BMUFSD: Middle School Students Practice Making Positive Affirmations

Press release from the Briarcliff Manor Union Free School District:

2024-09-13

Briarcliff Middle School is all about having a growth mindset. That means students embrace challenges, learn from failures and are inspired by others’ success.

To promote the growth mindset teacher across the building began the new year with special activities.

All seventh graders in English Language Arts classes worked on a project related to a book they read.

Students in Briana Kenny’s class (formerly Briana Di Nuzzi) recently began reading “The Truth as Told by Mason Buttle,” which is about a student who gets bullied due to his learning disabilities.

“In the book, bullies write the word “stupid” on the front of the main character’s shirt. Upon seeing this, his school counselor crosses it out and writes “thinks outside the box” instead,” Ms. Kenny said. “I thought it was important that students understand the message that they can be who they want to be and not be confined to something that other people tell them, so we did a project to empower them.”

Students wrote on paper shaped like T-shirts something that they would like to manifest for themselves for the year. They decorated the papers and wrote messages such as “Stay happy,” “I am artistic,” and “Never give up.”

“The T-shirts came out really cute, and I think it’s a great start for the new school year,” Ms. Kenny said.

According to art teacher Jessica Dubin, having a growth mindset can be especially helpful in art class.

“When you are making art, it’s easy to get frustrated and feel that your idea is not good enough or that you are not talented, so I like to tell students that everybody can make art,” Ms. Dubin said. “Everybody has ideas; what you need is persistence and goals. It’s ok to make mistakes, mistakes help you learn. Coming up with multiple solutions to one problem and being imaginative can help.”

Sixth graders in her class created affirmations using images and words.

“This was an open-ended project, there were no rules,” she said. “I just wanted the students to create something they could go back to that would help them feel positive.”

Sixth grader Ronan wrote “I can do anything.”

“It helps me be more optimistic,” he said.

Chase, who wrote “Anything is possible,” agrees.

“When I see my art work it gives me a confidence boost. If I’m struggling, I can look back at it and try to figure out the problem and overcome my challenge,” he said.

Sixth graders in Julie Gallagher’s science class wrote one-word goals, such as “adapt,” “positivity” and “persist,” and she put the papers together as a collage to hang outside the classroom.

“I gave students a list of possibilities for goals and we talked about the words that they could use, or they could also come up with their own,” she said. “On the back of the paper, they wrote how the word that they chose relates to them.”

The cards were displayed in the hallways outside of the classroom so that students could see them each time they leave the room.

“I hope the students will be inspired by them,” Ms. Gallagher said. “They shared what they wrote on the back of their card only with me because I wanted them to feel free to explain the reason for their word choice without others seeing it.”

In Kelly Adams Health class, sixth and eighth graders begin each class with a daily affirmation

“We close our eyes, take three deep breaths, and repeat the affirmation three times,” Ms. Adams said.

Some examples are “My positive thoughts create positive feelings” and “I can control my happiness.”

“The students get a schedule for all of the affirmations, so they can always go back and re-read them anytime they want,” Ms. Adams said.

“I usually have a positive mindset about things, but when I don’t, I don’t have as much energy,” said Nina, a sixth grader. “These types of affirmations help.”

This press release was produced by the Briarcliff Manor Union Free School District. The views expressed here are the author’s own.