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Tag: Music

Jul122021

Confidence (Day 1)

Today was the first day of the Leadership and Public Speaking course. As mentioned in my earlier post “Summer Enrichment,” I’ve been in regular communication with parents about all that takes place in the classroom. Through summary, I hope to engage parents in further conversations about the curriculum in connection to student learning. The following is a summary of our lea

Leadership and Public Speaking:

  1. Students defined leadership and public speaking in journals and through class discussion
  2. Students shared what they would like to gain from the program
  3. Students learned about the four types of communication (focusing only on verbal and nonverbal) and included notes on various aspects in their journals.
  4. Students analyzed Nouvelle Vague’s “In a Manner of Speaking” to further understand and discuss the significance of nonverbal communication.
  5. Students selected an item from the outdoors and shared the following about the item for a public speaking icebreaker. The directions included the following:

**Select an item from your outdoor environment of most interest to you …

  • Explain what you have selected
    • Share why it caught your interest and/or how it makes you feel
    • Share another aspect of this item that an audience may not consider and/or another way whereby someone can use the item
  • Share your findings through verbal and nonverbal communication
  1. Students shared their takeaways from the day’s session and are “happily” looking forward to providing their homework:)

Takeaways from day 1:

  • When asked what would students like to gain most from the course, most students shared their desire to be more confident. What is confidence? It is a feeling of assurance and appreciation in one’s own abilities. Confidence can be gained through self development and asking for assistance and guidance when necessary. Taking a course in Leadership and Public Speaking is a great start!

 

Aug12018

5 Steps to becoming more Positive

Image result for accentuate the positive Song by Arlen and Mercer.
Hello Friends,
Thank you for being present with me, today. Before I introduce “5 steps to becoming more positive” by accentuating the positive, allow me to first introduce myself…
A little about me: (The Educator)
I currently teach and live in a Quaker boarding school in Pennsylvania.
I was moved to teach when I learned that my father could not read. I learned this the day he attempted to encourage me to read a book (“The Cat in the Hat”) when he noticed that I was restless. Instead of following his suggestion to read the book on my own, I asked him to read it to me instead. That day, I learned that my father was illiterate. As an eight-year-old child, I could not fathom knowing how to do something that my father was unable to do. I simply couldn’t grasp the concept of his illiteracy. At this point, I read to him and began teaching him the words on the first page of the book. He was quite impressed and encouraged me to continue teaching him and teaching others because he thought I had a natural gift. I am a teacher today in large part because of that particular moment with my father. Although he passed away in April of 2008, I continue to feel his presence when I teach.
A little about me: (The Singer)
Subsequent to my passion for teaching, I am a passionate singer/songwriter/performer. I’ve written all of the lyrics for my debut project, “Arize, It’s Time to Shine”, amongst other works. I have performed at the Apollo Theatre, the Jacob Javits Center (in New York) and at the Celebrity Theatre (in Arizona). Currently, I am the lead singer for a twenty plus piece big band. I was moved to sing when I began creating melodies for the poetry I wrote as a middle school student. Singing brought the dark days of my teenage years to light. When I sing, I feel most in touch with my spirit.
A little about the blog title:
I’ve entitled my blog “Jazz and Blackboards” because these are the two mediums where I am most engaged in sharing information, knowledge and wisdom with students and audiences.
As you journey through “Jazz and Blackboards,” you can expect the following:
A snapshot of my inner and exterior world as an educator and singer.
Now; as I promised…

5 steps to becoming more positive (Accentuate the positive!)

  1. Reflect on the areas that make you happy– What makes you happy? What drives you to become a better person? Accentuate the positive in these areas by continually asking yourself these questions on a daily basis.  I love knowing that I can make a difference in my students’ lives.  I am also thankful that I have the talent and passion to share my voice in various ways. I am empowered when i teach and when I sing!
  2. Honor your commitments- This includes commitments made to self! For the sake of this post, I’ll continue to focus on this blog.  I actually wanted to write this blog for a number of years.  When I did not honor my commitment to publish, I felt a heaviness that came with believing that I let myself down.  yes friends! I am hard on myself at times.  However, i am only this way when I do not honor my commitments to self, which is not a regular practice-thank goodness! Accentuate the positive in this area by honoring your commitments to self and others.
  3. Be Honest- We all know the cliché, honesty is the best policy.  It’s actually more than a cliché. This is the absolute truth! be an individual of your word.
  4. Relax- Do what makes you feel light and free! Spend time away from the daily stresses and go to the spa, or read a great book, or listen to your favorite tunes.  I learned to accentuate the positive in this area because if I don’t, i simply become tense and on edge.  The way to stress and tension release is through finding outlets of relaxation.
  5. Be open to change- Change is inevitable! Now that I am a mother of an about to be fourteen month old, I know this all too well. My routine changes more than I would like to admit. I accentuate the positive by preparing for the unknown, knowing that my days are not guaranteed.  Accentuate the positive with resilience in the midst of change.

Once again, I am so thrilled to be engaged with you.  Please share some of the ways you accentuate the positive in your life.  I would love to add some of your suggestions to my personal list:)