Gratitude Day 22 - STRIVE Prep - Excel

 In just three short months, 15 adults and 129 children have created a community of acceptance, love, support, academic excellence, and joy.  Here are some highlights from last week that exemplify why I love my job, and why I love my school.

My Student T: T was horrible on Friday.  She wouldn't listen.  She did what she wanted.  She threw a donut at another kid and couldn't understand why she was in trouble.  And yet I love her.  She is navigating a rough time in her life, exacerbated by all the nonsense that teenage hormones cause under the best circumstances.  She's fighting to survive the best way she knows how.  I love T because of her spirit.  She is brilliant, and when she figures out how to make the world work for her, there's going to be no stopping her.

Community Meeting: CM happens every Friday, and is our chance to celebrate the successes of the week and have a little bit of fun.  This week featured performances by the vocal and guitar classes, as well as a giant game of Thanksgiving Scattergories.  The creativity, enthusiasm, competitive spirit, and joy felt by all members of our community was palpable.

The 6 Word Memoir Meme: Ms. M's composition class spent a day working on word choice and succinctness with 6 Word memoirs.  Ms. M. shared RSFs memoirs, "Don't run away from the problem," and "Don't dig yourself in too deep."  That RSF was able to be vulnerable and self-aware was damn near a miracle itself.  What followed though, was a series of staff 6 Word Memoirs that had us all giggling into our inboxes.  V's mom saw a hickey on her neck in the office, which led to "THE F*CK IS ON YOUR NECK?!"  A teacher responded with "V's partner has missed the mark."  Most of the other contributions were inside jokes but the joy that abounded in this 15-minute e-mail chain of hilarity got us through the rest of a long week.

The Gratitude Project: Ms. M. also had students write about the person who had the biggest influence on their life.  Then, as a twist stolen from a SoulPancake project, Ms. M. allowed students to call the person they had written about.  Kids were nervous, so I called my mom and read her my note.  The kids were all "oohs" and "awwwws" and a mad flurry of hands went in the air.  Kids called moms and sisters and it was a big old gratitude sobfest.  Vulnerability and thankfulness at its finest.

There are more stories to recount, but each day I am thankful for our team, our wonderful staff, our hilarious students, and the amount of effort and perseverance they put into everything they do.  I'm so grateful that together we strive for college!