Questions and Tips About Friendship

The discussion this week around the topic of friendship was insightful and engaging. Every homeroom has a different chemistry, and it's an absolute honor to connect students in this online space!

This week we focused on making friends in an online environment. Of course, these skills are transferable to other relationships as well. We started off with a list of common questions about friendship. One item on the list we narrowed in on involved being friends with students who are different ages. Students who are gifted in particular seem to thrive at making friends much older than and much younger than them. We talked about why that might be. 

 Then we moved on to 12 tips for keeping and making friends using a slide-slow with ideas from "The Gifted Teens Survival Guide." 

 Here's a summary regarding the tips: 

1. Reach out. 
2. Get involved. 
3. Let people know you are interested in their lives. 
4. Work on being a good listener. 
5. Let people know you. 
6. Avoid arrogance (What is the difference between confidence and arrogance?) 
7. Be honest. 
8. Infuse your honesty with kindness. 
9. Share wins and losses. 
10. Do your share of the work. 
11. Be accepting but assertive.
12. Keep competitiveness in check. 

 Optional journal questions: 

 - Looking at the list above, do you see one tip you find paramount for building a strong relationship with a friend? 
 - Do you have a topic above that is a particular strength for you? 
 - Do you have a topic above you need to work on? 

 Go Deeper: 

 
Famous Friends in History: 
Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton 
Helen Keller and Alexander Graham Bell 
Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass 
John Adams and Thomas Jefferson 
George Washington and Alexander Hamilton 
Mark Twain and Nikola Tesla

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

About DYS Homerooms

Welcome to homeroom classes addressing social and emotional needs, creative problem solving, and effective task management in a friendly setting.  This is a fun space for students (8-12 years old) who are profoundly gifted to meet like-minded peers.   “I love DYS Homeroom because it is a safe space where I feel I can talk about my feelings with friends. It’s so fun to be around other Davidson Young Scholars in a friendly environment! I enjoy all of Michelle’s mini lessons. I love and cherish every moment with Michelle and my peers.” – Lauren, Age 11  First Semester 2023: Sep. 5th - Dec. 22nd (except Nov. 23rd and 24th) Second Semester 2024: Jan. 8 - May 24th (spring break: March 29 - April 5) Click  here  for the topics/curriculum calendar.  DYS Homerooms are held M-F at the below times: DYS Homeroom 1 (9:30am EST / 8:30am CST / 7:30am MST/ 6:30am PST) DYS Homeroom 2 (10:00am EST / 9:00am CST / 8:00am MST/ 7:00am PST) DYS Homeroom 3 (11:00am EST /...
Read more

What is Twice-Exceptionality (2E) in Gifted Education?

Image
Concerning the mini-lesson, this week we focused on common “maddening myths” about gifted education (see below). Students were presented with a myth and asked to break it down from their own perspective while being exposed to the “fact” in the Gifted Teen Survival Guide (sometimes I borrow from this excellent book in addition to the Gifted Kids Survival Guide). We used myth number four (“gifted kids are good at everything they do”) to segue into a discussion about twice-exceptionality. I let students know, even if they don’t identify as twice-exceptional themselves, they will encounter many students on their educational journey who do, and it’s beneficial to be aware of this definition and the specific challenges involved (see images below). We also discussed Famous 2e people in history (a brief list) and analyzed corresponding quotes. Hans Christian Andersen  Simone Weil  Mozart  Beethoven  Archimedes  Vincent van Gogh  Isaac Newton  Nikola Tesla...
Read more