March News
Happy March! Our documentaries this month include: Kindness Is Contagious (Tubi), Dream Big (Netflix), A Place at the Table (Tubi), and Waiting for Superman (Hulu). Kindness Is Contagious (NR) talks about the impact and infectiousness of human kindness and compassion. Dream Big (NR) explores the human ingenuity behind engineering marvels—big and small—and reveals the heart that drives engineers to create better lives for people around the world. A Place at the Table (PG) is an examination of the issue of hunger in America it focuses on the plight of three individuals from different parts of the country who struggle to find adequate nutrition. Waiting for Superman (PG) investigates the public school system in the United States, and uncovers the many ways in which education in America has declined.
We are living in a pretty stressful time. Between the upheaval in our government and commercials that seem to berate the competition left and right. In combination with all of the national disasters that seem to have creeped into our world over the last few years: fires, hurricanes, tornadoes, etc. In combination we also have the current scare of Coronavirus. It is hard to remember the importance of being joyful, especially with our youngest family members.
However, joy is powerful. Mindset is one of the most important factors in our daily lives. One really does have some control in their mood—a positive outlook can create positivity all around you. In fact, “Music educator Emile Jaques-Dalcroze claimed that joy is the most powerful of all mental stimuli.” Being joyful, or positive, will have an impact on not just our day to day life but our long-term potentials as well! In the book “What If Everybody Understood Child Development?” they discuss the impact of stress on the learning process. Sometimes it is easy to set out to be joyful but then get stuck on our internal to-do list or the next big work project. Our hope is that those working with our children will also be in a place where they can separate their “stresses” and focus on their “joys.” This will set our children up for success as well.
“What if Everybody Understood Child Development?” does highlight some sources of joy in the classroom for children. They include: “active, engaged efforts from the children; desire to master the material—to become an “expert” at something; students allowed to work at their own level and pace; finishing a task or solving a problem and the time to do so; the chance to make choices; sharing and collaborating with other students; and the opportunity to play.” W.A.C.C. is fortunate to be in a position where this list can be met almost daily in our setting. We hope to continue to provide a joyful environment not just for the children we are serving, but for the parents and community at large.
However, joy is powerful. Mindset is one of the most important factors in our daily lives. One really does have some control in their mood—a positive outlook can create positivity all around you. In fact, “Music educator Emile Jaques-Dalcroze claimed that joy is the most powerful of all mental stimuli.” Being joyful, or positive, will have an impact on not just our day to day life but our long-term potentials as well! In the book “What If Everybody Understood Child Development?” they discuss the impact of stress on the learning process. Sometimes it is easy to set out to be joyful but then get stuck on our internal to-do list or the next big work project. Our hope is that those working with our children will also be in a place where they can separate their “stresses” and focus on their “joys.” This will set our children up for success as well.
“What if Everybody Understood Child Development?” does highlight some sources of joy in the classroom for children. They include: “active, engaged efforts from the children; desire to master the material—to become an “expert” at something; students allowed to work at their own level and pace; finishing a task or solving a problem and the time to do so; the chance to make choices; sharing and collaborating with other students; and the opportunity to play.” W.A.C.C. is fortunate to be in a position where this list can be met almost daily in our setting. We hope to continue to provide a joyful environment not just for the children we are serving, but for the parents and community at large.
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