Community Factors

ALL KIDS ARE OUR KIDS---For this reason we want a school-family-community partnership. 

• Increase social capital---Great book to read is Bowling Alone by Robert Putnam
• Make school the center for community activities
• The staff knows the community, networks with the community, and builds relationships
• Do asset building--"Protective Factors"--some great resources are Bonnie Bernard's book Resiliency, Stephen H. Glenn's book Raising Self-Reliant Children and the 40 Developmental Assets. 

Message from "The Lion King"

This morning I listened to the BYU Devotional Speech that Pres. Thomas S. Monson gave on November 1, 2011.  In his speech he quoted from the Disney movie "The Lion King" -- advice Mufusa gave to Simba and related it to students about reaching their potential in life.
"Look inside yourself Simba, you are more than what you have become. Remember who you are," Mufusa said.

This is something we want to remember and to say to our Esperanza educators and scholars every day not only with our words but also with our actions.

Words of Wisdom from Stephen Krashen

This article by Dr. Stephen Krashen supports why it is so important for us to have our Esperanza scholars read a lot, including doing PALA (our Spanish translation of sustained silent reading) every day. 


Sent to the Taipei Times, November 3, 2011

Lii Ding-tzann (“Reading your way to true wisdom,” Nov. 3) argues that reading in a way that connects to your own life makes a powerful contribution to our intellectual development. Research strongly supports his position: Studies show that wide, self-selected reading is related to our literacy development, our knowledge of the world, and achievement: People who read more read and write better, know more, and accomplish more in life.

Creativity researcher Dean Keith Simonton has concluded that "omnivorous reading in childhood and adolescence correlates positively with ultimate adult success.” Strong evidence comes from cases of highly successful well-read individuals with little formal education: Famous examples include Thomas Edison, who profited from reading books in his father's home library as well as the Detroit public library, and Michael Faraday, who had the good luck to work for a bookbinder, and became an enthusiastic reader.

School can either encourage or discourage the development of a reading habit. The over-emphasis on testing, a disease that seems to spreading world-wide, inhibits intellectual development by not allowing time or opportunity for students to develop their own interests by reading widely. But school could help students by exposing them to many different ideas, allowing them time to explore their interests, and by providing access to a print-rich environment.

Stephen Krashen

Professor Emeritus

University of Southern California

Trip Traditions

The great movie Mr. Smith Goes to Washington made me think that it might be fun to make it an Esperanza tradition to take our 5th grade scholars to Washington, D.C.  I did this once, and it was a wonderful experience.  As soon as young people enter Esperanza in K we could let families know about this tradition and start a fund specifically for this.

We also might want to think of doing a school exchange with 6th grade students--They would go to school for a month in Mexico and students from the Mexican school would come and attend Esperanza for a month.  The exchange would be at different times and the families could in each country could host the visiting students.   We did this while I was at Realms and it was a terrific experience.  Not only is it worthwhile for the students, even Hispanic students who may never have attended school in their country of origin, but also for teachers. 

Using Classics to Teach Character

Gwendolen at the roulette table"

Last night we watched another movie based on a book by George Eliot--Daniel Deronda.  I am also reading the book.  As I watched the movie and as I am reading the book I am reminded that classics are classics for a reason.  Even though classics may not be the books that turn our Esperanza scholars onto reading--and obviously we wouldn't use this particular book for children-- it still behooves us to find ways to introduce our scholars to children classics.  They teach so much about character, values, and attributes through a story. 

A Different Perspective

Darren Beck shared this fascinating picture.  If you look at it long enough you will see a different perspective.  As we strive to make Esperanza the school we want it to be we need to be willing to see things from different perspectives.  This is a real art as each of us has a different awareness wheel because of our unique life experiences. 

Beware of Assumptions

This little exercise is a reminder that we must never make assumptions such as assuming that because we taught it, it was learned or that because we said it was heard.