8 Lessons for People from the Pack

This year, I am on the opening team for a new public middle school here in Orange County.  During our pre-planning days we are doing a lot of talking about establish culture and community. We can take away many lessons from wolves for our community. We are the wolves and #onepack is part of our story this year. 

To bring our new wolves into the pack, many of us will build community with ice breakers, team builders and other team challenges.  With 50 minute class periods, a quicker 5-8 minute activity makes for the perfect “do now” or transition into class at the start of each period or a wrap up for the end of each class period. 

I love Playmeo for activities and ideas. Stacey Jensen, an extraordinary teacher and advisory coordinator, introduced me to the site years ago. I can quickly find an ice break, an energizer, or a trust builder and I love that I can create lists of activities to use for units I'm planning. Our first week, with pack plans in pink,  is looking like this so far: 

I observe the pack while we engage in these community builders. Yetta Goodman used to call it “kid watching." Observing learners informs instruction. I question a lot of what I see: 

• Who's leading? Who's encouraging? Who's shy or hanging back?
• How can I use this data with students? How might I use photos to support students' reflections?
• How are students' talents, interests or needs showing up?

The start of a new school year is magical. To bring that magic,  I am reminding myself to avoid activities that could resurface trauma.  Instead of writing or talking about our names' origins, turn initials into mantras for the traits we most want to showcase this year. Instead of doing Blueprints of a Lifetime sketching our homes and basing stories on homes' floor plans, now I'll give students choices for sketching and storytelling: a favorite place, a room, a learning space, a community space, a park or an outdoor space. Even a thing can be sketched and storied.

I remind myself, if and when things seem to settle into silence in the first weeks: get kids moving. Get kids talking to each other. Get kids laughing. Get them reading and writing.  As we play and work together—connections build.  Our pack will be richer for it.

Thanks to the team at Two Writing Teachers!
Jump over to serve yourself another slice today.