Ranum College Week

Hello!

This week at Ranum has been all about college and will culminate with a field trip to the University of Colorado at Denver. The short week began with a few questions for students to see how much they already know about college. Questions such as what do you think when you hear the word college, who do you know who has been to college and what colleges do you know about all seemed to spark a response from most students. When asked what jobs do students think require a college education, they quickly realized that most higher paying and challenging jobs require at least a Bachelors Degree.

On Wednesday we discussed how a higher education equals a higher reward. Students learned that by going to college they have more job opportunities, security, money, stability and even better health. They were surprised to hear how much health insurance costs and how there are companies out there that help you pay for it, as long as you have your degree and in turn, were hired by a great company.

Thursday brought some technology into the classroom and students did virtual tours of campuses around the United States. They had to explore one Colorado based University/College and one out of state University/College. Most students went with University of Colorado because of familiarity and for out of state, they went with Harvard or Yale, mostly Ivy League schools.

As I'm typing this, I'm also preparing for the field trip to CU Denver today. The students are really excited and there will be pictures to follow soon!

Have a great weekend!

Ranum Update - February Edition

Hello all,

We've had a busy couple of weeks here at Ranum. The students have become more accountable and learned some very important peaceful conflict resolution steps that they will start to utilize whenever confronted with an issue/disagreement.

We also created self portraits (pictured below) so students could get a better understanding of who they are right now. They drew how they viewed themselves and included the things that are most important to them in their life currently.

The project we worked on at the end of last week was our hand contracts (pictured below). Students came up with goals for themselves for their second semester in the YESS program. Goals ranged from being a mentor next semester to completed all of their math learning targets. It was a fun activity that culminated with a poster that has their goals on it to remind them why they're here and what they're working for as the semester closes out.

Have a great week!

Mid-January Update

Hello all,

A nice 4 day week leads us into what should be a great game between the Patriots and Broncos (Go Pats)! This week we worked on Anger Management, Consequences, and the Abuse Cycle.

The Anger Management topic resonated with many of the students and the discussions that we had were fantastic. Students learned several new anger management strategies such as taking deep breaths, walking away, or even a nice workout (a.k.a a punching bag). Discussions also focused towards the cause of their anger and students agreed that family/siblings, peers, and teachers were some of the main causes. They were very honest with me and it allowed for some great insight into their world and what they see and think.

The consequences lesson was a fun and challenging one at the same time. They had a lot of trouble thinking of a specific time one of their actions led to a negative outcome but with a little guidance, they finally came up with a good example. It also involved a lot of scenarios so students could diagnose the appropriate vs the inappropriate way to handle the situation. Overall, they made the correct choice when prompted, but they did stress it is difficult in the moment depending on who they were with.

We finished the week talking about the abuse cycle and again I was impressed by the conversations we had. Students shared out examples of situations they've seen both at home and with their friends parents. The topic hit home with all of them and although it was definitely a tough topic to discuss, it is definitely important for them to hear so they can recognize these situations in the future.

It was a great week of work and we're all excited for the weekend!

New Year, New Post

Hello all!

Fresh off of winter break most kids, myself included, seemed to be energized and ready to go while others were still adjusting to having to wake up early again. This week we focused on I am poems, the apple pie metaphor and boundaries.

The I am poems gave students a chance to be creative in their writing and truly express themselves through an outlet they may not use very often, writing. Most students had done one of these before but I asked them to dive a little deeper and express their feelings more, and they did not disappoint. They did such an amazing job I felt they needed to present their poems and although these are personal poems, many students were confident and prepared to share. Here are some examples of poems below:

The apple pie metaphor gave mentor and mentee pairs the chance to talk about their relationship and work towards making it a 50/50 partnership. This was very empowering for the mentees because instead of having the mentor dominate opinions and work, they felt as if the power was now shifting towards them and a more even split of responsibility. Here is an example of what one pair came up with in terms of how they will improve their relationship:

We wrapped up the week talking about personal boundaries. This activity helped students realize each others boundaries in terms of talking, touching, and emotionally. I had mentors and mentees walk towards each other and whoever was being walked towards had the chance to say stop when they felt the other person was close enough. Some students said stop sooner than they thought they would but most felt comfortable with when they told the other to stop.

Overall it was a pretty packed first week back but the energy level was so great we just kept on working! 

Have a great weekend!

Ranum Pre-Vacation Week!

Hello,

The week started off strong with a great documentary on mentor Monday. The focus of the documentary was on two people from a small island off the coast of Colombia. One has been a fisherman his whole life, the other is a 10 year old boy contemplating his future. Not many people make it off the island to pursue education and this little boy wants to go to the mainland to focus on schooling. The mentors were surprised at how content all of the islanders were with their non materialistic lives, especially without WiFi!

Tuesday was a snow day so that put us a little behind for our next activity, the Love Cup! The love cup is a metaphor that helps us figure out how much of ourselves we are able to give to others. There are many things that make us happy and that goes into the Love Cup; however, there are many stresses in life that drain your love cup (arguing with friends, fighting with parents, and school work are just a few things the students came up with). As you can see below, the students had a lot of fun creating their Love Cups.

The students learned a little more about themselves and the things that bring them happiness. They also learned how to slow down /eliminate some of their leaks (stressors) through different avenues such as exercise, music, and even journaling.

I wish everyone a safe and happy holidays!

Ranum Update 12/7-12/11

Hello,

This past week went by really quickly. Our main focus was on giving back and giving back is exactly what we did. The YESS program raised $260 from the bake sale and all of the proceeds will go to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. We had an over whelming amount of help and support from both the students and teachers here at Ranum. The students did a great job of bringing in baked goods and handling the large crowds of students wanting those goods.

In class, we did self - esteem charts throughout the week to see how we felt depending on the day. Mentors and Mentees discussed anything that was going on both positive and negative that could effect their score that day. 

Later in the week we created self - esteem rainbows. Mentors and mentees each wrote some positive adjectives about one another and then switched papers so they could decide their top 6 adjectives. These adjectives represented the colors of the rainbow and the kids were very creative in their projects.

Overall, another great week and you can tell we're all itching for the winter break.

Post Turkey Day (11/30 - 12/4)

Hello all!

This week we focused our attention on Community Service Projects while mixing in a lesson on values and how we behave in different situations/locations. 

The students will be collecting donations for the Denver Rescue Mission, raising money through a bake sale for St. Jude Children's Hospital, and writing encouraging letters to one of the Veteran's organizations in Denver. 

It's powerful to see the passion and dedication the students are putting forth towards these efforts. I'm excited to update you on how things are going next week!

The values lesson gave me good insight on the importance level each student places on their values. We had some solid discussions and it gave other students a better understanding of their peers and why they react to things differently. We also did an activity that challenged students to discuss who they are in various settings and whether or not that is a good or bad thing. Most students said as long as you stick to your values and stand up for what you believe in, it is acceptable for there to be times where maybe you act differently depending on who you're with or where you are.

Overall, another fun filled week that allowed students to express themselves and share their values.

Have a great weekend!