Trust

“Trust is a little bit like love, when you give it, you receive it.”  In my opinion, this quote from Houston and Sokolow defines trust. Trustworthy people confide in others who will be true to them.  I agree with the chapter when it states that trust is the foundation which our relationships are built on. As I evaluate my deep relationships, I see a common thread which is trust. .

I am very lucky to have had the same best friends for over 20 years. I have three friends who I have grown up with. We can share anything with each other. We are four totally different people who are constantly intertwined. I am truly myself with these ladies. I had wonderful friends in college, but the relationships did not seem to compare to my “old” friendships. We know each other inside and out and it always feels good to be yourself. I can trust that we will have each other no matter what. I also have a newer friend who I can confide in. We have so much in common, so it is always nice to travel through some challenges together. Once again I can be myself with her and I feel her trust. Considering Houston and Sokolow’s analogy of floors, my husband is also on the top floor.

A few years ago I met someone who I did not trust. I felt that she saw the world as a “zero game”. Sokolow and Houston explain that these people cannot be trusted. They feel like they need to knock others down to feel good. I struggled to get along with her because of the distrust that we had for each other.  As I got to know this person, I felt that her own insecurities made her feel like she had to compete with others. Our relationship built into something positive, but because of the shaky foundation, I never opened up to her.  

I feel that if we all support each other and accept others for who we/they are, great things can happen. I catch myself trying to fit into multiple pairs of shoes at times. I want others to see me as someone I might not be. This needs to stop. I am going to end this blog with some wise words from Houston and Sokolow’s chapter on trust, “The world is made up of a lot of imperfect people trying to move forward.” We are all trying to do the same thing....let’s help one another!

March - Best Writing Strategy

In 2005 our district adopted a writing curriculum called Step Up to Writing. I love this program and totally believe in their simple tools. This curriculum teaches the basic steps to developing solid paragraphs through complete sentences with topic sentences, important details, reason/details/facts and conclusions. Kindergarten teachers start their morning routine with a letter written to their classes using the step up model about what they will be doing that day. First grade works with complete sentences, transition words, and developing five sentences paragraphs. At the second grade level our goal is to have most of our students leaving second grade with the ability to develop an eight sentence structured paragraph. By the time a child is in fourth grade, they are writing five paragraph papers with topic and conclusion paragraphs. This curriculum builds a solid foundation for writing throughout the years. I feel that the continuous building with shared language is what our students need. They are more focused on the content of their paper rather than the structure. As a kids I remember the stress that accompanied writing. I always knew what I wanted to report, but the structure of the paper made me feel uncomfortable. Step Up to Writing is helping our students become solid writers. This anchor chart is not from Step Up, but I feel that it does a great job of explaining how writing can be set up!