Kudos!

“What’s a Kudos?” one student asked as they pulled a “Kudos” card out of their mailbox. As I had mentioned in a previous post about strengths, the Impact Learning Center is using Gallup’s StrengthsExplorer for the students. Each student is given their top three strengths. To learn more about StrengthsExplorer visit the website at www.strengthsexplorer.com.

Once anyone learns what they are gifted in, it is a waste for them not to use it. That is why we want to encourage and educate students on their strengths and how to use them effectively.

Strengths are something that each person has and affects their thoughts and actions, so it is inevitable that we use our strengths daily. “Kudos” are a way to catch kids using their strengths and encouraging them to continue doing that. Once they realize their strength and realize how they can use it with their actions. That is when they will make an impact.

A good example comes from staff member’s James’s journal about third grader Tabitha whose strengths are Dependability, Caring, and Confidence.

Today, we played soccer for Rec Time and one student in particular, Tabitha, exuded an amazing quality. Usually, when students play sports they want to be the star, the go-to-player. As we have been in the program for a few months now, I have seen students take the ball from each other in order to score a goal or make a basket. In fact, we have had to stop Rec Time before because students have been too rowdy, too selfish, or too spiteful. Today, however, Tabitha continually offered to let another student kick the ball or throw it in from out of bounds. This happened at least four times! I was so impressed by her unselfishness that I wrote her a ”Kudos" because of her inclusiveness during the game. I know that because of her actions, other students will change their attitudes and actions when they play sports with each other.

Maxey PTO Donates Books

by Bethany Larson

Recently Maxey Elementary School’s PTO has donated over 200 books to the Impact Learning Center. Maxey Elementary organizes a book exchange for its students, where students bring in old books and all books are combined. Then students are allowed to take the maximum of five new books home. Over 2800 books were brought in by students, so many books were left over. Maxey PTO then donates the rest of the books.

Chairperson of the book exchange and member of the Maxey PTO, Mikki Sandin helped connect ILC students with the books.

“The Impact Learning Center is something not a lot of people know about, so I wanted top put the plug in for it,” Sandin said.

After they were donated to City Impact, volunteer Jami Spaulding sorted through all the books and are ready to be used in the Read Room.

Each day in the Read Room, students are given about ten minutes to find books they are interested in and read them silently or with a book buddy volunteer. During this time, students use reading strategies they have learned in Read Room, such as schema, connections and mental images, with the books they pick out. With the variety of students, in age and interests, a variety of books to choose from is needed.

Thanks to the support and donation of Maxey PTO, ILC students will be able to expand their library.

Open Doors

by Anna Zach

My continual prayer is that the Lord would give me opportunities to really engage in these children’s lives for His glory and the furtherance of His kingdom and that He would grant open doors. That day I read Psalm 23 illustrated by Tim Ladwig to my 3rd – 5th graders. I really had such a good time with them digging through this modern interpretation of a profound Psalm. As I read to them I stopped and asked them if they knew what it meant to want – as in the Lord is my shepherd I shall not be in want. An interesting discussion ensued and we came to a consensus as to its intended meaning. This began a wonderful process. Every time we came to word or phrase that someone didn’t understand a hand popped up. Open doors. I really am so impressed by what was happening. My emphasis to them has been that good readers think and read at the same time. And while this was obviously happening, I was even more tickled by it because they were really thinking about the Word of God, and engaging in the pictures and wondering how the verse and the picture related. I think of myself as I have learned to read the Word, of how thoughtless I have been at times, how unengaged I have been and then I think of the special time I had with these children I am genuinely impressed and encouraged. I love the question “what does it mean that He makes me lie down in green pastures?” Imagine for a minute how naturally the phrase, “He makes me” would sound to a 4th grader. Even more I loved the question, “what does it mean that He restores our soul?” What a fantastic question. Open doors.

R.E.A.L Improvement!

by Miriam Heider

As I stated in a previous post, our curriculum for the R.E.A.L. room has been about one year in the making. Bethany and I, with the guidance of Todd, tried out several different reading plans on some students for the past two semesters. Through trial and error and lots of discussion, we found that the Carbo reading method was the most user friendly while also producing the greatest gains. Carbo is used in classrooms nationwide every single day. We decided to try it with students once a week and see if it still produced results. This would ensure more students received instruction each week. It worked! The fall semester of 2006 we instructed 6 different students, 2 of which received instruction twice a week, 4 only once a week. These students make significant gains in only one semester. Most of the students’ reading scores jumped one whole grade level, while some jumped a semester. We were very excited with these results, and hope to see more students improving their reading levels and their appreciation for learning in the next semester!

Use What You Got

by Bethany Larson

One of the Impact Learning Center’s goal is to create opportunities for youth to discover and explore their God-given identity and strengths. In cooperation with Gallup, we are using their Clifton Youth StrengthsExplorer test for the students to discover their talents.

The students have gotten the chance to take a questionnaire online that evaluates the student’s characteristics and likes, that determines their strengths. Above Mr. Wale assists a second grader with the StrengthsExplorer test.

There are eleven themes that the StrengthsExplorer test categorizes as strengths for youth. They are Achieving, Caring, Competing, Confidence, Dependability, Discoverer, Future Thinker, Organizer, Presence, Relating.

Once each of the students have taken the StrengthsExplorer test, they are given their top three strengths. We then put these strengths on their nametags, so everybody can see them. Already students have been able to connect with other students and staff that have similar strengths as them. Eventually, as the students learn, they will be able to relate and recognize strengths in others that they might not even obtain.

Something that I have found and have relayed onto the students is most of us do not need a test to tell us what we are like. It is empowering and encouraging to hear that you were created that way and it can be used make an impact and glorify God. You also may not have other strengths. That does not mean you have to work to make those thing strengths. Use the strengths you have to do your best. That is why it is helpful to know what they are.

For example, one student had Organizer as a strength. I asked her if she liked to clean and organize things. She said she did. I asked her how she thought she could use it to help others. Immediately she thought of ways to help her mom at home or teacher at school. Other students would not see cleaning or organizing as a strength, because they do not obtain it, but this student does and enjoys it. The goal is not only to better the students, but to strengthen them so they are equipped to make an impact for others.

Just for Fun!

Creating some laughs, seventh grader TJ poses with a toy “blob” on his head during hang-out time before program starts. Normally quiet TJ uses his strength of Presence to make those around him laugh.

Wishing all the students and staff a safe and relaxing spring break! We will return on Monday.

Who doesn't want to be cool?

by Bethany Larson

During team time this week in the Splats room (grades 6-8), students got a chance to read the stamps that had been sent to them in the past week. Each student smiled as they read their notes from their friends, staff members and other students in the ILC.

“How did you feel reading your Stamps?” I asked the students.

“Good. I liked reading my Stamps, but I liked writing them more,” said one sixth grade girl.

We talked a little about how receiving and giving out compliments feels good. So why don’t we do it more? The students talked about how there friends don’t normally say encouraging things. It is not normal to give complements, so it is scary not knowing how the other person is going to react. Especially in middle school students are struggling to be perceived as “cool.” And the “cool” thing to do is usually not to give out complements.

Daily kids engage in playful banter with one another. They laugh with and at each other, ignoring the hurt it might cause. Both kids and adults are guilty of poking “fun” at peers, but truly it hurts.

The goal of the Impact Learning Center is to help empower students to be impacters in their world. Encouraging words is an impact that can be made daily. Each day student’s mailboxes and minds are being filled with notes of encouragement, not only from staff, but their peers, the students sitting next to them.

It’s moving to see the students excited about writing and receiving Stamps encouraging notes. It is cool to receive a compliment. It is cool to give one away as well. And who doesn’t want to be cool?