Friday, March 28, 2014

Summit Academy Elementary North has CONFIDENT Kids!

I had the pleasure of speaking with students and parents of Summit Academy Elementary North last night. It was phenomenal. Carol Paul, another NPM author and literacy advocate for Summit, contacted me after she learned about Are You Confident Today?. She purchased Confident (as we lovingly call it) and my other book, Cracking the Code: Spreading Rumors (chapter book, great for grades 3 and up) so the students could do an "author study." Wow! I was humbled.

I was able to speak with many of those kids who were reading one of the books. Most were reading Confident..and I have to tell you...those kids are CONFIDENT!

As I read the book, I would ask them questions.

  • Who makes their breakfast?
  • Who gets their backpack ready before school?
  • Who has tried something new?
  • Who has had to practice and practice before mastering a new skill?
  • How do we treat others when they make a mistake?
  • How do we feel when we make a mistake? Do we try again or give up?
Time after time, hands were raised and little mouths were opened to tell me their stories. I loved it.

Then came time to talk to the parents about bullying, empathy, and raising responsible kids. Since the kids were still sitting on the floor in front of me, I didn't want to leave them out. As I gave my presentation, I asked the kids questions like:
  • What's the difference between bullying behavior and conflict behavior?
  • What's the difference between tattling and reporting?
  • What do you do when you're being bullied?
  • Do you have a "family mission"?
The kids had GREAT answers.

Summit Academy Elementary North is grooming some wonderful, character-filled students! I'm so happy that they chose our books to help complement their curriculum.

If you're interested in learning more about our school program, please don't hesitate to contact us! I can be reached at krismyankee @ gmail (dot) com.

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