Getting Into ~The Groove~ & Pressing the Reset Button

What a wild few weeks it has been already! Last week my students and I worked hard to recruit mentees and mentors to fill in the gaps that were created by the inevitable roster changes. It was the number one stress of my week but in being scrappy and resourceful, I found success by reaching out to counselors, social workers, clubs, ACHS via flyers and simply by word of mouth.

It is Monday the 22nd now and it is safe to say that all of my rosters are evened up! There is not a single Mentor left without a Mentee or vise versa, a few groups of 3 but I have strong mentors who were happy to take on the challenge. Due to us trying to solidify our partners for the year/interviewing that has been happening each block, we have been holding off the start up of the curriculum and re-introducing what this program really and truly means and can offer them. We broke down the acronym belonging to Youth Empowerment Support Services and discussed what youth empowerment can look like, both inside and outside of the classroom. We watched clips from an inspiring film called Hidden Figures and how the women of color in the movie overcame adversity with leadership, patience, perseverance, motivation, and strength. We related the film to Martin Luther King (which was the Monday of last week) and how he empowered others, and the courage and struggle that came along with his motivation to create a more equal world where justice reigned and where actions/laws were made out of fairness, love, and understanding. We related it to the lessons we have done in this class and the lessons that are to come- Why are we in here? Why did I choose you to be a part of this class? What have I received from this class and/or What am I looking forward to taking away from this social-emotional curriculum and from mentoring? We talked about resetting our brains and hearts for the new year with a revitalized outlook driven by what each of us ultimately wants out of life - love, health, happiness, and success.

We took this resetting button moment to learn something new - meditation. For the first time I lead a guided meditation with each class at the end of the week. For a lot of students, it was the first time they had ever done this. For anyone who is reading who would like to know where I got the meditation script for yourself or your class, the link I used can be found here: http://www.innerhealthstudio.com/meditation-scripts.html We decided that we are going to meditate for 10 minutes at the end of each Fam Friday in the future, we will choose a different topic to meditate on each week. I was so shocked at the number of students who gave positive feedback about how it felt, I even had two of them come back at lunch to try another one. Turns out, thinking about not thinking at all is hard, ha! But so rewarding to feel centered and present in this life.

P.S - Still absolutely LOVING my classroom! Here is a full panorama of our new magical space. Making it feel like home is improving with each passing day, so thankful for this opportunity and the loved ones in my life who donated to fund my classroom decor and supplies.

Be well everyone,
Ms. Castro