|
T-Bird Traits T-Bird Traits August 20, 2007 TBird Traits begins this week, and the first trait is organization - A system of knowing where resources are and how to use them. Organization reduces stress, helps use time effectively, prevents lost work, and aids in task completion by creating structure. Here is a story about organization: “Max Marauder works 2.5 hours on his massive term paper. Exhausted, later that night he stuffs it in a textbook, which he shoves carelessly into his backpack. In a rush the next morning and desperately searching for a pencil, he empties the content of his backpack into his buddy’s locker and runs to class. When his teacher calls for the term paper, Max shuffles through all his belongings but is unable to find it! One week later, his locker buddy finds and returns Max’s crumpled, stained term paper. Unfortunately, Max’s teacher will not accept late work, and he gets no points. Meanwhile, Tommy TBird knows where his term paper is, turns it in on time, and gets the credit he so richly deserves! Needless to say, Tommy TBird is organized!” Think about how organization can ensure your success here at Wasson. Good luck and have a great week! August 27, 2007 This week’s T-Bird Trait is responsibility – the act of taking ownership and control for something within one’s power and influence. Ultimately a student is responsible for his or her own grade, decision, and choices. Here is a story about responsibility: As an important test approaches, the teacher gives important information and instructions to the class. Thinking she deserves a break, Sally decides to skip and go to the mall with a few friends. After all, Sally has been stressed out due to stuff at home and with her job piled on with a challenging school load. Unfortunately for Sally, when she approaches her teacher the following day she is frustrated that she cannot make up the missed work due to her unexcused absence. Furthermore, Sally must take the test with the rest of the class and she fails miserably because she missed the valuable instruction when she skipped. Meanwhile, her brother Tommy receives an A on the same test because he chose to attend all his classes, he studied the relevant topics for class, and despite being active and busy himself with other activities, he was rewarded for his efforts with high marks. In this situation, Bobby was responsible September 4, 2007 This week’s TBird Trait is common sense – sound, practical intelligence. Common sense is knowing what the right thing to do is, and acting on it. Common sense is thinking ahead and using your resources. Here is a story about common sense: “Canon City’s Theresa Tiger and Wasson’s own Trudy TBird both have a big history exam coming up. Theresa Tiger stays up all night before her exam, desperately cramming for her test. But Trudy TBird has been studying with common sense. She spent some time outside of class with her teacher, making sure she understood the concepts and the test format. She formed a week-end study group with her friends, and spent 15 minutes each night studying history on her own. She organized and summarized her notes. The night before the exam, Trudy TBird sensibly got a good night’s sleep. The day of the test, Canon City’s exhausted Theresa Tiger couldn’t remember any information and fell asleep on top of her blank test. But Trudy TBird soared through her test. She knows that using her common sense really paid off.” Think about how common sense can ensure your success here at Wasson. Good luck and have a great week! September 10, 2007 This week’s TBird Trait is self-advocacy– the act of advocating or making decisions in one’s own best interest. Self-advocacy is supporting oneself by asking for help, thinking about the future, seeking appropriate challenges, making tough and independent choices. A student self-advocate will seek the attention and resources that s/he needs to be successful. I will demonstrate self-advocacy by telling you what I need in order for TBird Traits to be successful (which I truly believe will help this building): I need you to use these words regularly. If you are a freshmen science teacher, or a sophomore social studies teacher, I need you to explicitly teach these concepts in your class and hit them hard and heavy. If you are a freshmen or sophomore English teacher, I need you to assign a reflection activity every week in your class, reflecting on that week’s trait. Believe it or not, students and teachers do notice when you are not doing your part! September 19, 2007
Good morning Wasson. This week’s TBird Trait is effort – exertion of physical or mental power. Effort is always doing your best, and being willing to embrace challenges. Effort ensures your success even in your least-favorite subject. Here is a story about effort: Trevor TBird puts forth effort in soccer. He is not the best player on the team; he is not the strongest athlete. But Trevor works out all year long to improve his strength, endurance, and agility. Trevor gives 100% at every practice. Trixie TBird puts forth effort in her Spanish class. She thinks Spanish is hard – it does not come naturally to her. But Trixie studies and practices pronunciation every night. She finds a friend with whom to practice. She goes to Saturday school where she knows there will be teachers to help her. Trixie participates actively every day in her Spanish class. Trevor and Trixie are putting in the extra effort to help themselves succeed – on the playing field and in the classroom. Think about how effort can help you succeed at Wasson. Have a great week TBirds!
September 24, 2007 This week’s T-Bird Trait is initiative. Initiative is the act of following through energetically with a plan or task; the use of determination. People that demonstrate initiative ensure they receive the resources they need. Max the Marauder and Tommy T-Bird, despite being bitter rivals, hang out some weekends because they have been friends since middle school. While talking about their plans for college, Max says he is excited about going to college, but he doesn’t know how he will get the money to pay for it. Tommy is much less worried because he began regular visits with his counselor as a freshman, he has been going to ACT prep classes at the Saturday Academy, his advisory teacher is helping him research colleges that feature his area of interest, and he fills out a new scholarship application each week. When Max hears about all of Tommy T-Birds preparation, he says, “Dang, that sounds like a lot work.” However, Tommy knows that taking the initiative early and gaining access to all of these resources will ensure he can afford to go to the college of his choice October 1, 2007 This week’s T-Bird Trait is Leadership. Leadership is guidance, direction, and service to others. A leader has the talents, skills and vision necessary to help a group achieve a goal for the common good. A leader facilitates positive change that benefits others. Carol Cougar is frustrated because she is motivated in her math class to learn the difficult concepts and to earn an A for a grade. However, many of her classmates act out and disrupt the class because they think math is boring and they are embarrassed that they are having a hard time understanding the work. When they talk too much she yells, “Will you shut-up, some of us are trying to learn!” She leaves every class angry and often spends lunch complaining to her friends. Carol Cougar fails to recognize this as a chance to be a leader. Across town at Wasson, Tamica T-Bird is having some of the same frustrations with her classmates in her math class, and she too wants to have a stronger learning environment so she can excel. However, Tamica T-Bird has a leadership mentality and takes a different approach. One day Tamica T-Bird approaches a boy in her math class that is always talkative when it is time to work on the most challenging math problems. Instead of telling him to “Shut up”, Tamica T-Bird asks him if he would like to eat lunch with her and they can work on some of the toughest problems together. He agrees and so Tamica T-Bird gets the teacher to sign two lunch passes for them, so they can to the math lab. Tamica T-Bird was able to help her friend embrace the challenging math problems. In this situation, everyone benefited from Tamica T-Bird’s decision to be a leader. Leaders facilitate changes that benefit others, as well as themselves.
Resiliency This week’s T-Bird Trait is resiliency. Resiliency is the ability to recover from adversity. Resilient students, like all successful people, overcome all obstacles and challenges in their paths. As T-Birds, we are quite familiar with the many hurdles that life can throw at us without warning. Many of these trials and tribulations can make being successful at school very difficult. This past week, Tamara T-Bird’s parents told her that they could no longer afford to live in their house, and they were going to have to find an apartment to live in. Tamara was very upset because she loves having her own room, a backyard with space to hang out with friends, and she has a great relationship with many of the neighbors. Moreover, she has been hoping that her parents would help her buy a car by matching what she has saved up from her part-time job. Worst of all, she is now going to have to share a room with her little sister. Tamara’s family moved into the apartment during finals week, and the stress of the move combined with not sleeping because of her annoying little sister made it impossible to study. Fearing that her grades would suffer, Tamara went in to see her guidance counselor at the beginning of the week. Together they brainstormed some ways to ensure that Tamara could be successful despite all these challenges. Tamara’s guidance counselor provided a quite place that she could study at lunch and after school. Tamara committed to this new plan, and even though it didn’t solve her problems at home, she was able to do her best at school. Tamara learned that even when life creates challenges, that she can always find away to overcome difficulties and remain successful. In this situation, Tamara T-Bird demonstrated the character trait of resiliency.
Rigor This week’s TBird Trait is rigor - the capacity and the desire to understand complex and challenging concepts, assignments, or projects. Students that embrace rigorous content are excited by challenges and the opportunity to apply critical thinking in new and interesting ways. Here is a story about rigor: Ms TBird Teacher loves her content and her students. She tries to pass on that excitement, and she wishes that every student was as passionate about her content as she is. But more than that, she wants each and every student to have unlimited choices and success in life. Sadly, she knows that will not be the case. In her 9 years at Wasson she has taught over 1000 students, and while many have met with outstanding success, others have not. Ms TBird Teacher knows what it takes for today’s students to get into a competitive college or a popular field, and to be successful and happy there. Yes, students need good grades, high test scores, and valuable extra-curricular activities. But students also need to be independent thinkers with critical analysis skills. To help students achieve this, Ms TBird Teacher has increased the rigor in her classes this year. She knows that rigor is not more work simply for the sake of work – it is work that is purposeful, and thought-provoking. The kids whine – “Why do we have to write a paragraph about what we learned? Why do we have to analyze so much data? Why do we have to debate so many gray areas? Why can’t we just takes some notes and answer some questions? Why can’t we have a free day?” But Ms TBird Teacher is not swayed by the whining. She knows that the increased rigor will help more of her students to achieve their dreams. Think about how embracing rigor can ensure your success. Good luck and have a great week!
Perseverance This week’s TBird Trait is perseverance - steady persistence, especially in the face of difficulties, obstacles, or discouragement. Students who persevere are not easily defeated. Here is a story about perseverance: Imagine what it would be like if your parents announced you would be moving to another country. In a matter of weeks, you would live thousands of miles away from your extended family, your friends, your favorite hangouts, foods, and the language you grew up speaking. This is the case with many of our international students, yet they persevere. Take a moment to think about what we can all learn from one of these remarkable stories. Yongda moved from his native China when he was in middle school. School was overwhelming for him because he had not yet learned English. During his first year of school, he coped by copying all of his work from his sister. This did not make him feel good, however, because Yongda had aspirations—he wanted to be a good student, he wanted to go to college. That summer, Yongda decided to study English. He learned a lot, but still spent a lot of time conversing in Chinese with his family, and watching Chinese television. This did not help him become fluent in English! School was still difficult for him the next year. Determined to learn, however, Yongda did all of his assignments by himself that year. His grades suffered a little, but his work was his own. In high school, Yongda continued to work on his English, immersing himself in English-language conversations with his friends. He studied even harder, seeking help from teachers and peer tutors when he needed it. He took advanced courses in his strongest area and sought help in his weakest area, until he saw dramatic improvement on his test scores. He got to know other international students and he joined clubs to expand his network of friends. Yongda continued to work hard in his classes, and the work paid off. Each year, his grades improved, and he became known as a leader in the school. He has now received many scholarships and awards, and he is getting ready for college. Yongda’s story teaches us that perseverance is about determination, goals, and collaboration with others. Thank you, Yongda, for having the courage to share your story with all of us! We are a stronger community because of it.
Problem
Solving This week’s TBird Trait is problem solving - the process of resolving or breaking down a problem into manageable pieces. Problem solving often involves using other people and resources in the resolution process. Here is a story about problem solving: Trisha TBird has a problem. Her English teacher assigned a mind map about how problem-solving is used across the curriculum, but Trisha has come up with a blank. She asks her science teacher how problems are solved in science. He responds by asking her what steps they have been using in the lab to solve problems. Trisha thinks, “Of course, scientists use the scientific method!” She asks her social studies teacher how problems are solved in that course. She responds by asking her what steps the class has been using to answer Document Based Questions. Trisha thinks, “I know that – first we read the questions, then we read the assignment, then we map out what we are going to say, then we write.” Trisha realizes this is similar to the planning taught by her English teacher when writing essays. While talking with her brother, a magnet student, he mentions that he has to plan his art compositions too. Trisha’s mind map is beginning to fill a whole page. She thinks about last week’s meeting with her counselor. They talked about how to get accepted into college. They worked together to make a timeline and checklist of all the tests, letters of recommendation, and applications that would need to be completed. Trisha says, “Aha! I see the connection between all these different methods of problem-solving – put together a step-by-step plan and follow it!” Have a great week, TBirds, and think about how solving problems in a methodical manner can help you succeed at Wasson.
Patience This week’s T-Bird Trait is patience: the quality of being patient, as the bearing of annoyance, misfortune, or pain, without complaint, loss of temper, irritation, or the like. Patience is a trait that allows us to endure difficult times. Here is a story about patience: Terrance the T-Bird is extremely frustrated because the deadline for his end of the term group project is approaching. He feels like one of his group members is unreliable and another group member is really struggling with some of the touch concepts that all of them must demonstrate that they understand. Instead of going to the teacher and throwing in the towel by blaming his group members, Terrance the T-Bird keeps his cool, refuses to give up on the project, and patiently explained his concerns with the rest of the group. Consequently, they agreed to have meetings everyday after school until the project was completed with quality. Not only did the project work out fine, but he discovered that his group members’ contributions really made the project excellent. In addition, Terrance the T-Bird gained friendships with classmates that he knows will endure beyond this course. In this situation, the virtue of patience paid of in several ways for Terrance the T-Bird.
Flexibility This week’s T-Bird Trait is flexibility– - the quality of being adaptable or variable. Flexibility is an essential skill of successful people, because those who can make smooth, quality adjustments when the original plan falls through become the most reliable members of a group or team. Here is a story about flexibility: Terina T-Bird is involved in a multitude of sports and clubs at Wasson along with taking honors classes. Terina gets home late everyday and is often exhausted. She is having a difficult time getting the grades she expects in her honors classes while performing at her best for the basketball team. Consequently, Terina T-Bird goes to her guidance counselor to discuss her challenges and is prepared to drop her two toughest honors classes. Terina T-Bird knows she is going to have to be flexible, and instead of giving up her rigorous academic schedule Terina T-Bird and her counselor agree on a plan for her to come to school early and work on her studies in the library or counseling office. If this time is not enough to ease her burden, she will also give up some of her social time at lunch to study. Terina T-Bird leaned that being flexible is a valuable skill that can help solve problems that develop when we least expect them.
Teamwork This week’s T-Bird Trait is Teamwork – Teamwork is working together for a common purpose or benefit. When you use teamwork you can accomplish more than you can alone. Teamwork benefits more than just oneself, but others as well. Here is a story about teamwork: This week Taylor T-Bird has a wrestling match, practice, or club meeting everyday after school. Because of his busy schedule, he was unable to complete several homework assignments and put forth little effort into studying class notes. One of Taylor T-Bird’s teachers talked to him about this uncharacteristic lackadaisical academic behavior and how it resulted in a very poor score on an assessment. Taylor T-Bird explained the extracurricular commitments he had that hindering his ability to master several of the key concepts. Taylor T-Bird’s teacher suggested that her teacher’s assistant who is also on the wrestling team could really help Taylor get the challenging concepts if they worked together. Taylor T-Bird and his wrestling teammate agreed to meet in their teacher’s room for three days before wrestling practice to work on alternative assignments and prepare for the next assessment. Because they worked together, both wrestlers were able to maintain their academic goals and put forth the necessary mental and physical effort at practices. In this way, the classmates used teamwork to benefit each other on and off the mat!
Curiosity This week’s TBird Trait is curiosity - the desire to learn or know about anything; inquisitiveness. Curiosity is the driving force behind breakthroughs and problem-solving. Here is a story about curiosity: Terry TBird didn’t feel connected at school. Her counselor told her that getting involved in activities would help solve that problem. She knew that Wasson had many athletic opportunities – even a bowling team! – but she wasn’t really an athletic person. She was curious about what other activities Wasson had to offer. So Terry TBird started asking her friends and teachers. She found out that Wasson has a lot of other non-athletic competitive teams like DECA and MESA. She learned about all our other clubs like Art Club and Chemistry Club where she could explore areas of interest. She learned about service clubs like NHS and SLAC where she could serve others. Terry TBird picked a few activities that interested her and joined those. She met new students with whom she had a lot in common. She started to feel much more connected at school and she realized her counselor was right – her curiosity had helped to solve that problem! Think about how curiosity might lead you down a new and productive path, and have a great week.
Integrity This week’s T-Bird Trait is integrity: sticking honestly to moral and ethical principals even in difficult times. A person with integrity can be relied upon to always do the right thing, no matter the situation. Last week Wasson had a popcorn and a movie night to raise money for Harvest of Love. Tommy T-Bird asked Tamara T-Bird if she would like to go. Tamara is known for setting up great activities at Wasson, she is in SO and is a LINK leader, she is also a good student. When Tommy asked her to go she said yes, that she would meet him at Wasson for the movie. When they met up later in the week for movie night, Tommy was with a group of friends and they were planning on trying to get in to the movie without paying. When Tamara found out she was disappointed with all of them and instantly told them that trying to sneak in was wrong. It also is disrespectful to the entire idea of Movie night, which is to raise money for Harvest of Love. She said if they weren’t going to pay she would tell on them. She told Tommy that if he showed integrity and paid for the movie night she would sit with him. So Tommy and all his friends paid and enjoyed the movie, and later brought pounds of canned food to support the harvest of love. Tamara showed integrity by standing up for what is right even when peer pressure makes it hard to stand strong for what you believe in. Respect This week’s TBird Trait is respect – willingness to show consideration or appreciation. Here is a story about respect: Wendy Wasson shows respect in many ways:
Think about how respect can ensure your success here at Wasson. Good luck and have a great week!
Honesty This week’s T-Bird Trait is honesty – the quality or fact of being honest. Synonyms for honest are upright, fair, truthful, sincere, and frank. Here is a story about honesty: As an important game approaches, Tanner T-Bird misses an early Saturday mourning practice because he overslept. He woke up to find out that there was only 5 minutes left in practice. Consequently, he had no chance of making it to school to explain to his coach and teammates that he is sorry more neglecting the team. Tanner T-Bird knows that he will not get to start in Tuesday’s big rivalry game because he missed practice and that his overall playing time will be drastically reduced. Tanner T-Bird knows that if he goes upstairs and pretends to feel sick that he can trick his mom into calling the coach to have him excused from practice. He’ll then “feel better” for Monday’s practice, play hard, and keep his starting position. As Tanner goes into the kitchen to get breakfast, he mom asks, “Tanner T-Bird, what is wrong?” Tanner T-Bird ponders his mom’s sincerity; he knows he can pull it off. But instead, he says, “To be honest, we had practice this morning and I slept right through. I feel bad because I let myself and my teammates down. I may not get to play much in the big game, but it isn’t fair to the guys that showed up to practice if I make an excuse. I am nervous to tell coach and the guys the truth.” Tanner T-Bird chose to be honest despite having a chance to get away with a mistake. However, he realized that it wasn’t fair to his team to lie and make excuses. The game will last one night, but a lifetime of honesty will surely make Tanner T-Bird a success.
Excellence T-bird Trait Excellence Good morning T-Birds! This week’s T-Bird Trait is Excellence. A definition of excellence is the quality of excelling; possessing good qualities in high degree. Moreover, excellence is a measurement of superior quality. Synonyms of excellence are distinction, merit, and outstanding. Tanya T-bird works very hard to demonstrate excellence in and out of school. Her favorite class is English, and she plays volleyball. Even though she shows excellence in English and volleyball, she also earns superior distinction in all her other classes. Tanya T-Bird always arrives early to class, and chooses her seat wisely to avoid distractions in class. Moreover, she turns in all her assignments on time, puts forth her best effort on all assignments, and she studies every night to memorize what she needs for the next day. For volleyball, Tanya T-Bird puts forth the same outstanding effort by always being on time and prepared. She strives for excellence on drill the coach requires, and she has a positive attitude even when challenged. Tanya’s team shows teamwork each practice, but she strives for excellence herself. Outside of school, Tanya does community service for her church. She knows that by serving others and doing her best in a variety of activities, that her resume will be attractive to colleges and employers. By possessing superior qualities to a high degree in all aspects of her life, Tanya T-Bird is able to regularly demonstrate the T-Bird Trait of excellence. The Home Of The Thunderbirds |