We have been working a ton on what an active listener looks like and what an active listener acts like. To make all students feel like they are loved and that they belong in our class, we need to listen to each other. For some, this is harder than for others. Listening to others shows that you respect the person enough to hear what they have to say. It tells the speaker that they are important enough to be listened to. It takes great patience, especially if you have something that you want to say.
Some students are naturally great listeners. Their eyes are always on the speaker, there is nothing in their hands to distract them or the people around them, and they really think about what is being said. We all have value. We all deserve to be heard.
While I was working with each spelling group yesterday, students took notes about the parts of the Chinese character and colored it. We discussed how it is always important to do our personal best, even when we are coloring. Doing our best always, shows what kind of person we are. When we start cursive, students will be working on their cursive while I meet with each spelling group, but until then, I am going to use that time to reinforce procedures, the 6 keys, and our lifelong guidelines.
As you can see, many students did their personal best!