As I teach the monthly guidance lessons, a particular phrase always comes to mind: "It takes a village to raise a child." In today's society, the traditional family is changing. Some changes are for the good and others are not. Something that I have noticed is the fact that very rarely does a child just have a mom, dad, brother or sister and that's it! There is usually a grandmother, grand father, aunt, uncle or someone that lends a hand and helps. That is a special blessing! I remember many important lessons about life that were taught by my grandparents. The reason I bring this to mind is because the many teachers and staff that are in your child's/children's lives want to be there to help as well. The faculty at these two schools want to be a part of that "village!" In fact, they view this as part of their responsibility (K-3's guideline for this month) and hope to form a cooperative team (4-6's guideline for this month) with you! When we take on these responsibilities together, the boundaries have no end. I hope that the guidance lessons support what you are teaching at home and vice versa! Often when I am working with classes, a student will say, "My mom says the same thing!" or "I hear that at home, a lot!" These comments let my know that I am on the right track. The older I get, the more I realize that parenting is hard work and teaching is hard work! We are all in this together. So here are some articles that are for you! I love this one by Kristen Welch where she talks about her experience and thoughts about parenting: http://wearethatfamily.com/2015/09/parenting-is-hard-especially-when-youre-doing-it-right/.
The K-3 Campus guidance lessons will focus on "Having Responsible Actions." I am big on responsibility! I love teaching the kids about how they are becoming responsible people. They have responsibilities at school, home and even in the church! Here is at article from Focus On the Family that hits the responsibility nail on the head! http://www.focusonthefamily.com/parenting/schoolage-children/homework-and-responsibility I mean it is spot on! I half to laugh at myself when I read it. I need to "crack the book" more myself and my children, especially my 16 year old would very much agree! 4-6 parents, even though this is not your guideline for the month, I encourage you to read ahead!
The 4-6 Campus will begin guidance lessons this month. MAP testing is finished (breathe a collective sigh) and I will be in the classrooms! Fourth and fifth grades will focus on "Cooperate With Everyone." Fourth grade will begin making their guidance books, and fifth grade will be doing more hands on activities. The sixth grade classes will focus on a new bullying program that I am excited to begin teaching. This curriculum is titled, Hero In You. Each lesson begins with a Bible verse and it breaks down the entire bullying scenario to help students understand what bullying is and what they can do about it! The focus is on the courage to stand up for what is right. In this world today, this is a vital concept to learn. Often when I talk with a student, they can tell me exactly what should be done in areas of conflict. It's the "doing it" part that is such a struggle for them. They are submersed in a world were they want to be liked and going against the grain is frowned upon. So you can imagine how difficult it could be for a 10-13 year old to go against what everyone is doing, even though they know it should be done. It takes courage and that is a focus in this program!
I hope everyone has a great month of October! Please feel free to contact me at kim.bennett@owensborocatholic.org or leave a comment, if you feel comfortable doing so!
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