What Will You Be When You Grow Up?

Principal ponderings...

I like to joke that I still don't know what I will be when I grow up.  Maybe someday I will be an author.  Maybe someday I will own my own bookstore.  Maybe I will be copy machine repair person.  I love talking to kids about what I will be when I grow up, not because of the different job options, but because of the thought that I have not grown up yet!  Those of you that know me well know that I definitely still enjoying acting like a kid much more than acting like an adult. :)

When I talk to kids, even my own, about what they want to be when they grow up, I have to be honest that I am not really as concerned about the specific career aspiration they have.  What I am concerned more about centers around a four-letter-word.  It's a four-letter-word that we should be talking about and thinking about.  What am I hoping kids will aspire to be?  Kind.  I hope more than anything that they will be kind.  Whether a 3rd grader becomes the next president of a company or a kindergartener becomes a store owner or a 5th grader becomes a teacher...I really just want them to be kind human beings.

And here's the great thing...while we have to wait a while to see what career path our students will choose, today we can help them become kind human beings.  We can talk about kindness.  We can celebrate when kids are kind.  We can read books about being kind.  But the best thing we can do is model for our students.  It's a very powerful thing when our students can watch us being kind to each other and to all of them.  They are learning from us, even when we are not teaching a lesson, especially when we think they are not watching.

To be honest, teaching about kindness is more important to me than teaching a student how to divide, more important than teaching a student how to write a compound sentence.  More than anything, I want  to be part of a school that teaches kids to be kind, caring, empathetic, inclusive, respectful, amazing human beings.  And guess what?  There is no curriculum guide for kindness.  There is no scope and sequence that maps out how and when you develop kind kids.  You just do it.  Everyday.  Even when you have had a tough moment with a student.  Even when a student does something unkind.  Even when we are tired.  Even when we feel like they should already know how to respond in a situation or we think they should not have to be taught or retaught. We need to just do it.  Every single day we are helping to create kind human beings.  We want them to grow up to be kind people so we need to keep that thought in the back of our heads during each interaction.

What will your students be when they grow up?  Hopefully kind human beings. 

Currently reading:
With Gordon Korman's visit coming up at the end of March, I am working on reading more of his books.  I started reading his newest book, The Unteachables.  I am looking forward to meeting all of the characters in this book...Gordon always manages to create interesting characters.  I am only a few chapters in, but I will let you know what I think of it once I am finished reading.

I was excited to get a new picture book in the mail called Dragon Post.  This is a great book that contains 5 "urgent letters" to open and read within the book. 

I pulled out an old favorite that I love to read and reread during Valentine week, Somebody Loves You, Mr. Hatch.  If you have not read this one...I recommend it!  I love Eileen Spinelli's books.

Events this week:
Monday - Kindness Assembly @ 2:30
Tuesday - Genius Hour Info Session in 3Pz @ 8:15, CST Mtg @ 10:50, K-2 ELL Science Club @ 3:25, K and 1st grade team meetings @ 3:45
Wednesday - Grade 2 and 3 team meetings @ 8:00, 3-5 ELL Science Club @ 3:25
Thursday - PTA Bagel Breakfast @ 8:00am, Grade 1 Family Math games @ 9:00, K, 3, and 5 Electrical Safety Program in the afternoon
Friday - Happy Friday!  Enjoy vacation week!

Great things I noticed last week:

• Seeing a rainbow over the school when driving in on the 100th day of school was a wonderful way to start the day! 
  
• Hard to believe we have already been learning for 100 days!  Saw lots of 100th day fun on Tuesday. 
  
• There were so many amazing experiences on Global School Play Day!  I took so many pictures that it's hard to pick a few to post here.  I did put them into some Quik videos to share through our school Facebook page.  I enjoyed talking about this experience with many of you and look forward to more discussion about play in school.  Loved seeing so many kids and adults enjoying puzzles. 
  
• 5th graders were able to get outside and try out their bee hummers! 
  
• I had lots of great moments on Friday with Robert, the principal for the day, but one of my favorites was after he read to KM and said, "I did it! That wasn't so scary."  He was very nervous to read to the eager kindergarteners, but he did an awesome job after he conquered his fears. 
  

Check it out:
Here is the video I shared during our half day, all about kindness: