The Sunrise Story

This is why I teach.  In my last post , I wrote about a new mission statement that my principal wrote for our school. This comment on my post gave me a great idea... I decided to try this out with my students and we began our journey to create a class mission statement. Yesterday, we read and analyzed some mission statements. When we felt like we understood what a mission statement is, we started brainstorming words and ideas to include in a class mission statement. Today, we visited youtube and listened to Montague's Workshop and Kid President for some inspiration.  We continued to plan and we started to draft. Students were working hard and the room was abuzz with excitement. We aren't finished, but I couldn't wait to share these amazing mission statement drafts. Why do I teach? THIS is why I teach... Somehow we will revise and revise and revise to create one unified mission statement. Stay tuned...

Monday morning started out as any other in school. We turned on the morning announcements to begin our day. Our principal ends each day with sharing part of our school's mission statement. He does this every day. It becomes part of the fabric of our community since we hear it daily. Here's the full mission statement: On this particular morning, there was a change. Mr. Phillips paused and changed the mission statement. I noticed the seventh and eighth-grade students in my class, look up and pay attention to this change. Here is what he said, " We offer every student and staff member here, each day, an unlimited welcome. No matter who you are, what your background, religious beliefs, ethnicity, or how you look, speak, or dress – that welcome is unlimited and unchanging. Today, treat each person with dignity, so that dignity can grow into understanding. For, in the end, there is only one true school rule – treat others with the respect and kindness that you wo...