They are all at that pre-teen age and many of them have very strong Type-A dominate personalities. This makes for great leaders, but, if misguided, can also create conflict and tension. The later had become a problem, so my wonderful principal, Ebony, decided to have a Tarde de Chicas (Girls' Afternoon) complete with manicures, games, cookie baking, pizza, and a sweet little charla (talk) about friendship and conflict.
Ebony lead the first half of the charla and talked to the girls about the importance of having friends and of being a good friend, and I took the second half and talked with them about what to do when conflict arises. To help them better confront conflict, I gave them 5 steps (Calm Down, Think About What's Really Bothering You, Talk and Share How You Feel, Listen to How the Other Person Feels, and Come to a Conclusion) that I found at http://www.girlshealth.gov/relationships/conflict/index.cfm.
I saw the first fruits of our labor in English class last Wednesday. They all came into the classroom, sat at different tables and began complaining about eachother. I immediately asked if they had gone through the 5 steps to deal with conflict and I could almost see the lightbulbs go on as they said, "Oh no! We haven't, but we will!" Woohoo!
Here are some pics from our fun afternoon together:
Ebony and Me with the girls who were able to make it
The girls with their cookies...yum yum!
Playing Twister...it was the first time for all of them!
Pizza for dinner :o)
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