Habit of the Week ~ Commitment

Commitment - A promise to do or give something

One of my favorite moments this week was sharing time in a 1st grade classroom,  hearing their thoughts and ideas about this b.i.g. word commitment.

Chester and I took our spots in front of the students....and I asked the question, "Who can give me some ideas about what commitment might mean?"  Hands popped up everywhere.

It means keeping a promise, even when it is hard.

It means doing what you say you will do.

It means sticking with something, even when it would be easier to quit.

Seriously -- these little first graders have such HUGE hearts and BRILLIANT minds and INCREDIBLE wisdom.  Tears welled in my eyes as I listened to their heartfelt responses.

And, with these dazzling definitions ringing in all of our hearts,
I went on to explain about my commitment to Mr. Chester.  


                                      


First, I showed the students his puppy picture!  Of course we all oohed and ahhed at his cuteness. Who wouldn't want to bring home this bundle of love?  Next, I explained that bringing him home meant I was making a promise, a commitment, that I would take care of him faithfully for all the days of his life.   Even on days when I was a sleepy head.  Even on days when it was cold and blustery and rainy. Even on super-hot days. Even on days I was sniffly. And on days I could not be with him, I promised I would find a super-subsitute who would take really good care of him.

What emerged as I shared about my commitment to love and care for my best-canine-buddy, was a beautiful picture of  what happens daily in the lives of students at Almond Acres Charter Academy  ~~ a commitment to educate and care for the whole child: Heart, Mind, Body, Soul.

Together, we discovered how my commitment to Chester, takes really good care of his Heart, Mind, Body, Soul.

 

I  FEED him everyday. And give him FRESH WATER.         BODY

I LOVE him. Everyday I give him hugs, affection, and kind words.   HEART

I EXERCISE him. Everyday he gets a walk, run, or bike ride.    BODY

I  TRAIN him. Everyday I teach him good manners and
                                          help him to be a good citizen !    MIND

And putting all of these together -- nurtures Chester's   SOUL

Thank you First Grade, you are wonderful students and teachers. 

Chester and I love you!

Habit of the Week ~ Patience

Patience: To accept or tolerate delay or problems,  without becoming annoyed or anxious (or barking or going bonkers).

What in the world do Peanut Butter Girl Scout Cookies have to do with PATIENCE?  Most 1st, 2nd, and 4th Graders at Almond Acres will be able to tell you the connection ~~  because it has to do with their buddy, Chester.

Here's the story~
When Chester was 2 years old, he met a Jr. High girl with long brown curls named Melissa.   During the three years that Chester helped Melissa with her physical therapy, they became best friends.  BEST FRIENDS.   One day Melissa, who just happened to be a Girl Scout,  brought Chester a gift. Melissa knew Chester loved peanut butter .....  and so she brought her best friend a box of Girl Scout Peanut Butter Cookies.  His very own box!

Before Physical Therapy started, Melissa gave Chester a sample bite. Chester went BONKERS. He climbed up in her lap, stuck his nose in the box and wanted more cookies. A cookie monster for sure.

It was time to get to work, not time for cookies.  Melissa needed to practice balancing.  Chester needed to practice patience. She set the cookies aside, stood tall and strong on the blue disc, and threw the green tennis ball for Chester. Chester started to run after the ball, then urchhhhhhhhhh, he stopped. He sniffed. He ran to get the box of cookies.  And Melissa fell over laughing.

Chester was not being patient...not one little bit.

Melissa's Mom hid the box in another room.

Melissa threw the ball again.

Chester ran after the ball.  Then urchhhhhhhh, he stopped. He sniffed. He ran through the doorway and stuck his nose in the Girl Scout Cookie Box.  And Melissa fell over laughing.

He was not being patient, not one little bit.

Melissa's Mom put the box of cookies in another room and shut the door tight.

Melissa threw the ball again.

Chester ran after the ball. He stopped. He sniffed. And sniffed. But this time he could not smell the cookies, so he ran to get the ball and brought it back to Melissa.

We all cheered and clapped.

Obviously, Chester needed to learn about patience when it came to Peanut Butter Girl Scout Cookies. First work, then cookies!

Here is a picture of him today.  Look at the progress he has made!

Watch me .... Good boy!

Wait

Okay!!!!

Deeelicious

 P.S. Thank you to Chester's 1st grade friend, who just happens to be a Girl Scout, who brought him a box of his favorite cookies today.  Of course we opened the box right away, and of course it was the perfect time for a taste.    Oh Happy Day!

Sensational 4th Grade Moments

In one of the 4th grade classes, 2 brave students volunteered to help Chester.  It's been awhile, but my buddy was going to demonstrate "over" and "under" --- using two human-bridges-on-hands-and-knees.  It took a couple of tries, and a whole lot of laughter, but it wasn't long before Chester soared over, and scooted under his two new friends, incorporating ALL 5 SENSES in the remembering process. Sensational!

While Chester was working on remembering exactly what "OVER/UNDER" meant, I remembered another Chester story ....which of course I had to share with the 4th graders.

I was speaking to a Cub Scout Troop and their parents, demonstrating this very same trick. I chose a volunteer from the back row ~~ an eager little Cub Scout in crisp blue uniform.

I asked him to get down on his hands and knees and make a bridge for Chester. With a few giggles and silly expressions, he quickly made a dazzling bridge. I commanded Chester "OVER!"  Chester ran, jumped, planted his front paws on little Cub Scout, sort of using him like a spring board,  and flattened him like a pancake. The crowd erupted with laughter, the smashed cub scout got to his feet, a little embarrassed but thankfully no harm done.   I looked at Chester (who was sort of smiling) and whispered, "What is up with this smashing the cub scout thing??"

Because Chester needed to make things right with his little buddy, and do the trick correctly,  (strive for accuracy),  the courageous Cub Scout somewhat reluctantly made another bridge.  I once again gave Chester the "OVER" command. ...The Cub Scout braised his arms and legs, scrunched his eyes closed --- and this time Chester soared like an eagle over his little friend, not even touching a hair on his head.

The crowd roared --- Chester took a bow, the cub scout sprang to his feet and took a bow!  We shook paws and hands with our brave new friend, apologizing for Chester's mistake and thanking him for being such a terrific and patient helper.

Here's the rest of this story....  Right before leaving, the Cub Scout Leader approached me.  He went on to tell me that the boy I had chosen for the "bridge trick" just happened to be a young man who struggled greatly with bullying other boys in the troop.  While rubbing Chester on the head, he grinned at me and said, "Do you think Chester knew?"

I don't know if Chester knew :) , but I do know this little Cub Scout had a wonderful teachable moment ~~ hopefully he had ears to hear and eyes to see.

Chester, you are a  Sensational teacher. 

Some Encouraging Words

 After weekly visits in January, some feedback from the teachers...

“It  is great to know that you will come in and join in with whatever is going on that day. I know my students love seeing and petting Chester. It is nice to have you here during math since many kids feel stress during math, it makes it very relaxing. Thank you so much for taking the time to help individual students where they are struggling.”

“WE LOVE BOTH YOU AND CHESTER!  I have wonderful writing samples from some of my most reluctant writers when Chester is there to listen to their writing!  Chester is both a fun and calming addition to our class on Wednesdays, and even my am parents love seeing you both.  I have some emotional kiddos and the morning works great for us because Chester changes their disposition and sets them on the right path for the day!   Thank you for being a wonderful part of 1st grade!”

“We just LOVE having you and Chester visit.  Every day I get a, “Is Chester coming today?”

“Would you come everyday? :) ...”

Students….

A handwritten note from a  first grader (The note came tucked inside a paper airlplane, crayon-colored inside and out with hearts, a rainbow , green green grass, bright blue sky, and a happy golden retriever. ) 

Dear Chester! I really look forword to seeing you. 

You worm my heart.  

I love having you come to my class room.  

With love….

 Chester is gathering a collection of straight-from-the-heart drawings from his kids. Pencil sketched golden retriever masterpieces  ~~  We treasure each one. 

California Earthquake Drills

California Earthquake Drills

We weren't  in 3^rd grade for more than 10 minutes...  when the surprise Earthquake Drill began~~ Chester had already enjoyed his "rub my belly and scratch my ears" time  on the floor with Ms. Chase, and we were settling into the classroom schedule for the day.  Oh, and Kai and I had shared our hugs!

Sidenote ~~Ms. Chase is a golden lover, and has been in love with Chester since the day he stepped paw on campus 4 years ago --- and she has been waiting oh.so.not.patiently for the day when our grandtreasure, Kai,  would be in her classroom and Chester would perhaps  visit on a regular weekly schedule.  This has been part of the deal each year -- if Kai's teacher would like Chester visits, we would come for regular visits, if not, that was okay too.  Truth be told, Ms. Chase would like Chester to live in 3rd grade furever. 

As I said, we had only been in class a short time, and we were settling in to listen to some "How To" presentations by students....

When……….all of a sudden….. the announcement came over the loud speaker that the school was having an EARTHQUAKE DRILL.  This means duck and cover under the desks until the coast is clear.  Immediately the students stopped what they were doing, scattered, ducked under desks and tables, covered their necks and waited quiet-as-a-mouse.     Chester and I, of course, ducked and covered too, though his hiney and tail stuck out a lil’ bit from beneath his 3^rd grade desk. (pretty sure mine did too :) )

It was soooooooooo quiet.  

A minute passed.

And then...

We were instruected via loudspeaker to line up at the door and head out to the track field. Straight lines, no talking.  Chop Chop.

Chester and I pulled up the rear.

There was a pre-schooler visiting 3^rd grade.  He and his Mom were helping 3^rd-grade big brother with a presentation. Mom and big brother happened to be outside setting up for  a class presentation when Earthquake drill began.  Pre-School brother was inside  with 3^rd grade students.  Little Brother was not so much interested in walking in line out to the playground without Mommy and Big Brother.  

However….you know…. Chester was in 3^rd grade too.   

And so…. I handed Little Brother Chester’s leash. “Wanna walk Chester?”  I whispered.

He smiled, took the leash. And off we trotted.

The whole school was lined up in their classroom lines out on the track. It took quite some time for everyone to be accounted for.

Chester lay down, waiting patiently in the 3^rd grade line-up. He was counted too.

All students, staff, and D.O.G. were safe and sound.

The horn sounded, and we were free to return to class.

I sort of felt like we bonded that day,  and officially became a part of the school :)

PS  ---   Big Brother and Mom reunited with little brother, and finished setting up their presentation.  Presentation was demonstrating how to pitch a baseball into a huge net. Big Brother is a SF Giants' Fan through and through. And an amazing pitcher.     Chester got to watch, chew on a baseball, CHASE baseballs, and hang out with his Kai AND his 3rd graders, not to mention get a belly rub  and ear massage, and lay quiet under a desk for a whole minute. Life is soooo good in 3rd grade, pawsitively!

Recess for Chester

Last year Chester met a special friend. There are times , and there’s no explainin’ it, when Chester and a special someone have this unique friendship connection.

This special someone happens to be a little treasure with Downs Syndrome. And from the moment these two met, it was love at first site.  It doesn’t matter what Chester is doing, whenever this sweet girl walks through the doorway, he stops what he's doing and trots over to his friend. The two are like magnets. Hugs and kisses abound.  And the way this little blonde cutie pie  says “Tester”…..melts my heart (and his) every time.

During our school day, we have built in recess times for Chester.  In between classes he gets 15 minutes to play and recharge. A little alone time is important for him, when he gives out all morning long inside classrooms.  We do this outside, away from the playgrounds and crowds.

  

Guess who gets to be my helper on one of Chester’s recess breaks? You guessed right.   It's built right into her Education Plan.  Sooo, two mornings a week Chester and i have a wonderful little helper  ~~ she walks Chester, throws the tennis ball for him, takes him for a short run, gives him a snack, encourages him with kind words,  of course makes sure he has a potty break, and on rainy days wipes his paws, and dries the wetness. She is a superstar at caring for her furry friend.

Today, when it was time for recess, we went to meet our helper.
 She and her Aide were swaying and singing....

“WHO LET THE DOGS OUT??? Woof Woof Woof.”  

Cracked me up. 

This recess time is joy in our day  ~~   No doubt about it.

Habit of the Week - Observation, Gathering Data Through All Senses

As Principal, Mr. B says ---- BE SENSATIONAL LEARNERS!!!

                      

Because some of the best learning takes place when we incorporate all... or most... of our 5 senses,  IT MAKES PAWSITIVELY PERFECT SENSE that Chester's presence in  a classroom can bring increased opportunity to learn.  And a whole lot of fun.

From 1st to 4th grade this week, The Sensational AACA Students learned some amazing facts about Chester.  I did too :) 

Chester's 5 Senses

SMELL: A dog’s strongest sense is his sense of SMELL.  

He  can SMELL 1,000 to 10,000 times better than humans?!   
Wowser Bowser!   

HEARING: Dogs have a great sense of HEARING.  They hear sounds that are too quiet, too high, too low, for people to hear.  (That's why Chester is calmest in a quiet classroom.  That's why Chester can hear fireworks and thunder from far far far away)

TASTE:  To my surprise, this is a dog’s least developed sense. The sense of taste and smell are closely related , this is why foods that are SMELLY taste the very best to them!

TOUCH: This is the first sense a dog develops.  A mommy dog licks her pups and nuzzles them as soon as they are born.  Because a pup is born with eyes and ears closed, touch is their first way of communicating   (Chester likes ear massages and neck rubs the very best!).

SIGHT: A dog’s eyes are made differently than the human eye. Dogs  do not see color as humans do, they see shades of colors in black, white, and gray.  Dogs have great night vision, and side vision~~ much better than humans!  And, humans see distance much better than dogs.

Chester learns best and fastest when I integrate ALL of his senses into the learning process.   

When I use: 

·         My voice – he hears

·         My hand signals – he sees

·         A treat to reward – he smells and tastes  (peanut butter, bacon, fish, are his FAVORITES!)

·         A neck rub and ear rub to encourage and reward –  touch

In each classroom I demonstrated a few command, such as....sit and come. The students watched closely, making sure Chester used all 5 senses in the learning process. 

In one 4th grade classroom, two very brave students made human-bridges so Chester could demonstrate Over and Under.  It took a few tries and a lot of laughter, but Chester eventually remembered these commands like a champ (after incoporating all of his senses)!   (Take a peek at the post 4th Grade Moments  if you'd like to hear the rest of the story in 4th grade...and learn about a flattened cubscout :)  )

The teachers  had some SENSATIONAL writing prompts for their students.  Such as....

·       +  Close your eyes and pet Chester.  Describe how he feels.  Describe how he smells.

·       +Use your 5 senses to describe Chester. 

·       +  Describe a situation in which Chester would need to use his 5 senses.

             

     It was my delight to listen in as students enjoyed reading their discoveries and ideas to their soft-as-bunny furry friend, Chester.

                                              Sensational!!!