the balance between pushover and tough love drill sergeant. Toward the end of my tenure in the classroom, I adopted the question, "Where is the learning here?"

          If a student just stormed out of their Literacy classroom   

          because the teacher made them angry, the learning may 

          have been in how to interact effectively with people we don't like.

          For the student who sat alone at lunch every day (and hated it - I 

          totally agree that some kids enjoy solitude), the learning was in 

          identifying their unique strengths (read: confidence).

          The kid who feels like eyes are always on them? The one who is  

          terrified to look dumb in front of their peers? The learning could 

          be in how to fail with grace and fortitude. Or it could be how to 

          engage with logic during an amygdala hijack. Or it could be 

          mindfulness. Or some combination of these things.

          You catch my drift.

So what do you do as an educator? First, remove peer spectators. Then show compassion for what they're feeling by making your student feel heard and respected. Stay calm (even if you're feeling anxious!) and speak low and slow. Once the youth is feeling more relaxed, you can tap into the rapport you've built and coach them in how to create an action plan. Remember they can be easily re-escalated during this time, so continue being compassionate, respectful, and calm. Your student might need to be referred to a counselor for more one-on-one assistance (please refrain from making diagnoses). Want more information? Check out this series of slides.

On another note, I built some raised beds on Friday, then Jeff and I moved seven tons of river rock over the next two days. Here is Kate playing with plastic eggs inside one of the boxes. Like you do.

Holy Cats. It's April!

Last week began like any other week: In the office. I helped Carlo tackle some of the Luncheon tasks, sifted through email, yelled at Google... You know, the usual.

On Tuesday, I went to the eye doctor and picked out some new specs. It was nearly as much fun as buying shoes! Then, I worked on our summer training schedule, chatted with a few of you all, and wrote a letter of recommendation for one of my old YESS students.

I went over to Ranum on Wednesday to see what ol' Joe is up to. Turns out, he's still doing a lot of good work over there! Loved seeing your kids engaging with one another and that rad daily agenda!

I drove downtown (what an awful place) for a meeting on Thursday morning. While there, I got to spend some quality time with Patricia while learning more about a few of the other agencies doing work under the MYDF Grant (formerly known as DABH).

• First, I heard about the Boys and Girls Club PACE Program. This is a place where students are sent when the school has exhausted their resources. Students remain in a specialized PACE place (ha) for a few weeks and are then reintegrated into their schools. PACE continues to support the students for the rest of the year. Another program I learned about 
• Next up, a representative from the Denver Public Schools spoke about some of the work she and her health services providers have been doing to mitigate drug use among youth. She shared that her program is growing, especially since marijuana is so readily available these days.
• Lastly, we heard from Brent, who works at Youth on Record. This non-profit partner uses music to inspire youth to be engaged in a productive activity. Carlo says, "They've got the cool factor" and it's absolutely true. I'm intrigued by these folks. 

Of course, today was the big luncheon day. Everybody did a magnificent job! Thank you to those who worked hard to make today successful, but were unable to attend! And thank goodness the weather held off for a bit!

Looking Back, Looking Ahead

When I rolled into last week, I was excited because I was going to get through some of the important, but not urgent items on my to-do list. But, you know what happened? I missed all of you! I mean, I still got a lot done, but I missed hearing about your successes, challenges, and questions each day. All that to say, I hope you had a lovely break and I'm glad you're back.

So here's what I did on Monday, I sent my parents off to Montrose for a few days, then spent time looking through all the PD materials I've collected over the last six months. For instance, here's a little gem that illustrates situations you've encountered a million times in your classroom. 

Amy Brady, the presenter and an educational/leadership consultant, says there are four primary ways people respond to constructive feedback:

No growth! #Sad

1. "I suck" - You might hear phrases like, "I can't do this" or "There is nothing I can do to change this." This person has effectively shut down and there will be no growth or change. 

2. "You suck" - You may hear, "You don't support me" or "There are issues in how YOU do YOUR job" or even the dreaded, "Whatever." This person is defensive and will not grow or change.

3. "I'm trying" - This person may say things like, "I'm doing my best" or "It was just a bad day/week" or "Let's focus on the positive." During these conversations, the person is rationalizing, which leaves little room for growth or change.

We want our scholars to grow just like these
lovely crocuses!

4. "What can I learn?" - As you can imagine, this is where we want our scholars and ourselves to be. You'll hear things like, "I appreciate the feedback" and "How can I grow from this?" They may reflect on, "What would I do differently next time?" This type of conversation is all about seeing opportunity and allows for loads of growth and change.

I also stumbled upon this nifty little item from CASEL. If that acronym looks familiar, it's because we're utilizing this group's research to support the work we do in our programs. I really like the way they describe the three practices and (even though you're already doing versions of these) I'd like to work with you all on finding effective ways of incorporating these into our programs next year.

On Tuesday, I channeled my inner Simon Sinek and worked on a magnificent Circle of Why for our programs. What's that you say? You haven't seen his TED Talk?! Click here and behold. I've really tried to incorporate this concept into everything I do and it seems to help a lot, especially when planning for the future. We'll talk more about the "Why" of YESS in June. (Edited to add: Wowza! That video is dated! Here is Stacey Abram's sharing a similar, equally powerful message.)

Wednesday was payroll day. A fun time was had by all. Carlo even learned how atrocious my math skills are.

I took some time to have a mommy/daughter day on Thursday and my folks came back to my place that evening. The highlight of the whole week was partially finishing a segment of our basement. It's now a play room and Kate is constantly asking if we would like to hang out while she makes tea. Super cute!