Mrs. V's Blog |
Mrs. V's Blog |
(Forewarning- it's a long post (a good one! but a long one!)- no pics are included in this post because I was not allowed to take photos! Instructors will be sharing photos soon!)
I hope when your students came home on Thursday they were excited to share about all of the awesome things they did at Northern Lights. We had such a blast on our trip! This is my favorite day of the whole year. It's when we take all of the things we've been working on all year, and put them to practice. Goal setting, communication, perseverance, teamwork, patience, listening, and positive talk, are just a few things that were put into practice. Your students were really put to the test and they all rose to the occasion. Something wonderful the instructors said to us before we started was "When you think you can't go any further, and fear has you frozen, just try and take one more step." This was something I think the students really took to heart. I saw this push a lot of students further than they would have ever thought they could go. They were faced with very difficult challenges as well as very REAL fears (being 40 feet off the ground will scare anyone!). I saw tears, I heard a lot of "I can't do this!" but through it all they truly did try and take one more step, a lot of them making it past the obstacle they didn't think they would. On top of that, the positive communication, the "you can do this!" and the "you got this!" made it a little easier for each and every participant. Here are the things I saw that would make any teacher and parent very proud... I saw Sam choose to be blindfolded to cross most of the high ropes course, including the Burma Bridge! I saw Julia, through very real fears and some tears, make it across the entire High Ropes ropes course, with the encouragement of her group and instructor. When I was forty feet up, I heard encouragement from Ella, and Emily, telling me I could do it and saying good job. I saw Michael choose the most challenging balance beam, on the outside edge. I saw Kyle freeze but take a step further and then make it through the entire high ropes obstacle. I saw Kayla, Brandon, and Makenzie decide, after coming down from the ropes course, to climb back up another high cargo net, and try the zip line. I saw Jon working his way through the high ropes course- he stopped mid way through the Earthquake bridge, frozen, but then heard encouragement from his teammates and kept going through. I saw Jameson, on the Earthquake bridge, stop and freeze, and I watched him close his eyes, gather himself, and push through, making it across. I saw Zoe, after saying she couldn't do the leap of faith, climb half way up, and freeze, she was even going to jump down, but she decided to take one more step, and then another, and then she made it almost to the top, working through her fears! I saw Jamison jump off the Zipline with what seemed like no fear, after making it through an entire course he was sure he wasn't going to finish. I saw Colby inching his way across the pipe dream, nervous, scared, but fighting the whole way to finish, making it all the way through the entire course. I saw and heard Ned yelling encouragement to my group from all the way on the other end of the ropes course! I saw Ryan volunteer to go first on the Leap of Faith, like a Spider Monkey he made it all the way to the top and swung off the top. I saw Alex choose the hardest bridge to get to the Zipline. He chose the Burma Bridge and inched his way across, all by himself. I saw Abby, vey nervous and afraid, looking like she was going to turn around, but she took that extra step and made it through the entire course. I saw Maraya fall on Pipe Dreams, but instead of getting scared and turning around to go down, she got up and kept going, making it through the whole thing. Not only did I get to see them succeed, I also got to be on the receiving end of their encouragement. I was climbing up the Leap of Faith and I froze at the top, unable to figure out how I would stand up, hugging the pole for dear life. Then I heard it, they were telling me I could do it, they told me to keep going, keep trying, and they didn't let me give up. With that little boost, I stood up and jumped, hitting the buoy. I was scared out of my mind, but their kind words helped me get through it. Each of them did something yesterday, that they should be so proud of. Watching them made me so happy and proud. It was a wonderful day. Getting to see kids and adults work through real fears all while remaining supportive of one another and keeping a positive attitude, is truly the best experience. I have the best job ever and I'm so proud of your amazing kids.
4 Comments
Diane
6/3/2016 07:25:15 am
Thank you, Jess. This blog was a beautiful tribute to the spirit of your classroom that has allowed the kids to achieve these goals. It literally brought happy tears to my eyes!
Reply
Jess
6/3/2016 07:34:59 am
I love this group- thanks for making me cry this morning. I'm going to miss them so much!
Reply
Shannon
6/3/2016 07:43:08 am
The stories kept coming last night as Ella shared with us the highlights of he day. She told us stories or fear and triumph. Thank you for all you have done this year to bring out the best in these kids. These skills will help them throughout their lives.
Reply
Jennifer
6/3/2016 08:35:02 am
You have been an amazing teacher for these kids, thank you so much! Warmed my heart to read this and so grateful for you!
Reply
Leave a Reply. |
Archives
June 2019
Categories |