Stretch

It's week two, and the Kyrene STAR program is running full speed ahead!  If you were a fly in our classroom you’d hear very interesting conversation from students about ways to work together, suggestion on working through anger, what type of home students want to live in, and the latest events in our book, Downriver.  The conversations are reflections of our program belief that every student will learn to be a positive member and participant in their community at school and home.

During our first week, many of the students were shy and reserved in their demeanor.  Already in Monday of our second week we are starting to see that the students are feeling more comfortable and letting their true selves out.  This is fantastic for two reasons: 1) It means that they are opening up to the idea that this is a environment of trust and learning.  When we feel afraid and uncomfortable we tend to hide our true nature. 2) It means that we can now get down to the nitty gritty of what brought us all to this program.  Many of our students have had unsuccessful areas in their school year and they are participating in STAR to learn a new way of thinking, a different way to be seen, and an alternative way to learn.

As our program rolls on we expect to see frustration, avoidance, and surrender.  These are the difficult spaces we must work through as a group to find the success.  The students are learning how to experience emotion without letting it rule their lives.  In class students have learned and practiced a variety of emotion management techniques.  They are confronting their own weaknesses, problem solving through them, and becoming resilient and resourceful teens.  Through this method we call 'stretch' our staff are teaching students that they will be able to effectively problem solve, and use strategy to persevere when faced with any obstacle.  They are on their way, and our staff is so proud of the progress we have already seen!