Learning to Celebrate Ourselves & Celebrate Others Just Because

0:00 another ritual that we use is one called celebrations and what I've learned in my conscious discipline journey is that as I celebrate you I also celebrate me I have had a very hard time in my life celebrating myself and I would venture to say that many of you have also that's something that we don't spend enough time doing in my opinion as adults is celebrating ourselves we spend a lot more time beating our own selves up for

0:28 all of the things that we feel our inadequacies rather than celebrating everything that we are and everything that we bring to the table our strengths and our weaknesses so this bringing this into the classroom with our children and showing them that everyone has value and that everyone has a place here in this school family and everyone has something to bring to the table is such a big part of of helping children learn how to be in relationship with one another so that

1:01 as they grow up and in life they're able to have healthy relationships later on so you're going to see a video now of a group celebration that we're doing and the child that we're celebrating In This Moment is actually a child on the autism spectrum his name is Joelle and he is such a joy as all the rest of the children in the classroom are but what this does is it's going to show you that there doesn't have to be some something

1:30 that's happened there doesn't have to be something that's been accomplished we're just going to celebrate you because you are you are here in this moment you are part of our school family and guess what we are excited that you're here so watch this and watch this celebration that we're doing with Joelle and and see if it's something that you might be willing to do in your classroom the person who is the cheerleader gets to use the

2:01 D the megaphone and today's cheerleader is going to be Joelle no come on up I know you're wishing for a turn but the good news is everybody gets to stand up with your pom pom oh I cannot wait to spell joelle's name the letters that spell his name and Kendall I'm noticing that you're kind of beside our board if you would like to move somewhere where you can see out in the middle you can do that for the name

2:26 cheer you too Taylor you would like to move out in the middle yeah you can handle it it's hard but you can handle it all right thanks this is so much fun here we go ready wait first joelle's turn then your turn give me a give me a j j you got your J you got your J what's the next letter

3:01 say give me an O get o oh you got your o you got your o here's the next one give e e you got your e you got your e and the last one ready a a Cal L L you got your L you got your

3:32 l what does it spell what it spell Jo say it again say it again Jo okay this is your favorite part ready hip [Music] hooray you did it way to go so wasn't that so much fun you can probably tell I was a cheerleader I had just as much fun as the kids been it so fun every time we do it but the thing that um I want to add here is that yes

4:03 this is one way to do celebrations but it doesn't have to be in a group setting it doesn't have to be this elaborate I'm working in a in a classroom with a teacher right now doing some coaching and one of the things that has been so exciting to see and to watch and hear is that all throughout the day they celebrate all day long every day as something happens or or something you know a child comes over and is kind to

4:29 another child child or a child something's offered up and something's helpful they celebrate right there in that moment and I think last year they did they use snaps and this year they're using High claps I think and and she's asked them what it is that they want to use to celebrate and so she'll say hands go up high clap for d d d d da give a clap and they just give a clap so they're all day long they're celebrating

4:56 one another just because they are and just because they're there which is exciting to see