Welcome back from break ACHS students! Our break was filled with much needed rest and relaxation but with this break came the challenge of getting our brains back on school sleep schedule time! With the anticipated vibe of fatigue, I planned to start the new quarter off with a lesson on choosing positivity to help steer the direction rest of the semester.
To start, I had each class come up with a team name for our classes and vote on them. Here are our results:
Period 2 - Team Gucci
Period 3 - Team A$AP
Period 5 - Team YUWOP (Stands for YESS, Unity, non-material Wealth, Opportunity, Power)
Period 6 - Team Chicken Nuggets
Creativity at it's finest, am I right?
In each class we contributed to a "Team ___ Today We Choose..." poster where the kids were able to write a word, phrase, or quote for them to look at throughout the rest of the year when they are lacking motivation or having a bummer day. We all get in ruts where we find going the extra mile to be challenging and creeping negative inner monologue, so I wanted them to be able to help themselves stay focused when their goals fall to their peripherals because life happens! Being able to find motivation within yourself is so important in this life. We then watched a motivational video by our favorite Slam Poet, Prince Ea. Found here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ja-n5qUNRi8
In the video, he talks about the important of being present and passionate. He talks about using this one shot at life or "One Song" to chase down and achieve our dreams. He mentions how self doubt and negative self talk will steal these dreams from you like a thief in the night. "Struggle and criticism are prerequisites for greatness," he says affirming that negativity and life hurdles are unavoidable but it is how we handle these situations that defines who we are. This related back to the quote we talked about in the beginning of class, "You can't control the wind but you can adjust your sails."
This lesson was wonderful timing as we pressed the reset button and shifted our apathy to motivation to put in the work to get where we want to be. We choose to be positive and lean on each other for support when times get hard, this vital especially going into our lessons on Race where we needed to establish a level of comfortability and respect among everyone.
Race day 1 brought about many different and interesting discussions. We broke down Implicit Bias, learned other race related key terms, dove into our own unconscious assumptions, and recognized how these assumptions shape how we view ourselves and the world.
We then watched a video of an interview with our favorite rapper, Logic, where he describes his experience with being Bi-Racial in the media. (Caution: profanity used at 1:23, 3:11 - Video approved by Assistant Principal Mr. Duran)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X76EH5LY7pU
It was interesting to learn about how people feel the need to label others in order to make themselves feel comfortable. "It comes down to you knowing who you are," he says.
We also watched a short video that broke down the difference between race, ethnicity, and nationality and did a jelly bean demonstration & journal exercise to make sure we understood the difference and express any anxieties or confusion with our discussion that day.
On Friday, when I see all my classes, we started Fam Fridays in which my Mentor Leaders will begin their paid internships as our class leader. They are expected to help with positive class culture/relationship building, tutoring, and lesson feedback suggestions/concerns. Their first day went great as students used the chrome books to check in with each other on grades and missing assignments.
Overall, last week was the refreshing start we needed to hit the ground running with the last bit of the Community Unit. I'm looking forward to continuing our discussion and break down of Race this week!
Until next week,
Ms. Castro
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