Principal's Quest

Confidence

Confidence – self esteem: pride and belief in oneself and in achievement of one’s potential

Feeling confident means you are sure of your skills and ability to succeed in a task. It is an internal determination or judgment of how sure you are of your skills.

This post is especially for our fifth graders who will be moving on to middle school. I want to say that you have a great track record of succeeding here at J. H. House. Your feeling of self-confidence that you have learned here can be carried on to your new school

I want to share with you the things I have confidence about that relate to you, our J.H. House students who will soon be leaving us to continue learning at our middle schools.

I have confidence that you will be a good example of the following character traits at your new school.

· You will show school pride at your new school just as you have here. School pride is the vehicle that lets us learn to believe in something bigger than ourselves. It is our home away from home, our community.

· Honesty is a trait you will have because your friends and teachers will look up to you and want you as a friend because they will trust and respect you.

· You will display responsibility by standing up for what you know is right,

· You will continue to show respect for yourself and respect for others because you will treat others as you want to be treated. You care.

· You will be the kind of student that takes the initiative to do what needs to be done. You won’t just stand around and wait for others.

· You will  show self-control as you continue to learn to make  appropriate decisions and choose behaviors that will have good outcomes.

· You will show your trustworthiness by telling the truth, being your best, standing up for what you believe, practicing self-discipline, keeping your word and returning what you borrow.

· You will demonstrate good citizenship by following the rules of your family, your school, and your society.

· You will be full of thankfulness because of the many good things you have in your life.

· You will continue to have compassion because you care about the feelings of others.

· Your fairness will be demonstated as you continue to take turns and share.

· Your consideration of others will be in full view as you notice the needs of others and try to help.

· Tolerance will be a key word for you because you have a willingness to respect or accept the customs, beliefs, or opinions of others

· Perseverance means you will continue to do your personal best and never give up on your goals.

· Courage  means you will keep on facing your fears and being strong.

· You will abide by the rules of a contest and be a good winner or a good loser because you understand good sportsmanship.

· I know you will show patriotism as you continue to listen and learn from the news.

· You will be empowered by your acts of kindness because you do care about others and want to help.

· Dependability will be present in your life because you can be counted on to do what you say you will do.

Yes, indeed! I have confidence in you. I wish each and every one of our fifth graders a great future! We will miss you here at J.H. House. Always do your personal best and know that all of us here will be cheering for you!

Reflections on my blogging experience

Where has this year gone?  Could it really be possible that we only have a month of school left until summer break? As I reflect on the highs and lows of this school year at J. H. House, one of the highs definitely has been my experience with blogging.  The student comments have meant so much to me. At times they have made me smile! For instance, Mike said,

"I felt like I was not important enough to even have an adult conversation with the SACS commitee. I am so mad that just becuase I am a little kid I have a little mind becuase I don't. P.S I am very intellegent."

His comment was in reference to the fact that the SACS evaluation committee had asked to meet with students at our school and then ran out of time before they were able to talk to the students.  I had to smile at Mike's comment because he is intelligent and I would love to have heard what he planned to tell the committee.

I'll have to admit time constraints have been a problem for me. Other things seem to always come up that are "in my face" and get my immediate attention. However, the interaction with students on the weblog has kept me going. I really do value their opinions. That means I have to find the time somehow to continue in my "quest". Next year, I would like to continue with chapter 2 of the Principal's Quest. Perhaps I can somehow tie current events into character education somehow. My thoughts are still swirling around somewhat. I visualize being able to respond to segments of the CNN news by identifying the positive character traits exhibited by someone in the news or perhaps their lack thereof. Let me know what you think.

Dependability

Dependability – the ability to be counted on and trusted.

Are you a dependable person?  Read the following traits of a dependable person and think about whether you can answer yes or no. You can do this silently . So here goes! Think yes or no.

• I keep promises.
• I do what I say I will do.
• I arrive at school on time.
• I do not need a reminder to get a job done
• I can be counted on to have the materials needed to get jobs done.
• I can work with others to see that things get done in our  classroom to make it a good place.
• I finish what I start.
• I am viewed as a person who keeps their word.

I hope you said yes to all of them. If you did, congratulations!  If not, just decide today that you will work hard and become a dependable person. I know you can change. It just takes a little perseverance.

Did you know that being reliable is another way to express that a person is dependable?  This week we are going to have fun being “Dependability Detectives”.  What that means is that when you spot someone being dependable you will write a very nice comment and tell what they were doing. I can’t wait to read your comments. One of the reasons J.H.House is such a special school is that it is full of dependable children! So detectives, get to work and have a great day!

Kindness

Kindness – being friendly, helpful and generous.

The Random Acts of Kindness Foundation  defines kindness in many ways but I want to share this one definition they provided:

Kindness is empowering. Kindness is one of the most powerful interpersonal tools that we, as human beings, use to connect with one another. When we sense someone's need, we either choose to help in some way…or we choose not to. If we act from empathy, we will offer kindness, and in that moment a surprising, gracious, humanitarian connection is made. This is the positive power that each of us — including children — possesses.

I know I could not say that better!

This website is one of the best I have seen. It has so many good things on it that I thought the best way to talk about kindness would be to highlight a few of the great educational resources they provide. Teachers, I want to encourage you to take a look at it. You will find many activities that you could easily implement in your classroom.

• They have quotes at the top of the page that continually change. You will enjoy reading those. I certainly did.
• They have a teacher’s corner that is a gathering place to let everyone know what’s working in their schools.
• They have activity ideas for schools.
• It includes a KINDTIMES newsletter. Maybe we could publish one like this for J. H. House! Wow! You can even create a web site on kindness, send e-cards.
• They even provide great lesson plans. See this page for some activity ideas by academic subject. It is fantastic!
• It lists kindness-related books for students and teachers.

I want to conclude with a couple of activities I thought were quite unique.

They shared a song written about kindness. Here it is:

Let’s Be Kind

(to the tune of ‘Frere Jacques’)

Let’s be kind. Let’s be kind.

In our heart and in our mind.

To our family, to our friends.

May our kindness never end.

I really like that? Maybe you could make up a song about kindness and sing it to the tune of another. Give it a try and let’s practice random acts of kindness each day!! Share your acts of kindness! Share your songs!

Patriotism

Patriotism – A love and loyalty for the

United States of America

and its values.

What is patriotism? It is love and loyalty for one's country and its values. Here are a few ways we can demonstrate a patriotic attitude.

• Listen and learn from the news. Be an informed citizen. I think J. H. House students shine in this area, don’t you?

• Stand respectfully when the Pledge of Allegiance is spoken or the national anthem is sung or played. This is another area where we stand out.

• Celebrate and understand the significance of holidays. It’s important as well as fun to learn about our different holidays and how they started.

• Be proud of our democracy and our freedom in our country.

It is a sad time for our country. We are at war. There are some people in other countries who do not believe as we do. Some of these people have confused views of our freedom and democracy. Let’s try to turn that around by focusing on things that we can do, as citizens and future citizens to let them know and understand the good things about our country. Share those good things so others can understand our love for our country.  I’ll start the list.

• I am proud to live in a country that has groups like Habitat for Humanity who build homes for those who are homeless.

• I am proud that we have the freedom to vote for our leaders.

• I am proud that we can peacefully protest issues where disagree.

• I am proud of the young people in this school and elsewhere who want to understand other viewpoints and listen respectfully.

Share things that make you proud of your country.

Sportsmanship

Sportsmanship - Fair and reasonable behavior, especially in playing a sport. It is abiding by the rules of a contest and accepting victory or defeat graciously.

What is sportsmanship?  It is playing by the rules, considering the feelings of others, providing encouragement, being honest, having self-control, using teamwork, showing respect for your opponents, and being cooperative.

We have seen an increase in distressing incidents in youth sports and professional sports as young people and adults alike often participate in inappropriate behavior.  I hope this will change. You can help that change come about by being a good role model.

Sportsmanship is about character, values, personal responsibility, learning how to win and how to lose graciously, and how to control frustration and anger. It is being a good citizen.

Let’s think about sportsmanship. Do some good thinking here. I found a wonderful website that asks some good though-provoking questions about sportsmanship. Go to the Yogi Berra Museum and Learning Center and pick one of the questions to answer. Be sure to tell us the number of the question when you answer and use complete sentences. I can’t wait to see your answers!

Courage

Courage is a willingness to face your fears with determination.

Courage is facing your fears and walking through them. Many refer to courage in terms of deeds. It is not just deeds. Courage is a way of life. Courage is when you are afraid but you face your fears and keep on going. You don’t have to be heroic or big and tough. It just means you don’t give up. It means you stand up for what is right, even if others around you are trying to talk you in to something you know is wrong. It means you speak the truth, even when friends may get mad at you. Courage is having a belief in yourself. It means you will try things even though they are hard.

I see students and staff daily at J. H. House who show courage. Let me give you an example:

Juan spoke the truth about something he did that he should not have done. He had the courage to admit his mistakes and the courage to learn from it and not make the same mistake again.

Now you need some strategies to develop courage. Remember the book, “The Little Engine That Could”? He kept trying and kept trying and kept trying. You can keep trying when things are a little hard.

Sometimes if you are afraid you can say things to yourself to give you courage. Examples are:

……….I can do this.

……….I’m calm and in control.

……….This is just my imagination. I will not be afraid.

……….Just say no!

……….I’m sticking to my beliefs!

……….Good friends would not try to make me do something I know is wrong.

……….It’s the right thing to do and I will not back down!

If you repeat calming phrases to yourself, it can help you build your courage! Sometimes just taking a deep breath and moving forward can help.

Now can you spotlight J. H. House students and staff who show courage?  Also, please share if you have some good strategies that help you have courage.

Perseverance

Perseverance is the act of keeping on trying and not giving up, even if you are faced with obstacles or difficulties.

You know how we are always talking at J. H. House about doing your “personal best”. Well, one of the traits you need to do your “personal best” is perseverance.  Perseverance is never giving up on your ideas and goals. It is hard work that really pays off for you. Did you know that Thomas Edison tried 1,000 different combinations before he found the right materials for the light bulb? It’s important to believe in yourself and be willing to persevere. You’ll be amazed at what you can accomplish.

I admire people who persevere. Many times these people can teach us a lot from their experiences. Remember perseverance can be displayed in small as well as big ways. Perseverance is being committed to follow though on things.

Watch  CNN Student Newsroom and I bet you will see many examples that illustrate perseverance. One example that comes to my mind is the people who keep working to find the “road map” to Middle East Peace. That’s perseverance!

I saw a T-Shirt someone was wearing who was helping with the Tsunami disaster. It had these words on it – resilience, perseverance, and hope. This means people care and work hard to help others who have experienced disaster. They never give up! That’s perseverance!

Now, you persevere in finding examples of perseverance! I hope we come up with lots of examples. I wonder which classroom can find the most examples.  Examples can be from the news, our classrooms, our homes, or anywhere you observe it!

Tolerance

Tolerance – The willingness to respect or accept the customs, beliefs, or opinions of others.

Respecting and accepting others is a trait that I see day in and day out at J. H. House. In honor of your spirit of tolerance toward others, I thought it would be fun to share some quotes on tolerance. Boys and girls, please read and enjoy these quotes and think about how we are tolerant of others. Then share your thoughts in the comments section of this weblog! Why I bet one of you could come up with a quote that might even be passed on to future generations!  Give it a try! Here are the quotes on tolerance:

The highest result of education is tolerance. -- Helen Keller

I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.-- Martin Luther King, Jr.

Difference of opinion is helpful in religion. -- Thomas Jefferson

Anger and intolerance are the twin enemies of correct understanding.  -- Mahatma Gandhi

How far you go in life depends on your being tender with the young, compassionate with the aged, sympathetic with the striving and tolerant of the weak and strong. Because someday in your life you will have been all of these. -- George Washington Carver

Never look down on anybody unless you're helping him up. -- Jesse Jackson

If we could look into each other's hearts and understand the unique challenges each of us face, I think we would treat each other much more gently, with more love, patience, tolerance, and care. -- Marvin Ashton

Laws alone can not secure freedom of expression; in order that every man present his views without penalty there must be spirit of tolerance in the entire population.-- Albert Einstein

The greatest discovery of my generation is that man can alter his life simply by altering his attitude of mind. -- William James

SACS Visit

J. H. House was recently visited by a team of educators from the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools as a part of our five-year self evaluation. What a wonderful opportunity to showcase the overall atmosphere of good citizenship here!  As our guests were arriving, one student fell in the hallway. Immediately he was helped up by one friend while another friend picked up the spilled items from his book bag.  That is truly showing compassion and a willingness to help others. A number of students saw black marks on the floors of the hall and immediately began to remove them. It was quite evident to our guests that the students here take great pride in the cleanliness and the appearance of our building. Students were very respectful of others as they talked softly in the cafeteria. One of our guests commented that it was a pleasure to eat with our students because they used such nice lunchroom manners. One thing for sure is that J. H. House students always rise to the occasion, and this time was no different.