More Wonder and Awe

“The world is full of magic things, patiently waiting for our senses to grow sharper.” ~ W.B Yeats

Our teachers are constantly working to create wonder and awe in the classroom.  Sometimes this happens simply though words read or conversations that take place.  Other times events are a bit more dramatic and can be shared with others throughout the community.  Today was one of those times when a dramatic event occurred. 

Mrs. Grabanski’s class has been patiently incubating chicken eggs in their classroom.  They have watched them diligently seeing the life grow inside them over the past few weeks.  Their patience and good care was rewarded today with the hatching of the first chick from its egg.  The delight from the teacher and students could not be contained.  Thanks to Mrs. Grabanski for sharing this journey with the entire school.  Everyone has followed with rapt attention and gratefulness at being involved from the beginning.  Just another case of seeing beauty in a life event we usually just take for granted. 

Have a wonderful spring break!

Mrs. Baier

Growing Old

“The Little Boy and the Old Man by Shel Silverstein

Said the little boy, "Sometimes I drop my spoon."
Said the old man, "I do that too."
The little boy whispered, "I wet my pants."
I do that too," laughed the little old man.
Said the little boy, "I often cry."
The old man nodded, "So do I."
But worst of all," said the boy, "it seems
Grown-ups don't pay attention to me."
And he felt the warmth of a wrinkled old hand.
I know what you mean," said the little old man.” 

A few weeks ago we celebrated the 100^th day of school for the year.  Students in second grade took some time to think about what life would be like when they turned 100 years old.  They wrote stories, made bucket lists, and created pictures of themselves at that age.  When you are seven, twenty years old is a long way off (much less a 100).  Trying to understand life as a senior citizen is difficult at that age, but they did a nice job putting themselves in that place.

Teaching students empathy and respect for our elders is important at Eagle Ridge Academy.  It starts when kindergarten students visit assisted living facilities to sing songs and share cards.  Those visits are valued by young and old alike!  Perhaps your family could visit older family members or make a visit to a senior center.  It is certainly time well-spent!

Have a wonderful week!

Mrs. Baier

Dream a Little...

“I have not always chosen the safest path. I've made my mistakes, plenty of them. I sometimes jump too soon and fail to appreciate the consequences. But I've learned something important along the way: I've learned to heed the call of my heart. I've learned that the safest path is not always the best path and I've learned that the voice of fear is not always to be trusted.” ~ Steve Goodier

Earlier this week you should have received communication from the school that this will be my last year at Eagle Ridge Academy.  It is never an easy choice to leave a place where you have invested so much of your time, your heart, and your soul.  The only real reason for me to leave Eagle Ridge Academy was to follow a long desired dream.  We all have dreams, but it takes fortitude, perseverance, and often creativity to make them happen.  Things come along the way that derail those dreams and new learning causes them to shift and change over time.  In my case, all of the above was true.  Last week some things I have dreamed about for many year finally came to fruition.  Achieving your dreams is always bittersweet because of some sacrifices that have to be made along the way.  In the end, knowing you have achieved something you have always wanted is indescribable. 

I write about following your dreams because I hope you are able to support your children in their dreams.  We often have a path we believe our children should follow.  Later, we may realize that is our dream for them, not their own dream.  Make sure to listen to your children as they develop their own dreams.  Let them make the mistakes they will along the way, but be there to support them.  Realization of a dream (no matter how large or small) is such a crowning moment in life.  I had a child last week tell me he had dreamed of winning the Pillar ticket drawing, the look on his face in that moment when he found out he did was priceless.  It was his dream and he achieved it!  Nothing is better than that!

Speaking of Pillar Ticket Winners…the January winners are listed below.  They will be having hot cocoa with Mrs. Baier in her office as a reward. 

Eleanor C. 1^st grade, Sam E. 2^nd grade, Soni G. 2^nd grade, Isla H. 1^st grade, Leah J. 2^nd grade, Bravin M. 3^rd grade

Have a wonderful week!

Melanie

Do You Hear What I Hear?

“The greatest compliment that was ever paid me was when someone asked me what I thought, and attended to my answer.” ~Henry David Thoreau

The art of listening to another person (I mean truly listening) is a something that takes time to develop, but does more for building relationships than anything else.  We often hear what others are saying, but don’t take the time to truly listen.  Listening and asking questions related to what people are saying shows others we are interested in them as whole people, not just for our own interests.

Do you ask your children questions and listen in a way that shows you are truly interested in what they are saying?  Many parents have realized they ask their children questions about things they (the parents) want to know right away, as opposed to what interests their children first.  Do you truly need to know the answer to how your child did on the math test as soon as he/she gets home or can you ask some questions about the parts of the day you know are interesting to your child and truly listen to the answers?  When we ask those questions first, it puts value on the child as a person and our interest in him or her, not on how the child does on a test or assignment.  When individuals feel we are interested in them as humans, they feel more valued. 

Stephen Covey wrote, “To truly listen means to transcend your autobiography, to get out of your own frame of reference, out of your own value system, out of your own history and judging tendencies, and to get deeply into the frame of reference or viewpoint of another person.”  Try listening to your children and others around you in a new way.  You may find it strengthens your relationships with them by showing them how you value human being over human doing. 

First Graders are working on their writing.  With the weather being so cold, they imagined what they would do if they were trapped in a snow globe.  While living in Minnesota may feel like being trapped in a snow globe to adults in the winter, students had some creative ways to escape their globes (and they didn’t involve flying to a warmer climate).  See the pictures below for a few samples.

Have a wonderful week!
Mrs. Baier

Gratitude

“Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend.” ~ Melody Beattie

I have often spoken of gratitude.  I truly believe it is what transforms our lives and helps us find the happiness we are always seeking.  At this time of year, gratitude is often acknowledged more and we find those acknowledgements more poignant. However, gratitude is truly important every day the whole year through. 

The beauty of gratitude cannot be denied, especially when it is expressed in the words of a child.  Every year, the School of Grammar students share what they are thankful for with the school community through our “Thankful” wall.  This year the wall is in the Forum by the entrance to the School of Grammar.  If you are in the building, you should take some time to read some of the words of gratitude from our students.  I have posted a few pictures below if you are not able to see it in person.

Have wonderful holiday break!
Mrs. Baier

Developing Virtues

“The greatest virtues are those which are most useful to other persons.” ~ Aristotle

We often speak of virtues at Eagle Ridge Academy.  We try to impart virtuous knowledge upon students.  We know there is more to an education than the acquirement of academic skills and understand to be a truly happy person one must also be a virtuous person.  Being virtuous is within us all.  A virtue has been described as a natural ability trained to a pitch of excellence.  Students at Eagle Ridge Academy not only learn to demonstrate virtuous behaviors, but they learn to identify them in others.  They identify them in other students, figures from history, characters from stories, and adults in their lives.  They are also quite capable of figuring out when virtues/virtuous behavior is lacking in an individual. 

We like to celebrate the expression of virtues in our students with Pillar stickers.  It is a simple recognition of the growth of a virtue for a student.  Once a month I draw five Pillar tickets (the back of the sticker) from the jar outside my office and provide a relational reward to the students.  Last month five School of Grammar students took a fall walk outside the building with me.  We enjoyed our time together!  Mrs. Twetan kindly took a picture of us on our lovely walk.  The adults in the building really look forward to these times to build relationships with students.  As we know relationships are the key component in a true Classical Education. 

Friday (11/11) we will be having our annual Veterans Day programs in the gym.  The schedule is below.  Please feel free to join us for one of the programs.  Students should dress in their formal uniforms that day, as we honor our veterans.

Grades 2-5: 8:25 - 8:50 a.m.
Grades K-1: 9:00 - 9:25 a.m.
Grades 6-8: 9:35 - 10:00 a.m. 
Grades 9-12: 10:10 - 10:35 a.m.

Have a wonderful week!

Mrs. Baier

Cultivating Wonder and Awe...

“All this he saw for one moment breathless and intense, vivid on the morning sky; and still, as he looked, he lived; and still, as he lived, he wondered.” ~Kenneth Grahame

Children so often wonder and they are in awe of so many things.  As we grow older we often become more jaded and it seems to take more and more to feel awe.  We forget how to see things through the eyes of children.

 

When I heard the kindergarten wanted to take a field trip to Gale Woods farm, at first I thought “sure, why not.”  I was thinking as an adult who had already experienced farm life as a child (sometimes too much of it).  I wasn’t thinking from the viewpoint of a child that has never seen or visited a farm before.  When our students returned from Gale Woods and shared their stories of amazement, I stopped to reflect on this.  The wonder and awe that comes from seeing and interacting with new animals and seeing the plants they have studied in pictures in real life is priceless on the face of a kindergarten student. 

All of this reminds me that once I had such awe of farm animals and plants.  The reasons for that initial wonder and awe has not changed, but taking for granted the miracle of animal and plant growth has.  How can we become less cynical and more awed by the simple things in life?  I think it has a lot to do with gratitude.  When you live your life with gratitude, you see the simple things much differently. Today, I’m grateful the kindergarten students have reminded me of how wonderful it is to see sheep, chickens, and plants.  Looking and listening with the eyes and heart of a kindergartner has made me grateful and awed by the workings of a farm, once again.   I hope you are able to cultivate your own wonder and awe in those simple things once again as you see the joy and gratefulness in these pictures of our kindergarten students on their field trip.

Friday is a Spirit Wear Day!

Have a great week!

Mrs. Baier