Embracing Each Other's Stories

 Principal ponderings...

We all have a story.  Some of our stories have happy endings, some don't have an ending yet.  Some of us have similar stories and some have stories unlike anyone else.  Every week I listen to student or staff stories.  Sometimes it's just a text message that tells me a story or gives me a peek into a story.  Sometimes it's a conversation in the hallway that tells me a funny story.  And sometimes it's a closed door conversation that tells me a story of struggle or sadness.  

After hearing one of these stories this week, one that is a difficult and sad story, I had to try to explain to other students about this concept of everyone having different stories.  At the same time, I was thinking about our Choose To Be Nice core value for the month of November, Acceptance.  I feel like this is such an important core value to be talking about with our students, but also a difficult topic to talk about, especially in our society today.  There's so much divisiveness, so much of one group not accepting another group, or one person looking at someone who is different from him with a look of judgment or contempt.  Especially when someone else's story is so different from your own.

When I tried to wrap my head around how to explain and reassure students about a situation, I kept coming back to the idea of us all having different stories.  Using that language, I think the students understood what I was trying to tell them without sharing too much or divulging confidential information.  They could understand that they each had different life stories.

I wish society could take that same approach.  Of course, I think I have the benefit of being able to have these tough conversations with kids.  Adults have a harder time stepping back and seeing the whole picture.  Most adults don't get to have kids-eye-views on a daily basis.  Kids seem to just get it.  Kids are accepting.  I actually had the thought that the topic of acceptance would be a tough one this month, but that's because sadly, I am an adult.  But my conversation this week renewed my faith in the concept of acceptance.  

When you look up synonyms of acceptance, one word that pops up keeps sticking in my head.  It's the word embrace.  And when I hear the word embrace, I can't help but think of a hug.  (And then of course an image of Olaf saying "I like warm hugs" automatically appears in my head!) When we think about acceptance, maybe we can think about hugging.  I don't necessarily mean the actual physical act of hugging, although that is the ultimate form of acceptance in my book.  I mean that as we think and talk about acceptance, I feel like we are thinking and talking about the concept of wrapping our arms around each other.  Accepting each other for all of our differences and similarities.  Wrapping our arms around each other's stories.  Not judging the plot line or the characters or the different elements of our stories.  But embracing them.

Looking forward to hearing how you will talk with students about acceptance, about embracing each other's stories.

There are a few books listed in the Choose To Be Nice book list, but there are so many more great books about acceptance.  Here are a few that I own.  Let me know if you want to borrow any this month.

 

Currently reading:

I finished Finding Junie Kim and loved it.  The Korean War is not a part of history that I knew much about.  I highly recommend this book if you are interested in that part of history.  I also loved that it was based off of true events in the author's family history.  I had abandoned a book on Audible that I just went back to this week...Ivy Aberdeen's Letter to the World.  

I am also excited to finally dive into I Love You, Micheal Collins.  Especially on a rainy Saturday! 

After I finish the other Audible book, I am going to be listening to the book Can We Talk about Race?  I am participating in a book group through DESE with this book. 

Events this week:

Monday - Literacy Parade @ 2:00!

Tuesday - Virtual PD Day, No School for students

Wednesday - CST Meeting @ 8:00, CST Meeting @ 8:30, 2nd grade teachers hosting virtual parent conferences, Half day, dismissal at 12:30, K-2 parent conferences, 3-5 PD at Mayo, Liz at CPI training in the afternoon

Thursday - End of Q1 (report cards go live in PS Nov. 10), Liz in Admin Meeting from 8-10, Liz meeting with Amy Norton from 10:30-11:30, K teachers hosting virtual parent conferences

Friday - ELA Community of Practice application due

Great things I noticed last week:

• Check out Mrs. Olson's affirmation station, a place where kids can practice positive self talk in the mirror. 
  
  
  
• Love seeing 1st graders and 4th graders working together.  And how about the buddies that didn't realize they had dressed the same!

  

  

  
  
• I caught some 5th graders doing some hands on learning about circuits and chain reactions. 

  

  

  
  
• Spirit Week was so much fun!  Thank you for participating and helping to put smiles on kids' faces. 

   

  

Check it out:

In honor of our survivors, Shoshana and Laura, and all of the rest of us that are surviving this year...I thought this song was fitting.

And food for thought...