Bridges Area Learning Center
Weekly Reflections - January 22nd 2016
Dear Team,
There are, however, a lot of successes as well! I am seeing students stepping up in wonderful ways that even at the beginning of the term I would of questioned. In fact, one our of substitute teachers, Mr. David Wygant, shared that after being away a bit since last year he has seen big growth in students. This can be hard to see when we are working with our students day in and day out. Growth is indeed happening. This is happening as a result of your good work! For example, Mr. Lawson working his classes to stay organized and come prepared. Ms. Serefeas's classes engaged in highly technical conversations on the topics. Ms. Nelson's classes peacefully working on project after project. Ms. Olson's classes reading, reading, reading. Mr. Martin's classes engaged in technology to apply mathematics and Ms. Jenkin's classes using the small group format to create success in both that group and the in the larger group these students came from. Plus, we have Ann Collins, Kevin Wagner, Cory Callahan and Erik Elsberry support students so well in their areas. And Denise Schmidt helping to keep the operations side of things going well.
I could go on and on and on. But as you can see lots of good things happening as the quarter winds down. Thank you for your work this quarter. Another positive term almost in the books!
Warm Regards,
David Brown
Week at a glance
- IEP meeting @ 730am
- Mr. Brown out for Leadership Retreat-Design Thinking & Leading Innovation @ Lakeville
- Work Day
- Mr. Brown out @ DSC for admin meeting
- Last Day of Q2
- Work Day
- Half Day/Early Release
- All staff breakfast provided by Mr. Brown
- Staff Pot Luck Lunch
- Mr. Brown @ DSC for Lunch and Learn (Learning Team facilitation)
- Mr. Brown and Denise Schmidt @ DSC for State/Standardized testing update
- Q3 Start
- IEP Meeting @ 3pm
Teacher Corner: Alexius Serefeas, English & Biology
With one week left to go in First Quarter, we are nearing the halfway-point of the year. For me, it has been both a demanding and rewarding process. As a new teacher, every day is a learning process. Every day on my drive home, I mentally go over the day behind me – what worked, what didn’t, what I want to do again in the future and what went over like a lead balloon. Some days I try something new that doesn’t work, and it can be frustrating, especially if it’s an activity that I would have liked in high school and thought my class would too. Other days, I try something new that the students love, and not only do I feel great, but I have another resource to file into my professional toolbox.
Early on, there were a lot more missteps, but as the year has gone forward my successful plans and activities have started to outnumber the not-so-successful ones. I am feeling more confident as I get a better sense of our population and what appeals to them. In addition, classroom management is becoming easier as I am getting a grasp of the chemistry between various students and pre-empting many of the issues and distractions I had during the first Quarter.
Overall, I am coming to a place where I can look back at my teaching this year and see that the road has been sloping steadily upward. Instead of feeling like I’m just keeping up with my classes, I am actively planning into the future; for next week, next month, next Quarter, even next year. I am ready to take Third Quarter by the horns!
From the Student Support Team: Kevin Wagner, Social Worker
We have only recently moved into the hardest time of year for millions and millions of individuals across the upper Midwest. Now that the excitement surrounding the holiday season is gone, most people hunker down for the coldest, darkest, and for some the most difficult time of the year.
Seasonal affective disorder is something that plagues many students…especially teenagers. While children can and do enjoy activities like sledding, making forts, making snowmen and having snowball fights, teenagers do not typically engage in these activities. Of course, there are some that do depending on the situation…but most teenagers have left those past times behind.
Thus, the period from January to April can be an especially challenging time. Some of the students who have the most difficult time with this season may be suffering from varying degrees of seasonal affective disorder. Seasonal affective disorder is most often tied to the amount of sunlight that an individual is exposed to on a daily basis. Sunlight has an immediate and usually positive effect on a person’s mood. Being exposed to natural sunlight causes the body to produce vitamin D. In addition to promoting bone health and possibly being a cancer fighter, vitamin D also impacts our mood and emotional state. A lack of vitamin D can and does contribute to depression and anxiety in many people.
For teenagers that are inclined to self-medicate with alcohol, the situation can quickly spiral out of control. Alcohol robs the body of vitamins and can create deficits with vitamin D and also vitamin B…which also effects a person’s emotional state. Thus, self-medicating teenagers can enter into a self-perpetuating cycle of increasing depression brought about by the lack of sunlight and drinking alcohol. Of course, things like being stuck inside most hours of the day and being around other people struggling with their moods can create interpersonal conflicts that grow in intensity every day.
This is a time of year when we as educators should be alert for the signs and symptoms of seasonal affective disorder. Some of these symptoms may include extreme irritability, an increased tendency to ruminate, increasing or decreasing appetite, decreased energy and motivation, and increased negativity. We all need to be on the lookout for students displaying the above symptoms…especially if those symptoms are uncommon for them.