Eight days in and the dust has finally settled. Schedules are finally adjusted, and it looks like I will be walking the long road with 140 little humans this year. Sadly, during the shuffle, I lost some due to scheduling conflicts, but I picked up some new ones, and I recruited enough kids from my “regular classes” to completely fill my three honors classes. I’d give them all space in that room if I could, but things get in the way, especially this idea of who’s an honors kid.

Largely a school construct reinforced by other school constructs (grades and test scores), the “Honors Class”, a separation perpetuated by educators and parents (even kids), establishes who can and who cannot, and by the time they reach me, kids believe it. Those who can are honors kids. They are the smart ones. Those who cannot are regular kids. They are not the smart ones. This is the mindset that separates. But I wonder sometimes if the separation is more imagined than real.

Relatively new to the “honors game” (only my fourth year, after nineteen with the “regs), I am not convinced the separation is as cut and dried as we believe. And while I have some thoughts on this, I will save that post for another day. For now, I will simply share that I want to close the–what I believe largely imagined–gap by essentially using my honors curriculum in my two regular LA courses. I have not told the kids yet, and I won’t for some time, but I will eventually. I will let them know that they have been doing honors work. The impact? I’m not sure. But I cannot imagine it will bring any harm. In fact, it may very well be of significant benefit to these kids who have been too often led to believe that they are not quite up to snuff. We’ll see. But I believe in belief.

And it is this same belief that drives me to use my mindset mantra with all my kids. I want them to believe in themselves as readers, as writers, as learners–as people. So I am intentional about establishing that belief. We started down that path yesterday.

After doing Smiles and Frowns and setting the stage for the day, I say the following to my kids.

In two weeks, we will change “you” to “I.”

After those two weeks, we will permanently change “I” to “we.” And we will say it together every day after that.

Cheesy? A bit. Awkward? At first. Effective? I believe so.

I do. I believe in my kids. I believe in belief. So I try to help them believe in themselves. People can do amazing things when they believe. I believe that. I sell that. Every day.

Today’s Trail

Along today’s trail we will…

…begin with Smiles and Frowns.

…hear Mindset Mantra.

…begin/continue “Bridges and Barriers” and “Theme Search.”

…reflect in our Journey Journals.

…end with a Sappy Sy Rhyme.

Do. Reflect. Do Better.