2020 is shaping up better than any other year at ACHS. Not only are we doing more team building activities than ever before, but my mentor leaders are stepping up more than ever before. At the beginning of the year, each class had the opportunity to look at the lesson map and give suggestions for topics they wanted to explore, discuss, and learn from each other about. They had input for me and for each of their respected Mentor Leaders on how to be a better friend, leader, and facilitator.
We began the year by setting goals for ourselves and intentions for the year. We worked a lot on positive outlook for the new year, and short+long term goals for ourselves. The mentor leaders collaborated on lessons in the Unit 2 Relationships unit by exploring Trust, Miscommunication, and Forgiveness. Now we are in the beginning of exploring Boundaries. They are at the point where they are leading circle talks, focus activities, and lessons where students move to certain places in the room to express their opinions to each other regarding their experience with each topic. They are working each block day as mentee-mentor partners, in their tables, and as an entire class (both opening and closing discussions/written responses). I lead mini lessons on Mondays, Tuesdays have been set for Tutoring, and Fridays have been Fun Friday's for the most part where they do team building games or meditate depending on what each class needs that week. We are in a really solid groove of grinding and bringing our classes together. I can't wait to see how much more community we build in just the next couple of months, before we know it it'll be graduation!!!
Tie Dye tiiiiiiime - more pics of the finished products to come in next months blog.
My students made me cards out of nowhere to let me know that they care, it was so sweet. Mostly because they included the queen, icon, legend, Kris Jenner.
My students got 80 free gourmet donuts donated by Habit Doughnuts in Denver! Great learning incentive.
2020 second semester anonymous feedback time~*
Mentor Leaders at their weekly meeting - Yahir in a new YESS hire for 7th block as Brit had to drop the class. I am so proud of all the hard work he has already put into his lessons and his class.
Team building Trust activity
Trust lesson presentation
This was a Monday lesson during Miscommunication where my classes were introduced to Dyads - one on one timed convos (1:30 mins) that are uninterrupted. The topics vary, but as the questions get deeper and more personal, we transition from Active to Deep listening. This week, all classes learned a new communication skill, mostly used for conflict, called Mirroring. When you mirror someone, you take 1/3 the amount of time that they talked to share what you heard the other person say. Through putting their story and expression in their own words, it gives the other person a chance to understand how the other person is listening and how the person sharing may be coming across, you have the opportunity to understand yourself in a new light. This is a huge skill for them to apply to their personal lives in relationships beyond the school walls.
Morgan's last day of YESS Class :'-( Morgan has been a part of the program since last year when she was a mentee. This year she had the opportunity to be a Mentor based on her success at the end of the year last year. She was the light of our classroom, always making us laugh but getting serious when she needed to. She was never afraid to be vulnerable and reached out to people who needed a friend because of how Izzy (her old mentor) did that for her last year. We miss morgan already! Have the best time at your new school!
Mentor Mentee of the Month undoubtedly goes to Ashanti and Brian. Brian has perfect attendance and influences his Mentee, who was on green slips, to come to class. They have an unbreakable bond that encourages them to open up in front of the class together, allows them to have fun together, and provides a great foundation for tutoring days where Brian diligently tutors Ashanti in Geometry every Tuesday. In this video, you can see them on a Fun Friday in our handshake competition- they had the longest handshake out of all my classes! The video would only upload half of their performance but juts trust it was 2:30 mins of the most adorable entertainment !
To see more of us in F103 please give us a follow on the gram: @YESS_for_success
Until next month,
Ms. C
