October: Communication/Safety

For the K-2 students, we read Shubert's Big Voice by Dr. Becky Bailey. As I read, the students identified the way Shubert was feeling. Shubert practiced with Mrs. Bookbinder how to use his big voice to help Benny know that he didn't like it when he pushed him and that he wanted his apple back. Without using his big voice, Benny wouldn't have known what Shubert needed/wanted. It's helpful for all of us to be assertive. One of the ways we can practice is by using "I" messages. Where "you" messages tend to lay blame, "I" message allow us to focus on ourselves to let others know what we need.

Our 3-5 students practiced their second coping skill from The Coping Skills Workbook by Lisa M. Schab, LCSW. The first skill, learned in September, was how to deal with your feelings: 1. name the feeling, 2. accept the feeling, 3. express the feeling, 4. decide what you need to feel better. The second strategy is "Adjusting Your Attitude." The students practiced this strategy by trying to see things differently. Instead of seeing the glass as half empty, how would our feelings change if we saw the glass as half full?