I put up a bulletin board this week, an effort I make once or twice per year. It tends to get pushed down the priority list...much like keeping up with my blog posts. This bulletin board is all about sleep, please have a look on the wall outside my office. Here is a link to an article for further reading from The Slate: In Defense of Absurdly Early Bedtimes
Since I've written last, my lessons have covered several topics: Stress, Diversity, Moving, Career Awareness, and more. During my moving lessons in the upper grades, we discussed the importance of "building a RAFT" to help you in your transition. This is drawn directly from Pollack & Van Reken's work in "Third Culture Kids: The Experience of Growing Up Among Worlds."
R...for Reconciliation (resolve conflicts with friends prior to leaving)
A...for Affirmation (communicate how much your friends have meant to you)
F...for Farewells (explicitly saying good-bye)
T...for Think Destination (take time to do some research about your new home country & get excited)
We talk about how good-bye parties can be a healthy way to take care of both the "A" and the "F." And, in all the grades, we discuss all of the emotions that moving can stir up: sad, mad, excited, happy, nervous, anxious, lonely, surprised, confused, and more. Hopefully, your kids will remember to talk to you about their feelings during your own time of transition, when that day comes.
Since I've written last, my lessons have covered several topics: Stress, Diversity, Moving, Career Awareness, and more. During my moving lessons in the upper grades, we discussed the importance of "building a RAFT" to help you in your transition. This is drawn directly from Pollack & Van Reken's work in "Third Culture Kids: The Experience of Growing Up Among Worlds."
R...for Reconciliation (resolve conflicts with friends prior to leaving)
A...for Affirmation (communicate how much your friends have meant to you)
F...for Farewells (explicitly saying good-bye)
T...for Think Destination (take time to do some research about your new home country & get excited)
We talk about how good-bye parties can be a healthy way to take care of both the "A" and the "F." And, in all the grades, we discuss all of the emotions that moving can stir up: sad, mad, excited, happy, nervous, anxious, lonely, surprised, confused, and more. Hopefully, your kids will remember to talk to you about their feelings during your own time of transition, when that day comes.
