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.  It turns problems into gifts, failure into successes, the unexpected into perfect timing, and mistakes into important events.

It can turn an existence into a real life, and disconnected situations into important and beneficial lessons.  Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates vision for tomorrow.

~Melodie Beattie

We talk a lot about being thankful to students for what we have, but as adults rarely take stock ourselves.   In this crazy world today take a moment to experience real gratitude.  We always want more and more, but so often do not realize how fortunate we are to have what we do.  Think about your life comparatively, not just at this time of year, but anytime you believe that you “need” more of something.  You might just find you have everything you need already!

Here are a few things our students are thankful for this year…

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving Break!

Mrs. Baier

Not Yet

Be not afraid of going slowly; be afraid only of standing still.  ~ Chinese Proverb

I recently watched a short TED video in which Carol Dweck was speaking. (If you are interested you can watch the video here: https://www.ted.com/talks/carol_dweck_the_power_of_believing_that_you_can_improve#t-18800)

 If you don’t know Carol Dweck, she is the researcher who coined the “growth mindset.”  In this video she started by speaking about a school where when students did not pass a course, the grade they received was “not yet.”  In schools we grade our students on their work, but what do those grades truly mean to students.  The words “not yet,” truly resonated with me.  If we want students to strive and keep trying, we need to encourage them.  We need to praise wisely.  Praising and rewarding the process and the effort they have put forth not the end product.  No, they may not have mastered the concept this particular time, but that doesn’t mean mastery is not yet to come.  Using simple words like not yet help children see acquiring knowledge is a process and not an event.  It also helps them know that just because they didn’t get it the first time doesn’t mean it won’t happen.  Try using those words in your home and see if they make a difference!

Last week our students participated in our annual Veterans’ Day programs.  Our 3^rd and 5^th grade students had the opportunity to perform both the National Anthem and America the Beautiful.  Gigi (1^st), Adriana (1^st), Luke (3^rd), and Ellie (5^th) impressed us all with their recitations of The Gettysburg Address.  Thank you to my kindergarten and first grade helpers, who passed out flags to Veterans at the programs.  We were honored to have family members attend our programs and hope the Veterans in attendance felt our heart-felt thanks for their service to our country.

Have a great week!

Mrs. Baier

Patience First

“Patience is the best remedy for every trouble.” ~ Plautus, playwright

We live in a society of such immediacy that we have forgotten how to be patient.  I hear adults (Yes, we are all guilty of this.) talk to children about being patient, but they do not model that patience themselves.  With all of our technology alerting us immediately to communications, it has become a reflex to jump on things right away.  I feel we are losing our ability to pause and take time to reflect before we answer.  We all know our first attempts at things are not always our best.  Personally, I struggle with satisfying the need to take care of a task with my fervent desire to do the best I can in everything I do.  I would encourage you to take some time to think about how you practice patience in your professional and personal lives.  How do you model patience to your children and others in your life?  Are you ruled by the ding of the alert or do you rule it?  Just a few things to contemplate…

Second grade students have been studying life cycles in science.  One of their latest life cycles was the life cycle of the frog.  Miss Hopper’s class worked with their 4^th grade buddies to share the life cycle of the frog and build a frog.  It was a great collaborative project allowing the second graders to share their knowledge with older students, who could add on to that knowledge.  Here are some pictures of their time together and some completed frogs.

Thank you to everyone who came to the Gala on Saturday to support filling the library in our new location next year.  A fun time was had by all and the generosity of parents and staff in donations of money, items, and experiences made for a very successful evening.  I look forward to hearing the final total raised for books when it is released this week!

Don’t forget about our annual Veterans’ Day programs on Wednesday.  School of Grammar programs start at 8:30 with 3^rd-5^th graders attending.  The K-2 program is at 9:00.  I am proud of our dedication to recognizing those individuals who serve our country. 

When I was attending the ERB conference in San Diego, I had the opportunity to tour the Naval Special Warfare Command Center-SWCC (where Navy Seals train) and meet the head of SWCC, Commander Jay Hennessey.  After his remarks to us, we thanked him for his service to our country.  He stopped us and said it was his pleasure and no thanks were necessary.  He got up each morning and did something that he loved to do, serve his country.  His remarks stuck with me, but  I still believe in thanking our Veterans every chance we get. To answer such a calling is truly noble!  

Below are a few pictures from my time at SWCC (that I am allowed to share), in case you are interested.  I was also struck by the connections I saw between what we teach students to prepare them to be great citizens of the world and what the Navy Seals expect from their recruits.  We are truly preparing students for anything they choose to do once they graduate from Eagle Ridge Academy!

Have a wonderful week!

Mrs. Baier