Week #2 - Houston we have a GOOD problem

Houston, we have a GOOD problem - Sometimes problems are a good thing. Sometimes all you have to do is ask, and wait for the response. 

A few weeks ago I decided to launch an after school program that would meet two times per month for 2 hours a session. My goal was to try to get 30 students to join, but thought the number may be less due to after school commitments, etc. of the fifth and sixth graders in my building. 

Not only did 30 students decide to join, but nearly FIFTY fifth and sixth graders have decided to commit to Choose2Matter. Therefore to accommodate this large number, I decided to split the whole group into two smaller groups (Group A and B) Each group will meet two Thursdays a month for two hours. That means I will be leading a group every Thursday for the remainder of the year! Although this was unexpected, I'm very excited this problem even arose. It just shows that you won't know the response until you ASK! I'm glad we have this problem and I'm excited to share their progress throughout the year!

On Thursday, September 26, we held our last whole group meeting. Here are the highlights! 

(ANOTHER) Good Luck from Wisconsin!

Last week, we Skyped with the amazing Oliver Schinkten. He and his colleagues started a program at their school called Communities and it's definitely something that has inspired me! One of his students, Danielle Shea, agreed to Skype with us and serve as a mentor to the students in Choose2Matter. She gave great advice from a student's perspective doing work that will benefit others. She talked about the struggles that she has had and gave specific tips or suggestions to the individual groups! Danielle, we thank you for taking time out of your busy day to make a difference in OUR world :) We hope to connect again soon and give you an update on our progress!

Sixteen year old Danielle Shea spoke about empathy, commitment and perseverance! 

The Groups Revealed!

The students were so excited to learn which group they would be in. Last week the students created a Top 5 list of topics they would like to tackle and, at this meeting, they learned what topic they would dedicate their time to for the remainder of the year. The following 7 groups were formed and are ready to take action!

- Positive Impact on Groups of People (Elderly, Students at PSI, etc.)

- Cancer

- Staying Active

- Bullying

- Homelessness / Hunger

- Animals

- Environment

1st Brainstorming:

After the groups had some time to get to know the individual members on a personal level, they went right to work. The first brainstorming was left up to the group with no guiding questions. I just wanted the students to get as many thoughts down as they could. Here are a few of their brainstorming posters they created!

 The "Homelessness and Hunger" Group's Brainstorming

 The Bullying Group's brainstorming

"Positive Impact" Group's Brainstorming 

(I'll fix the orientation of the picture later :) 

Reflection and Communication

Because the students are spread across the school with no real way to communicate their ideas between meetings, I decided to provided the students with Kidblog accounts. The students will not only be able to communicate with their own group members but they will be able to see the progress of other groups and give feedback and suggestions. Also, the students' individual blogs will provide a great way for each student to reflect throughout the year. 

I'm looking forward to our first split meeting on Thursday, October 3 and can't wait to see what direction the students take this group in this year! 

Thanks for reading!

Ms. Kress

QUOTE OF THE WEEK:  By yourself you can make a mark on the world, but together we can make an impact :)

7 Topics - 1 Goal: MAKE AN IMPACT!