Good morning. I’d like to start today by thanking all the Hillview students who, over the past month, had the courage to come forward and let us know when they’ve seen or heard of something that they knew wasn’t right. It seems to me that more kids than usual have spoken up. In each instance we’ve done our best to keep their identity anonymous, and it’s allowed us the opportunity to do what we’re here to do: teach. Believe it or not, when we levy consequences it’s with the hope that the next time an opportunity to do something wrong presents itself, a student will stop and think about whether or not it’s really worth the consequences. And the consequences here are much easier to serve than those you’ll get when you’re older. So thank you. By reporting the wrongs or injustices you see, you truly are helping….in many ways.
Ok….here’s an intro to today’s lesson:
I know that song is an old one, but the lyrics are great….I’ve had so many opportunities over the years to ask students about what they value in a friend…The answers are always pretty similar: Trust, honesty, someone that will be there for me, someone who will listen, someone that won’t talk behind my back, or tell my secrets….someone I can have fun with, and someone who let’s me be myself. One of the problems in middle school, though, is that you don’t always know who you are….It’s really common to try on different personalities, and different ideas, just like you try on new clothes, and that, in itself, can be very difficult in a friendship….because sometimes the “new” thing you try on, is friends! Last year, we talked about how to break up with a friend…so this year, I want to talk about how you handle it a friend doesn’t want you around…..Let’s hear from the experts!
So you can hang out with other friends, try to talk it out, move on, or cry…but if your friends decide that they really don’t want you around anymore, there really is not much you can do…..and it hurts. The sooner you move on, the sooner life will get better; and life WILL get better. There are very few of us who have ever reached adulthood without losing at least one friend (or boyfriend or girlfriend) and the fact of the matter is, that we probably all remember it pretty vividly. For many of us, it probably happened in middle school! And high school, and maybe even college! As we grow older we change. We look for different things, and quite often different people to fill our needs. Realize that if and when it happens to you, you do have a choice: You get to decide how long you want to let it upset you…..and you get to decide when and how to move on. Ms. Watts and I, your teachers and parents are all here to help if you need us. Don’t be afraid to call “our” names.
