Bullet Journal for School
24 Hours of YES
The Power of Introverts
But beware of looking for goals: look for a way of life. Decide how you want to live and then see what you can do to make a living within that way of life. - Hunter S. Thomson
SophiaYour voice as a student, a member of society, and and individual doesn't just mean the ability to make choices or to speak, it also means self expression in general. A voice doesn't have to be one that is audible, it can be a story or message in the form of paint on canvas, written and shown on posters or billboards, shown through dance or music, and written in books and poetry.
AmandaStudent voice is an incredibly important value in my life. Not only is it beneficial to myself, but it is also beneficial to the world around me. Oftentimes people tend to be unheard or their thoughts trivialized- whether they’re a student, a worker, or a child. Students not having a voice seems to be incredibly prevalent in today’s society.
My Voice
ArdenAre you at all like me? Do you ever feel that you have no words to express what you are feeling or what you say will come out wrong? That’s an everyday occurrence when you have dyslexia.
My Ancestors Live in Me
AnnaI’ve always been curious and I always will be. The price of being curious nowadays in the “regular” world, is almost, or practically dangerous.
- When I was 7, I was bullied.
- When I was 7, I was in love with rocks and minerals.
- When I was 7, I learned about what I loved.
- When I was 13, I was bullied.
The Journey
ZenyaMy dream is to become a professional ballet dancer. My mom took me to my first ballet class when I was four years old. When I took my first class I knew that this was what I wanted to do the rest of my life. Many people laughed at me and ask how a four year old could know what career they want. But so far I have still kept striving toward this dream that I wanted since I was four.
Hopes and Dreams
MirandaWhen you look at a picture like this, what is your first thought? Pretty? Funny? Happy? Maybe some other nice adjective? I can tell you one thing for sure. Those words never went through my head when I was younger. Whether looking at a picture of myself like the one above or just seeing myself in the mirror, the words that always traveled through my head were things like ugly, worthless, small, stupid and crazy.
Words Hurt
What a privilege it is to serve such a diverse student body. CMASAS students and families come from dozens of different countries around the world, speaking different languages, practicing different cultures, devoting themselves to different religions and beliefs. Our students are vibrant, brilliant young people, each so perfectly unique in their own ways.
Your School, Your Way
Because you are remarkable, you dare to be different. You touch the future and you change the game, in ways that no one else has thought of before. You no longer move on a factory belt, captured by common, forced into a rhythm of conformity that your feet don’t move to. You’re not play-it-safers, do-it-laters, settling for average, creators of complacency.
Sometimes a mission just sits on a wall but CMASAS’s philosophy is embedded in multiple things. ~AdvancedEd Tamra Excell, co-founder of CMASAS and our program designer, recently returned from meetings where the school’s accreditation was reviewed and renewed, receiving wide support from the accreditation team AdvancedEd.
Ever fall into a rabbit hole online? Perhaps it was social media, or even reading an article with links to other articles, which in turn have links to other articles? Need help? Now there’s an app for that. Or several apps. With today’s technology, you can become a cyborg. Rescue Time is an app you install on your devices to track how you spend your time each day. You can also set alarms to let you know you’ve reached a self-imposed limit on an activity, or even create blocks. Start or pause the app any time you wish.
Far too many students sit in a classroom, surrounded by thirty other students, receiving no attention from their teacher. Too many students are unable to communicate with their instructors, falling behind in classes and failing to master materials. With online school’s one-on-one teacher and student interactions however, students are able to learn faster, master more material, remember their course work and truly love learning. One-on-one learning relationships empower students to take control over their studies, have the confidence to communicate what they need, and receive the personalized attention that will enable them to succeed.
Many parents and educators work hard to instill healthy behaviors in children from a very young age, all for their lifelong health and success. We teach children to be polite, responsible and intuitive. What about teaching children how to be generous? And apart from obvious reasons why generosity is important, like “sharing is caring”, why would we want to teach this discipline and attitude to our children?
How Do You Define Success?
What is success? How should one define it? Is it even necessary for us to define it? Researchers suggest that yes, it is essential for us to each define success, because the definition is what drives our motivations, actions, and path in life.
Last week on the blog we talked about the benefits of building schedules and creating routines. Healthy habits and routines help us to work efficiently, to learn material quickly and to produce great results in our daily lives. If routines are practiced too regularly however, we are at risk of becoming robots, sacrificing spontaneous joys for an imagined need to stick to the plan.
Some people are what we often call “creatures of habit” and are the ones who thrive off of routine and structure. Others are sometimes deemed “free spirits” and are the people who cringe at to-do lists and feel stifled by schedules. No matter the personality type, upbringing, or work ethic, some level of routine is beneficial for everyone.
Dear Graduate, Love CMASAS
Dear graduate, Trust me for a moment and do a crazy thing. Close your eyes and breathe. Breathe deep, big, bigger than you are used to. Listen to the air move up and down your throat, massaging your inner body as it moves. As you listen to your breath remember this, you are alive, you are well. Now do another crazy thing. Go outside. Don’t wear shoes.
You’ve been laughed at. You’ve been misunderstood. You’ve been left alone. You’ve been noticed, identified, set apart from the crowd. Strange, odd, weird, unusual — these are words others use towards you behind your back, or worse, to your face.
Something most parents and educators all agree on is the desire to nurture young people into being holistically healthy, happy and prepared individuals. We not only want students to gain intellectual intelligence, but to also have healthy bodies, balanced lifestyles, and a sustainable emotional life. Over the last decade or so, researchers, educators and parents have realized and placed greater importance on the emotional intelligence of children. It is important to teach children how to understand and manage their emotions, as researchers now correlate emotional intelligence to future success in life.
Though it’s often difficult to encourage social growth in an online school setting, we have developed many opportunities to help students connect with their peers and explore their passions. One opportunity students have to connect with others is through our online clubs. These clubs have great attendance and many students have said that going to club meetings is their favorite part of the week.
There’s one element to a student’s education and development that we take very seriously at CMASAS, and go to great lengths to encourage and serve - socialization. Apart from mastering core knowledge of the arts and sciences, developing an understanding of oneself, and becoming prepared for higher education or a future career, our students are given opportunities to develop socially by building relationships with their peers and teachers. Though it’s often difficult to encourage social growth in an online setting, we have developed many opportunities to help students connect and thrive.
The world is a book, and those who do not travel read only a page. — Saint Augustine Have you heard? A group of CMASAS students are in Havana, Cuba this week! We launched a new program this year where students embark on national (USA) and international trips with their teachers and peers. Get a glimpse into what our students areexperiencing on their 9-day exploration of Cuba, witnessing the nation’s culture, conservation efforts, and vibrant art.
Neurotypical syndrome is a neurobiological disorder characterized by preoccupation with social concerns, delusions of superiority, and obsession with conformity. The above quote, on a page titled the Institute for the Study of the Neurologically Typical, is offered by Autism.org as a parody. It takes the same framing often used for neurodivergent perception and behavior, and applies it to neurotypicals (aka “normal” people) in a way that hopefully causes you to think.
Students Are Not Broken
Hi Tami! Tell us a little bit about yourself. Just wanted to introduce myself to you. I live in Northern Utah in an area called Cache Valley. I am in the Mountain Time zone. I have been teaching online for over 14 years and love the opportunities it provides for me and my students. I enjoy gardening and spending time with my family. I have three kids of my own, a boy (16), and two girls (9 & 11)
What a beautiful thing it is when students are celebrated for their individuality and are given opportunities to advance in their education in truly personal ways. Online school is one of the few unique environments in life where students, regardless of personality type, can step into their strengths. In online school, extroverts are not considered too assertive and introverts aren’t deemed as too shy. With personalized education platforms, extroverts can find stimulation through immediate interaction while introverts can simultaneously find solace in careful reflection.
Feeling alone sometimes seems like a problem that needs to be solved. Young people and children are growing up in a world where solitude is a rarity and connection is key. Though being alone is often not fun, and loneliness is a tragic emotional burden, researchers, educators and parents are realizing the need for solitude in children’s lives. If we don’t teach our children how to be alone, they will only know how to be lonely.
