Wednesday, April 15, 2015

Beauty

It's is no secret to my students, I'm a fan of sunsets. Sunrises too, actually. As a matter of fact, I have begun walking our dog, Rosie, every morning. My favorite part is watching the sun move up in the sky. It is breathtaking every. single. time. One of my favorite quotes comes from the book Wild by Cheryl Strayed. In it, she shares a quote her mom said that used to drive her crazy: 

There's a sunrise and a sunset every day, and you can choose to be there for it. You can put yourself in the way of beauty.



I choose to be there, to appreciate beauty. 

Recently I came upon the newest Dove commercial on Facebook: 

It really made me pause. My students are hitting that age of insecurity, middle school is looming. I look out at a sea of 78 faces every single day. They are all beautiful to me, boys and girls alike. Yet, I know they don't always feel it. So, I decided to show them the video as our quick write on Friday to see what they thought.

When we do a quick write off of a video, I use it much like a poem, short text, or image. I show it, without much comment. Ask them to write for a short period (often two minutes) and then we talk about what it meant to them.

The kids had a lot to say about this video. We talked about how we are all unique, and that is beautiful. We questioned what beauty was, anyway. And we talked of self-confidence. A lot. 

The students agreed to share their thoughts with you. I loved reading through their comments on this Padlet, getting the chance to see inside their brains. Here is a peek for you. Hope you enjoy it.