Thanks to all of you who were able to attend the Parent-to-Parent Meeting on Dec 12th.  The discussions were thought-provoking, as the topic is of interest to all of us with "cross-cultural kids!"  If you were unable to make the meeting, you can check out the book pictured here, by David Pollock & Ruth E. van Reken.  The library has a copy, and it is available on most online booksellers.    I will attempt to post the power point presentation I prepared that summarizes the book.

If I could only recommend one book to someone, this is it.  It's a quick read, but it's fascinating for parents, and is applicable to every aspect of your life.  We referred to this book in our discussion last week, at our first ES "Parent-to-Parent" meeting.  The next P2P meeting will be on December 12 after the ES Parent Coffee. You can expect the meeting to start at approximately 10:00 and end at 11:00.  The next brief presentation, and longer discussion, will be about "Third Culture Kids."  The information will be based on David Pollock & Ruth Van Reken's book, "Third Culture Kids:  Growing Up Among Worlds."  Hope to see you there!

"Parent 2 Parent" Kicks Off!

I hope to see many of you at the first "Parent 2 Parent" meeting on November 14 after the Parent Coffee.  The meetings are intended to provide support for parents who are always looking to find better ways to interact with their children.  I hope to cover a variety of topics in the coming months.  The structure of the meetings will involve the presentation of a parenting topic at the beginning, followed by discussion among all of us present.

In class this week, I've been talking with the kids about the art of compromise, and working out solutions to conflicts.  Some classes in the younger grades are learning about anger management as well.

Fifth Rotation of Lessons

This rotation, I will be discussing sharing from the EC classes up through grade 1.  I read "It's Mine!" by Leo Lionni to the EC classes, and "The Zax" by Dr. Seuss to the KG.  Taking turns, and talking through solutions for sharing can be difficult for our younger students.

For grades 2-5, we'll continue with the "Bag of Tricks," which contains strategies for dealing with teasing.  In 2nd-4th, we'll read "Blue Cheese Breath and Stinky Feet" which the main character, Steve, deals with an aggressive boy named Gus.  With his parents, Steve makes a plan to deal with Gus.  The Plan includes the following:  keep away, ignore the bully, stay with friends, stand up straight and tall, look up not down, be strong, use power words like their name, make a joke without teasing back, shout so others will hear, or tell an adult.  The 5th grade read a book about aggression between girls called "My Secret Bully," which is a more complicated plot about exclusion and manipulation from a formerly good friend.  I find that it is beneficial to have these discussions, and bring these topics out in the open.  It can help kids deal with it more effectively if it happens to them in the future.

Thanks for contributing to the Dar Al Attaa'a Food Drive! 

This rotation in my lessons, I'm talking to the EC classes about what to do when they are angry.  The characters in the stories do several things to help themselves calm down, such as:  go outside and exercise, take a few deep breaths, talk about what is bothering them, and being by themselves.  We also talked about going to their rooms and punching a pillow, or yelling into a pillow.  In grades 2-5, we are extending the Talk-Walk-Squawk lesson, and we are looking at several alternatives to walking away when they are teased, such as:  using humor, ignoring, saying "So?", agreeing, responding with a compliment, or standing up for yourself.  They will be doing some acting this week to practice these strategies.

This Week

This rotation we are continuing to discuss "Talk, Walk, Squawk" and how to use "I messages."  Giving others feedback without saying anything mean in return can be a challenge.  Using the I-message is just one tool for them to try, especially when the issue is with a friend.  Basically, you fill in the blanks:  I feel _________, when you ________.  The first blank must be a feeling word, the second blank describes the other person's behavior as precisely as possible.

Take a look at Lillie's ES Newsletter for details about the Food Drive for Dar Al Atta'a.  Last chance to give is this coming week!  

Classroom Schedule

Today is the first time I will visit the KG classrooms, and my first lessons in the EC rooms will be October 4th. For the 1st-5th grade classrooms, I'll be heading in for the second time this rotation.  In this first month of lessons, I'll be focusing on FRIENDSHIP.  Making friends, maintaining relationships, and dealing with problems with friends.  I'll be introducing specific ways to handle problems with friends and classmates.  By the time October 4th arrives, all of the Elementary School will have heard about "Talk-Walk-Squawk."  I teach the kids to first talk...tell the person what is bothering them, and ask them to stop.  Then, if that is not resolving the situation, they can walk away.  There are many other responses to choose from at this point as well:  ignoring, using humor, standing up for yourself, etc.  In subsequent lessons, I'll refer to these responses as their "Bag of Tricks" in grades 1-5.  The last step would be to squawk, or tell an adult.  We will differentiate between tattling and telling, and we will discuss the situations when they must go directly to an adult for help.

Here is when I'll typically be visiting your child's classroom:
DAY 1:  all EC classes (starting Oct 4)
           :  both KG classes
DAY 2:  2-SB, 4-FR
DAY 3:  3-SH, 3-EH, 5-CJ
DAY 4:  5-KK, 1-JK, 2-MM
DAY 5:  2-SM, 1-SM, 1-TI, 5-PL
DAY 6:  4-TB, 4-MA, 3-BK

Welcome!

This is my new blog.  I will be including links, a description of Elementary Counseling at TAISM, as well as other information.  Please feel free to comment!