#Treasured friends plus

They had learned that they needed everyone to feel okay in order for the group to be okay. Some days, of course, we had tears, as we worked through an issue, but they were mostly able to comfort each other and resist taking sides. It was delightful! All the time they were talking, talking, talking with each other (within and between the smaller groups), complimenting each other, inviting others to join in, asking each other for advice, laughing.

Really, how amazing is that?!!! They LOVED it, mostly because it gave them ideas about what they wanted to use next - Feathers! Jewels! Glittery fabric! I loved it because it meant I didn’t have to clean it out myself! On those days I mostly just sat back and observed unless they specifically asked for my input. Sometimes they broke into smaller groups - playing with my dollhouse and treehouse, decorating my whiteboards, cleaning out my craft cabinet. They worked on creating new bulletin boards or posters about ways to stop bullying or keep your brain healthy. Other times we would talk further about topics we had been covering in class councils. Sometimes I would read a book and we would discuss it. Our group activities varied from week to week, but were usually based on a concern or interest expressed by the girls, or on some issue that the teachers or I had noticed. I typed up their wishes in a large font, made them some templates, got out the glitter glue, and the following week they made posters for each classroom and my room featuring all the wishes.

that all my friends do not get bullied by other people.

to play with all of my friends this year.

to be friends with some of the new kids.

During the group we talked about how friendships had gone in fourth grade - the successes and the challenges - and everyone wrote down their friendship wish for the coming year. Kids were invited to stay for recess, and everyone (other than the teachers who had duty) did.

#Treasured friends plus

I asked every girl, plus the fifth grade classroom, special ed, and Title I teachers (all women) to attend our first meeting, which was held during lunch. I offered the group once a week at recess. The one who was initially most hesitant to attend (she has some social anxiety issues) became the town crier who reminded everyone that it was girls’ group day. It was so successful that the need for topic-specific groups never arose! Almost all the girls attended every week, and the others came most of the time. The girls loved having their “day” and the group ended up running all year. Nevertheless, we had some friendship issues to work on, so instead of planning specific groups for them at the beginning of the year, I decided to try a drop-in group for the first six weeks. The girls were good at handling conflicts and even emerging bullying situations, and we didn’t have too many times when someone felt excluded. They all participated in groups each year they have been here. Because their numbers were so small, we have been able to work on issues as they arise and do a lot of practicing of the skills we have learned about in class councils. In fifth grade last year we had only 13 girls, which presented some challenges, but also provided a great opportunity to do a lot of group work. In some grades boys account for more than two thirds of the population. May you, and all those you love, be so blessed and fortunate to be surrounded by people who will help you get untangled from the things that are binding you.Īnd, may you always know the joy of giving and receiving gratitude.No one is really sure what’s going on around here - is it the water? - but our school is becoming Boyland. The guy who cut the rope out of her mouth said her eyes were following him the whole time, and he will never be the same. Some said it was the most incredibly beautiful experience of their lives.

She then came back to each and every diver, one at a time, and nudged them, pushed them gently around as she was thanking them. When she was free, the divers say she swam in what seemed like joyous circles. They worked for hours with curved knives and eventually freed her. Within a few hours, the rescue team arrived and determined that she was so bad off, the only way to save her was to dive in and untangle her. A fisherman spotted her just east of the Farallon Islands (outside the Golden Gate ) and radioed an environmental group for help. She also had hundreds of yards of line rope wrapped around her body, her tail, her torso, a line tugging in her mouth. She was weighted down by hundreds of pounds of traps that caused her to struggle to stay afloat. In case you missed a recent front page story of the San Francisco Chronicle, you would have read about a female humpback whale who had become entangled in a spider web of crab traps and lines.