Are you a Zapatista? Send by Professor Sherry

I just started reading today a book by Margaret Wheatley (one of my leadership gurus who wrote Leadership and The New Science that I had with me when I was with you) and Deborah Frieze called Walk Out Walk On, A Learning Journey into Communities Daring to Live the Future Now. Over the past few years these two women identified 7 different communities around the world who have taken on challenging problems locally and "discovered enduring solutions and created healthy and resilient communities by working together in new and different ways." All of which brought back to me listening to you each and all sharing your dreams from your AI active research projects.

The first of the seven communities is in Zapatista land in southern Mexico and ends with this:

Why Change Happens

The only reason change happens on this planet

the only readon change ignites across networks,

the only reason Daniel's invention finds new forms

     as he carries it from Mexico to India,

the only reason Unitierra succeeds in creating joyful universities,

the only reason Zapatistas speak to the hearts of millions,

the only reason seven trees planted in Kenya blossom across Africa

     into forests of forty million.....

The only reason these changes happen is because of people.

People who discover they're creative and caring.

People who know others are like them, creative and caring.

People who learn to trust themselves and everyone else.

People who know that dreams only manifest when shared.

People who pour time and love into creating

     the places where ever more people,

          no matter how oppressed or beaten down,

               will step forward and

     confidently, predictable, miraculously

     discover their true human spirits.

Are you a Zapatista?

Bailar es sonar con los pies....Sent by Kat

"Bailar es soñar con los pies."
Joaquin Sabina
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Appreciative Inquiry sent by Lisa

Discover:
Interview current/former team members, principals:

Questions:
1. What motivates you to contribute in a team
environment?
2. What makes you feel like a successful member of your team?
3. What is the benefit of working together as a team, as opposed to working alone?
4. What is your experience of working in teams?  What
elements of teamwork have been successful for you?
5. Tell me the best team teaching experience you have ever experienced, or been a part of?

Teacher Resource Letters to a Bullied Girl Olivia Gardner and Emily Buder, Sent by Kate S.

Letters to a Bullied Girl introduces readers to a fantastic young woman who has
struggled with epilepsy and being bullied. This book is the starting point for five
interdisciplinary lessons designed to:

1. put a face on bullying and dealing with human issues such as epilepsy through
Letters to a Bullied Girl and other sources;

2. raise awareness about how being different can lead to bullying;

3. understand what bullying is, why people bully others, the effects bullying has on
all involved, how to deal with or confront a bully, and how bullying can cause
major societal problems;

4. motivate students to plan and develop an anti-bullying project for their school
and/or community.

Lesson One introduces Olivia and the context in which her story develops. Students
chart what they know and want to know about bullying. Through a survey and a series
of comprehension and interpretation questions, students’ knowledge and awareness
about bullying can be evaluated.

Lesson Two develops the understanding of students about how differences in people
can cause uneasy reactions which may lead to bullying.

Lesson Three develops the students understanding of bullying. Students learn why
people bully, the different kinds of bullying, the effects bullying has on everybody
involved, and how to confront bullying. Students will create different sections of a fact
booklet about bullying.

Lesson Four allows students to read letters from bullies about why they bullied and how
they feel about it now. Students also read letters from the victims of bullying and how
they felt about being a bullying victim. Students also learn how to develop empathy and
sympathy for victims of bullying. Students begin to understand that there is no
acceptable reason for bullying. Students also begin to understand the potential
consequences for society as a whole if bullying is left unchecked.

Lesson Five puts all of the learning in lessons one through four into action. Students will
develop an all school anti-bullying campaign. The goal is that through this project and
other extension activities, bullying will disappear from schools throughout the world.

There are two reproducible handouts included in this guide. Both are in Lesson One.

LESSON ONE

Understanding Olivia Gardner

Language Arts, Geography, Health, Sociology

SUBJECT AREA:

TIMING: Two to three class periods

OBJECTIVES:

(1)

To introduce, read, and discuss Letters to a Bullied Girl

(2)

To explore students' knowledge, understanding, and
attitudes toward bullying

(3)

To use a response journal to record students' reactions to Olivia's story and
situation

GETTING STARTED - PREPARING

1.
Introduce Letters of a Bullied Girl to the students. Explain that they will be active
readers of the book as they will respond to it in writing, discuss it, and work to help other
students like Olivia.

2.
Ask students to use a response journal in which they will reflect on the book and
respond to writing prompts. The response journal may be assigned as homework and
evaluated in class.

3.

Allow students time to respond to this prompt: Olivia's story is true. What does
the title of the book suggest to you?

OPENING ACTIVITY- CHARTING

Tell students they will be taking an anonymous survey about bullying. Students will
complete the survey and turn it in without their name on it. The results will be compiled
and shared with the class. Give Handout One to the students.

Students will create a K-W-L chart. The chart will show what students currently know
about bullying, what they want to know about it, and what they learned about bullying.
Students will fill in the K and W portions of the chart now. The learn portion will be filled
in as they read through the book.

EXPLORATION 1 - WHO IS OLIVIA?

1. Tell students Olivia is a girl from northern California who was bullied, beginning in
middle school after she suffered a seizure in class with her classmates present.
The bullying occurred in many places, including in class, in the halls, and on the
Internet. Even when she changed schools, the bullying continued when students
found out about her experiences in previous schools. For younger students,
bring out a map to show the students where northern California is located.

2. Read the dedication and introduction sections of the book. Ask students to write
their thoughts about what they read in their response journals.

EXPLORATION 2 - RESPONDING

Give Handout Two to students. They should read it and then answer the
questions in their response journal.

WRAP UP

1. A picture has been painted of Olivia in these sections of the book. Have students
draw a picture representing Olivia's life while being bullied.

2. Have students draw a picture representing their life.

TEACHING TIPS

1. You may want to begin reading some of the chapters of the book, beginning with
Part One. Since the next lessons will cover the Foreword and Author’s Note
sections, you should skip those for now.

2. You may want to wait until day two of the lesson to share survey results. It will
take some time to compile the results.

From Dorothy Allison’s book, Two or Three Things I Know for Sure, Sent by Sherry

Two or three things I know for sure,

and one of them is what it means to have no loved version of your life but the one you make.

Two or three things I know for sure,

and one of them is the way you can both hate and love something you are not sure you understand.

Two or three things I know for sure,

and one of them is just this—if we cannot name our own we are cut off at the root, our hold on our lives as fragile as seed in a wind.

Two or three things I know for sure,

and one of them is that no one is as hard as my uncles pretend to be.

Two or three things I know for sure,

but none of them is why a man would rape a child, why a man would beat a child.

Two or three things I know for sure,

and one of them is that change when it comes cracks everything open.

Two or three things I know for sure,

and one of them is how long it takes to learn to love yourself, how long it took me, how much love I need now.

Two or three things I know for sure,

and one is that I would rather go naked than wear the coat the world has made for me.

Two or three things I know for sure,

and one of them is that to go on living I have to tell stories, stories are the one sure way I know to touch the heart and change the world.

Two or three things I know for sure,

and one of them is that if we are not beautiful to each other, we cannot know beauty in any form.

Two or three things I know for sure,

and one of them is that telling the story all the way through is an act of love.

Coda by Jason Shinder, Read by Kristen

And now I know what most deeply connects us

after that summer so many years ago,
and it isn’t poetry, although it is poetry,

and it isn’t illness, although we have that in common,

and it isn’t gratitude for every moment,
even the terrifying ones, even the physical pain,

though we are grateful, and it isn’t even death,

though we are halfway through
it, or even the way you describe the magnificence

of being alive, catching a glimpse,

in the store window, of your blowing hair and chapped lips,
though it is beautiful, it is; but it is

that you’re my friend out here on the far reaches
of what humans can find out about each other.

Get to know your students....Sent by Julia

Please Help Me Get to Know Your Child…

As you child´s teacher, I’d like this school year to be the best your child has ever had. That’s why I’m asking for your help. I’ve found that the more I know about my students, the easier it is for me to help meet their needs. For that reason, I would appreciate it if you could take time to answer the questions below. Of course, this is completely voluntary. If you don’t feel comfortable answering a question, just skip it. Thank you so much for your time. Please return this form to me as soon as possible!!

Child’s Name:__________________ Nickname:_______________

1. Please list all the adults living in your child’s household:

Name Relationship

_______________________ ______________________

_______________________ _______________________

_______________________ _______________________

_______________________ _______________________

2. Please list all the children in the family, along with their ages, grades, teachers, and genders.

Name Age Grade Teacher Gender

_________________ ______ _______ ________ ________

_________________ ______ _______ ________ ________

_________________ ______ _______ ________ ________

_________________ ______ _______ ________ ________

3. Does your child speak or understand a language other than English and Spanish? _________

If so, what language and where is it primarily spoken? _______________________________________________________

4. What are your child’s major strengths?

5. What is your child’s favorite subject in school?

6. Tell me about your child’s interests and after-school activities. Also include nights that might be busy for your family.

7. Describe you child’s feelings/attitude toward school.

8. How does your child get along with other children?

9. Please tell me about your child’s friends (who are they and what grade/teacher do they have).

10. Does your child have any problems with learning?

11. Please describe any recent family events or changes (death, divorce, marriage, new sibling, moving).

12. How do you feel I, as your child’s teacher, can best help your child this year?

13. Is there anything else that you think your child would like me to know about him/her?

14. Do you have an e-mail address where I can contact you?

15. Does your child have any allergies? Please include food allergies as well!

16. Please list any holidays that your child may not participate in.

These questions were answered by ________________ Date____________

Thanks for your help!!