Bravely Learning

In the last week of December, our first-grade teachers, Ms. Traut and Ms. Towne, guided students in a writing activity to explore their identities and promote self-love.

First graders began by studying their features in a hand-held mirror and drawing self-portraits. 

For one of the activities, they used adjectives such as artistic, athletic, brave, caring, friendly, kind, patient, respectful, and more to complete the phrase “I am…” in their “I Love Myself” workbook. 

What was the favorite adjective among our first-graders? Brave. 

Ms. Traut explained that since Grade 1 is the beginning of a student’s academic journey, they are learning many new things, which can be intimidating and trigger negative self-talk. It’s natural for Grade 1 students to feel “stuck.”

In these moments, students are encouraged to go to the mirror in the classroom that’s framed with positive affirmations. Here, they independently choose an attribute about themselves to lean on that makes them feel brave and ready to embrace the challenge of learning something new.

Students are also reminded to “think like a flexible, swaying palm tree,” which encourages them to see things in a new or different way. 

These are just two social-emotional strategies implemented in class to help our students become comfortable with facing new challenges and learning from their mistakes.