tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-87605802328831166152024-03-04T23:44:35.423-05:00Caring For The KidsCaring for the Kids: A School Counselor BlogLynne Wattshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02788918458763274157noreply@blogger.comBlogger157125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8760580232883116615.post-70763734899637032492014-07-22T09:14:00.000-04:002014-07-22T09:14:54.751-04:00Developing Superhero Character Traits<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
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Many teachers and counselors in Georgia (and no doubt elsewhere across the country), are planning a return to school soon. Thoughts turn to developing a year long theme of lessons that incorporate many of the important character traits. My virtual friend and counselor extraordinaire, Barbara Gruener, has a book out just in the nick of time to help you get those plans in order. <i><b>What's Under Your Cape? Superheroes of the Character Kind</b></i> is a treasure chest of creative ideas, books to share and heartwarming stories. I can't recommend it enough for anyone looking for a comprehensive and easy to follow series of character lessons that will take you through the year and beyond. </div>
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Developing a superhero character is something that is a critical skill to learn
as children grow. What I love about this book is that it uses the acronym, SUPERHERO to identify eleven important traits and then follows up with practical ideas for incorporating them into the everyday life of the school counselor. Here are the traits she explores:<br />
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S~Service<br />
U~Unconditional Love<br />
P~Perseverance<br />
E~Empathy<br />
R~Respect<br />
H~honesty<br />
E~Enthusiasm<br />
R~Responsibility<br />
O~Obedience<br />
E~Encouragement<br />
S~Self-Discipline<br />
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All ages can learn to become superheros. When we as parents and educators teach and model these character traits, we
can be assured that the thread will continue and ultimately come back
to us.<br />
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Several of the Wyatt books also are great for teaching skills that you will want children to use all year long. For the new kindergarten student, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Wyatt-Wonder-Dog-Goes-Kindergarten/dp/1489583122/ref=sr_sp-atf_title_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1406034610&sr=8-1&keywords=Wyatt+the+wonder+dog+goes+to+kindergarten%27" target="_blank"><i><b>Wyatt the Wonder Dog Goes to Kindergarten </b></i></a>is a lesson all about doing new things that can be scary but are ultimately rewarding in the end.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaHNixwwX5RogyWn3VyoVylh3aTdI3wREL-pjLQCGxQhqGXr80gbKHMhUK-47bqAEgaLJbLYiGZK4jafLZWuL2kBg7KlvcFPkkVIGH83ljW1Tas3zNVjMObz8XF-dPnD3KlxnKyh2_9_k/s1600/Wyatt-kKindergarten+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaHNixwwX5RogyWn3VyoVylh3aTdI3wREL-pjLQCGxQhqGXr80gbKHMhUK-47bqAEgaLJbLYiGZK4jafLZWuL2kBg7KlvcFPkkVIGH83ljW1Tas3zNVjMObz8XF-dPnD3KlxnKyh2_9_k/s1600/Wyatt-kKindergarten+1.jpg" height="200" width="200" /></a></div>
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For those interpersonal conflicts that are sure to come up between friends, check out, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Wyatt-Wonder-Dog-Learns-Manners/dp/1480146986/ref=sr_sp-atf_title_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1406034657&sr=8-2&keywords=Wyatt+the+wonder+dog+learns+about+good+manners" target="_blank"><i><b>Wyatt the Wonder Dog Learns about Good Manners</b></i></a>. It includes important techniques for turning conflicts into cooperation.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpG-6eS0sxMcuCe1EcmxQIudKlQNNyWGHK2wBuIrBBL5Ipy3QY5tmvIZkkeH-nd-ZHLwlqlc5TL45yQRt3bpDxt55xOu7mLdmJ3Vx0PdaC16QkqQE50QZBWd-hYXUeF4F1P33ygU97mxI/s1600/Wyatt_the_Wonder_Dog_Cover_Manners_Kindle.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpG-6eS0sxMcuCe1EcmxQIudKlQNNyWGHK2wBuIrBBL5Ipy3QY5tmvIZkkeH-nd-ZHLwlqlc5TL45yQRt3bpDxt55xOu7mLdmJ3Vx0PdaC16QkqQE50QZBWd-hYXUeF4F1P33ygU97mxI/s1600/Wyatt_the_Wonder_Dog_Cover_Manners_Kindle.jpg" height="200" width="200" /></a></div>
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Finally, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Wyatt-Wonder-Dog-Learns-Organized/dp/1484062450/ref=sr_sp-atf_title_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1406034702&sr=8-1&keywords=Wyatt+the+wonder+dog+learns+about+being+organized" target="_blank"><i><b>Wyatt the Wonder Dog Learns About Being Organized</b></i></a> is a great book for teaching children how to plan and schedule time. <br />
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Lynne Wattshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02788918458763274157noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8760580232883116615.post-6688023079946450022014-06-24T09:24:00.002-04:002014-06-25T09:54:17.138-04:00Three Ways to Slay the "I'm Bored" Monster<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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A fellow teacher and friend reported to me that her frustrated child told his dad, "Quit getting your nerves on me!" We've all been there haven't we? Summer is a time of relaxation and freedom. It's unstructured days and late nights; movies and picnics, wild roller coaster rides at the theme park and lazy days poolside. But eventually something will probably rear it's ugly head. It's the dreaded "B" word. My kids would usually bring it up after a particularly eventful day spent at Six Flags or Stone Mountain or some other amusement park, where we had been on the go from dawn to dusk. Just as we get home and I collapse on the sofa, they whine pitifully, "I'm bored." Made me feel like saying... "Quit getting your nerves on me!"<br />
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In our fast paced, always tuned in and turned on world, I believe we've created our own monster. Kids nowadays expect nonstop entertainment and often we as parents believe that we are responsible for providing it. We enroll our kids in camps and classes, go on family vacations and visit local attractions. By the end of the summer, we are all exhausted. Instead of being refreshed and renewed, we are tired and frustrated.<br />
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What if being 'bored' is a good thing? What if instead of providing constant activities and structured events, we created an oasis of time for creativity and free play? For many kids this would be a novel concept but for those of us in my generation that is what summer was. It was long days of creating forts and riding bikes. We roamed the neighborhood or played in the backyard. We played board games and read books (seriously-<i><b>books</b></i>). There was of course no technology to keep us indoors. Saturday morning cartoons and Sunday night Walt Disney were the only times we were glued to the television.<br />
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Teaching children to manage their own free time and create their own activities is an important skill. When we don't learn to do this as children, we grow up to be adults who expect to be entertained as well. Know anyone like that? Here are some great ways to encourage children to develop an independent mindset while taking responsibility for their own time management and entertainment.<br />
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Use a schedule</h3>
Even young children can understand a printed schedule that identifies such activities as bedtime, TV or video game time and free time. Then define what free time is: a time to use their own imagination to create opportunities for play. Once they understand that this is their special time, most children will look forward to it rather than look to the parent for guidance.<br />
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Brainstorm a List of Activities </h3>
Help your child develop a list or a notebook of activities that they could review to give themselves ideas as to how to fill free time. Make sure there are lots of activities that don't require someone else, a friend or you to participate. Children need to learn to entertain themselves without always needing someone else to play with. Here are a couple of more resources to get the creative juices flowing:<br />
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Watch how this imaginative nine year old filled his summer days at his Dad's auto parts shop:<br />
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Read a previous post on fun writing activities your child can do for the summer:<br />
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<a href="http://caringforthekids.blogspot.com/2012/06/ten-fun-summer-time-writing-activities.html" target="_blank">Ten Fun Summertime Writing Activities</a><br />
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Expect Some Resistance</h3>
If you've been providing constant activity or resorting to video game babysitters when you are tired of it all, you can expect some whining and resistance to having to develop their own sense of imaginative play. This is a good thing and a sign that you are working in the right direction.<br />
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Enjoy your summer while you slay the "I'm Bored Monster"! Let me know in the comments below how it's going. What is your biggest summertime challenge with the kids?<br />
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Need some great books to share with your child for summer reading? Check out the <a href="http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_2/183-9791675-9797864?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=Wyatt%20the%20Wonder%20Dog" target="_blank">Wyatt the Wonder Dog Book Series,</a> children's books with an empowering message. <br />
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Live in the Canton Georgia area? Come see me at the book signing for the newest Wyatt book:<br />
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Book Signing </div>
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Wyatt the Wonder Dog Learns about Winning </div>
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Three Sisters Gifts and Home Accents</div>
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6205 Hickory Flat Hwy Ste #106</div>
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Canton, Georgia </div>
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June 26, 2014</div>
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10:30-12:00 </div>
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Fun for the kids!</div>
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Story time, refreshments and crafts</div>
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Lynne Wattshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02788918458763274157noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8760580232883116615.post-81667398899755701912014-06-16T13:10:00.000-04:002014-06-16T13:24:09.362-04:00Wyatt the Wonder Dog Visits Three Sisters Gift Shop!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I am so excited to be launching my newest book at Three Sisters Gifts and Home Accents in Hickory Flat, Georgia. If you live in the Canton area you are no doubt familiar with this delightful store.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Three-Sisters-Gifts-and-Home-Accents">https://www.facebook.com/pages/Three-Sisters-Gifts-and-Home-Accents</a></td></tr>
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In addition to loads of gifts and home accents, they have a charming children's section full of everything a child loves from books to games to clothes. The Three Sisters have been carrying the Wyatt books since February and I am thrilled to be throwing a Summertime Party for the kiddos on Thursday, June 26th 10:30-12:00. I hope you will drop by. I'll be reading Wyatt's newest story, sharing some refreshments and making some puppy dog ears to wear home! I'll even have a giveaway for a free book. I hope to see you there!<br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">In my newest Wyatt book,
Wyatt the Wonder Dog doesn't make the All Star Baseball
Team and he is feeling like a loser. All his friends will be playing baseball
this summer, while he and his pesky sister, Callie, visit grandparents at the
beach.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>How Wyatt learns to handle
disappointment and failure will be an important lesson for the future.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Will he give up trying new things?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Will he have the confidence to try
again?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Are there some things that take
more practice and persistence to learn than others?</span><br />
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As a school counselor for twenty years, one of the topics that came up frequently was how to cope with disappointment and failure. We all face it at one time or another don't we? Whether it's not making the team, not getting the part we wanted in the play or not making the grade, we all face failure. My goal in <a href="http://wyatthewonderdog.com/reviewmybook" target="_blank"><i><b>Wyatt Learns about Winning</b></i></a> is to change our mindset about failure and instead of considering it losing out to reframe it as an opportunity to learn and grow. I realize this is quite a turn around for the average adult, never-mind the average child, but if we as adults can model a learner rather than loser mentality, we will all be better for it.<br />
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Can't make the book signing but want to purchase a book? Here's the link:</div>
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<a href="http://wyatthewonderdog.com/reviewmybook" target="_blank"> http://wyatthewonderdog.com/reviewmybook</a></div>
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Do you have a story to tell but don't know how to get started? Are you interested in learning how to self-publish a children's picture book? I've create a guide that will walk you through the process;</div>
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<a href="http://wyatthewonderdog.com/publish" target="_blank">http://wyatthewonderdog.com/publish</a></div>
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Lynne Wattshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02788918458763274157noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8760580232883116615.post-16090778619621715672014-06-10T10:02:00.001-04:002014-06-10T10:02:44.444-04:00One Word-My Parting Gift<br />
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Friday, May 30th was my last day as a school counselor at Sixes Elementary, my job of twenty years. It is unbelievable and I'll not sure the full impact has hit me yet. The month of May was full of last moments... last bus duty, last report to turn in, last test to give. Many of these have been moments I won't miss. There are other lasts that I will miss a lot. Last kindergarten guidance lesson. Last kindergarten graduation program to watch. Last writing club parents' night. Last staff luncheon to attend.</div>
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At the staff luncheon, there are always moments of great celebration such as when the teacher of the year is announced and moments of sadness as when during the recession, so many teachers were let go. Some leavings are bittersweet. Teachers who get married and move away. Teachers who have babies and opt to stay home. This year was no different. We had new teachers joining us and teachers leaving. <br />
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My Parting Gift</h3>
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Since both my principal and I were retiring, we were each given a parting gift. It was probably one of the best most meaningful gifts I've ever been given. Just looking at the picture of it in this blog brings tears to my eyes. Here is picture of it:</div>
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Here's the background to the gift...</h3>
I've written before about <a href="http://caringforthekids.blogspot.com/2013/12/students-pick-one-word-for-2014.html" target="_blank">choosing one word to guide you through the year</a>. I've done it in guidance lessons and as part of activities for the writing club. This year we decided to do this as a faculty and after a week to think about it, each teacher presented his or her word for the year at a faculty meeting. We took pictures of the teachers as a grade level with their one word and put it on the website. It was fascinating to see. There was Focus, Determination, Listening and Invest among many others. My word for 2014 is Adventure. We each wrote or printed the word and hung it outside our office or classroom. It was a wonderful reminder each time we visited another classroom, what that teachers' focus was for the year. <br />
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My One Word for 2014</h4>
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For the One Word booklet, each teacher was asked to share one word that they felt described me. The results were fascinating and touching. Here's the breakdown:<br />
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<h4 style="text-align: center;">
Calm: Appeared six times</h4>
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<h4 style="text-align: center;">
Inspirational or Motivational appeared four times</h4>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjE8roR5et-3rOjh9jia3S6lG6riZ4bsA4IJfcnhmZ4ZJncgfjiG5Bw965C_A_HNBiRVpTGXv3AMZ0gjw_TKhwQazqxIkzzgCHqwWbBCDEDwD-XWCxkfJGzClfhppWupuBlgIjNMMXjs3w/s1600/motivational.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjE8roR5et-3rOjh9jia3S6lG6riZ4bsA4IJfcnhmZ4ZJncgfjiG5Bw965C_A_HNBiRVpTGXv3AMZ0gjw_TKhwQazqxIkzzgCHqwWbBCDEDwD-XWCxkfJGzClfhppWupuBlgIjNMMXjs3w/s1600/motivational.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
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Creative or Innovative appeared four times</h4>
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<h4 style="text-align: center;">
Compassionate appeared three times</h4>
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<h4 style="text-align: center;">
There were lots of others that appeared only once... but I loved them!</h4>
<h4 style="text-align: center;">
Here's a couple:</h4>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWA6sihKyRCQ6HTxZGt5X_xmXHCTmZzCd8YMX2KVAs5NBiLLN5Md9ywjBtDALeVR1Kh_26LO5spvAczVORTS-8Mm00Ao2jtj7_pYNUMxK7GWrfRUld5KQ1ONyei6OsvMqyZ2iR3cb4eKE/s1600/earthbound.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWA6sihKyRCQ6HTxZGt5X_xmXHCTmZzCd8YMX2KVAs5NBiLLN5Md9ywjBtDALeVR1Kh_26LO5spvAczVORTS-8Mm00Ao2jtj7_pYNUMxK7GWrfRUld5KQ1ONyei6OsvMqyZ2iR3cb4eKE/s1600/earthbound.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhx1fs1_jL2a4IY8oyOz6IdRt1sTduq3Zinu8cz3hI2jgfl7qC0voSBKrvvMfPaOUfZdrQEHMHvIqeOjF0WJYa3D_DhyPP9DUeRIqQJ6G9Por35hgUhd3yIYjVaz2wBZaByzZ4-UgPLH60/s1600/hilarious.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhx1fs1_jL2a4IY8oyOz6IdRt1sTduq3Zinu8cz3hI2jgfl7qC0voSBKrvvMfPaOUfZdrQEHMHvIqeOjF0WJYa3D_DhyPP9DUeRIqQJ6G9Por35hgUhd3yIYjVaz2wBZaByzZ4-UgPLH60/s1600/hilarious.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
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This is truly a gift that I will treasure forever. I've already shared the experience with many others and now with you, my readers.</div>
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<h3>
Lessons Learned</h3>
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I thought about ending this blog with the last sentence, but I'm a habitual educator and I can't stop without commenting on lessons learned. </div>
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<ul>
<li>It's powerful and empowering to know how you are perceived by others.</li>
<li>There are parts of us that we aren't even aware of, that others see.</li>
<li>The love and care that we have for each other is so often lost in daily transactions-what if we did something like this regularly with co-workers, friends, family?</li>
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<b>What is one word that others would use to describe you? What if you asked?</b></div>
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Lynne Wattshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02788918458763274157noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8760580232883116615.post-81856107076066986442014-05-30T14:31:00.000-04:002014-05-30T14:31:13.740-04:00After Twenty Years... I'm Retiring from School CounselingI began my career as a school counselor the fall of 1994. For the past twenty years it has been a dream job. I have loved the school where I've worked and all the students. Some have been more challenging than others but then don't we all have our moments? I've loved the faculty and staff that I've worked with. There isn't a better, more dedicated group of teachers on the planet. They are each one dedicated to encouraging every student to be successful and to be the best they can be. I've loved the creativity of the job and it's focus on making positive changes in children's lives. If you had asked me five years ago if I'd ever retire, I'd have said, "What for?" I seriously thought I'd be 101 years old, wandering the halls looking for a class to share a guidance lesson with.<br />
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<h3>
A Bigger Dream </h3>
But sometimes you get a bigger dream. In the last five years, I've rediscovered the dream of writing and I've published four, soon to be five children's books. It began with this one:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCCI3aZlmm5z2AIe30fpLWeP5WPMBq58O_bGlpEVjUy_6YP0RwtRuM04Vv6P3y3amG15jlylE4ojEA615IeGfQdMwYvd4StTRykOZHv_wR2sTPdtVeq5XLxdFQNQTLELcIs5IgamCvDUU/s1600/Wyatt_the_Wonder_Dog_Cover_Manners_Kindle.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCCI3aZlmm5z2AIe30fpLWeP5WPMBq58O_bGlpEVjUy_6YP0RwtRuM04Vv6P3y3amG15jlylE4ojEA615IeGfQdMwYvd4StTRykOZHv_wR2sTPdtVeq5XLxdFQNQTLELcIs5IgamCvDUU/s1600/Wyatt_the_Wonder_Dog_Cover_Manners_Kindle.jpg" height="200" width="200" /></a></div>
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Soon the newest one will be out</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEmnwotkpILxe-l7L9p2AJuNGe3tC6Gfn8RWArr-KDAP1b2SLLIDmN-Rz6RE50tk4sNTG_ItvOTsoPI3BsQ0zPdfHUrZTsxPBpuyPUGzaDzp8wIuZwiyzGpcLS3Mm8ykZxdEKSygFXgQg/s1600/Wyatt+the+Wonder+Dog-Winning+Cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEmnwotkpILxe-l7L9p2AJuNGe3tC6Gfn8RWArr-KDAP1b2SLLIDmN-Rz6RE50tk4sNTG_ItvOTsoPI3BsQ0zPdfHUrZTsxPBpuyPUGzaDzp8wIuZwiyzGpcLS3Mm8ykZxdEKSygFXgQg/s1600/Wyatt+the+Wonder+Dog-Winning+Cover.jpg" height="200" width="200" /></a></div>
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In addition, I've published a couple of inspirational/motivational books for adults. It's been a magical, challenging and thoroughly compelling journey that I've ventured forth on. So, May 30th is my last official day at Sixes Elementary. I don't feel that I'm leaving something behind so much as I'm forging headlong wildly, ecstatically and a bit recklessly into the greatest adventure of my life. <br />
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<h3>
A Great Celebration </h3>
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Last week the school threw a retirement party for me and my principal, Mrs. Kelly, who is also retiring. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBLe7se7zHvqvgvbNzAIYHykj00leXWeFSq4SCObnW3RNPovcbGHFPBuzWYCRYUuGuwCalI7acgLQZhqut_uJ7QwtDVLppqc0GYaQTEK2n8cMEG3UPtndUyg8HINRiiI2ONZeQrLdqUQY/s1600/DSC00026.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBLe7se7zHvqvgvbNzAIYHykj00leXWeFSq4SCObnW3RNPovcbGHFPBuzWYCRYUuGuwCalI7acgLQZhqut_uJ7QwtDVLppqc0GYaQTEK2n8cMEG3UPtndUyg8HINRiiI2ONZeQrLdqUQY/s1600/DSC00026.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></a></div>
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It was a lovely celebration and we each received a rocking chair with our name on it. Here is mine... <br />
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It is extra special because it was painted by our talented art teacher, Susan Winchester. The best part is that there is a picture of the inspiration behind this whole retirement thing on the back. Can you make out his bandana? It says retired on it!<br />
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Because I love stories, I'll finish this post with a funny student story. It seems word got out among the students that I wouldn't be back next year and a third grader stopped me in the hall to ask, "Will the new counselor next year be<strong><em> just like you</em></strong>?" To which I responded, "Well, she'll probably be taller." At which point, the student dropped to her knees and said, "Do you mean she won't be a midget like us?" I truthfully don't know where I'm going to get such quality material after I leave....<br />
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<strong>Thanks to everyone for the memories.</strong></div>
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Don't worry, it's the end of my school counseling career but not the end of my blogging! You can follow the journey along with my buddy, Wyatt the Wonder Dog here: <a href="http://www.wyatthewonderdog.com/">www.wyatthewonderdog.com</a><br />
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Want to check out Wyatt's newest book on winning and losing? Here's a description:<br />
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><em>Wyatt the Wonder Dog didn’t make it on the All Star Baseball
Team and he is feeling like a loser. All his friends will be playing baseball
this summer, while he and his pesky sister, Callie, visit grandparents at the
beach.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>How Wyatt learns to handle
disappointment and failure will be an important lesson for the future.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Will he give up trying new things?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Will he have the confidence to try
again?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Are there some things that take
more practice and persistence to learn than others?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Join Wyatt on his latest “wonder-full”
adventure as he learns what it takes to be a winner.</em></span></div>
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Here's the link:<br />
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<a href="http://wyatthewonderdog.com/booklaunch">http://wyatthewonderdog.com/booklaunch</a>Lynne Wattshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02788918458763274157noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8760580232883116615.post-73796952712336163422014-05-20T14:19:00.000-04:002014-05-20T14:19:44.408-04:00Thank you Sixes Elementary for a Wonderful (and Surprising) Yearbook Dedication!!Every year at the end of the year, Sixes Elementary where I work has the yearbook unveiling and dedication. It is an event that is eagerly awaited by staff and students.<br />
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There is music provided by our talented (but a little crazy) fourth graders.</div>
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There is a contest among students to design the yearbook cover. The top ten entrees are chosen and the winner is announced on the day of the dedication. Here is the talented winner, Kayley Haselhorst who got her art work on the front of the yearbook. </div>
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Last Friday also turned out to be a red letter day for me. I was surprised to learn that the yearbook had been dedicated to me!!</div>
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Thank you Sixes Elementary for twenty wonderful years and the terrific honor of the yearbook dedication. It is a day I will never forget!</div>
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Lynne Wattshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02788918458763274157noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8760580232883116615.post-9447808594278764632014-05-13T13:04:00.002-04:002014-05-13T13:45:43.099-04:00Helping Children Handle Disappointment and FailureIn January, I wrote a post entitled <a href="http://caringforthekids.blogspot.com/2014/01/what-if-you-embrace-limitation.html" target="_blank">Embrace the Shake</a>. It was based on artist <a href="http://youtu.be/YrZTho_o_is" target="_blank">Phil Hansen's TED talk</a> about a tremor that he developed which created problems in his drawing ability. When a doctor advised him to "embrace the shake" instead of trying to overcome it, he found that it opened up a whole new world of possibilities. Instead of trying to hold the pencil tighter and control the shaking, he began to incorporate the shake into his art. His message addressed the limitations that we all have and the importance of working within the framework of the limitation.<br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">I believe this is an important issue for students as well as adults. In my newest Wyatt book,
Wyatt the Wonder Dog doesn't make the All Star Baseball
Team and he is feeling like a loser. All his friends will be playing baseball
this summer, while he and his pesky sister, Callie, visit grandparents at the
beach.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>How Wyatt learns to handle
disappointment and failure will be an important lesson for the future.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Will he give up trying new things?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Will he have the confidence to try
again?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Are there some things that take
more practice and persistence to learn than others?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><br />
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<h3>
We Learn a Lot from Failure </h3>
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Helping children recognize their unique gifts and the diversity of those gifts is important. When we understand our unique abilities and work in our strengths, we develop a sense of self and increase self-esteem. It gives us focus and direction in life. <br />
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One problem we have created in the interest of making sure that all children have high self-esteem however, is that we often have tried to eliminate failure from our children's lives. Both at school and at home we focus on how students can be successful and certainly we all want every child to feel successful in something. We want to identify, develop and celebrate talents. However, we also need to make sure that we don't protect children from occasionally failing at something. Why? Because we all learn a great deal from failure. Sometimes I think we learn more from failure than we do from success.<br />
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<h3>
Some Great Lessons Learned from Failure</h3>
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Many of life's great lessons are learned from failure or hardship. In fact, if you look into the background of many successful leaders past and present, you will find early lives of adversity. I'm not suggesting of course that we create hardship, there is enough of that to go around! Instead, we need to teach children the right perspective for viewing failure. We need to teach them to expect that there will be times of hardship and disappointment but that if they will put into practice what they have learned from it, they can turn failure into success. We need to teach children that failure should challenge them to do more or act differently or to become better, but not to give up.<br />
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<h3>
Children Learn Winning from Adult Role Models</h3>
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One way we can do this is by example. As parents, teachers, and other significant adults, how we handle failure in our own lives will be an even more important lesson for our children than how we handle success. It will be a blueprint for our children as they face failure in their own. We can share with children the times we have experienced failure and the lessons learned.<br />
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<strong><em>Wyatt the Wonder Dog Learns about Winning</em></strong> is essentially a story about failing in some things but succeeding in others. It is a story of the adults in Wyatt's life encouraging him to try new things, even as they model trying new things themselves. I hope this story provides adults with a springboard for discussions around this important topic in order to encourage and empower children to discover their strengths and try new things. <br />
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Join the Wyatt the Wonder Dog pack and get a free audio download of <strong><em>Wyatt the Wonder Dog Learns about Being Organized:</em></strong><br />
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<a href="http://www.wyatthewonderdog.com/">www.wyatthewonderdog.com</a>Lynne Wattshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02788918458763274157noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8760580232883116615.post-3315987111581036992014-05-02T15:04:00.000-04:002014-05-02T15:04:42.745-04:00Sixes Arts Festival, Arts Career Fair and Writing Club are a HUGE Success!<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lynne Watts, Susan Winchester and Pam Gardner</td></tr>
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Every year at Sixes, our Art Teacher Extraordinare, Susan Winchester, creates an Arts Festival for our students and parents to attend. Together with our Awesome Music Teacher, Margaret Swarts, they put together an evening of entertainment for parents and students where they stroll the halls and view the art that has been created all year. <br />
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There are crafts you can make....<br />
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Native American music provided by Mike and Joy Cook....<br />
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Other music provided by Sixes parents and students....<br />
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and Balloon Art....<br />
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During the Arts Festival we always have a closing evening for our Writing Club when aspiring writers can read their work to family and friends. It is always a huge success and this year was no exception. What a lot of gifted writers we have! Here are just a few of them...<br />
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This year in addition to the Arts Festival at night, we also had an Arts Career Festival in the morning that all 800+ of our student were able to attend. Students moved from center to center to learn about what it takes to be an author, a graphic designer, a product designer, a watercolor artist, a landscape architect, an illustrator, a portrait photographer, a mural artist, a photographer, a crochet artist or a poet. Students loved it!!<br />
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As an author, I was able to talk to students about what goes into creating a story for a book:</div>
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At the station next to me, was Pam Gardner, my illustrator:</div>
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A watercolor artist talked about her craft...</div>
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A quilter showed students the gorgeous quilts she had made......</div>
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They learned what goes into product design....</div>
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They learned about portrait photography....</div>
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Students learned how to create poetry....</div>
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and high school honors art students taught them to draw....</div>
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It was a most AMAZING day. Thank you Susan Winchester for all your hard work!</div>
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Lynne Wattshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02788918458763274157noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8760580232883116615.post-67290156083518914372014-04-19T09:18:00.000-04:002014-04-19T09:22:41.431-04:00Robin O'Bryant and Ketchup is a Vegetable<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6juIedntANmBrBr_y-kUg4oiMraFstlhvlvUiP3hVVjEkkYMfy-TRYZkgo536wYOFx3rgaH1xkhPcY4DRn_kmWY7DZeIaoKe4nk3B8foHdZTHaa8E7h5merZ0i7-2LMSx7fccvWmC6gg/s1600/Robin+O'Bryant.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6juIedntANmBrBr_y-kUg4oiMraFstlhvlvUiP3hVVjEkkYMfy-TRYZkgo536wYOFx3rgaH1xkhPcY4DRn_kmWY7DZeIaoKe4nk3B8foHdZTHaa8E7h5merZ0i7-2LMSx7fccvWmC6gg/s1600/Robin+O'Bryant.jpg" height="320" width="213" /></a></div>
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Robin O'Bryant is a FUNNY LADY! I met her last week at Foxtale Book Shoppe, the BEST book store in Atlanta, when she stopped in to share excerpts from her book, <strong><em><a href="https://www.blogger.com/%3Ca%20href=%22http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1250054141/ref=as_li_tf_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=1250054141&linkCode=as2&tag=runninthebath-20">Ketchup Is a Vegetable: And Other Lies Moms Tell Themselves</a><img src="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=runninthebath-20&l=as2&o=1&a=1250054141" width="1" height="1" border="0" alt="" style="border:none !important; margin:0px !important;" />" target="_blank">Ketchup Is a Vegetable</a>.</em></strong> She quickly had her rapt audience in stitches as she shared stories about her breast reduction, a visit from the FBI and her children's education on the birds and the bees. As a mom and writer myself, I could easily identify with the drama of raising daughters, the hysterical things they say and the unexpected events in our ordinary lives. A Southern Belle with a wry sense of humor and colorful language (one whole chapter in her book is on her attempts to quit cursing), Robin establishes instant rapport with young moms and been-there-done-that moms everywhere. Just posting a picture of the title of her book had friends asking me about it, probably because everyone knows the challenge of feeding young picky eaters a healthy diet.<br />
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Like many authors, Robin began her interest in writing as an avid reader. Even as a youngster, she read like lightning and devoured books. Although family and friends encouraged her to write, it wasn't until she began sharing the stories of her young family, first through emails and then through her blog that she found her niche.<br />
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<strong><em><a href="https://www.blogger.com/%3Ca%20href=%22http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1250054141/ref=as_li_tf_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=1250054141&linkCode=as2&tag=runninthebath-20">Ketchup Is a Vegetable: And Other Lies Moms Tell Themselves</a><img src="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=runninthebath-20&l=as2&o=1&a=1250054141" width="1" height="1" border="0" alt="" style="border:none !important; margin:0px !important;" />" target="_blank">Ketchup is a Vegetable</a></em></strong> was initially a self-published book and Robin is familiar with the challenges of self-promotion and even created her own book tour. Once her book became a best seller and she had established more of a platform, it was re-released in it's present form. What is she writing next? She describes this book as chatting with her over a cup of coffee and her next book as talking with her over dinner and a glass of wine. I loved this book so much, I'm making dinner reservations now...<br />
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You can find Robin on her blog:<br />
<a href="http://www.robinschicks.com/" target="_blank">http://www.robinschicks.com/</a><br />
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We are working fast and furious to get the next <strong><em>Wyatt the Wonder Dog</em></strong> book out by early summer! Check out the details and sign-up for a free audio of Wyatt Learns about Being Organized <a href="http://wyatthewonderdog.com/" target="_blank">here</a>.<br />
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Like this post? Share on facebook and twitter:) Lynne Wattshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02788918458763274157noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8760580232883116615.post-30508118968465902722014-04-13T16:00:00.000-04:002014-04-13T16:00:02.623-04:00Mr E the Motivator and Testing Survival TipsNext week is a big week at my school and throughout much of Georgia as well. It is a week of standardized tests which reveal how much students have learned throughout the year. For some grade levels the final test score plays a big factor in whether or not the student passes to the next grade. Students of course stress over tests. I remember one year as I was sorting out the math scratch paper from the test booklets for some second graders, I ran across one piece that had this written on the page; "Dear God, Help me do good on this test". <br />
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This year our first graders came up with a way to help the older students prepare for testing while learning about economy at the same time. First Grade classrooms became factories where they created Testing Survival Kits. The kits included a piece of candy, a pencil, a sticker and some testing tips. The kits were then sold for fifty cents and all the money was donated to Relay for Life. The students earned over two hundred dollars to contribute to a good cause!<br />
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There are some great motivational videos available to ease the tension before testing too. Here is a good one:<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dwG4IyjtZ-SnmYCw_VETdxJb--r-CQH7Lu5e5JvuCJyY3JKshh9VeDpX0iJD6uKm8D3qPrbbo6eI1M7cMKoJA' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
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More tips for Anxious Students</h3>
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Here are some things I often suggest:</div>
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<strong>Learn relaxation breathing.</strong> Teaching a child to slow down their breathing and repeat a calming word such as "relax" can help them regain a feeling of control and focus. </div>
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<strong>Practice positive self-talk.</strong> This doesn't just mean unrealistic thinking but rather arguing with those negative thoughts that we often torment ourselves with. Rather than thinking, "This is too hard. I can't do it." Argue back with, "I studied and learned the material. I'm doing my best."</div>
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<strong>Write it down.</strong> Negative thoughts often become repetitive. Writing them down and literally throwing them away, can help a child to break the cycle and begin fresh with a more positive spin. </div>
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<strong>Create a ritual.</strong> It can be something as simple as a special "power breakfast for testing" or wearing a colorful shirt to remind her to stay focused. </div>
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Finally it helps to keep it all in perspective. It is after all just a test. </div>
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Lynne Wattshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02788918458763274157noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8760580232883116615.post-64360557768427352332014-03-23T21:06:00.000-04:002014-03-24T22:00:44.947-04:00Tsh Oxenreider and Living Life IntentionallyIn February I attended a book signing for Tsh Oxenreider at <a href="http://www.foxtalebookshoppe.com/" target="_blank">Foxtale Book Shoppe</a>. Tsh (don't worry, I haven't mispelled her name...) is a blogger, author, world traveler, mom and wife. She writes about her family, travel (her family's passion), and living a simple life. You can read her blog here: <a href="http://tshoxenreider.com/" target="_blank">http://tshoxenreider.com/</a><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXt2fJr-aRkeWtu96WlhiljWW2K5m74Nl0pqRbr69iDTGGbZkMnWUnlEr8Imfv2n1oyMJgmJFmwY392v5kYRc2Lx4raDtf1AFlJAHqlE-2_2WGNwn7hHHyPHV8L_ZPplDbLBgOuGH3yeo/s1600/2014-02-14+19.52.11-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXt2fJr-aRkeWtu96WlhiljWW2K5m74Nl0pqRbr69iDTGGbZkMnWUnlEr8Imfv2n1oyMJgmJFmwY392v5kYRc2Lx4raDtf1AFlJAHqlE-2_2WGNwn7hHHyPHV8L_ZPplDbLBgOuGH3yeo/s1600/2014-02-14+19.52.11-2.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
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Tsh's latest book, <strong><em><a href="https://www.blogger.com/%3Ca%20href=%22http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1400205573/ref=as_li_tf_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=1400205573&linkCode=as2&tag=runninthebath-20">Notes from a Blue Bike: The Art of Living Intentionally in a Chaotic World</a><img src="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=runninthebath-20&l=as2&o=1&a=1400205573" width="1" height="1" border="0" alt="" style="border:none !important; margin:0px !important;" />" target="_blank">Notes from a Blue Bike; The Art of Living Intentionally in a Chaotic World </a></em></strong>addresses a passion of mine, living life intentionally. Her book chronicles her return to life in the States after living in Turkey for three years with her husband and two children. As you might imagine she and her family experienced quite a bit of culture shock at the frenetic pace of American life. They became determined to merge the best of both worlds by intentionally living a simpler life. They have accomplished this in many ways but in particular they developed a family purpose statement which they wrote to help them focus on the things they all valued. Here is her family statement:<br />
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We will:<br />
put each other first<br />
cultivate deep relationships with one another<br />
extend love to those around us<br />
live simply<br />
be true to how God made us<br />
take care of our health<br />
be good stewards of creation<br />
be lifelong learners<br />
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Much like the one word that I wrote about in a<a href="http://caringforthekids.blogspot.com/2013/12/students-pick-one-word-for-2014.html" target="_blank"> previous blog</a>, this statement gives her family a solid foundation and a north star to guide them. Tsh encourages all families to examine their values and then live life intentionally with the end in mind.<br />
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Kids grow up so fast. The world changes even faster. What will your family be like in five years? Ten years? Do you have a vision for your family's future? Do you have an idea of the values and the principles that are your family's foundation?<br />
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Visit the <a href="http://wyatthewonderdog.com/" target="_blank">Wyatt the Wonder Dog website</a> and sign-up for a free audio download of <strong><em><a href="https://www.blogger.com/%3Ca%20href=%22http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1484062450/ref=as_li_tf_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=1484062450&linkCode=as2&tag=runninthebath-20">Wyatt the Wonder Dog: Learns About Being Organized</a><img src="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=runninthebath-20&l=as2&o=1&a=1484062450" width="1" height="1" border="0" alt="" style="border:none !important; margin:0px !important;" />" target="_blank">Wyatt the Wonder Dog Learns about Being Organized</a>.</em></strong> Lynne Wattshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02788918458763274157noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8760580232883116615.post-69518414507890167972014-03-18T14:05:00.000-04:002014-03-18T14:07:14.205-04:00The Principal's New Clothes: Provides a Great Lesson on Telling the Truth<br />
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Every year in kindergarten our teachers read the book, <strong><em>The Principal's New Clothes</em></strong> by Stephanie Calmerson and then send home an activity for kids to complete for homework. The homework includes a head shot of either our Principal or our Assistant Principal and instructions to create an outfit for them to wear. Students cut out the head, glue it on a paper doll figure and then use their imagination to design some of the most unusual outfits you've ever seen. They use everything from magazine pictures to cloth, construction paper and sequins. It is one of our favorite hall decorations as we see whether Mrs. Kelly will show up as a character from Where the Wild Things Are or be decked out as a leprechaun for St. Patick's Day. Mrs. Crews is everything from Wonder Woman to a queen. Here are a few of my favorites courtesy of our creative kindergarteners:<br />
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Of course the book which is a school version of The Emperor's New Clothes, is a great lesson in itself. When you see that someone is being terribly deceived, do you warn them and tell them the truth, even though it means taking the risk of losing your job or their friendship? While it may seem that you are protecting your friend or coworker, are you really looking out for yourself and your own best interest? What would you do? These are all good questions to ask within the context of this classic story line as well in our daily lives. Lynne Wattshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02788918458763274157noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8760580232883116615.post-76151809466066896632014-02-13T08:42:00.005-05:002014-02-13T08:42:58.650-05:00Kid President and Caine's Arcade Encourage Students to be Problem Solvers<br />
One of the recent mandates for Georgia school counselors is to provide and document career lessons for every grade level. This means that we are all looking for ways to inspire students to begin thinking about the vast variety of careers that are available to them. Especially in the elementary grades when almost every boy wants to play football for the NFL and every girl wants to be a veterinarian (I know I'm exaggerating a bit here...) I feel it's important to expand their awareness of the possibilities for careers that exist now and in the future. Thanks to technology and the new global communication, careers are changing at a fast pace. Who knows what will be the newest and most exciting careers, ten or fifteen years from now? As a school counselor, I feel my job is get students to think creatively and consider multiple options. Here are a few ways to do that.<br />
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Kid President is a hoot and kids will love this invitation to be an inventor. His upbeat encouraging attitude is terrific. <br />
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Another inspiring kid is Caine from the YouTube video, Caine's Arcade. I always emphasize the limitless possibilities of creating a business when I show this one:<br />
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I've also discovered a couple of books that I enjoy reading for career lessons. <br />
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/%3Ca%20href=%22http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1419708457/ref=as_li_tf_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=1419708457&linkCode=as2&tag=runninthebath-20">Rosie Revere, Engineer</a><img src="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=runninthebath-20&l=as2&o=1&a=1419708457" width="1" height="1" border="0" alt="" style="border:none !important; margin:0px !important;" />" target="_blank">Iggy Peck Architect</a> and<a href="https://www.blogger.com/%3Ca%20href=%22http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1419708457/ref=as_li_tf_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=1419708457&linkCode=as2&tag=runninthebath-20">Rosie Revere, Engineer</a><img src="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=runninthebath-20&l=as2&o=1&a=1419708457" width="1" height="1" border="0" alt="" style="border:none !important; margin:0px !important;" />" target="_blank"> Rosie Revere, Engineer</a>, both by Andrea Beaty, are delightful and humorous. They help children understand two careers that they are not usually very familiar with. Inspiring students to think about their future and the careers that might be out there is always a fun and creative guidance lesson!<br />
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Want to get ideas for ways to encourage and empower children to be terrific problem solvers? Join my email list and get weekly ideas including books and strategies for a variety of topics including self esteem and sibling rivalry. <a href="https://www.blogger.com/%3Ca%20href=%22http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1419708457/ref=as_li_tf_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=1419708457&linkCode=as2&tag=runninthebath-20">Rosie Revere, Engineer</a><img src="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=runninthebath-20&l=as2&o=1&a=1419708457" width="1" height="1" border="0" alt="" style="border:none !important; margin:0px !important;" />" target="_blank">Sign Up Here</a><br />
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Lynne Wattshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02788918458763274157noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8760580232883116615.post-59724979968586986092014-02-06T12:45:00.001-05:002014-02-06T12:45:45.223-05:00Snow Jam 2014 Brings Out the Kindness in the CommunityWhen our fourth grade classes at Sixes Elementary make a wish... let's just say they have a lot of influence somewhere.<br />
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Welcome to Snow Jam 2014 in Atlanta, Georgia. Tuesday morning, January 28th metro Atlanta was greeted by snow soon to be followed by black ice. The next 24+ hours resulted in insane traffic jams, students stranded at school or on school buses and workers stranded at the office for overnight or even longer. <br />
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<img alt="SnowedOutAtlanta" class="size-full wp-image-13249" src="http://greenglobaltravel.com/wp-content/uploads/atlanta-highway-trafficGA-DOT.jpg" height="360" width="480" /><br />
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In the midst of the snow disaster, <a href="http://www.randomactsofkindness.org/rak-week" target="_blank">The Random Acts of Kindness Week</a> which is scheduled for February 10-16 came early. Good Samaritans appeared everywhere and distributed food and water, helped get cars out of danger and even opened up their homes to stranded motorists. There are lots of stories of kindness, bravery and compassion. Here are just a few:<br />
<ul>
<li>Michelle Sollicito saw a need and created a Facebook page-SnowedOut Atlanta where stranded motorists and others in need could post. Over 50,000+ member eventually logged on and over 400 people were helped.</li>
<li>Coach Joe Keller of Dugan Elementary school used his truck to transport over 100 studnts and staff to their homes. He spent six hours making sure everyone was able to get home and it was his birthday!</li>
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<img alt="Baby Grace, delivered on I-285" class=" wp-image-13251 " src="http://greenglobaltravel.com/wp-content/uploads/Baby-on-285.jpg" height="386" width="518" /><br />
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Photo provided by Grace’s parents</div>
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<li>It wouldn't be a SnowJam without a baby being born! Here's Grace who was born in a car stuck in traffic on I-285. The baby was named Grace and delivery was assisted by Sandy Springs police officer Tim Sheffield. It was also his birthday so he and Grace will have a special day in common!</li>
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<img alt="SnowedOutAtlanta Hot Chocolate Hunks" class="size-full wp-image-13252" src="http://greenglobaltravel.com/wp-content/uploads/Hot-Chocolate-Guys.jpg" height="432" width="432" /><br />
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Hot Chocolate Hunks, photo via 11Alive</div>
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<li><strong>Zach Haedt</strong> and <strong>Sam Tarquina</strong> created social media buzz for serving up hot cocoa to motorists stranded on I-75. </li>
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<strong>Dorothy Marsil</strong>, founder of the <strong>SnowedOutAtlanta- Thanks & Rescue Stories</strong> Facebook page, summed up everyone's feelings on Snowpocalypse 2014 perfectly: “The real news story should be all of the people who are helping people in need. KSU students were out pushing cars and inviting people in. People were walking from their homes to the road and bringing water and snacks to stranded motorists. Businesses were opening up or staying open and housing stranded people. A manager at Kroger was cooking up breakfast for everyone in the deli for free. Mattress Firm in Canton invited in people who were stranded near their store. Several restaurants are serving free food to those who can get there. People on the roads who still had gas were taking others into their cars to allow those who were walking to warm up and charge their phones. That is amazing! This is the real story!” <br />
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What an amazing testament to the resilency and the compassion of all. Despite the chaos created by Mother Nature, people rose to the occasion and helped each other in every way imaginable. Makes one proud to be part of such a great community!<br />
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Next year though, Fourth Grade needs to be careful what they wish for...</ul>
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<br />Lynne Wattshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02788918458763274157noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8760580232883116615.post-52623094431207545562014-01-24T08:21:00.002-05:002014-01-24T09:51:09.260-05:00Sixes Students Go Bananas over the Book, What the Sleepy Animals Do at the Audubon Zoo!<div style="text-align: center;">
Look who came to visit us at Sixes Elementary!</div>
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<strong>Grace Milsaps</strong> and <strong>Ryan Murphy</strong>, authors of the book, <strong><em>What the Sleepy Animals Do at the Audubon Zoo!</em></strong> arrived early in their green-alligator-mobile, loaded down with books and bananas (yes, bananas) to share with kindergarten, first and second grade students. Grace has taught preschool on three continents while Ryan is a lawyer, a writer and a former Cherokee County student. Grace developed a love of children's literature through her teaching and Ryan credits his mother, a teacher in the Cherokee County schools, with introducing him to great books and instilling a love of reading as a child. Once they decided to write a children's story, they brainstormed with illustrators and friends, John Clark IV and Allyson Kilday to create the enchanting story about the animals at the Audubon Zoo in New Orleans, who party all night and sleep all day. <br />
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Kindergarten students were treated to a fun rendition of the story.</div>
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There were opportunities to dance and make animal noises just like in the book. </div>
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Ms. Williamson's class gave the book an enthusiastic ten and thought it was a WOW of a story.</div>
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First and second graders played a version of a game show and identified mystery animals, guessed what an elephant weighs or the age of the oldest animal on earth. When stumped for an answer, contestants could call friends in the audience on the banana phone for expert advice.<br />
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Contestants earned bananas instead of points, with the final winner accumulating a record fifteen bananas to share with friends. <br />
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<strong><span style="font-size: large;">That's a lot of bananas!!!</span></strong></div>
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The book and the authors were a huge hit!! We hope you come and visit again soon!</div>
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Want to purchase a copy of the book? Here it is:<br />
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Lynne Wattshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02788918458763274157noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8760580232883116615.post-47162161718245142952014-01-20T08:06:00.000-05:002014-01-20T08:06:08.628-05:00Martin Luther King Day and Developing Character Traits of Service<a href="http://www.imagechef.com/" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"> <img alt="ImageChef.com - Get codes for Facebook, Hi5, MySpace and more" src="http://cdn-img1.imagechef.com/w/140118/samp3590c95468e39c11.jpg" /> </a>January 20th is Martin Luther King Day and February is <a class="zem_slink freebase/en/black_history_month" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_History_Month" rel="wikipedia" title="Black History Month">Black History Month</a>. It is a great time of year to introduce students to this great leader, his life and his legacy. Teaching students about Martin Luther King's dream and encouraging them to think about how they would like to change the world is a great way to help children recognize the injustice in the world and instill in them the character trait of service. <br />
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No matter the seriousness of the topic, whenever you are working with young children you need to be ready to smile and be refreshed by their perception of the world. Here are a few stories I have heard that gave me a chuckle: <br />
<ul>
<li>Grappling with the civil rights leader's long name is sometimes daunting. One kindergarten student called him 'Martin Lulu King' . </li>
<li>A first grade teacher had her students write about what they would do to change the world if they had a dream. One student in her class said she would provide coats for all cancer patients. Is there a slight disconnect here?</li>
<li>And finally, a friend of mine reported that her grandson was quite upset that his grandmother who works "right around where Martin Luther the King went to church" had not reminded him of the birthday. This same child, newly reminded of the segregation injustices of Martin Luther King's time, pointed out to his mother with great concern and indignation that the Egg Beaters carton clearly states on the front 'Whites Only'. </li>
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Schools Develop a Spirit of Service</h3>
Developing the notion of service is an important antidote to the self-centered nature of the typical child. It is something that can be started early in small ways and then developed into bigger projects as the child grows. Schools are perfect environments for this and in addition to teaching children to be service and correct injustice, schools can also initiate service projects throughout the year. Not only does this inspire generosity, but it also brings attention the injustice and inequality in the world. Everything from UNICEF collections at Halloween to collecting food and coats for homeless shelters can be a call to action for children.<br />
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Parents Develop a Spirit of Service</h3>
Parents too can encourage this mindset. Determining the child's interests and concerns and then finding ways to serve in those areas is the best way to get cooperation. Too many children (and adults for that matter) are insulated from the inequalities, the hardship in the world. Developing service projects as whole families is one way to overcome this. For instance, I know one family that went to the Union Mission to serve lunch on Martin Luther King's birthday. Even young children can learn to give food, toys or clothing to those in need. <br />
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The best and most life changing service however, is service that involves giving of more than our excess. It involves giving something more substantial such as our time and energy. Spending a Saturday morning in a <a class="zem_slink freebase/en/soup_kitchen" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soup_kitchen" rel="wikipedia" title="Soup kitchen">soup kitchen</a> for the homeless, or volunteering in a nursing home to visit with residents who have no family are great ways that families can impact their community and ultimately the world. Service that moves us out of our comfort zone and challenges us to make a difference develops children and ultimately adults, of compassion and character.<br />
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Lynne Wattshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02788918458763274157noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8760580232883116615.post-26519797989333920072014-01-13T21:33:00.000-05:002014-01-13T21:33:16.804-05:00It's Okay to Be Different: Diversity Lesson with Todd Parr<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container zemanta-img" style="float: right; margin-right: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/38705147@N00/5219692860" imageanchor="1" style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Storytime @ The Booksmith with Todd Parr & Tiki" border="0" class="zemanta-img-inserted" height="213" src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5161/5219692860_e3815bb21c_n.jpg" style="border: currentColor; font-size: 0.8em;" width="320" /></a></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption zemanta-img-attribution" style="text-align: center; width: 320px;">Storytime @ The Booksmith with Todd Parr & Tiki (Photo credit: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/38705147@N00/5219692860" target="_blank">Rainforest Action Network</a>)</td></tr>
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I've written before about Todd Parr's book, <strong><em>It's Okay to be Different</em></strong>. Here is the link to that post: <a href="http://caringforthekids.blogspot.com/2011/06/looking-for-great-book-for-kids.html" target="_blank">Great Book for Kids</a> <br />
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This is such a great book that I use it every year in either kindergarten or first grade for a lesson on diversity. We spend some time talking about how everyone is different, including different in abilities and interests not just in how we look. Then we talk about how important it is to respect differences since we are all different and special. In particular, we talk about how hurtful it is to be teased or made fun of because of being different in some way. After I read the book, I finish by having the children create a page for a class book on It's Okay to Be Different.<br />
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Here are some of my favorites from this year's kindergarten classes. I've added some translation, in case you don't read kindergartenese:<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiB5HB1FJFWsaK-bPMcM74__TocO3znR7XwyuwFd6tLggAf-fFyVhOl7y7eBJ_pX2P0DVCKy-Es2LX5ot96jTDv6Vk1aF1-hxQnv1610dk4SUFLTAetB1n-Ix3_8TiH5BNTZvrUU28lmkU/s1600/beddiffer.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiB5HB1FJFWsaK-bPMcM74__TocO3znR7XwyuwFd6tLggAf-fFyVhOl7y7eBJ_pX2P0DVCKy-Es2LX5ot96jTDv6Vk1aF1-hxQnv1610dk4SUFLTAetB1n-Ix3_8TiH5BNTZvrUU28lmkU/s1600/beddiffer.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It's okay to be different</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEio7zHZ9nXzl-HPB8ivYyyHMtvHG5lWYnNw8YUij1-XAUBl1I9H9Dwl1Z3qc5yCEHZfh5Qqa2lg6yZEchoYkcMLgUURChSMOQO3huxUXSartuGZXgdZKoORhSXDpC6KxARswPGWvnPljn0/s1600/bald.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEio7zHZ9nXzl-HPB8ivYyyHMtvHG5lWYnNw8YUij1-XAUBl1I9H9Dwl1Z3qc5yCEHZfh5Qqa2lg6yZEchoYkcMLgUURChSMOQO3huxUXSartuGZXgdZKoORhSXDpC6KxARswPGWvnPljn0/s1600/bald.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It's okay to be bald<br />
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</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji0KuuFDUgJsaGht_zxO0zY3f6TmuPitlCnoP4LlJQlp6I3WvluCJbJbsw65LjBCMllsme5WbujUjmXhqrgctHVa3qcGkjMyPgP-ZyW4o0c6UCUA38VB334HpQGVWAPEzE5siKYk33HJs/s1600/funny.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji0KuuFDUgJsaGht_zxO0zY3f6TmuPitlCnoP4LlJQlp6I3WvluCJbJbsw65LjBCMllsme5WbujUjmXhqrgctHVa3qcGkjMyPgP-ZyW4o0c6UCUA38VB334HpQGVWAPEzE5siKYk33HJs/s1600/funny.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It's okay to be funny!<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgswYsPUnj6gAR8BNpsTcdAPCSWK6bIjG0PTXa6X2nJbMfpaHVNdz03IjMoqibdfBcQeHmKKAHrSersDtv504LDV4kR0q2o4-_jTkHkNw5l6g_KRboPqIvI_F7YZnrlbaHHjFlcRETs-PA/s1600/glasses.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgswYsPUnj6gAR8BNpsTcdAPCSWK6bIjG0PTXa6X2nJbMfpaHVNdz03IjMoqibdfBcQeHmKKAHrSersDtv504LDV4kR0q2o4-_jTkHkNw5l6g_KRboPqIvI_F7YZnrlbaHHjFlcRETs-PA/s1600/glasses.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It's okay to wear glasses<br />
<br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2gRAWd47rzOdzaDT6fZtiD_fnmWkwQsQ_QO3xlgdFwMNR_sfLGf_5nFiGr1EnGGiXsGbZ9SMZ1i5QYu-Q8qbDi1tpSZuxH3IX7Z6sOu1MT4BYiCYD5ruHHLFxft_9HMtqpimKQHFljSs/s1600/little.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2gRAWd47rzOdzaDT6fZtiD_fnmWkwQsQ_QO3xlgdFwMNR_sfLGf_5nFiGr1EnGGiXsGbZ9SMZ1i5QYu-Q8qbDi1tpSZuxH3IX7Z6sOu1MT4BYiCYD5ruHHLFxft_9HMtqpimKQHFljSs/s1600/little.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It's okay to be little<br />
<br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5ilX06gP6LVn8uj4E8kxEG2J9LSOPImyI8zKgy3IZkivk-Y3xes-1j_FUHV2xB7xDMOy7IS40k-dDRnFpgTeuWQ-zoaX1eJ392ESDfF63xGriRjxUXYPwVb54xQURATuXylDsxdhbpPw/s1600/smallbig.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5ilX06gP6LVn8uj4E8kxEG2J9LSOPImyI8zKgy3IZkivk-Y3xes-1j_FUHV2xB7xDMOy7IS40k-dDRnFpgTeuWQ-zoaX1eJ392ESDfF63xGriRjxUXYPwVb54xQURATuXylDsxdhbpPw/s1600/smallbig.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It's okay to be small and big<br />
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</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfzJJ_pOflAeOmUWlHE_wIshPCkDXPPWnLCL4yz9pfeFy6zrcFd6dW8LLvbAa2Ej4q18AV4qPdQajSUFcZZDXMkaSoG34ZeX4TtQ9Lp4j1q6KKL231TlPG4Aywoze2YeLHqYVysvzB_ro/s1600/superman.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfzJJ_pOflAeOmUWlHE_wIshPCkDXPPWnLCL4yz9pfeFy6zrcFd6dW8LLvbAa2Ej4q18AV4qPdQajSUFcZZDXMkaSoG34ZeX4TtQ9Lp4j1q6KKL231TlPG4Aywoze2YeLHqYVysvzB_ro/s1600/superman.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My all-time favorite: It's okay to be Superman!!</td></tr>
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This book lends itself to a discussion of many things in addition to diversity. It is also a great way to focus on children's strengths. Here are some other conversation starters: What are their gifts and talents? How can they use them at home, at school and in the community? How can they include people who are different in their circle of friends? For older students, we can watch this excellent video on how it feels to be different and how just one person can make a difference in some one's life:<br />
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<a href="https://www.blogger.com/">http://espn.go.com/video/clip?id=10233231
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Powerful isn't it? As we say in this lesson, we're all different. Accepting and nurturing others in their differences and strengths is so important! <br />
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Like this post? Share with your friends on Facebook and Twitter!!<br />
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Lynne Wattshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02788918458763274157noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8760580232883116615.post-35889177346332207852014-01-07T07:56:00.001-05:002014-01-07T07:56:43.944-05:00What If You Embrace the Limitation?In a <a href="https://caringforthekids.blogspot.com/b/post-preview?token=w8xZbkMBAAA.llS2iXfe3FOpqSv4JhCEWw.6Khs8DQah1WbBMuy4HygOw&postId=8488556639900547330&type=POST" target="_blank">previous post</a> I talked about failure and the learning that can come from that. In this post, I'd like to talk about the necessity of accepting and working with difficulties. Every one has some sort of handicap in life. For some this may be an actual physical disability, for others it is more subtle. Some students have great difficulty with math, or reading or social skills. It is a rare student who excels in every area. What if instead of avoiding the limitations that we each have in our lives, we embraced it? What would that look like? How could we teach and model for our students this concept? Here is a terrific TED talk by Phil Hansen called, Embrace the Shake:<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" mozallowfullscreen="" scrolling="no" src="http://embed.ted.com/talks/phil_hansen_embrace_the_shake.html" webkitallowfullscreen="" width="560"></iframe><br />
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Although Phil is talking to adults, his message has great meaning for educators as well. What if we encouraged children to see their limitations as new possibilities?<br />
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Phil Hansen's point of embracing the shake that he had developed due to permanent nerve damage is a new perception of a physical difficulty. What if instead of trying to hold the pencil tighter and decrease the shaking in his hand, he just let it happen? What new way of creating would he discover? Likewise, what if instead of trying to overcome difficulties by trying harder, we looked for the gift, the opportunity in the midst of them? Hansen makes an important point when he describes the first time he had enough money to buy a ton of art supplies. He was faced with the possibility of creating virtually anything. Instead of being creative, he found himself being paralyzed by having too many choices. He entered an artistic slump. In many instances, students are in the same situation. We can be more creative and more successful when we limit our choices. <br />
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I think this idea of learning to embrace what ever limitation we are faced with is an important one. It is different from giving up on something because we failed. It is different from overcoming the limitation by trying harder. Instead it is embracing the difficulty and working within the confines of the limitation in a new way. It is changing our perception. How does this relate to your personal limitations? How can you teach this concept to students?<br />
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As I begin a new Wyatt book, my focus will be on the disappointments and failures that children face in life and how to cope with them. The book is well underway and I would love to hear your input. You can sign up to be a part of my Insiders group and get updates and a free download of the book as it becomes available. Sign up here: <a href="http://wyatthewonderdog.com/im-working-on-wyatts-newest-adventure-and-i-need-your-help/" target="_blank">Wyatt Insiders</a>Lynne Wattshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02788918458763274157noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8760580232883116615.post-89203205807857569992013-12-30T09:44:00.000-05:002014-01-09T13:38:53.418-05:00Students Pick One Word for 2014<a href="http://www.imagechef.com/ic/word_mosaic/" target="_blank"> <img alt="ImageChef Word Mosaic - ImageChef.com" src="http://cdn-img1.imagechef.com/w/131223/meme0c33d638c2ec5df5.jpg" /> </a><br />
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It's the time of year for setting goals and making resolutions and it's not just for adults. It's important to help children begin the habit of setting goals and understanding how goal setting can lead to goal achievement. One fun and creative way to do this with younger elementary age children is to encourage them to pick one word for the year and then create a vision board around that word. <br />
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Children are naturally creative and naturally confident of their ability. Ask any class of kindergartners if they can draw or sing or dance and every hand goes up. Ask a class of high school students and you may get a few hands in the air. As we get older we become much more critical of our abilities and much less willing to venture into experiences where we don't excel. Making a vision board is an activity that engages young and old alike. <br />
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We begin by picking our one word and deciding how to incorporate that one word into the board. Next each student is given a small piece of poster board. Vision boards can be illustrated with pictures, photographs, and words. I bring in lots of magazines and let them create to their hearts content. It is usually one of their favorite activities.<br />
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Lots of people are talking about the benefits of choosing one word. Here is an interview with motivational speaker, Jon Gordon on the Today Show about the benefit of one word to inspire you throughout the upcoming year:<br />
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<a href="http://www.today.com/video/today/53957503/#53957503" target="_blank">http://www.today.com/video/today/53957503/#53957503</a><br />
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Last year, I created a vision board for my word for the year: JOY. It was great fun to create and took me back to my high school days when I loved to create collages. I like words and quotes as much as pictures taken from magazines. Once I make the board, I display it in a prominent place where I can reflect on it each morning as I review my goals and determine what I plan to accomplish for the day. It is surprisingly energizing and motivating to gaze at. <br />
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Visioning is of course a powerful tool for creating your future and this is one way to be creative and playful at the same time. Even young children can create vision boards about what they want to accomplish in the next school year, over the summer, or when they grow up. It is a fun way for families to interact over shared goals and becomes a visual reminder each day of what the individual or family is about. <br />
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What about you? Have you ever created a vision board? How do you use visualizing to achieve goals?<br />
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Some great books on visioning:<br />
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<iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=runninthebath-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=1585420875&ref=tf_til&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe><br />
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<iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=runninthebath-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=159052456X&ref=tf_til&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe><br />
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Lynne Wattshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02788918458763274157noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8760580232883116615.post-11983290035433285262013-12-20T13:49:00.000-05:002013-12-20T13:49:50.721-05:00Merry Christmas to all from Wyatt the Wonder Dog and Lynne!<div class="MsoTitle3" style="mso-pagination: none;">
<span lang="en-US" style="font-family: "Edwardian Script ITC"; font-size: 48pt; language: en-US; line-height: 125%; mso-ansi-language: en-US; mso-ligatures: none;">Merry Christmas<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: "Edwardian Script ITC"; font-size: 48pt; line-height: 125%; mso-ligatures: none;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh26EENCkyZjdF480Akx0NmcTBTBxeAJUZFoohk25cLr4hNhHn0bJTLxr8o0sOrdnu2YgegUmY33gDWTTYIhFAcm_3o80qOR38VdP5JJ6MSTdYXBOvXmXFrZ1K9bvGeoD61QXuSOsdfyLw/s1600/wyatchristmas.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="296" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh26EENCkyZjdF480Akx0NmcTBTBxeAJUZFoohk25cLr4hNhHn0bJTLxr8o0sOrdnu2YgegUmY33gDWTTYIhFAcm_3o80qOR38VdP5JJ6MSTdYXBOvXmXFrZ1K9bvGeoD61QXuSOsdfyLw/s320/wyatchristmas.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
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<span lang="en-US" style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 8pt; language: en-US; mso-ansi-language: en-US; mso-armenian-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-ascii-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-currency-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-default-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-latin-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-ligatures: none;"><strong>Twas the night before Christmas and all through the land,</strong></span></div>
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<span lang="en-US" style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 8pt; language: en-US; mso-ansi-language: en-US; mso-armenian-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-ascii-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-currency-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-default-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-latin-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-ligatures: none;"><strong>Wyatt and friends were feeling quite grand.<o:p></o:p></strong></span></div>
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<span lang="en-US" style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 8pt; language: en-US; mso-ansi-language: en-US; mso-armenian-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-ascii-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-currency-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-default-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-latin-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-ligatures: none;"><strong>They’d learned quite a bit about its meaning you see---<o:p></o:p></strong></span></div>
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<span lang="en-US" style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 8pt; language: en-US; mso-ansi-language: en-US; mso-armenian-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-ascii-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-currency-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-default-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-latin-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-ligatures: none;">For the spirit of Christmas is generosity. <o:p></o:p></span></strong></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0pt; mso-pagination: none; text-align: center;">
<span lang="en-US" style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 8pt; language: en-US; mso-ansi-language: en-US; mso-armenian-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-ascii-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-currency-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-default-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-latin-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-ligatures: none;"><strong>Wyatt used to think Christmas was all about things;<o:p></o:p></strong></span></div>
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<strong>
<span lang="en-US" style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 8pt; language: en-US; mso-ansi-language: en-US; mso-armenian-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-ascii-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-currency-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-default-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-latin-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-ligatures: none;">Presents and toys, electronics that ding.<o:p></o:p></span></strong></div>
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<span lang="en-US" style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 8pt; language: en-US; mso-ansi-language: en-US; mso-armenian-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-ascii-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-currency-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-default-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-latin-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-ligatures: none;"><strong>But now he knows Christmas is giving and sharing,<o:p></o:p></strong></span></div>
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<span lang="en-US" style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 8pt; language: en-US; mso-ansi-language: en-US; mso-armenian-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-ascii-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-currency-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-default-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-latin-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-ligatures: none;">It’s not about getting, but helping and caring.<o:p></o:p></span></strong></div>
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<span lang="en-US" style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 8pt; language: en-US; mso-ansi-language: en-US; mso-armenian-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-ascii-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-currency-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-default-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-latin-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-ligatures: none;"><strong>So Wyatt wishes you a Christmas of love,<o:p></o:p></strong></span></div>
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<span lang="en-US" style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 8pt; language: en-US; mso-ansi-language: en-US; mso-armenian-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-ascii-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-currency-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-default-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-latin-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-ligatures: none;">One filled full of joy and grace from above!!</span></strong></div>
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<strong><span lang="en-US" style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 8pt; language: en-US; mso-ansi-language: en-US; mso-armenian-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-ascii-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-currency-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-default-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-latin-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-ligatures: none;"></span></strong> </div>
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<span lang="en-US" style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 8pt; language: en-US; mso-ansi-language: en-US; mso-armenian-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-ascii-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-currency-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-default-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-latin-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-ligatures: none;"><o:p>A Very Merry Christmas from Lynne and Wyatt!</o:p></span></h2>
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Lynne Wattshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02788918458763274157noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8760580232883116615.post-41401486565111191592013-12-10T13:13:00.000-05:002013-12-10T14:26:45.321-05:00Your Personality Style and the Art of Saying No<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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As we hit the home run stretch of the holiday season, one of the most important words, we as parents can learn to say is "no". It's a hard lesson but an important one to learn. All you have to do is spend a little time out in the malls shopping with a child or observing others shopping with their children to see what I'm talking about. <br />
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Your Personality Style and Saying No</h3>
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As you may know I'm a big fan of the DISC personality profile and understanding our personality is helpful as we think about why it is difficult for many of us to say 'no'. Some personality styles have more trouble saying no than others. <br />
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As a quick refresher, there are four basic personality styles. Here is a short description of each so you can determine where you fit in best: <br />
<ul>
<li>D personality: dominant, decisive, determined, direct</li>
<li>I personality: Inspiring, interactive, impulsive, involved</li>
<li>S personality: Supportive, stable, sweet, shy, sensitive</li>
<li>C personality: Cautious, calculating, conscientious, correct</li>
</ul>
Keeping in mind that we are all blends of these four, which one or two describes you? Now, let's think about how your personality influences saying 'no' and setting limits with children.<br />
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For instance, if you are 'D' personality, you probably wonder why anyone would write a post about saying no, never mind have trouble saying the words. Your communication is direct and decisive and saying 'no' for you is not difficult. However, if you are any of the 3 remaining personality styles you understand the problem from a different perspective. 'I' personalities don't say no because they love to say yes to everything fun, exciting and festive about the holiday season. 'S' personalities probably have the most trouble saying no because they want to please everyone and don't want to disappoint. Finally, 'C' personalities have trouble saying no because they want to make absolutely sure they have gotten all the facts before they make a decision and say no to anything. Sometimes it's hard isn't it?<br />
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What Role Model Will Be Your Child's Legacy?</h3>
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Of course during this time of year it's not just about saying no to children and all their requests for gifts, there are many areas in our lives where saying no is healthy and a good idea. Do you limit yourself and say no to material things that you can't afford? Do you make careful choices about where you spend your time or do you say yes to everything that comes down the pike because you don't want to miss out on any experience? Do you say yes to things because you'd feel guilty if you said no, even though you really don't want to spend your time doing what you just agreed to do? Finally, do you say yes to things because you don't want your child to be unhappy even though you can't afford monetarily or time-wise to honor their request?<br />
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As parents, I'm not sure we realize what a disservice we do to our children when we always say yes and don't teach them the value of saying no. Of course we can spoil them with too many material things but the real danger is that by never modeling how to say no, we never teach them to say no to themselves as adults. I was reminded of this lesson myself when teaching a Dave Ramsey Financial Peace group. One of the young adults in the group explained that budgeting was extremely hard for her because as a child growing up, her parents managed to somehow buy everything she wanted, even if it meant sacrificing themselves. Consequently now as an adult, she has a very hard time saying no to herself whenever she wants something even when it wrecks havoc with her finances. When we fail to say no to our children, we don't just spoil them for the moment. We also model for them how to handle their future decisions. <br />
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How do you as a parent balance saying no with saying yes to your children? How successful are you at saying no to yourself? Where do you think you learned that?<br />
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Here are a couple of great books to help children learn to accept no for an answer:<br />
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<iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/cm?t=runninthebath-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=1934490253&ref=tf_til&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe>
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and to learn that Christmas is not just about getting something but giving as well:<br />
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<iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/cm?t=runninthebath-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=1490968431&ref=tf_til&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe>
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Like this post? Share with your friends on Facebook and Twitter!Lynne Wattshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02788918458763274157noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8760580232883116615.post-39849906618676856022013-12-02T13:50:00.000-05:002013-12-02T13:50:07.522-05:00The Five Love Languages of Christmas<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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The holiday season is almost upon us and as usual there is a lot of discussion about gifts. A big dilemma for me when my children were little was what to get them and how much to get them. The lists they gave me seemed endless and changed continually, depending on the current toy being advertised on television. Just when I thought I had a plan, the number one gift suddenly plummeted to number twenty and something new was number one. I was frustrated and bewildered.<br />
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What Message Are We Sharing with Our Children? </h3>
Christmas can be a time of blessing our children or spoiling our children. It's hard to draw the line as to when blessing becomes over indulging but many adults would agree that children today in many households are growing up with a sense of entitlement rather than a sense of empowerment and responsibility. Here are some messages that gift giving can communicate:<br />
<ul>
<li>the way to demonstrate love is through things</li>
<li>the way to make up for parenting neglect is through things </li>
<li>the way to manipulate children into behaving is through providing things</li>
<li>the path to happiness is accumulating things</li>
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Notice how the word <em>thing</em> is in every sentence? Learning to give and receive is an important part of the holiday. Making sure that <em>things</em> don't become the focus of Christmas is important. <br />
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<h3 style="text-align: left;">
Recognizing the Five Love Languages</h3>
Recognizing our children's personality or temperament is one way to give positive messages throughout the year but especially at Christmas. As parents we connect best with our children when we speak to them through the five love languages. They are:<br />
<ul>
<li><strong><em>Words of affirmation</em></strong>--Could you write your child a Christmas letter that expresses gratitude for all their unique qualities?</li>
<li><strong><em>Acts of service</em></strong>--Could you share a service project together? It could be something that helps the community, family members or even the world.</li>
<li><strong><em>Receiving gifts</em></strong>--We all focus on this one at Christmas! One suggestion for managing this aspect of Christmas is to buy your child three gifts: one gift that the child wants, one that they need and one that is a surprise. I think this suggestion is fabulous and it covers all the possibilities. It has an element of fun, an element of practicality or educational value and it also gives the child a choice but forces some prioritizing of items. </li>
<li><strong><em>Quality time</em></strong>--Could your gift be spending some special time enjoying a particular activity together? Could you make some family memories?</li>
<li><strong><em>Physical touch</em></strong>--Hopefully this is a part of every day but a gift could focus on a relaxing back rub before bed or an evening of snuggling in front of a movie as a family.</li>
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Teaching children to become other-focused rather than self-centered and me-focused is an important step in making sure that our children grow up to be caring compassionate adults. There are many ways to encourage this in our children, but Christmas is a season especially rich in opportunities to bless our children.<br />
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Looking for a great book to help you understand the five love languages and how they can relate to children? Check it out here:<br />
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<iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/cm?t=runninthebath-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=0802403476&ref=tf_til&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe>
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Looking for a great book to help children understand the difference between getting and giving? Check out:<br />
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<iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/cm?t=runninthebath-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=1490968431&ref=tf_til&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe>
Lynne Wattshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02788918458763274157noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8760580232883116615.post-83423866717635655222013-11-19T09:22:00.001-05:002013-11-20T13:25:58.860-05:00Lessons Learned from Georgia School Counselor Conference 2013!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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The Georgia School Counselor Conference is over for 2013 and what an amazing conference it was! As usual it had everything from terrific keynote speakers to inspire, breakout sessions to educate and inform as well as lots of possibilities for networking with counselors from all over the state. It was definitely a not to be missed event! I always leave with a handful of new ideas and lots of new materials to use in the classroom.<br />
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Teaching Tolerance Project </h3>
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The first keynote speaker was Maureen Costello from the <a href="http://www.tolerance.org/" target="_blank">Teaching Tolerance</a> program. I've used their ideas and free products for years and her presentation highlighted the amazing work that they are doing to encourage us all to be more understanding and tolerant of diversity.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcBLCLxDn5loV0XjBg7-VsOHgRFFdtw_RSvSOTK3v0NIvWT2JGYxJ7xFL5jJXcg9Oq0NsnyxF04t5IErOZ69ZfUudeKWYbCPGDnK9_2qtcbsmM_fFECscrusWXJP_vsSe2Oc0ixUY7Fbo/s1600/Teachingtol.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcBLCLxDn5loV0XjBg7-VsOHgRFFdtw_RSvSOTK3v0NIvWT2JGYxJ7xFL5jJXcg9Oq0NsnyxF04t5IErOZ69ZfUudeKWYbCPGDnK9_2qtcbsmM_fFECscrusWXJP_vsSe2Oc0ixUY7Fbo/s320/Teachingtol.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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Julia Cook</h3>
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The closing session speaker was awarding winning author and school counselor, <a href="http://www.juliacookonline.com/" target="_blank">Julia Cook</a>. She spoke on unlearning helplessness and motivating the underachiever. We all were empowered with her energizing and touching stories. Because I too enjoy educating children through the power of books, I scheduled some time to talk with her about her work and the inspiration behind it. <br />
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Julia began her career as a math teacher in an inner city middle school. Together with a team of educators, she participated in a research grant to motivate and inspire students through refurbishing sports equipment which was then donated to children unable to afford it. This program which fostered achievement and helping others created such a powerful role model that children who typically dropped out of school not only not enjoyed coming to school but graduated and even went to college.<br />
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A Bad Case of Tattle Tongue</h3>
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Moving with her family from Utah to Nebraska, Julia began a new career in school counseling in an elementary school. In 2006, she wrote her first story, <a href="http://www.blogger.com/%3Ca%20href=%22http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1931636869/ref=as_li_tf_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=1931636869&linkCode=as2&tag=runninthebath-20">A Bad Case of Tattle Tongue</a><img src="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=runninthebath-20&l=as2&o=1&a=1931636869" width="1" height="1" border="0" alt="" style="border:none !important; margin:0px !important;" />" target="_blank"><strong><em>A Bad Case of the Tattle Tongue</em></strong> </a>which was immediately published by the National Center for Youth Issues. This was soon followed by <strong><em><a href="http://www.blogger.com/%3Ca%20href=%22http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1931636850/ref=as_li_tf_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=1931636850&linkCode=as2&tag=runninthebath-20">My Mouth Is a Volcano!</a><img src="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=runninthebath-20&l=as2&o=1&a=1931636850" width="1" height="1" border="0" alt="" style="border:none !important; margin:0px !important;" />" target="_blank">My Mouth is a Volcano</a></em></strong>. Both books are still enormously popular and she has followed up with over 57 books at last count including companion activity books for many of her stories.<br />
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Making a Positive Difference</h3>
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Julia's inspiration to make a positive difference in the world of a child no doubt comes from her own childhood growing up in a family of hard working achievement oriented parents. Her grandfather came to the United States from Italy with very little in the way of possessions, immediately fell onto hard times but still pulled himself up by his bootstraps and became a successful entrepreneur. Her parents instilled in her the philosophy of working hard and making a difference.<br />
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Personal Challenges</h3>
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As a child, Julia had her share of challenges as she was by her own description very hyperactive with loads of energy and very little focus. At one point in elementary school, her frustrated teacher tied her to her chair with dental floss to encourage her to stay in her seat. Julia accommodated the situation carrying her chair about the room with her. Ironically, as the author of numerous books for children, Julia really did not like to read as a child and in high school often wrote book reports on books that did not even exist. No doubt this was the beginning of her creative story telling that today produces several books each year on a variety of relevant topics. The book, <strong><em><a href="http://www.blogger.com/%3Ca%20href=%22http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1931636842/ref=as_li_tf_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=1931636842&linkCode=as2&tag=runninthebath-20">It's Hard To Be a Verb!</a><img src="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=runninthebath-20&l=as2&o=1&a=1931636842" width="1" height="1" border="0" alt="" style="border:none !important; margin:0px !important;" />" target="_blank">It's Hard to be a Verb</a></em></strong>, in fact is a book with a main character much like Julia herself. Julia is so passionate about getting into the mindset of a child prior to writing her books that she spends hours researching each topic, always writes in the first person so children can identify with the main charater and (<strong><em>write this down she tells me)</em></strong> thinks like she's forty but writes like she's eight. All of her books make great lessons in the classroom and many of them have a companion book of activities as well.<br />
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GSCA 2013</h3>
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I spoke with counselor after counselor who talked about how hard it is to get away to the yearly conference but how beneficial it is once they arrive. For some it meant they return to work and emails that have piled up while they were gone. For many it meant they paid the cost of attendance themselves. Finally for all of us there was the inconvenience of adjusting to a long drive or changes in schedules. Was it worth it? YES! I know I personally left with new contacts and renewal of old relationships, new creative ideas and a renewed focus and energy. I can't wait to see what is in store for GSCA 2014. Hope to see you there.<br />
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Lynne Wattshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02788918458763274157noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8760580232883116615.post-23370289393797446192013-11-03T08:57:00.002-05:002013-11-03T08:57:33.857-05:00Should You Start a Blog? I'll Show You How!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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In just two weeks I'll be attending the <a href="http://gaschoolcounselors.com/" target="_blank">Georgia School Counselor Conference</a> in Jekyll Island, Georgia and presenting a session on School Counselor Blogs. I am excited! Blogging has become a huge means of connecting between school counselors all over the country. In a profession that can be lonely and isolated,especially if you are the only counselor in a school, blogging provides a means of support, encouragement and information.<br />
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Why Should School Counselors Blog?</h3>
Every school counselor blog is a little different depending on the personality of the blogger. Some focus on lesson plans and creative ideas. Others focus on technology or useful counseling strategies. The possibilities are endless. Why should you blog? Here are just a few of the reasons that I've come up with:<br />
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<li>Network with other professionals around the country</li>
<li>Share information</li>
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<li>Sample lessons</li>
<li>Books you love</li>
<li>Group ideas</li>
<li>Bulletin Boards</li>
<li>Technology Resources </li>
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<li>Teach by researching particular topics and sharing information</li>
<li>Share your personal journey</li>
<li>Share programs and achievements at your school</li>
<li>Encourage and support others</li>
<li>Create products to share: posters, lesson plans, etc.</li>
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Lets Get Started!</h3>
What are the next steps to starting a blog? Although the process may seem intimidating, it is really quite easy. It is first helpful to determine a focus. Which of the above types of blogs would you like to create? <br />
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Next choose a platform for hosting your blog. The two most popular are: <a href="http://www.blogger.com/">www.blogger.com</a> or <a href="http://www.wordpress.com/">www.wordpress.com</a> Each has different features and numerous tutorials to assist you along the way. I have sites using both types. I find blogger to be more user friendly for a blog but if you are establishing a website, then wordpress is really the best option. It has numerous possibilities with themes and plug-ins.<br />
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Be Creative!</h3>
Finally, determine the content of your blog. Will you post weekly? Monthly? Whatever your schedule, be consistent. To build an audience you must provide some content on a regular basis so readers know what to expect. Be sure to use visuals, photos of your bulletin boards or a picture of the book you are reviewing. You can even insert a video from YouTube or a personal video of you demonstrating a lesson.<br />
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Building Your Audience</h3>
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There are lots of ways to let the world know about your blog. You can post on Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin and other social media sites. You can post comments on similar blogs which will direct readers back to your blog. You can add a link to your signature on your emails and write articles for newsletters or other publications where you can provide a link to your blog. <br />
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Finally, if you've been thinking about starting a blog but haven't gotten around to it yet...Just Do It!! The rewards are huge and you won't believe the wonderful people you can meet online. <br />
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<strong><span style="background-color: #ffe599;">If you are planning to attend the Georgia School Counselor Conference, please drop by and say hello. My session is Thursday, November 14th at 3:05. I'd love to chat!</span></strong><br />
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<strong><span style="background-color: #9fc5e8;">Want a list of my free Thirteen Technology Tools for school counselors? Sign up under the technology tab above.</span> </strong><br />
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<strong><span style="background-color: #ffe599;">Like this post? Share with friends on Facebook and Twitter.</span></strong> <br />
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<br />Lynne Wattshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02788918458763274157noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8760580232883116615.post-64816066489347049272013-10-28T12:59:00.001-04:002013-10-28T12:59:42.106-04:00The Story Behind Kid President and his Resilient Spirit<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/RwlhUcSGqgs?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
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The Kid President is taking the world by storm! Over a million views on just the one video above. Why? What makes him so engaging? Well, he's funny, energetic, loves to dance AND has a good message. The above video encourages teachers to <strong><em>look for the awesome</em></strong> in students and students <strong><em>to be</em></strong> awesome and <strong><em>change the world</em></strong>.<br />
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What is the Story behind the Videos?</h3>
Even more interesting is the story behind the videos. The bubbly, energetic, laughing kid in Kid President has overcome some adversity in his own life. Just listen to the story:<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/IcZVGjG6LWM?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
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As he explains in the video, Robby has osteogenesis imperfecta, a genetic condition that results in frequent broken bones. He has already experienced over 70 breaks. His brother-in-law, Brad decided to make videos of Robby because of his "resilent spirit". What is their goal? Not fame or fortune but to make the world a better place by dreaming big and encouraging others to be awesome. You can't live by a better mission than that!</div>
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What Makes a Child Resilient?</h3>
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In his book, <strong><em>Building Resilience in Children and Teens: Giving Kids Roots and Wings,</em></strong> Kenneth Ginsburg identifies the Seven C's of Resiliency. They are:</div>
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Competence-Help children recognize their strengths and maximize them</div>
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Confidence-Encourage children to be confident and recover from challenges</div>
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Connections-Help children develop relationships with family, schools and community is critical to a sense of belonging</div>
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Character-Help children develop a clear sense of right and wrong and a committment to integrity</div>
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Contribution-Encourage children to contribute to the well-being of others and to be a positive impact on the world</div>
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Coping-Encourage children to develop a variety of healthy coping strategies</div>
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Control-Learn to make wise choices, earn privileges and respect in order to feel a sense of control</div>
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Not every child faces the kind of medical challenges that Robby, the Kid President faces, but every children could benefit from developing the seven C's. Certainly challenges come in all shapes and sizes and it is a rare individual who does not need to develop some coping skills for getting through the problems in life. Not only is the Kid President an inspiration through his quirky, funny youtube messages. He is also an inspiration in a life well-lived that illustrates the Seven C's through his positive attitude and confident spirit. </div>
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Like this post? Share with facebook and twitter friends!</div>
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Lynne Wattshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02788918458763274157noreply@blogger.com1