Suzanne – High School Teacher It’s another year with a new group of kids who just can’t wait to become educated. Teachers are such optimists! Hello again from Malden, Massachusetts. Our setting is a large urban school, and this year, our principal acquired a grant to reorganize us into smaller communities, otherwise known as houses. We were all surprised in June when it was announced that, in addition to new schedules, assignments, school wide clustering, and room changes, we would be instituting an Advisor/Advisee program. You may be asking, “What’s that?” We asked the same question. We soon discovered that teachers, guidance counselors, and nurses are to meet weekly for thirty minutes with a group of ten to fifteen students, holding open discussions on such topics as school policy and school culture. The rationale behind the program is that we are to give the students the opportunity to connect regularly with at least one caring adult. This sounds like an excellent opportunity to get kids talking, and a lot of good could come from the discussions, but many staff were not looking forward to these new sessions. “What do we talk about every week?” “I’m not a trained counselor.” Their concerns were legitimate, and in the majority. Still, we moved into the group discussions as if we were Dr. Levine’s geese leading our teenaged goslings. Coincidentally, while browsing the Schools Attuned Web site, I stumbled upon a possible solution to our dilemma – The Mind That’s Mine program. I’m excited about the activities associated with the program, The Mind that’s Mine. It’s something I can use to help students understand their own learning. Although the material is geared for the upper elementary grades, I think I can use it as a jumping-off point for teens. If you’ve read my previous entries, you know that, as a veteran teacher, I feel more comfortable working with groups. I’m not a clinician, and the information Dr. Levine and his colleagues present, although simplified in the LearningBase, is sometimes overwhelming. What I can do is help students learn more about their own learning, and share with them some techniques they can employ to maximize their educational experience. So I contacted the people at All Kinds of Minds about using The Mind that’s Mine package and offered to share my experiences with you. Each month I’ll let you know how it’s going in my Advisor/Advisee group, what worked, what didn’t, and how it could have been done better. Until then, Suzanne