Trust Bridges

Xavier and his team did a great job with their bridge!

Brad and his mentee Ivan plan their bridge.

We had a blast building our Trust Bridges this past week in YESS! We spent two days building our projects and one day presenting them. It was amazing to see the different designs our scholars came up with--there are so many variations! I was impressed by the way the mentors facilitated this project, especially the class presidents, all of whom helped me clean and organize after every class period so that our supplies remained nice and neat. I had many mentors who struggled with this project last year as mentee who now have a strong handle not only on how to build a trust bridge, but the message behind it. I loved seeing them take the lead this year!

Thomas makes a "snake" to go under his bridge.

Estrella shows off her beautifully colorful Trust Bridge.

Perhaps one of the best aspects of these mentor/mentee art projects are the teamwork and conversations that take place. I overheard many mentors and mentees discussing when someone had broken their trust, or how delicate trust is, or, even better, a time when they had to repair trust with someone and the steps they took to do so (usually with lots of outside help and support!). Mentees typically feel as though a damaged relationship is just that--damaged beyond repair. But I have some great mentors who are a living testament to the fact that one can not only make amends to a damaged relationship, but perhaps build it back even stronger than before. It is great to see these bonding moments taking place, and I can see how much closer our mentees and mentors are growing with every project and lesson.

Gallery walk during 5th hour.

Yajaira/Nevaeh's bridge and NaSirah/Paola's bridge--both so well done!

We had some free time on Friday after we completed our gallery walk and project share out, and I was glad to connect with some of my scholars about my future path to law school. Many are interested in a career in law, and I love getting to share my experiences with them as I work toward school. My mother recently sent me a copy of the new biography on Thurgood Marshall and so I let some of my mentors read the inscription my mother wrote on the inside cover. While many of my mentors are familiar with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Malcolm X, few recognized Marshall's name. 

Cruzz reads the inscription mother wrote inside the biography of Thurgood Marshall.

Alen works ahead on  Fun Friday- a great scholar!

I loved reading a few exerts to them, and I know they felt a special connection to the fact that my mother sent me the book and that I shared it with them. I think it is so important for our scholars to realize that we must always push ourselves to grow, especially intellectually, and that a book can be a priceless gift. My mother wrote about Marshall, "He was arguably the best legal mind of the 20th century--his intelligence, character, and courage are legendary. I hope you enjoy reading this--one day I know you will make your own mark in the legal arena!" I know how much my scholars value the fact that I share my life with them, and I was so impressed with the candor they showed as they sat around listening to me read about Marshall instead of playing UNO or Connect Four on Friday afternoon. I am also very proud of the fact that many of my mentors choose to do work to get ahead on Fridays instead of playing games. Alen is a great example of this scholarly work ethic! It was a great week at Shaw Heights. 

Next week we will be competing to design this year's YESS t-shirt. It will be another exciting week of artistic expression!