If you were a superhero...

In class today we discussed which super power we would choose.  Many students chose super strength, some chose money (like Batman - he's really just a billionaire).  One student chose the power of luck (for yourself or choosing luck for other people too??).

I heard a story on the radio the other day about the psychology of choosing superpowers.  The guest on the show theorized that given a choice between the power to fly and the the power of invisibility, people choosing flight identify as "hero types" while people choosing invisibility are more self-centered, wanting to get away with robbing banks and what-not.  Another guest had determined that anyone who says they would choose flight is really lying - that we would all wish for invisibility!!

It was an interesting conversation to have with my students...

Photo Project

When was the last time you hugged a stranger??  Do you open yourself up to interactions with people you don't know?  Do you get enough physical contact? 
I'm not necessarily suggesting that you go around hugging random people, but there is research that shows that human touch is a crucial aspect to the development of children.  And the more we interact with the people around us, the more connected we become.
The attached video shows an interesting photography project pairing complete strangers in intimate poses and the results are surprising and encouraging...

Photo Project

Worst Thing Ever

WRITING PROMPT:

What's the worst/meanest thing you've ever done or said to someone?  How did it make you feel in that moment?  How does it make you feel looking back?

They also had the option to write about something mean that had been done or said to them.

Students took a few minutes to write about this prompt.  They wanted to know if they had to put their name on it, if I was going to collect it, if it had to be school appropriate.  The answer was no to all three questions.  This is not an attempt to pry into their private lives and see who's the worst.  This is a chance for them to reflect, privately, on some things that they may regret.

Student shared stories about yelling at their parents, telling them they hated them.  I shared a story from a former student.  He had told his grandfather that he hated him and that was the last time he ever spoke to him.  He died the next day.  This student will never get forgiveness from his grand father.  But I told him then, and I told these students now, that it is okay to forgive yourself.  You can learn from your mistakes and try not to repeat them and move on with your life.

Their challenge this week is to apologize.  Maybe not for this WORST THING EVER, maybe that's too big and too impossible, but for something.  If you bump into someone, say you're sorry.  If you accidentally knock something out of someone's hand, apologize.  If you catch yourself making insensitive comments, take the time to correct yourself.

Less and More

I recently discovered a blog that was doing a 31 day challenge of less and more.  There are lots of things that we can do with less of... stress, work, anxiety, fear, greed.  We can choose to replace these things with more of something positive...naps, bubble baths, courage, compassion, generosity.
The blog http://www.livingwellspendingless.com/31-days-of-less/ discusses these things at length.

Today for our Warrior Way warm-up we will discuss their day 1 challenge - less fear, more courage.  Then we will brainstorm our own lists...
The starred entries represent recurring ideas between different classes...

We want Less…	… and More…
*Homework **Anger/Depression/ Suicide *Global Warming/Pollution/Deforestation *Drugs Crime/Scams Gossip **Poverty/Homelessness/Hunger/Debt Selfishness/Greed Hate	*Free time **Happiness *Good environments/Health/Wildlife *Sane/Normal People/Health Peace Friends *Money/Food to go around Generosity Compassion
Boredom *Bullies Ignorance Rejection/Discrimination/Prejudice/Hate Doubt *Procrastination *STRESS Disrespect Deception Waste	Fun *Kindness/Friends/Freedom/Acceptance Knowledge/Experience Diversity/Acceptance Faith *Proactivity/Motivation/Efficiency TIME/Sleep/Peace of Mind Respect Honesty Thriftiness
Gangs/Violence Sleep Idleness Commercials Violence Boring Ideas/Monotony Separation Competition Judgement	Peace Exhaustion Productivity Air Time Liberty/Peace Creativity Unity Cooperation Love/Acceptance

Pink Week

To celebrate Pink Week here at AHS I thought about my grandmother, Sandy, who was diagnosed with breast cancer when I was in high school and then later with bone cancer.  This terrible disease stole this wonderful woman from us.  She was warm, compassionate, funny, strict at times, a good cook and a wonderful grandmother.  It was horrible to watch her turn into someone I barely recognized.  Years later I still carry that grief with me.  But every time I take the time to think about that experience, I remember so many wonderful things about her. 
For our Warrior Way warm up today I encouraged my students to think of a loved one they had lost. Whether it was to cancer or to some other unfortunate circumstance. I want them to take some time to process their grief and to remember all the things that made that person special.  They could choose to share by turning in their paper (with or without a name) or to keep it private.

Eye Contact

In our culture, eye contact is the primary way that we show someone we're paying attention to them, which is turn is one of the primary ways that we show our loved ones that we care about them.

The linked article discusses how technology has had an impact on the level of eye contact we share with one another.  More and more we engage in conversation while "multi-tasking".  We are distracted by our cell phones, televisions, and other electronic devices.  We read this article in class today and discussed students reactions and opinions.

Most students could think of a time, recently, when they had tried to get someone's attention and had a difficult time because that person was texting or otherwise distracted by some electronic device.  This happens with friends, parents, boyfriends, girlfriends, etc.  They agreed that it doesn't feel very good.  Several students said that they don't think it's a big deal!!  I happen to think it's a very big deal.  When the person standing in front of you is less important than a text, that's a problem!

I gave the students a challenge:  

For the next 48 hours... if someone is talking to you, stop texting and look them in the eye.  We'll see next week if this had an impact on their relationships...

CHALLENGE ACCEPTED!!