Mairead Dougherty (December 6, 2012, Halstead Academy): I asked the class what an agreement was and they all had great answers. One little boy's answer was, "An agreement is when you're dancing and your friend wants to do a jump and you want to do a turn, so you agree to combine them and do a jumping turn."
Denasha Bullock (January 29, 2013, Smothers Elementary w/ Literacy Lab): One student could not think of a dance move to lead us in a little exercise I did to keep them moving. The other students immediately tried to help her and make her feel comfortable. It was really wonderful to see.
Denasha Bullock (January 29, 2013, Smothers Elementary w/ Literacy Lab): One student could not think of a dance move to lead us in a little exercise I did to keep them moving. The other students immediately tried to help her and make her feel comfortable. It was really wonderful to see.
Kate DiGerolamo (December 19, 2012, PS 87): Working with kids has always left me with alternating feelings of fulfillment and insecurity. Knowing that you are doing something that may positively change a child's life is incredibly rewarding, but not knowing if you are actually doing that doesn't always come easy. Working for Move This World has brought with it the same mix of satisfaction and anxiety for me. I want to think that my students are loving the program and benefitting from it as much as I do, but there are times when I'm not sure. Thankfully, there have been lots of little moments where I have been sure, and those are the moments that keep me going. One small moment in particular had a big impact for me during my first semester as a PeaceMover.
I was standing in the hallway with a line of kids waiting to go into the gym for their ShareOut, a show for their parents and friends to see what the kids learned in our sessions. It was a pretty hectic time and I was feeling a little bit nervous and stressed out as this was my first ShareOut, too. I was talking to two little girls at the end of the line and asking them how they felt. They told me they were excited and happy, and I admitted to them that I was feeling a little bit nervous. Then I looked at them and said, "Do you have any ideas about how I could calm down?" I wasn't really sure what kind of answer I was going to get. We had gone over all of the strategies for managing emotions in our classes, but I wasn't sure how well they would be able to remember them and apply them to real situations. One girl said, "Take three deep breaths!" Immediately the other said, "No, no, it's FIVE deep breaths!" They discussed this, settled on five deep breaths, and then took five deep breaths with me to help me calm down. I was so touched not only by the fact that they remembered one of the strategies, but also that they were so excited to help me, and so pleased when I thanked them and assured them that their strategy helped. And you know what? Taking those deep breaths really did make me feel better.
I was standing in the hallway with a line of kids waiting to go into the gym for their ShareOut, a show for their parents and friends to see what the kids learned in our sessions. It was a pretty hectic time and I was feeling a little bit nervous and stressed out as this was my first ShareOut, too. I was talking to two little girls at the end of the line and asking them how they felt. They told me they were excited and happy, and I admitted to them that I was feeling a little bit nervous. Then I looked at them and said, "Do you have any ideas about how I could calm down?" I wasn't really sure what kind of answer I was going to get. We had gone over all of the strategies for managing emotions in our classes, but I wasn't sure how well they would be able to remember them and apply them to real situations. One girl said, "Take three deep breaths!" Immediately the other said, "No, no, it's FIVE deep breaths!" They discussed this, settled on five deep breaths, and then took five deep breaths with me to help me calm down. I was so touched not only by the fact that they remembered one of the strategies, but also that they were so excited to help me, and so pleased when I thanked them and assured them that their strategy helped. And you know what? Taking those deep breaths really did make me feel better.