We are starting to gear up for Red Ribbon Week here at MLK. Below are the days and themes for each day.
Monday, October 24 Your Choices are the Key to Your Dreams (Pajama Day) *Dress up in your favorite pajamas to show everyone that you are not going to let drugs and alcohol keep you from achieving your dreams. Tuesday, October 25 Give Drugs the Boot (Western Day) *Show off your Western wear and use those cowboy boots to kick drugs to the curb! Wednesday, October 26 Have the Power to Say NO (Superhero Day) *It doesn’t take superpowers to tell someone that you’re not going to drugs or abuse alcohol! Show off your best superhero outfits (no masks please). Thursday, October 27 We’re too Smart to Start (Nerd Day) *Display your smarts with some glasses, suspenders, and even a bowtie to let others know that you’re too smart to do drugs. Friday, October 28 Our Character Counts (Book Character Day) *Dress up as your favorite BOOK character to end the week showing off your good character (no masks please).
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I had so much fun this week teaching the students about self-control during our guidance lessons. I've wanted to do more hands-on activities, and this was an excellent way to try one out. I did some research on Pinterest about self-control, and I came across this post about "The Marshmallow Test." It was originally a study done by Stanford Univeristy in the 60s and 70s where they studied delayed gratification in young children. Long story short, they found that the children who waited longer for the reward were more successful later on in life (read here for more information: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stanford_marshmallow_experiment). After I had done some research, I was curious to know how to apply this to a classroom setting. I found a post on Teaching in Blue Jeans (http://www.teachinginbluejeans.com/blog-swap-sunday-with-corrina/) where she had done this with her classroom. I followed her format, except I had a discussion at the beginning about what self-control is and how we can show it. I used a flipchart on ActiveInspire to help lead the discussion. I then gave the kids one marshmallow and told them they could have it now, or they could have two if they waited. I told them they could not eat it, lick it, or bite off part of it to get the second one. At first, I told the kids they couldn't touch it, but I didn't see the results as I wanted. I changed it to where they could pick it up and play with it, thinking that it would make it harder to resist. Once I told them that, then I had students in each class eat the marshmallow. On average, the younger kids found it more difficult to resist the marshmallow, which I expected. After I had waited about 10 minutes, I gave the students the second one. We had a discussion about what they did to resist the marshmallow and how they distracted themselves. We also talked about if we thought it would be harder or easier to do this if they were by themselves. I then showed them a video of some younger students who did this experiment by themselves (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QX_oy9614HQ). We followed it up with a review about self-control and what we learned from the lesson. Overall, this was a pretty fun experience, and I think the kids enjoyed getting a sweet treat during the day. They wanted to do it again so they could get a third marshmallow!
When I got my classroom, I knew there were just a few things missing. I needed some rugs to brighten things up and make my room more inviting. I posted online that I was in search of some rugs and furniture. One of my teacher friends posted that she uses "Donors Choose" to look for donations. I did some research and thought this website was a great way to get the word out. Donors Choose is a website that is specifically for educators to request materials for your classroom. It is a pretty lengthy process, but so worth it in the end. I had to fill out information about my students, my project, what I would be using the supplies for and how they would affect my students, and information about myself. I found that it was a little difficult to come up with the right way to talk about my project. I realized though that I wasn't just asking for rugs. I was asking for help creating a space that my students feel welcome in and comfortable coming to see me. After I had filled out all of the information, I was able to go to their sponsors' website and look for the products that I needed. There were so many options, and I knew that I needed to stay in a particular price range. They give you some advice about what range to stay in so that you're more likely to get donations. After I had found the items I wanted, I added them to my cart, and they were added to my project. After that, it was time to ask for donations. I posted the link to my personal Facebook account, as well as my counselor's Twitter account. I thought that would donations would come flooding in, but boy was I wrong. I was lucky that my friends and family wanted to donate, but I felt so blessed when people I didn't even know donated to my project. It took about a month and a half to get the word that my project was fully funded. I was so excited when I got that email. When I arrived today back from Fall Break, my rugs were waiting for me in the office. It felt like Christmas Day. I could not wait to open them and put them out. They truly bring my classroom together and it makes it feel even more inviting and comfortable. I highly suggest if you need items for your classroom or office that you look into Donors Choose. It is an excellent organization, and I am so happy that I used them and their services. If you have any questions, I would be glad to answer them for you.
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