What’s Gone Well Today ® at School
What’s Gone Well Today at School is a question, in fact a movement designed to shift our thinking, to bring out the best in our own experiences at school, with the friends and new faces in our classes . We’re encouraging students and teachers to share experiences that have gone well. We hope that people will find more highlights in their day, and share what they are enjoying in their learning and playing at school.
I love to paint.
I don’t get to do it that often, since I’m busy with music, but I was fortunate enough to start off the new year reconnecting with my inner visual artist. The great thing about freestyle homeschooling is, no matter when you work, it counts for school just the same! This has allowed me to use summers and vacations as unique classrooms, in which I get to revisit my other, more peripheral interests. Plus, creating my own schedule during the school year helps me prevent burnout, so I stay energetic and ready for new things almost all year long. Cheers to homeschooling!
I love teaching my “Outreach, Philanthropy and Empathy” course. ! It’s 6 sessions and includes books (I read them aloud and we discuss them), films about kids helping others and about kids who are or have been homeless, etc… and some games/activities that help to illustrate concepts. –as well as making a lot of Christmas ornament crafts that they give to donors as a thank you when they ask for donations.
Yesterday five little girls (ages 7 – 14) in my Wildwood “Outreach, Philanthropy and Empathy” class came to my house to decide how they wanted to spend the money they’d received asking for donations outside a local grocery store. This decision was all theirs and they took it very seriously. After much discussion they said they wanted to send a girl to school (in a country where girls often don’t have that opportunity) and they spent time online doing research to find just the right organization. They were thrilled to discover that the one they chose had a matching donor so their donation sent two girls to school. They then sent two women KIVA microloans, after intense discussion of which businesses they wanted to support.
They put together eight packs for children who might arrive at a local transition house with nothing, so they wanted to make sure the children know that someone cares about them. These included mittens, toothbrushes and toothpaste, hairbrushes and shampoo, paper and felt pens and card games. After that (they had made a LOT of money last weekend in only four hours!) they bought hives of honey bees, tree seedlings, several flocks of poultry, and two irrigation pumps through Heifer, an organization that offers support and education along with the donations. Keep in mind that during these proceedings I am primarily a spectator. This project was very much driven by the children. At one point they agreed that the decision-making was kind of overwhelming, but they were very focused and pressed on.
Working with and witnessing these kids as they completed this project was such a thrill. It nourishes my heart and leaves me with a strong sense of hope.
One thing I found enjoyable in school is when you know that you did well on the test as you recall your answers