YESS Breakfast & Emo Trolls

Breann and I at the breakfast.

We had a hectic week last week, but it sure was a great one! I am so proud of the amazing YESS Road to Success annual breakfast that we hosted last week. We had a wonderful turnout, and hearing from both middle and high school YESS students was so powerful.

Breann, Aileen, and Selene deliver their speech to over 150 guests!

I am particularly proud of the three speakers we had from Shaw Heights--Breann, Aileen, and Selene--and the fantastic speech they delivered. These young ladies worked for weeks on their speech, staying after school-- even during testing weeks--to ensure they were properly prepared. Breann's father, Nick McCoy, was kind enough to also share a few words at the breakfast. His speech moved me to tears (and I have a feeling I was not the only one!)

Special thanks to Dr. Diane Basset for all of her help prepping our Shaw speakers.

Aileen and I at the breakfast.

Last week, we also began our discussion on Emo Trolls-- those little emotional monsters we can sometimes morph into when we are very angry and/or stressed. Our scholars loved learning about the Emo Trolls, and many were having "ah-ha!" moments in assessing either their own behavior or the behaviors of their close family members and friends.

We ended our week with a dance celebrating the end of state testing. Next week, we will continue talking more about Emo Trolls!

Hanging out with Sergio at the dance!

Some of our sweet mentee girls! 

Mentor Presentation and Hot & Cool Buttons

We are finished with testing! It has been a long three weeks, and we are excited to return to our normal routines.

4th hour during our pendulum activity for "hot" buttons.

Last week, we began discussing "hot" buttons by identifying triggering situations. This is empowering as the first step to change is awareness, and building awareness around one's hot buttons is a crucial step in emotional intelligence. We did a couple of exercises and completed a packet that guided us through the process of identifying major hot buttons. Then, we used the information to acknowledge our need for action. It was great to see our scholars building awareness. 

Leslie works hard on the title for our display board.

We have also been hard at work preparing for the end of year celebration (on May 7th at Ranum!) and for the annual YESS breakfast. I am very proud of the work our speakers have but into their speeches, and I am also very proud of the beautiful display board my student assistants helped me put together!

Our mentors have been presenting their leadership projects and have been doing a wonderful job (check out the pictures!).

We are looking forward to talking about Emo Trolls next week. Stay tuned! 

Jennifer presents her project on Barack Obama.

Jayleen presents her project on Emma Gonzalez. 

YESS T-shirts & Testing (Continued)

7th hour t-shirt celebration!

The amazing shirts, hand drawn by Celest Morales.

We are working our way through testing, and have reached the end of ELA and Math! Next week, our 8th graders will complete testing for science, which will mark the official end of state testing! Our scholars are working hard, and have done a great job these past two weeks. 

Having fun on a Friday after testing. 

Our mentors have been working on independent research projects. This Monday, they will present on the leader they picked by presenting a Google slide power point. Our mentees have done a wonderful job on their "13 Reasons Why Not" project.

We are so excited to announce we received our amazing YESS t-shirts last week! One of our mentors--7th grader Celest Morales--had the winning design. Everyone is thrilled by the way the shirts turned out, and it has been great to see them around the building. Big thanks to all of those who helped make this possible for our scholars. 

Next week, we will resume lessons. Stay tuned for more. 

The Belief Cycle & CMAS Testing

We began CMAS testing this past week at Shaw, and so we have slowed down our pace a bit in the YESS classroom to accommodate for the schedule. We did manage to fit in one more full lesson on Tuesday as we continued our discussions on beliefs by studying a flow chart that explains how limiting beliefs become self-full-filling prophecies (see picture).

The Belief Cycle

Changing limiting beliefs into empowering beliefs!

We worked on identifying limiting beliefs and the consequential impact such beliefs have on our lives by studying events or circumstances that tend to trigger limiting beliefs. It was an emotional lesson as it can be quite uncomfortable to analyze such negative thoughts. It was, however, empowering when we were then able to take the limiting belief and turn it around so that became an empowering belief. 

Identifying limiting beliefs.

Once testing began, we spent our afternoons working on a more uplifting project called "13 Reasons Why NOT." This short art project asked each mentor and mentee to come up with 13 reasons why they are happy to be on this Earth. We used a circle map to brainstorm our ideas, which we then illustrated. Special shout out to Mrs. Sankovich at Scott Carpenter for the project idea!

A mentee's brainstorm for "13 Reasons Why NOT"

Next week we will continue testing, and our mentors will be finalizing their leadership projects, which is very exciting!

Beliefs Questionnaire & Stress Survey

Welcome back! We are ready to get back to work following our week-long spring break.

Quan's Beliefs Questionnaire from 6th hour.

Prior to the break, we continued our discussions on belief systems and the ways our beliefs influence our lives. We completed a questionnaire that helped us explore the various beliefs we hold about ourselves and the world around us (see picture for details). We used this information to play "Find Someone Who," a Kagan structure that had our scholars moving around the classroom. Each had to find five other individuals (who did not sit at his or her table!) with whom they shared specific beliefs (and correlating scores).

Ericka's questionnaire from 4th hour. 

It was interesting to see friends who previously assumed they held the same beliefs realize just how much they differed! Likewise, it was great to see new connections being made as our scholars realized who did share their exact beliefs.

We also took some time to evaluate stress and the way we deal-- or don't deal-- with stress. This was great information to have as we are about to start PARCC and CMAS testing.

We look forward to getting back into the swing of things-- stay tuned for more!

Beliefs Survey & Questionnaire

We continued our discussions about beliefs last week by completing a survey and a questionnaire. These tools were designed to help our YESS scholars better understand beliefs they harbor in addition to understanding how others may perceive him or her.

To complete the survey, each scholar had to ask his or her table for feedback. For instance, one of the questions asked, "What do you think are my greatest strengths?" Another question asked, "What are some areas for improvement?" I was particularly proud of the way our scholars handled this question. There was honesty, but also empathy as mentors and mentees thought carefully about how to phrase their feedback. Many were surprised by some of the beliefs they heard others hold true for them, such as, "you are really great at helping me with my math work," or, "you are really confident and calm."

5th hour acts out the survey as though they are filming each interviewee!

Though the survey took some time to complete, it was very helpful at highlight the different belief systems in our classroom. After the survey, we moved on to a questionnaire. Each scholar had to note how much they felt the statement represented their behavior and/or feelings on a scale of 1-4 (1 indicating little if any connection, 4 indicating a major connection). One example of a statement reads: To fail is terrible. Another reads: I feel personally threatened when criticized.

Nate works with his mentees to complete the survey.

7th hour works hard to complete the questionnaire.

At the end of the questionnaire, our scholars had to add up certain questions to see which of the four main categories (or more!) they fell under: feeling "powerless" or like "I can't do much about my life"; feeling as though "my worth and security are dependent on being loved"; feeling like "my worth and security depend on the approval of others"; feeling as if "my worth is dependent on my performance or achievements"; feeling as if "I trust or get too close, I'll lose control"; or feeling like "I have to be perfect" or "it is not OK to make mistakes."

So many scholars found this questionnaire enlightening. As one mentee put it, "This is totally me! I mean, I knew it, but not really. Like, it was in the back of my head but now I am aware, Miss!"

5th hour enjoys some fresh air while completing their surveys!

We also had a very special visit by Breanne, who designed our YESS lessons and curriculum. It was such a pleasure to host her in our classroom!

We will continue to explore belief systems more in the weeks to come!

Some great feedback from a mentee on a Weekly Reflection Log. "The most interesting was that I never actually thought about some of these things [in relation to our talk about belief systems]."

Belief Systems

7th hour explores belief systems with a game of musical chairs!

This past week in YESS we began discussing belief systems. We have noted that the brain is a very sensitive organ that is heavily influenced by the way we think. Our scholars have a strong understanding of the power of positive thought thanks to all of our work around "stinking-thinking" and our ritual of "Today I Choose." We are now trying to work out why, perhaps, we have certain beliefs about ourselves--some of which may really stink!

Andrew contemplates his word during 4th hour.

We began by playing a version of musical chairs. Each scholar had a chair (we were not trying to "get" any one out!) and a T-chart to fill out as we worked through this exercise. On each chair there was one note card that was facing down; whenever the music stopped, each scholar had to pick up the card on the chair in front of him or her. They then had to record the word on their chart and describe one immediate connection they had to that word--whether it was positive, negative, or neutral.

Afterward, we wrote a reflection about the word each scholar liked "best," or had the most positive connotation to, and the word they liked the "least," or the word with which they experienced the most negative connotation.

It was interesting to see scholars in the same class periods having polar opposite reactions to the same words. For instance, the word "math" made one student happy because she is gifted and talented, while another just wrote "can't do" next to the word (see the pictures for more examples!).

An example of our worksheet-- these two ladies reacted very differently to the word "school." 

An example of our worksheet-- these two ladies reacted very differently to the word "school."

Understanding our belief systems is a key part of emotional intelligence, and will we be discussing belief systems for the next two weeks. Stay tuned for more!

"I am" Poem

A fantastic poem from Leslie, a 1st year mentor!

This past week in YESS we took some time to explore our creative sides by writing "I am" poems. This lesson is a fantastic way for our scholars to see that poetry is an accessible (even easy!) way to express our emotions.

We used Circle Maps to brainstorm descriptors for our poems.

Isaiah wrote a funny and very honest poem. The struggle is real!

We had some mentors who have done this lesson before and are now become experts at writing these sorts of poems. And while we had some mentees and mentors who struggled with this at first, eventually everyone got the hang of it. Once the poems were written, we then turned them into beautiful works of art. It was amazing to see the different emotions elicited by our scholars, and it was even more powerful to see the poems illustrated.


It was a special week for our mentees as they all received special letters of gratitude from their mentor(s). The mentors and I worked on these letters during Mentor Monday because, as we discussed, it is often those you help who teach you the most. The mentees were all so excited and surprised by this kind gesture, and I could tell that the mentors were very proud of their letters!

Alex works hard on his WRL during Tutoring Tuesday.

6th hour mentees read their gratitude letters from their mentors.

Leo has one of the most detailed, organized planners I have ever seen! Amazing work from a mentee.

Brisa helps her mentee, Bethsy, decorate her poem.

7th hour mentees work during Tutoring Tuesday time.

A great poem from a mentee in 3rd hour. 

Ze'Aira's poem is a beautifully honest depiction of her experience at Shaw Heights.

Stay tuned for more!

5th Grade Fair & Bullying

We had an exciting opportunity to represent YESS this week at the two-day 5th Grade Fair. Sunset Ridge, Mesa, Flynn, and Harris Park Elementary schools were all in attendance during the two days, and I selected several YESS mentors and their mentees to speak to the 5th graders about why they joined YESS, what they were like when I first met them, and how they feel now that they have the support of YESS.

Amanda and her mentee Lea and Ean and his mentee Josiah speak to 5th graders at the fair.

I was so impressed by their abilities to speak clearly and confidently about their experiences.







The mentees, in particular, where exceptional. As 6th grade mentee Josiah put it, "When I first joined YESS I was very shy. But now I can talk to all of you guys and I don't even know you, but that is OK, because I have Ean and I know he can help me be more confident." We had countless 5th graders express their desires to join YESS, and I know we will have a great group of mentees to choose from come fall.

So proud of these eloquent speakers!

This past week in YESS we finished our documentary on bullying and did some further research as to why, exactly, bullies bully. We spent two days reading an article in a "Round Robin" fashion while having one mentor act as the "scribe" to take Cornell notes. Our scholars did a fantastic job of sharing these responsibilities. We learned some interesting facts, according to a recent study, such  as: 

Breann, Aileen, and their mentee Selene work to take Cornell Notes on Bullying.

• 50% of people experience bullying before their 20th birthday  
• 66% of people who admitted to bullying others were male. 
• Bullies are far more likely to have experienced a stressful or traumatic event of some sort within the last five years. 
• 33% of bullies are raised by someone other than their biological parents, often in a household that is crowded and may be violent. 
• Those who experience bullying are twice as likely to go on and bully others, and bullies often feel as their most important relationships are unstable and/or in jeopardy. 

Our scholars really connected with the documentary and are certainly viewing assault and bullying in a much more serious light. I am proud of the conversations we have had and the maturity with which they have handled this complex, personal, and very sensitive lesson. 

Stay tuned for more next week! 

Audrie & Daisy: Bullying

Sergio and his mentee, Andre, write examples.

This past week in YESS we continued our discussion of healthy relationships by further discussing the issue of bullying. We did an exercise in which each mentee and mentor had to identify different bullying scenarios that they had either encountered personally, seen first hand, or heard about from a friend or on social media. At first, it was difficult for our scholars to be detailed-- this is a very personal exercise-- but after a few minutes and a little help, we had many different examples of bullying and harassment.

Zoe begins to sort the various examples of bullying.

I distributed four sticky notes to each scholar and asked them to fill these four notes with four different examples. Once each person was done, the table then worked as a group to try to identity and categorize the various types of bullying. Each table was given four different categories: cyber bullying, verbal bullying, psychical bullying, and relational bullying (the most difficult for all to grasp). Relational bullying, as we discussed it, is when an individual uses his or her relationship with you to exercise power over you. "Do this, or else..." is another way we defined it. It was surprising for so many to realize that this is a form of bullying. "Sit with me at lunch or else I will tell your crush that you like him/her in 6th hour today." This really hit home as I explained that these sorts of behaviors can escalate over time and can become increasingly more threatening and damaging.

Brisa and her mentee, Bethsy, did an excellent job!

3rd hour works to organize their various bullying experiences.

Once we had a general understanding of the different forms of bullying, we began a documentary called, "Audrie & Daisy." This film follows the lives of two young ladies who were bullied and assaulted in two different states: California and Missouri. We are watching this in twenty minute segments and we are learning new vocabulary such as deposition, allegation, alleged, district attorney, felony, and misdemeanor. While this is a difficult documentary to watch, it is certainly very poignant, and our scholars are really connecting with the message, which is-- BE AN UPSTANDER.

As we have discussed in YESS, an "upstander" is someone who speaks out against bullying and harassment, no matter who the victim may be. The opposite of this action is to be a bystander and to do nothing to help the situation.

Next week we will conclude the documentary and we will be moving on to discuss belief systems. Stay tuned!

Dr.MLK Jr. & Student Led Conferences

Parents learn about "stinking thinking" during conferences.

A great example of a script from a wonderful mentor!

This past week was a busy one as we hosted our second semester Parent Conferences! We had almost fifty families visit our YESS classroom over the course of two nights and it was truly an honor to connect with parents, siblings, and guardians. I have seen so much growth in our YESS scholars this year and it is always a wonderful experience to hear the same things from our families. "You are so awesome Ms. Garnett, her attitude is totally different now!" and, "I don't know what you did, Ms. Garnett, but he is working so much harder now and we got great reviews from all of his teachers this time!" are just a few examples of the pride that was expressed to me. Our mentors and mentees are truly making gains this year, and it is usually around this time in the year that other teachers, coaches, and family members begin to note the changes in attitude and work ethic. I am so proud of our YESS scholars!

Conferences are a great time to check in with each and every scholar. Over the course of two days I meet one-on-one with each mentee and mentor to go over our conferences script (see example) and to take a look in Empower to better understand their learning targets and progress in all other classes. We also take a look at attendance to see if there are any issues with unexcused tardies or unexcused absences. This helps bring awareness to these issues so that we may take steps to change, if necessary.

Mentors learn about Chavez in the tech lab during Mentor Monday.

Since the mentors and I have been discussing leadership during our time on Mondays we took some time this week to include the mentees in our discussions of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and his contemporaries in the Civil Rights movement. We watched, "I Have a Dream," and discussed the relevance to today's political climate. We took at look at the Ram Super Bowl commercial ad that was aired on the 50th anniversary of Dr. King's, "Drum Instinct Major," speech to better understand appropriation and how it effects our culture. First, we viewed the ad--which seemed harmless, just a few shots inspiring patriotic acts with Dr. King's speech over top--but we when looked more closely at the nature of the speech, it became clear how Dr. King's words had been stolen and misused. In fact, in the original speech, Dr. King warns:

"Now the presence of this instinct explains why we are so often taken by advertisers. You know, those gentlemen of massive verbal persuasion. And they have a way of saying things to you that kind of gets you into buying. In order to be a man of distinction, you must drink this whiskey. In order to make your neighbors envious, you must drive this type of car. (Make it plain) In order to be lovely to love you must wear this kind of lipstick or this kind of perfume. And you know, before you know it, you're just buying that stuff. (Yes) That's the way the advertisers do it."

7th hour watches, "I Have a Dream."

Thomas and Sergio partner up to take Cornell notes on Chavez during Tutoring Tuesday.

Our scholars were shocked to hear Dr. King warning about advertisements and could not believe that his speech had been appropriated to, as Dr. King's friend Dr. Harry Edward's said, "peddle trucks." It really got them all thinking about the ways they interpret messages and to question the truth of the message itself.

Next week will continue our discussions on healthy relationships by looking at negative beliefs we often unknowingly hold on to and how they in turn affect our personal beliefs.