Talking, Showing, Living Gratitude
It's that time of year... cranberry sauce, stuffing, mashed potatoes, and mulling over all that we have to be thankful for. See what some students have to say on the concept of gratitude.
It's that time of year... cranberry sauce, stuffing, mashed potatoes, and mulling over all that we have to be thankful for. See what some students have to say on the concept of gratitude.
I sat down with five of our students at CLE Rockville during their Social Engagement Group to talk about what failure means, and why it isn’t necessarily a bad thing. I am always impressed and amazed at our students’ insights.
Group outings can be intimidating, especially when you’re new to CLE and don’t know many people yet. We do try to involve students in planning the outings and finding things that will be interesting and fun. This helps to make the hard work of understanding group dynamics and communicating collaboratively more enjoyable.
When I asked Jules why she feels the need to apologize, she explained how uncomfortable it is to feel different. She wants to explain it and escape the fact that she learns differently.
Many classrooms experience disruptive behaviors in some way, shape, or form. Positive Education and Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) are two strategies schools can use to manage student behaviors and overall wellbeing.
"I don't want to be told I'm normal because that's boring. Everyone has their own unique qualities, quirks, interests, and personalities." The group agreed, and another student shared that his interests are sometimes viewed as not normal.
Scott and I talked about how our student socials have evolved over the years, and how they reflect our larger goals of fostering friendships and independence outside the walls of the center.
What would we say if there were no rules and no social consequences? What would we reveal about ourselves that is important to us, but we are afraid to say aloud because of how others might react? I posed that question to a group of CLE Rockville students, and passed out postcard sized paper.
At the beginning, David talked about his desire to be independent and live on his own. Although he wanted this for himself he was unsure of what it looked like and where to begin. We worked together to break down skills and focus on one goal at a time. From the very beginning a goal David had was learning how to cook.
You only need to turn on the news today to see that there is a renewed importance surrounding the concept of feminism and the overall treatment of women in society.