Making Ourselves Proud

At Summers-Knoll, we are committed to having the children reflect on experiences and lessons. Asking children what worked well in a science experiment, or what they could do differently next time, is of huge benefit, for example. What surprised them about a topic? What delighted them? What are they interested in pursuing further?

One type of reflection that I would love to bring parents in on, is "What did you do today to make yourself proud?" I told my eager 1st and 2nd graders on this first day of school that there was really only ONE rule in our classroom - and then showed them our framed motto: "Make Yourself Proud". We talked about examples: "Did I try really hard even if it is something I don't think I am that good at?" "Did I stick with a project until it was complete?" "Did I do my best work?" "Did I help clean up?" "Did I help someone who needed it?" "Was I kind?"

Ask your child tonight if they made themselves proud, and then get an example. I would love to hear some of them! Making this an ongoing conversation is something I feel can lead to some wonderful conversations and teachable moments.

Thanks again for allowing me to be your child's teacher this year. We are having a fantastic first day - and they have ALL made themselves very proud indeed.