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An old Chinese Proverb teaches:

If you want happiness for an hour, take a nap.
If you want happiness for a day, go fishing.
If you want happiness for a year, inherit a fortune.
If you want happiness for a lifetime, help someone else.

Providing service in a pandemic might seem a little crazy, but there are still plenty of ways for us to serve and find that happiness that comes from helping others. The Girl Scouts of San Jacinto have a guide that they created with several ideas of how to help others during the pandemic. Here are some of them:

  • Donate to and/or volunteer at the food bank
  • Donate blood
  • Donate to a homeless shelter
  • Spread kindness and uplifting messages
  • Be tech support 
  • Consider fostering an animal or donate pet food and supplies for owners in need
  • Be a good neighbor
  • Be prepared, but don’t hoard

For more ideas, see their handout: 

https://www.gssjc.org/content/dam/gssjc/documents/our-council/covid-19/GirlScoutServiceIdeasforCOVID19.pdf

We hope you are able to find happiness through this holiday season as we finish2020 and move into 2021!

You have been amazing during this very unusual teaching moment. Your websites, Canvas classes, blogs, Zoom meetings, parades, lawn posters, and all the incredible technology you have used to instruct and stay connected to your students has been a monumental effort. We applaud you for finishing strong and caring so much about student success. 

Have a safe, restful summer!

With Gratitude: your JSD Mentor Teacher Specialists

As we anticipate the future of our students, we need to keep in mind the emotional needs of students.

Kathleen Minke, the executive director of the National Association of School Psychologists, made this observation: 

“School psychologists know that academic efforts cannot proceed without addressing psychological and emotional trauma. Learning will not occur unless the emotional needs of both students and adults are addressed. Indeed, pretending that everything is 'normal' will likely exacerbate underlying traumas and further delay genuine recovery.”

She recommends these ideas:

  1. Recovery plan
  2. Assess, don’t assume
  3. Develop a resource plan
  4. Use Professional Development

Emotional trauma

Building Your Resilience
From:   American Psychological Association

Like building a muscle, increasing your resilience takes time and intentionality.Focusing on four core components — building connections, fostering wellness, finding purpose and embracing healthy thinking — can empower you to withstand and learn from difficult experiences.

The important thing is to remember you’re not alone on the journey. While you may not be able to control all of your circumstances, you can grow by focusing on the aspects of life’s challenges that you can manage with the support of loved ones and trusted professionals.

https://www.apa.org/topics/resilience