Pete the Cat

Every night, my son Cole and I read books together before bedtime.  Some of his favorite books right now are the Pete the Cat books.  He has one about Pete and a baseball game, Pete and the beach, and Pete and a giant sandwich.  Last night we read the original Pete the Cat...this one is my favorite.  For those who have not had the pleasure of reading it (I suggest you do), the story is about a cat who is in love with his new, white shoes.  During his walk, he steps in different things like mud that change the color of his shoes.  Each time, he loves the shoes no matter what color they turn.  At the end, the author tell us that moral of the story is that no matter what you step in, you just need to keep on walking along and singing your song.

I love this message and will often share this idea with our students.  During the course of the day, our students might have ups and downs, but no matter what, it is a good idea to keep on moving along and not let things bother you.  There is research to show resilience can significantly affect school and life outcomes for youth. As part of our Peacekeeper program at Central Woodlands, we work to give students the tools to bounce back if something is negatively affecting them. The more we can do at school and at home to help kids be resilient, the better off they will be!

Each day I look forward to helping our students learn how to "keep on walking and to sing their song."