Conscious Discipline: The Art and Necessity of Wishing Well
What is “Wishing well” and how is it helpful day to day?
Wishing well is a way to instantly calm ourselves, and offer love and caring to others.
It is in our very building blocks to be helpful. When others are upset we want to make it better, but do not often have the tools to do so!
“Wishing Well” is a way for children to help others when there is no tangible way to offer their help.
To wish well:
1) Put your hands over your heart.
2) Take a deep breath in.
3) Pause and picture something precious in your mind
4) breathe out while opening your arms and sending those precious, loving thoughts out to the person you are wishing well.
The Wish Well Board is used for the class-wide Wish Well Ritual that you can also utilize at home. When a child is absent, moving to another school, has arrived late or is in need of support for other reasons, place the child’s picture or name in the heart inside your Wish Well Board. At home, you can “wish well” those whom you miss, who are sick, who are experiencing big events (tests, new jobs, tryouts, a new home, a new school, or a new baby arriving), and anyone who seems to be struggling.
During your Wish Well Ritual a song can be key to making connections with the other people in your group and cementing the good feelings into the wish! Conscious Discipline has songs like “We Wish You Well” on Songs for I Love You Rituals Volume 2 or “I Wish You Well” on It Starts in the Heart (in English and Spanish).
You may purchase a Wish Well Board, or create your own using a magnetic cookie sheet and magnets or foam board and velcro.
How to Use Wish Well in the Elementary Age Bedroom
Life can be complicated, families and friends can be separated by vast distances, and personal struggles abound. Yet, there is always something we can do to demonstrate our loving concern and connect with those we care for: We can wish them well. The Wish Well Board provides a visual way to aid children in wishing others well and helps adults remember to take a quiet moment, too.
Families can use the Wish Well Board from Conscious Discipline or a homemade one. Wishing well generates an internal cascade of feel-good neurochemicals and hormones that boost positive feelings.
Your Wish Well Ritual is easily incorporated into your morning routine as part of a Brain Smart way to start the day, but some children will also benefit from a personal Wish Well Board or routine in their rooms. This enables them to “visit” with the photos of loved ones and offer loving wish wells privately as well as in a group setting with the whole family.
From the bottoms of our hearts, we wish you well! Have a wonderful day!
Your CG Family
Winter Weather Watch - Thursday January 20, 2022
We will keep you up to date on the weather information as we have it!
Update 11/19/2022
It looks like the snow is going to come in right around the time that we open.
We will open ON TIME and the early drop off hours will be OPEN.
We are evaluating if we will need to close early due to the roads refreezing and ask that you make attempts to pick up before dark.
Martin Luther King Jr. -- Kids Edition
A lot of parents ask how to teach about Martin Luther King Jr. to their kids.
Super Ally Videos I History of MLK Jr. I PBS Kids on Race I MLK Jr. by Kid President I Time for Kids MLK Jr. I MLK Jr. Facts for Kids
Teaching the story of one man may seem simple, but it opens up so many complicated and uncomfortable questions parents may not feel qualified to answer correctly. Is your child old enough to understand? Will it upset or confuse them?
Children start recognizing differences between people at three months old. Giving them the tools and words they need to develop awareness and empathy is essential to a bright future. Part of that is understanding the trials of the past and the pitfalls of the present.
So how do we do that?
Read. Read. Read. Read. Read. Reading is a super power. Children’s books are a teacher’s key to unlocking lasting lessons for kids. Did you know that children relate/love/bond to book characters they see as much as they relate to real people? Brilliant children’s book authors have written about Martin Luther King Jr. in ways that children understand. Here are a few recommendations:
I am Martin Luther King Jr. by Brad Meltzer (this is a personal Common Ground favorite of many teachers)
A Picture Book of Martin Luther King, Jr. (Picture Book Biography) by David Adler and Robert Casilla
The Story of Martin Luther King Jr.: A Biography Book for New Readers by Christine Platt
Martin Luther King Jr. by Carrie Hollister
National Geographic Readers: Martin Luther King, Jr. (An Early Readers Book!) by Kitson Jazynka
I have a Dream by Martin Luther King JR. (with a CD)
Something Happened in our Town: A Child’s Story about Racial Injustice by Marianne Celano (Author), Marietta Collins (Author), Ann Hazzard (Author), Jennifer Zivoin (Illustrator)
I’m Mixed! by Maggie Williams
Last Stop on Market St. by Matt de la Peña (this is a personal Common Ground favorite of many teachers)
We’re Different, We’re the Same (Sesame Street) by Bobbi Kates
All are Welcome by Alexandra Penfold
The Colors of Us by Karen Katz
Do your research to find the right words. It can be hard when a question your child (or student!) asks stumps you. Where do you begin? How much do you say? When will they tune out? PBS Kids has an amazing series of articles on how to talk about diversity, injustice, and how to be a good friend.
Why and How to Talk to Your Children about Race
The Race Conversation for Young Children
A Discussion Guide on Talking to Young Children about Race and Racism
How to talk Honestly with Children about Racism
Don’t discourage questions. Be honest. Encourage curiosity in your children by exploring all topics, including ones that make you uncomfortable. Admit when you don’t know something or if you made a mistake, and keep reminding kids that you are still learning too. Kids will be afraid to be wrong, ask the “wrong” questions, or to make mistakes if you show that you are. Learning is a journey you should be on your whole life. Let them know it’s a journey they are on WITH you, that you are a team.
Proceed with sincerity, kindness, an open heart. Growth is hard. Since Martin Luther King Jr. and the Civil Rights movement, there has been progress, but we are nowhere NEAR finished. While we are teaching this next generation, we must remember we are not finished growing and should never be. Be aware of the past and what it can teach us. Be mindful of the present and how you can be better each day. Be hopeful for the future, and remember that Dreams take work.
With Love,
Your CG Family
Let's Breathe Together: Breathe on a Tropical Island
We loved the breaths designed by Mindful Schools so much that we have made cards for a lot of them! Our Star Breather helper in our classroom can pick a couple of them or a whole theme!
Today we did Breathe on a Tropical Island! It was so fun, we thought we would share it with you.
We started with setting the scene. Warm sand. Bright sun. The sound of the ocean. We cupped our ears and took slow, deep breaths in and out, listening to the waves.
Next we explored our surroundings! We picked up a lovely Starfish, traced its arms and did Starfish Breath together!
To show that we are not alone, we reminded ourselves that we are a team! We did Beachball Breaths together.
To finish, we did Shark Breathing to speak aloud our Affirmations.
I Am Safe.
I Am Strong.
I Can Handle This.
Let’s Breathe Together.
If you like our beach adventure and want to do more, try out Dolphin Breath and Blowfish Breath!
CLOSED: Friday, January 7, 2022
We will be closed today, Friday, January 7, 2022 due to weather and road conditions.
This time we are following the Federal Government with our closure. While Reston is doing a great job clearing roads, the majority of our staff do not live in Reston and have said they would not be able to make it in today.
This would make it impossible to maintain our covid cohorts. With the number of COVID cases rising, we do not want to take on the risk of mixing children indoors.
Have a great weekend!
Winter Weather Watch: Thursday, January 6, 2022
Update: January 6, 10:20am
The forecast is up to 2-4 inches overnight.
We will make the call by 5 am tomorrow morning, but please plan on at least a 2 hour delay.
More winter weather in the forecast for Thursday evening.
We are watching the snow that is predicted for Thursday evening.
Our snow policy remains:
We follow Fairfax County Government for closures.
We will make the call for delays and closures as soon as we can, but no later than 5:30am.
You can find updates on:
the top bar of the website
the pop-up ad on the website
brightwheel messages
this blog
When FCPS is closed for a weather event, there will be no extended hours.
1 Hour Delay - Wednesday, January 5, 2022
We will open at 9am on Wednesday, January 5, 2022 to give us time to make sure our staff can safely make it in and to re-salt any icy spots in the parking lot.
Car Line: 9 to 9:30am. Please use car line to drop off.
There will be NO Extended Hours today. Please make arrangements to pick up your child(ren) by 5:30pm.
Delayed Opening: 10AM, Tuesday, January 4
We will open at 10am on Tuesday, January 4, 2022 to allow our staff to make it in safely.
Kindergarten is CLOSED, as they follow the FCPS schedule and we will be running a SNOW DAY CAMP for all school aged children, including our kindergarteners.
Here are the changes for the day:
Car Line:
10am to 10:30am
Please Stop in front of the office doors. We will be bringing all children in through the main entrance
If you arrive after car line, please bring your child to the main entrance
Snow Gear:
Please make sure your child has adequate snow gear
two additional changes of clothing'
one additional pair of shoes
No Extended Hours:
We will close all classrooms at 5:30pm
We ask that you consider our staff and make every effort to pick up between the hours of 4 and 5pm, before the re-freeze tomorrow evening.
Please report all illnesses and absences here: https://www.commongroundchildcare.org/absence
CLOSED: Monday, January 3rd for Snow
Winter Storm Warning
Common Ground will be CLOSED on Monday, January 3rd, 2022.
This is in line with the Fairfax County Government: https://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/operating-status-winter-weather-jan-3-2022
Additional jurisdictions have closed today as well:
Federal Government: https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/snow-dismissal-procedures/current-status/
Fairfax County Public Schools: https://www.fcps.edu
Get wise, with COVIDwise!
What is Covidwise?
COVIDWISE is Virginia’s official Exposure Notifications app that lets you know if you’ve likely been exposed to another COVIDWISE user with a positive COVID-19 test result.
COVIDWISE is free to download on your smartphone.
It is designed to completely protect your privacy.
If you test positive for COVID-19, COVIDWISE allows you to quickly and anonymously share your results with other COVIDWISE users.
COVIDWISE is connected to the National Key Server, which anonymously shares data with exposure notifications apps from 23 other states.
COVIDWISE lets you easily find vaccine information, including pre-registration links, hotline info, FAQs, and more.
iPhone users now have two ways to start using COVIDWISE. You can either download the app or you can simply enable Exposure Notifications on your iPhone.
Fully vaccinated? COVIDWISE is still a core prevention tool to help stop the spread of COVID-19 in Virginia. By downloading the free Exposure Notifications app or turning on Exposure Notifications on your iPhone, you’re proactively taking the steps necessary to protect those you’ve been in close contact with who aren’t fully vaccinated. In addition, you have direct access to our COVID-19 call center, useful resources, and FAQs.
Why do we personally recommend Covidwise?
This summer, LJ’s fully vaccinated husband came down with Covid-19. We did our best to contact everyone he had been in contact with, and we were pretty careful to mask and limit our travel locations. Even then, any stranger he was standing in line with at the grocery store, or on the metro while going to work, they all deserved to know that they had direct exposure and we had no way to contact them.
If you have covidwise, you can protect others AND be protected by others with covidwise. Everyone we contacted for having exposure got a notification that they had been exposed to someone with covid. It wasn’t necessary for them, but it was nice to know that the system worked.
It helps you contact trace if you, yourself, don’t know the origin point of your exposure. Let’s say you receive a notification you were exposed five days previous. None of your coworkers got the same exposure notice so you know it wasn’t at work. Your spouse didn’t get the exposure so you know it wasn’t at their company bbq, but your sister got the same exposure notice you did, and you know that you were both shopping at Costco together in that timeframe. It’s really useful information you can then share with people who do not have covidwise (example: your mother was with you and your sister at costco, and may not be alerted to get tested).
PLEASE SIGN UP FOR COVIDWISE! Protect yourself, your family, your community. Stop the Spread!
Love Love Love,
Your CG Family
Holidays in Covid: Keep The Spirit Despite Quarantine
*PLEASE NOTE: we will be adding more items all week long! Check for updates!*
Home for the Holidays is not such a jolly thought when it’s because of Quarantine.
That’s where so many of us find ourselves right now. With 569 new cases in Fairfax County just today (Fairfax County Health Dept. Dashboard), there are a ton of families in our community who will not be traveling to see loved ones for Christmas.
So what do you do to help maintain the Christmas Spirit if you are stuck in quarantine? Ms. Victoria and I (Ms. LJ) have been there before, and are in that situation now, and we thought we would help you get some good ideas.
Holiday Stories: You could go totally screen-less for most of our activity suggestions below, or you could have holiday specials playing in the background! But my personal recommendation will always be BOOKS AND STORIES.
Audible books has a ton of kid-friendly holiday audio dramas and read-alouds. It really puts me in a festive mood to share favorite stories with the littles.
Do you have family that you would like to visit, but you are playing it safe? You can read over zoom. Read stories to each other! Do this nightly! You could read a chapter book and parse them out chapter by chapter until the end of the year! During the day you could talk about what might happen next, send theories to each other, or just talk about your favorite part. We did this with my friend and her kids last year and the kids got to pick out picture books for each other. It was just one more gift they could give to their friends, and it made them feel like they were together even when they were apart.
We have a WHOLE SERIES of Read-Alouds! They are available HERE on our website and on our YouTube Channel! We also have a HOLIDAY PLAYLIST where we will be adding more videos!
Caroling: Spread is limited outdoors, and it is easy to socially distance. You can go to your friends’ and family’s houses and sing your favorite Christmas songs to them on your sidewalk! Sidebar: We do not advise singing together with a group that isn’t quarantined with you, even outside. You expectorate far more when singing! We advise singing to a group at least ten feet away.
CARDBOARD CRAFTS:
We know you’ve ordered just a ton of stuff from the internet for the holidays… right? No? Just us? Well if you’re like us, There’s definitely plenty of cardboard to go nuts with. When we were stuck in quarantine, we built a very interesting space ship… It doesn’t have to be perfect, it just has to be jolly!
Do you not have enough to make a whole house? Make a mini gingerbread cardboard village! Everyone cuts and decorates their own house and can cut out little cardboard people, animals, furniture, space ships… this is something that could take up literal hours.
Holiday Recipes and Foodie Crafts:
Holiday Activities and Crafts:
Print-Outs: Sometimes a relaxing activity on a cold day can be as easy as coloring with hot cocoa. I’m serious! Sometimes we as parents think memories have to involve HUGE EVENTS. My daughter’s favorite thing is to color together with no distractions. Put on Christmas music, get out the colored pencils, make some hot cocoa, and just get goofy with it. Click the links we have to get print outs, or just google your own! Holiday Print Outs
Advanced: If your kid is a little older, use a little journal or even some stapled together pieces of paper to make your OWN. HOLIDAY. STORY. Write your family’s next classic! This activity is fun for the whole family, allows your school-ager to practice writing and drawing, and can be a real laugh riot.
CLICK HERE for a little book creation pdf!
Here’s a MINI BOOK creation PDF and instructions!
Holiday Themed Dance Party: I am so not kidding when I say that “dancing it out” helps drive away the darkness. Studies have shown that dancing helps with anxiety and depression. It boosts mood and memory, which is perfect for making new holiday traditions!
Maybe you feel like pretending you’re on stage during The Nutcracker.
Holiday Scavenger Hunts: Do you have local family that’s in the area that you can’t visit because one of you is in quarantine? That really stinks… and it’s hard. BUT there is something you can do to show that you’re around.
Chalk games:
Write loving messages on their walkway! Have them do the same for you
Write HOLIDAY RIDDLES THEY HAVE TO SOLVE BY THE END OF THE EVENING!
Draw a little game they have to play outside like hopscotch or floor is lava or dance party! If they’re little kids it doesn’t have to be too complicated, just have spaces where they HAVE to run like a reindeer or play “don’t see Santa!” freeze dance.
Write each other up a “holiday nature walk” scavenger hunt! Possible things that could go on your list:
A snowman light up structure
A unique/whacky inflatable
A singing house
A bit of frost on the ground
A wreath made of real foliage
A real Deer
A Santa Claus
People singing live music
Birdsong
A Winter Constellation, like Orion’s Belt
A moon in a particular phase
An Evergreen Tree
A squirrel/Chipmunk
Holiday Drive-Thru Lights: Ms. Victoria is a HOLIDAY LIGHT GURU. We are going to provide links for a couple of official set-ups you can buy tickets to, but we will also have QR codes available that will take you on an amazing round trip through some spectacular light shows in your area free of charge!! Make sure you go to the bathroom, pack your favorite snacks, and have some music queued up for the radio (scroll up for links to neat music playlists on spotify).
Monkey bars: a poem
By Liz Badley
The first bar.
I steady my breath and wrap my small hand around the cold bar.
Tippy-toey.
I’m excited to try, and full of nerves.
The second bar.
I grab for it.
I release my feet and hang for a moment before I reach my feet back.
What if I fall? What if I slip? What if I can’t do it?
She sees me and reads my mind.
“I’m here to help you”
She takes my feet when they leave the platform and I feel her support.
The third bar.
I’m doing it! I smile and I reach for the fourth bar.
I miss.
“What if I fall?” I say aloud.
“You’ll land” she says, “and you’ll try again”
The fourth bar. The fifth.
I know she’s there, but my feet feel free.
I smile.
The sixth bar. I miss.
She’s there. I’m safe. I try again
The sixth bar. The seventh bar.
I’m on the platform.
I want to go again.
“You don’t need my help, but I’ll be right here”
The first bar, the second.
I miss the third bar and let go.
I land.
I try again.
One, two, three, four, five bars.
I hear my friends cheering my name.
Six, seven.
My feet are barely on the platform when I’m enveloped by hugs from my friends.
“You did it! You did it!”
Again and again, I count to seven and I fly from bar to bar.
Full of pride, with blistered hands, she taught me:
“If I fall, I’ll land, and try again”
Friends of CG Fridays: Hero Pediatric Dentistry
If you participated in our THANKSGIVING STUFFY SLEEPOVER, then you got an incredibly thoughtful, thorough SWAG BAG from our personal dental heroes, HERO PEDIATRIC DENTISTRY!! They are thoughtful, warm, insightful, and amazingly CLEVER!
Check out this HILARIOUS and informative video they made where they show us how to take care of our stuffy friends’ teeth!
HERO PEDIATRIC DENTISTRY VIDEO
Our teeth are so very important, and developing good habits to take care of ourselves begins at birth like all learning!
Consider these brushing basics:
Brush your teeth twice a day.
Use the proper equipment. Use a fluoride toothpaste and a soft-bristled toothbrush that fits your mouth comfortably.
Practice good technique. Hold your toothbrush at a slight angle — aiming the bristles toward the area where your tooth meets your gum. Gently brush with circular short back-and-forth motions. Brushing too hard or with hard bristles can hurt your gums.
Brush your teeth for two minutes. Remember to brush the outside, inside and chewing surfaces of your teeth, as well as your tongue.
Keep your equipment clean. Always rinse your toothbrush with water after brushing. Store your toothbrush in an upright position and allow it to air-dry until using it again.
Know when to replace your toothbrush. At least every 3 months!
See the dentist twice a year. Start taking your kiddos to the dentist around age 1! A lot of people talk about “baby teeth” like they don’t matter, but oral health is KEY to a happy, healthy life!
Why Hero Pediatric Dentistry?
Hero Pediatric Dentistry has a new location in Herndon! You should always take your kid to a pediatric dentist because they are specialized in kid care! They know all about growing teeth and gums, and know just how to make sure the dentist is not only a healthy experience, but a FUN one. We trust our friends at Hero Pediatric Dentistry implicitly, and recommend them for our students!
Tell us about your experience with them in the comments! We only wish we were young enough to get our teeth cleaned next to a green dinosaur…
Your CG Family
The Season of Giving! Bleed Red or Give Green
We have another blood drive coming up on DECEMBER 10TH from 1:00PM-5:30PM
HERE IS THE SIGN UP LINK.
BLOOD DONATIONS ARE THE LOWEST THEY HAVE BEEN IN A DECADE. Please help us do our part to bolster our hospitals and protect our neighbors.
The holidays are a time of joy, family, and giving. If you give blood, you may just give the gift of a life this year.
Help us give back to our community in the most essential way.
Do you want to give back to your community but don’t qualify to give blood?
Make a pledge to our Teacher Fund for 2022
Put “Childcare Center of the Common Ground Foundation” as your Amazon Smile Charity! Don’t know how? CLICK HERE FOR DETAILS.
Do you want to give blood but have questions?
Check out these FAQs from INOVA Blood Donor Services!
Conscious Discipline: The School Family
School Climate Impacts All Achievement
Ask yourself, “Would I rather have children say, ‘What do I get if I’m good?’ or ‘How do I give of my goodness?’” How you answer this question will determine the school climate and culture you want to create. School climate impacts all achievement. The culture of a school can foster bullying, blame and cliques, or it can build cooperation, willingness and responsibility.
The School Family builds connections between families and schools, teachers and teachers, teachers and students, and students and students to ensure the optimal development of all.
Historically, we have unconsciously used the metaphor of a factory when creating our classrooms and schools. The goal of a factory is to create standardized products through a rewards and punishment paradigm. Research and experience prove that we need a new metaphor if we wish to build successful and safe educational institutions. The School Family, built on a healthy family model, is this new metaphor. The goal of a healthy family is the optimal development of all members.
The School Family is created through routines, rituals and structures.
The School Family creates a fundamental shift in education and classroom management. Leave coercion, fear and external rewards behind, and step into a world where intrinsic motivation, helpfulness, problem-solving and connection govern your classroom.
How are we helping cultivate The School Family at Common Ground?
Changing the entire philosophy and direction of our educational system seems daunting… but how do you do anything? One step at a time.
One of the little steps is: Creating a visual schedule in our classrooms.
The classroom is for the child. It is supposed to be a supportive, loving environment structured toward holistic learning. A child thinks symbolically and needs assistance with visualizing the future. If a child is anxious or unsure about what comes next, this impacts their attention and their behavior. This simple addition to the classroom offers a clear view of transitions It can also help with home sickness.
All of our schedules will be a more specific version of this example from Conscious Discipline’s helpful materials.
What schedule pictures would be on your schedule at home? How does/would a consistent schedule help you and your children during transitions?
Subscribe to our blog to learn more about what we are doing to cultivate our school family!
Winter Holiday Vacation Planning
Parents,
We are working on staffing the weeks around the winter holidays! We are open through the holiday season with the exception of:
November 25, 25, and 26
December 23, 24
December 31
We are also lucky to have some of our amazing summer counselors back to fill in for teachers who want to take time off to see family, but we know that some of you may be out of town as well!
Please fill out this form and let us know what days you know that you won’t be bringing your kiddos in so that we can plan to offer time off to our teachers.
Thank you so much!
Conscious Discipline Spotlight: Clearing up Misconceptions
Social-Emotional Learning has been on the rise in schools since the nineties, and we at Common Ground are eager to continue that trend.
As many of you know, we have been learning and promoting the study and lifestyle of Conscious Discipline as a center. We have been taking and retaking the courses (Ms. Victoria is on her second time through! I personally listen to the audio and then watch the videos to help get a firmer grasp on the subject matter) in order to appropriately apply the lessons to all of our classrooms. We hope to encourage our parents to take the course with us in time (stay tuned!) so that we can teach our kiddos how to speak confidently and kindly with their hearts.
Teaching with Love is much more powerful and long lasting than Teaching with Fear.
But sadly, this is a rather new concept in education and parenting, and it’s receiving backlash from those who refuse to grow themselves.
This article came out today. It brought to our attention some arguments against Social Emotional Learning programs in schools. The immediate and long-lasting benefits of teaching your child the inner disciplines of emotional self-awareness and problem solving through empathy are essential to our growth as a species, so I would personally like to clear up some of the misconceptions presented.
All learning begins at birth. Children begin learning the second they open their eyes. Everything is new and without context, so they turn to their caregivers for guidance. Children begin mimicking and responding to parents and teachers as early as three months. No Small Matter is an eye-opening documentary all about the essential roll early childhood educators play in the lives of children, starting with newborns. How you interact with babies, when you interact with babies, what responses you give to different emotions and behaviors, children absorb these calls and responses, these cause and effect relationships, like little sponges. Learning to calm yourself, learning to deal with frustration, learning how to communicate those feelings and frustrations in an appropriate way with peers and adults, all of this begins to happen before the age of 2. They have friends they “parallel play” with starting at 18 months. They are playing WITH each other by the age of 3. Imagine how overwhelming a disagreement with a friend is when you have all the social tools you have now can be.
There are parents who are questioning the validity of these emotional regulation practices and their usefulness in elementary school. They even suggested the notion that Guidance Counselors in grade school are an invasive waste of money. If children primarily learn through social interaction with adults and peers, how could giving them the tools to navigate those interactions with clear communication and confidence be anything but essential?
Awareness is not Encouragement. One of the arguments against SEL is the notion that it makes kids face social issues they “don’t need to know about yet.” They are even using the scare tactic that SEL “advertises suicide.” Making a child aware of their feelings can only be helpful. It gives their anxieties and frustrations names. It encourages them to untangle their thoughts and focus on keeping calm.
Becoming aware of problems in the world and personal stressors does not make them manifest, it simply sheds a light of what’s already there. Children primarily learn how to interact with their world by watching adults interact with each other, not how adults interact with them personally. They know so much more than we give them credit for. Conversely, trying to hide or dismiss their feelings does not make them any less real, and only encourages them to hide/bury any issues they have. These don’t go away, they just get expressed as anger and distrust down the line. Mental and Emotional Health issues are not on the rise, we are simply becoming more aware of them. We are seeing the multi-generational effects they have on entire families and communities. Social Emotional Learning SAVES lives because we are learning about these toxic behaviors that have defined our teaching for so long. Instead of trying to hide them again, we should be working to eradicate them once and for all.
Emotional stress affects academic achievement. A child that cannot calm down is a distracted learner. A child that fights with their peers is a disruptive learner. A child that is afraid to fail is a stressed learner. A child who thinks their only value comes from achievement and academic prowess will do anything they can to achieve perfection. If they do not have a safe space to express their negative feelings and sort through their fears, they will find other outlets in the form of one addiction or another. Conscious Discipline has been recognized by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration’s (SAMHSA’s) National Registry of Evidence-based Programs and Practices (NREPP), which promotes the adoption of scientifically established behavioral health interventions. Social Emotional Learning is key in helping avoid substance abuse in children. The notion that “children should only focus on their academic progress” is privileged, because some children do not have a choice. Acknowledging that their are factors in a child’s life that matter besides academics is just acknowledging reality.
Your child is not raised in a vacuum. I am a parent. I am a teacher. I am slowly becoming trained in Conscious Discipline. I am still not everything my children need, and I do not pretend to be. My children have been nurtured by trained childhood education professionals. They have been taught by teachers with a strong background in education. I love them with all my heart, but I am not a trained counselor. I am not a history teacher, a math teacher, a science teacher. I am a single, biased human being. I am so incredibly fortunate that my children have a fleet of adults who can teach them so many things I can’t. A lot of these parents are arguing that the emotional and mental health “stuff” should all be dealt with at home. Just holding that belief implies that those lessons and obstacles are private matters to be hidden or ashamed of. Learning how to treat your friends and how to talk to your loved ones in times of friction or stress is JUST as essential as learning your numbers, and so much harder to learn later in life. Teachers that have gone through social emotional training are trained in programs written by health and education professionals. They have gone through rigorous testing and years of classroom observations. They have proven results. Read more about Conscious Disciplines 25 years of award winning classroom management here. You could be the best parent in the entire world, but you shouldn’t have to be EVERYTHING your child needs. Trust professionals.
Lastly, there has been an argument against SEL because of the idea that teaching emotional regulation and empathy for others has somehow become 'a vehicle for this quote-unquote 'social justice activism' and the indoctrination of controversial ideas related to race, sexuality and even gender and identity.'
First of all, asking a child if they feel like they belong and teaching them how to react with understanding over anger in an argument is (hopefully) unrelated to any political agenda. We are hoping to help our children learn to communicate better. We are hoping to help offer a strong, assertive foundation based in self-actualization and the knowledge that you can only control yourself, not others. These are teachings based in ancient stoic philosophy. They are not new, and they have withstood the test of time.
Second of all, we at Common Ground firmly stand for our neighbors of every race, ethnicity, socio-economic status, sexuality, gender identity, etc. If understanding our own feelings and empathizing with the feelings of others is “controversial,” so be it.
Help us create a kinder world. Help us create a world more rooted in reason and focused problem solving.
We can love our parents, our teachers, our friends with all our hearts and still acknowledge that our old methods of teaching and parenting were flawed. We can love ourselves and understand that our CURRENT methods of teaching and parenting are flawed. Let’s continue growing together.
Love Love Love,
LJ and your Common Ground Family
PBS Newshour - Raising the Future: The Child Care Crisis
You may remember when PBS was on-site to film at Common Ground. Here’s the special!
Learning Begins at Birth: Infant Curriculum
We have written quite a lot about how are preschool teachers are not just “babysitters.” They are early childhood professionals who give your kid a whole-body, play-based learning experience. We have seen time and time again that our approach encourages our students to be confident, independent learners who have a leg up when they begin kindergarten!
Now it is time to give our infant and toddler teachers credit where credit is due. They are phenomenal, educated, practiced professionals at their trade, and they are giving your babies an enriching childhood experience.
No Small Matter is an eye-opening documentary all about how early REAL LEARNING truly begins. We talk about this a little in our Conscious Discipline Spotlight, but essentially children start looking to you for guidance at birth.
Our teachers are constantly talking to our tiniest students. They are singing. They are describing everything they’re doing. They are making that uninterrupted eye contact and responding to any attempt at communication. All of these things are helping build essential those neural pathways for learning.
Here are some examples of how our infant teachers do lessons through play.
Songs with colorful pictures help associate words with tangible objects.
Coloring and themed sensory play help with fine motor work!
Coloring with chalk is perfect for cause and effect with fine motor work.
Animals and weather velcro gloves help with cause and effect and word association!
Playing outside in every weather helps with sensory, self-regulation, attention, and physical fitness.
Our little explorers learn so much, and it is a joy to watch. Don’t you wish you were here?
Love, Love, Love,
Your Common Ground Family
Season of Giving: Scholastic Fair
IT’S THE SEASON OF GIVING, AND WE WANT TO GET OUR KIDS IN ON THE ACTION!
We are doing an IN-PERSON Scholastic Book Fair November 29th-December 3rd (online shopping until December 12!), and along with doing your normal Holiday Shopping, we encourage you to contribute to our BOOK FUNDRAISER! Any book you buy for the fundraiser will be donated to a kiddo in need for Christmas.
We have heard how there will be a lot of shipping delays for the holidays. The bonus of our Scholastic Fair is that the books will be right here! You can bring them home, stash them in your present closet, and not be constantly checking your Amazon Orders to see if it will come on time. Give yourself the gift of Peace of Mind.
Kids are constantly bombarded with ads for toys. YouTube, streaming services, other kids on the playground, jingles from stores, shows WITH toys, books based on shows based on toys, it’s a consumeristic NIGHTMARE that is almost impossible to turn off.
What we are hoping for with our Scholastic Fair is to encourage kids to look around the fabulous, eye-catching, technicolor Smörgåsbord of books and pick out a gift for someone else.
Books help stimulate the mind, body, and spirit. Books can inspire empathy for a character as intense and real as it could for a friend they know off the page. Books are an incredible outlet and emotional guide. Is there any better gift than a book? Yes. Teaching a kid to give that incredible, life changing gift to another kid.
DO YOU HAVE FRIENDS AND FAMILY AND NEIGHBORS WHO WOULD LIKE TO PARTICIPATE??
Make sure to share our link when it goes live! We will share it EVERYWHERE!!