West Leadership Weekly Round Up: 11/13-11/17

Hello!

In our final week before Thanksgiving break, we made sure to pack in as much fun and learning as possible! 

At the start of our week, we went back and reflected on the different types of relationships we have and how we can work to make these more balanced. Additionally, students met with their mentors on Monday and created an academic and personal goal to accomplish by the end of the week. We checked in on our progress with these goals on both Wednesday and Friday to make sure we were still on track. 

Monday's simple Do Now activity continued the conversation
between mentors and mentees regarding how they can 
improve their relationships with peers, family, 
and everyone else in their lives. 

On Tutoring Tuesday, high school students were asked to take the PSAT or meet in the Future Center so most of my classes were with the middle school students. That said, students looked up their grades and I spent some time discussing the importance of GPA's, how to calculate them, and how to improve them. Students found this information valuable and we will continue to come back and calculate these throughout the year and before big deadlines like final exams, etc.

Wednesday and Thursday the class was introduced to the topic of belief systems, an important component to the healthy choices unit. To reinforce the idea that our beliefs are ingrained within all aspects of our lives, students participated in several association activities and were challenged to think about who or what influences their beliefs. 

By reviewing our Spheres of Influence and who we have previously identified as influencers, students were able to directly connect how these different groups impact their perspectives and ultimately their decisions. 
This was certainly an introspective process that will continue throughout both the unit and the entire school year. 

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On Friday, West Leadership held Celebrations for the entire school community so the day was shortened to accommodate the event. During our shortened class time, students reflected on their goals set on Monday with their mentors. They also took a short quiz over some of the information discussed the past couple weeks with their mentors/mentees and I'm happy to report that students did quite well on the quiz and some will have some good news waiting for them at our next grade check! :) We finished the week with games and some time outside as a treat for all of the hard work put in these past few weeks. 

I hope everyone is able to enjoy the well deserved time off! We look forward to seeing you again in a couple of weeks! 

-Ben

West Leadership Weekly Round-Up: November 6th - 10th

Hello!

Back to a normal schedule and a busy but fun week here at West Leadership. 

A template students used to introduce their debate topics

Last week we ended by researching and preparing for debates at the start of this week. On Monday we spent our time researching our facts and writing up our arguments as well as possible rebuttals in preparation for Wednesdays debates. Students were given school related topics such as school uniforms, open campus, cellphones, and standardized tests and because of the topics being so relatable, it was easy for them to become passionate rather quickly. 

On our Tutoring Tuesday, mentors and mentees checked their grades and listed their missing assignments, 0's, and late work. From there, mentors created action plans to help resolve these issues. At the start of Tutoring Tuesdays each week, we will be covering a new academic skill going forward. Next week will be in regards to note-taking. Stay tuned! 

On Wednesday and Thursday our debates commenced and students had quite a bit of fun with them. With this being our first time, we kept the format rather simple allowing for each group to present for 2 minutes, followed by rebuttals and counterarguments. We then opened things up for questions from the class and had a vote. Students were asked to vote on the best presentation, not necessarily the topic itself. (Otherwise students would have always voted for no school uniforms, open campus for all, regular use of cellphones in school, and no standardized tests).  

8th period students debating the use of school uniforms

On Friday, students were introduced to the idea that the quality of our relationships depends on what we put into them. We discussed three types of relationships: controlling, balanced, and victim. Each relationship is dependent on what we put into them - sometimes too much, others too little. We then discussed how we can improve these relationships and make them more balanced to ensure that we are getting our needs met while simultaneously helping/support the other person. Students enjoyed this lesson (and the food analogies it came with) and we will be reviewing it again next week. 

Next week will be the last before Thanksgiving break and we plan to set mentoring goals, discuss belief systems, and have a community activity all before we leave. Stay tuned! 

Weekly Roundup: October 30th - November 2

Hello!

Dia de los Muertos display

We had another short, but jam packed week here at WLA! Halloween, Dia de los Muertos, and student led conferences all took place by Thursday with no school for students and staff on Friday. 

On Monday, we reviewed our conversation on fear/emotions and then had a broader conversation on gratitude. Students were shown a video by Sean Stephenson that discusses the importance of empowerment and positive thinking. The students really seemed to enjoy it and connect with the message. 

On our Tutoring Tuesday (which was also Halloween), mentors and mentees checked their grades and listed their missing assignments, 0's, and late work. From there, mentors created action plans to help resolve these issues. Middle school students also had a Halloween dance on Tuesday which many of them enjoyed. 

Parents check in for conferences! 

On Wednesday we had a review of what we've covered so far. I reiterated to the students that by being aware of the obstacles we may face in our lives and through learning how to handle ourselves, we are more likely to make smarter decisions that lead to better outcomes. Students appreciated the review and were glad that we took the time to connect what we've been learning over the past month. 

With Thursday being our last day of school for the week, we decided to have a little fun and spend the class period learning how to debate. Students enjoyed the activity of finding a topic, researching it, and then debating it in various groups. Our topic for Thursday was regarding school uniforms. Of course students had some very strong opinions on the issue and made sure to focus their arguments on facts and not just opinions. 




Additionally, Wednesday and Thursday evenings were dedicated to parent teacher conferences. The conferences were student led, meaning that students took their parents to each individual room to meet with their teacher. I really enjoyed this experience and was looking forward to meeting with the parents in order to discuss progress and the growth we've seen thus far. Parents reiterated to their students the importance of what we are learning in YESS - social and emotional skills, peer mentoring, leadership, etc and it was great to see strong parent support for the program during these conversations. 

Next week we will back to a normal schedule and I'm looking forward to continuing our dive into the Healthy Relationships unit! See you then! -Ben