Internationally recognized author & educator for professionals, parents, and kids
Archive for February, 2017
Teaching Respect, as an Action Verb
07 years
by signewhitson
in Uncategorized
Over the course of the last month, I have been talking with my students about Respect and how we show respect to ourselves, to others, to property, to all living things, and to our Earth. We don’t just talk about the word ‘Respect’ as a vague virtue, but rather we apply ‘Respect’ as an action verb, consistently planning and practicing real-world ways that young people can show respect on a daily basis.
Yesterday, I challenged my third graders to think about something in their world for which they want to raise awareness and respect (saving animals, cleaning oceans, curing cancer, etc.) and to think of ways to take actions to support this cause. I reminded these amazing kiddos how their small acts can be powerful when it comes to making changes and helping the world around them.
Imagine how my heart overflowed when a parent sent me these three photos of her son and the lemonade stand he held right after school, complete with the poster he made in my class, to raise money to cure cancer. (Permission granted to share photos).
Kids are amazing change-makers!
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07 years
by signewhitson
in Uncategorized
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A Simple Hello Can Transform a Student’s School Experience
07 years
by signewhitson
in Uncategorized
In 8 Keys to End Bullying: Strategies for Parents & Schools, I tell a real-life story of a 9-year old student who came to me on her second day of school and told me, in a voice that I can only describe as gleeful, that her teacher really liked her. When I asked her how she could tell, she explained:
She smiles at me every day when I walk into her room. It’s so different from my teacher last year. She was always doing work and never even looked up before the second bell, except to remind us of anything we were doing wrong. I think the teacher this year really likes me!
A series of twirls and joyful shrieks later, it was plain to see how something as simple and brief as a warm acknowledgement from a teacher meant the world to that student. To quote Jerry Maguire, the teacher “had her at hello.”
Connections heal and more times that I can count, it is the “little things” like the personal greeting at the door or the smile across the lunch room that go the longest way in making kids feel valued in a school setting.
That’s why this story, featured yesterday on ABC’s Good Morning America, really caught my eye. Please watch and enjoy!
