Spring Once More

We decided to combine February and March’s editions of Peaceable Possibilities this time around. It is our hope that this newsletter is proving to be a helpful resource for ideas and a successful method of celebrating the good that is taking place in all of the Peaceable Schools. If you ever have any stories, pictures, or ideas (or anything else of the sort) from your school that you would like to share in our newsletter, then PLEASE contact Molly Munk via e-mail (molly3580@yahoo.com) or by phone (422-1841). Thank you…and enjoy!!

Praise Isn’t Just For Students!

Springville Junior High School is taking the concept of praise notes to the next level. In addition to teachers writing praise notes to students for exhibiting good behavior and skills they want to reinforce, teachers are also writing notes of thanks and appreciation to each other. We created a fun-decorated faculty praise note box and put it in the faculty lunch room along with a stack of blank praise notes. It's an opportunity for teachers to recognize each other for their talents and contributions, especially for the things that often go unrecognized. "We all want to work in a place where we recognize each other's strengths and the praise notes are a great way to do that," said Kim Gerke, SJHS counselor. Peaceable Schools isn't keeping track of the faculty praise notes at this time, we're just using it as fun way to express gratitude to each other. Notesare distributed to the faculty mail boxes once a week.

Becky Kraner                      

Research Assistant Supervisor

Peaceable Schools               

An Idea For Praise Notes

Need some fuel for your fire to give out praise notes? Here’s one way of doing things. At Mt. Loafer elementary school, “Great Grizzlies” are given to students in praise of good behavior. Teachers at this elementary school take the time to personally write out each Great Grizzly that they award. Then, students can take their note to the principal’s office where they are posted on a bulletin board for display. The students also receive a small surprise at the office to celebrate their good behavior. This method is a great way to reward positive behavior and encourage the use of praise notes. Hats off to Mt. Loafer elementary!

George Washington—A forgotten Story

The Bullet Proof President

(From America's Godly Heritage by David Barton)

The following story can be used in conjunction with teaching several different social skills. It is a positive story that has significance because of its historical nature.

This story of George Washington once appeared in virtually every student text in America, but hasn't been seen in the last forty years. This story deals with George Washington when he was involved in the French and Indian War as a young man only twenty-three years of age.

The French and Indian War occurred twenty years before the American Revolution. It was the British against the French; the Americans sided with the British; and most of the Indians sided with the French. Both Great Britain and France disputed each others' claims of territorial ownership along the Ohio and Mississippi rivers; both of them claimed the same land.

Unable to settle the dispute diplomatically, Great Britain sent 2300 hand-picked, veteran British troops to America under General Edward Braddock to rout the French.

The British troops arrived in Virginia, where George Washington (colonel of the Virginia militia) and 100 Virginia buckskins joined General Braddock. They divided their force; and General Braddock, George Washington, and 1300 troops marched north to expel the French from Fort Duquesne --- now the city of Pittsburgh. On July 9, 1755 --- only seven miles from the fort --- while marching through a wooded ravine, they walked right into an ambush; the French and Indians opened fire on them from both sides.

But these were British veterans; they knew exactly what to do. The problem was, they were veterans of European wars. European warfare was all in the open. One army lined up at one end of an open field, the other army lined up at the other end, they looked at each other, took aim, and fired. No running, no hiding, But here they were in the Pennsylvania woods with the French and Indians firing at them from the tops of trees, from behind rocks, and from under logs.

When they came under fire, the British troops did exactly what they had been taught; they lined up shoulder-to-shoulder in the bottom of that ravine -- and were slaughtered. At the end of two hours, 714 of the 1300 British and American troops had been shot down; only 30 of the French and Indians had been shot.

There were 86 British and American officers involved in that battle; at the end of the battle, George Washington was the only officer who had not been shot down off his horse -- he was the only officer left on horseback.

Following this resounding defeat, Washington gathered the remaining troops and retreated back to Fort Cumberland in western Maryland, arriving there on July 17, 1755.

The next day, Washington wrote a letter to his family explaining that after the battle was over, he had taken off his jacket and had found four bullet holes through it, yet not a single bullet had touched him; several horses had been shot from under him, but he had not been harmed. He told them:

”By the all powerful dispensations of Providence, I have been protected beyond all human probability or expectation.” (Providence means God)

Washington openly acknowledged that God's hand was upon him, that God had protected him and kept him through that battle.

However, the story does not stop here. Fifteen years later, in 1770 -- now a time of peace -- George Washington and a close personal friend, Dr. James Craik, returned to those same Pennsylvania woods. An old Indian chief from far away, having heard that Washington had come back to those woods, traveled a long way just to meet with him.

He sat down with Washington, and face-to-face over a council fire, the chief told Washington that he had been a leader in that battle fifteen years earlier, and that he had instructed his braves to single out all the officers and shoot them down. Washington had been singled out, and the chief explained that he personally had shot at Washington seventeen different times, but without effect. Believing Washington to be under the care of the Great Spirit, the chief instructed his braves to cease firing at him. He then told Washington:

“I am a chief, and the ruler over many tribes. My influence extends to the waters of the great lakes, and to the far blue mountains. I have traveled a long and weary path that I might see the young warrior of the great battle.

“It was on the day when the white man's blood mixed with the streams of our forest that I first beheld this chief. I called to my young men and said, Mark yon tall and daring warrior? He is not of the red-coat tribe-he hath an Indian's wisdom, and his warriors fight as we do--himself is alone exposed. Quick, let your aim be certain, and he dies. Our rifles were leveled, rifles which but for him knew not how to miss-'twas all in vain; a power mightier far than we shielded him from harm. He cannot die in battle.

“I am old, and soon shall be gathered to the great council fire of my fathers in the land of shades; but ere I go there is something bids me speak in the voice of prophecy. Listen! The Great Spirit protects that man, and guides his destinies-he will become the chief of nations, and a people yet unborn will hail him as the founder of a mighty empire!” (This excerpt was taken from the book The Real George Washington by Andrew Allison)

Colorful Creations

These pictures are small samplings that represent coordinated efforts of teachers and students at Rees Elementary school. Each grade level was asked to display in the hallways a visual representation of what Peaceable School skills means to them. Each class was asked to contribute to their grade level’s Peaceable School’s display. Some classes chose a story web, an interactive writing experience, or students' writings and art work. Rees Elementary’s principal, Mike Larsen, said, “It's nice to see the artifacts that represent the students’ thoughts concerning skills and Peaceable Schools.”

Upcoming Newsletter

Our upcoming “Peaceable Possibilities” in February will feature the following things:

• Cross curricular social skill implementation
• Ideas for skill notes
• Other wonderful stuff!