When I came up with the theme, "it takes a village," my thoughts were that it takes a village for our kids to grow up with an anticipation of success in life and love. What I didn't realize was that they are part of that village and we need them as much as they need us.
I have had the honor of being a volunteer in a fifth grade class in Tulsa. Mrs. Mills has been this incredible inspiration that has allowed me to tryout a journal pilot program with her class.
Months ago I walked in with a belief that I had some tools that might benefit the class and that sharing my experiences and coping skills through writing would be helpful.
Now, what do I believe?
I believe that this group of fifth graders has changed my mind. Reality is this, yes, I do have some experiences that can be related to and gleaned from, but I have something much more, a listening ear!
Aside from being a beautiful, handsome class, this crew has emotional intelligence. They know what they need, they are smart. They know they need tools that equip them to handle "CHANGE" because they have all experienced it in one way or another. Some through a lot of moves, death, divorce, new family members...all of these students know what change looks like and they know they are not equipped to handle it.
Let's face it, most adults are not equipped to handle it either. And in a climate of recession where we are all watching our 401K dwindle and seeing our housing market not retaining values. We stress, like they do.
The difference is we have vices. Would you suggest our vices for fifth graders?
Probably not.
So, thanks to Mrs. Mill's Fifth Grade Class, I am on the hunt to research healthy ways to handle changes in life and compiling that information with the writing process.
Thank you. Somewhere between fifth grade and adulthood people lose their transparency, my prayer for you all is that you will never lose the beauty of your honesty.
See you soon!
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1 comment:
I agree so much with that second to last sentence. :)
Here's some information from an excellent resource on dealing with stress. I think it would be great to teach kids to build their support networks, stay positive, gain a sense of control, and learn how to manage emotions well, calming themselves down rather than winding themselves up when they're angry or upset. We can also teach them that knowledge is power, and that learning as much as you can about what to expect reduces a fear of the unknown and give you the opportunity to prepare and to handle it.
Here's the website. Scroll down to things that influence your stress level. We can adapt these suggestions for kids and pass on those that don't need adapting.
http://www.helpguide.org/mental/stress_signs.htm
It does take a village...and as adults, we still have much to learn and can only pass on what we know works. I only wish I could follow my own advice sometimes. :)
Thank you for your blog. It's beautiful
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