San Antonio Independent School District
141 Lavaca St.
San Antonio, TX 78210
Focus: The Newsletter for New
Teachers
April 2016
THIS MONTH:
WHEN IS STRESS A GOOD THING?
With STAAR, EOC, and
other assessments approaching, stress can’t be
far behind!
The term stress usually
invokes negative feelings. Problems arise
because we don’t know
how to deal with it well.
We may fall victim to letting it control us. We
may try to avoid or deny
what’s stressing us out or
turn to negative actions.
This is when stress is
bad, and bad stress can
lead to health and other
issues that affect our well
being.
Is there ever a time when
stress is actually good for
us?
Hans Selye, the endocrinologist who studied
stress, said, “It’s not the
stress that kills us, it is
our reaction to it.”
So how can we get stress
to work for us?
Katrina Schwartz, in her
article, “What Harnessing
the Positive Side of
Stress Can Do for Students,” (KQED News)
brings up some very important points about how
our mindset can help us
use stress for benefit.
She lists 3 ideas to help
alleviate stress:
1.
“Caring for others
builds resiliency
against stress”
2.
“Purpose in life reduces stress”
3.
“Focus on how stress
can help students
grow”
(Access the full article at
http://www2.KQED.org/
mindshift/category/
teaching-strategies/)
My personal suggestion
is for you and your students to support each
other through this time.



Build a team approach to prepare for
the test. Pool your
efforts and work to
make everyone successful
Set goals beyond
scores, such as: using strategies, not
giving up, doing your
best, etc.
Explain how this experience will
strengthen and help
students in future
situations
Please don’t put off dealing with Texas’ own version of a “stress test.”
Dealing with it will help
your students and YOU!
April 18
Progress Reports
Due 4:00 pm
April 22
Battle of Flowers
Holiday
April 27
Pay Day
QUOTE OF THE
MONTH
“With the coming of
Spring, I am calm
again.”
Gustav Mahler
HOW’S THAT SARCASM WORKING FOR YOU?
In regards to student
learning, it’s probably
NOT working.!
Although bringing humor
into the classroom is important, as students see
you in a human light, it
does not build trust. We
know that trust is essential in a learning environment, as students are
asked to take risks and
expose themselves to
what they know and don’t
know!
In a January 21, 2016
Smartblog, Robert Ahdoot, states that the following conditions warrant
honest teacher responses rather than sarcasm:

“When students ask
a sincere question”

“When students are
confused/frustrated”

“When a harmless –
sounding remark can
result in offending a
student”
So save the sarcasm for the
comedy club!
Maintain respectful interactions
and your students will approach learning
more positively.
Contact: Rosa Linda Lomas
ORIGAMI FOR KIDS
Here are some great websites for origami activities for kids of all ages.
Administrative Officer
Educator Quality
[email protected]
554-2253
www.origami-fun.org
www.origami-resources-center.com
www.activityvillage.co.uk
www.easypeasyandfun.com
www.origami-make.org
You can also check out
online tutorials to help
you and your students
create stunning projects.
Two easy ones to start with:
SAISD Human
Resources:
Sonobe cube and octagon-star
Caring-CommittedConnected!
DE-STRESSING WITH ORIGAMI
Did you know that origami can
serve as a de-stressing activity for
many students?
In a recent Scholastic article,
“Teaching Math with Modular Origami,” a teacher explains how
origami has a wide range of uses
we may not have thought about.
1.
The repetitiveness of folding
and pressing the paper units
may have a calming effect on
some students
2.
Many students enter a focused, mindful zone as they
work and create
3.
Students who like to fidget
have a purposeful outlet for
their energy
4.
It is great for de-stressing
before standardized tests.
It’s also a great way to teach sequencing, following written directions ,or explain how-to steps.
5.
Students can work individually, or work together to create
their origami project
Overall, origami is great for addressing students’ learning styles
and allowing them to tap into their
artistic and creative abilities.
Origami activities do not require
expensive supplies or materials.
Regular color copy paper cut to
size works well for most projects.
But, there are other benefits as
well:
Popsicle sticks can be used for
pressing the paper folds.
Of course, we know it is an effective Math strategy for teaching
geometry vocabulary and concepts.
So, as we countdown to “testing
season” and the end-of-the-year,
when both students and adults
may become stressed out, keep
origami in mind.
It’s a great way to incorporate
hands-on activities, keep students
engaged in purposeful learning,
and keep us all calm!