I know that this is pretty wordy, but it was such an
important and emotional day for Team 3/4, that I want to paint a picture for
you. Of course you are well aware, but you have the most incredible and
insightful children. Thanks for sharing J
This morning we turned out the lights, found a cozy spot
around the room and settled in for a talk. I told the students how proud I am
of them, not only for being so poised and gracious last night at Open House,
but also for bravely sharing their own writing. I told them that I’d been
thinking about how much I care about them and that I so want them to live the
happiest, healthiest lives. I shared that I’d been thinking about the things
that I most want for them…
1.
To always be curious, to be deeply motivated to
dig deeper and understand better
2.
To be resilient because life is going to deal
some blows and I want them to come back with confidence
3.
To fall in love with their truest selves, the
deepest center of their souls, and be confident in sharing that version of
themselves with the world
The kids then settled in with their journals to write,
write, write about #3. I told them that sharing out loud is optional and I
challenged them to be honest with themselves. They wrote about the parts of
themselves that are sincere and maybe secret, the parts of themselves that are
valuable and fundamental, but that they are sometimes afraid to let out.
Then we gathered together and discussed how it feels to hold
those important parts of who we are inside. Then we discussed in small groups some
of the reasons we hide parts of ourselves. This is what we came up with:
Then the students really blew me away. They started sharing
some of the parts of themselves that they love, but are afraid to let show.
There were lots of tears and lots of hugs and lots of, “I felt that way too
when…” and “I didn’t know you felt that way too.” They shared frustration about
being seen in a certain box or feeling that people have a narrow definition of
who they are or that they have to act a certain way to fit in with the group. I
was very moved by the honesty and community that they offered one another.
Students shared with me that things felt a little different
on the playground today. I look forward to keeping the momentum. They elevate
so beautifully. I thought you’d want to know.
-Devin
We said goodbye to Jazzy this afternoon as she left for
France. Bon Voyage! We’ll miss you and we can’t wait for stories!
