Messages from students from Coalinga Middle School

Messages for Mrs. Martin and Dr. Ponce:  She is awesome.  She taught us to never give up.  We learned about delayed gratification.  Always wait, be patient and everything will be a success.  I am always going to remeber to have faith, hope and give back.  I will always bounce back and be better off.  I will have a good foundation.

Thank you both for working so closely with our students. They always looked forward to you coming on Thursdays. We will continue talking and working with the students in regards to building resiliency. The material that you brought really helped open their eyes to the opportunities that are available to them. You guys are awesome! ---Mrs. Fairbanks

Reflections from Coalinga Middle School Students

We have just completed the first round of Resiliency presentations. We want to thank the teachers and staff at San Joaquin M.S., Mrs. Santana, Mrs. Soria and Mrs. Fernandez. Most of all we want to thank the students. They were wonderful and so much fun to work with. I expect that they will take these lessons with them where ever they go in life. We expect you will succeed no matter the obstacles that are placed in your paths. Best wishes and the highest of expectations. Dream big and work hard!!!

Janelle and Alfredo

Coalinga Middle School Student Reflections

Hello all. I hope all is well. Today we presented the 3rd workshop at Coalinga MS. We had a smaller turnout. However, the students that were there were enganged and full of energy. We started out talking outdoors. It was a great day. The students got to analize an income chart based on the levels of accademic attainment. Then we moved to Mrs. Fairbanks class. She gave us a pile of student written reflections based on the previous assignemnt. The responses were inspiring. It is as though, they are looking for conversations about their histories and their futures. We also discussed the concept of goals. They were all full of hope and willing to share their dreams. They got an opportunity to write them and convert them to goals. We all discussed our goals. Some students are interested in following a soccer career. We also discussed the importance of a back-up plan. Another student indicated that she wants to be a physical therapist. We then discussed the importance of sharing them with others so that they could begin to internalize them and learn about those who are willing to help or not. Their homework is to discuss their goals with others and come back with reflections for the group. A special thanks to the students and Mrs. Fairbanks for being so engaging and willing to take a chance with our programs. Thank you Mrs. Fairbanks. This program is so much more engaging because of you!
ps. below are some images of the day!

Janelle and Alfredo

Resiliency presentation III, San Joaquin Elementary

Hello all I hope all is well. Today we discussed the concept of living a life with direction. We discussed the idea that we are all born with a gift and that our challenge is to find it, nurture it and see it actualized. We all agreed that we have found our true purpose when 5 minutes of activity in that area feels like 5 hours. On the opposite extreme, we are playing the wrong game when 5 minutes feels like 5 hours. It seems that the previous presentations mesh well. The students are able to make connections, and add their own input from previous sessions. They have all learned what the resiliency phenomena is all about. They understand that it is about how they bounce back from stress in their lives. We are very pleased to see most of our students return and bring friends along. Once again a special thanks to Mrs. Santana, Mrs. Fernandez and Miss. Soria.

Sincerely,
Alfredo and Janelle

Mr. Forbes inspiring students...

Thank you Mr. Forbes for your words of encouragement!!!

Coalinga session II

Hello all I hope all is well! We conducted the second session of our Resiliency series in Coalinga Middle School. Although, we had a smaller turn out, the students are slowly coming out of their shells. We began the session with a brief review of the previous lesson. The students seemed to recall quite a bit of information. We covered resiliency once again. As was noted, it is not wether we encounter stress in our lives, but when. The challenge is to be have the internal fortitude and support to be able to learn from our obstacles and be better after the dust settles. It appears that the students had a bit of a tough time with the "family tree" activity. It was indicated that some of the students did not know who their grandparents were. From our perspective, it is a perfect opportunity to empower these students to go home and ask questions!!! Our intent is to strengthen child parent relationship so that they may solidify their foundations. The lesson's activities were to learn more about one anther, have a bit of fun and learn to formulate theories. Their response to who put the turtle on the post were very creative. They were all very enthused. We will continue to encourage them to participate and become more comfortable as we move forth.

A special thanks to Mrs. Fairbanks, and Mr. Forbes. Thank you for being so supportive.
p.s. below are some images from this lesson.

Sincerely,

Alfredo and Janelle

San Joaquin Part Trois

Hello all. I hope all is well. Yesterday, we completed the third part of the Resiliency program in San Joaquin. We started out with some review. The teachers and mentors have been working on the student's family trees. Mrs. Santana shared part of hers. The stories were hilarious. One of the students shared a bit of information regarding the day she was born. Thank her mother for taking care of her aunt on the day of her birth. lol. We introduced the concept of goals. The students participated in a variation of the "don't eat the marshmallow" activity. I am delighted to say that 100% of the students were able to delay gratification. I am sure that their chips and juices were more delectable after learning about the benefits of delaying gratification. We also introduced some of the follow-up activities. We have attached some of the student's work.

Enjoy,
Alfredo and Janelle