Lyman,+Megan

Assignment #1

My name is Megan Lyman. I have been teaching elementary school now for 12 years. I got my degree at the College of Charleston in South Carolina. I taught 8 years in Colorado, a year in Athens, Georgia, a year in Taiwan and I am now teaching in Shanghai, China. Teaching abroad opens so many doors for travel, meeting new people, and working with various types of families and children from around the world. I’ve had an amazing opportunity to grow with the professional development provided as well.

Who am I outside of school? I am an avid yogi. I have been practicing yoga for about 7 years now and I am very dedicated to my practice. I keep a balanced life of health and fun. I enjoy happy hour and good wine. I love music and spend much of my summer seeing live music in the US. In the winter I enjoy snowboarding, unfortunately, I do not get to enjoy the sport living in Shanghai.

The first image that popped into my head when I saw the title of this course was the American Flag swaying in the breeze located in the center of Sandy Hook, Connecticut. This is a flag I passed everyday as a child going to school. When I looked at the flag it brought me peace and calmness. I left my hometown of Sandy Hook and continued on in my life but still visit several times a year to see my parents. When I drove passed this flag throughout the years of my adulthood it somehow brought a sense of safety in the community of this small town. It was in December 2012 when I received a phone call just hours before getting on a plane from Shanghai to Sandy Hook that changed the calmness of this hometown place in me forever. The most horrific crime of violence, which targeted an elementary school of children and teachers was executed at Sandy Hook Elementary School. I wonder everyday, where did we as adults go wrong? How could a teacher, a parent, or a counselor have helped this kid with problems he had in his life before acting with violence? Conflict resolution is a life skill that must be taught in our schools.

In addition to thoughts that came to mind when I saw this course description was the fact that I like to think that I am a very “peaceable” person, however, I am terrible at conflict resolutions. I’d rather avoid conflict than confront it. Also, last year was my first year incorporating the //Responsive Classroom// program into my 2nd grade classroom and I saw such a tremendous outcome in the relationships within my room and a positive community that I want to dive deeper into the program to see even more benefits that can come out of this. I am hoping that this course will give me leverage in helping myself as well as my students become better communicators when conflict arises, which will result in stronger relationships in the community.



Assignment # 2

In the movie //American History X// I believe the plot line all started at the dinner table. There was a scene where Derek and Danny were seated at the table with their father having a discussion about “black” novels. I found this scene to be one of the most powerful scenes in the movie. I grew up in a family where family dinner was required every night at 6:00. I always believed that this was one of our most important family rules and quality time we all had with each other. We had discussions about everyday life, politics, religion, etc. These conversations are ones I can still remember. These discussions molded my siblings and I and it gave us perspective on life, at least through how my parents often saw things. When I saw this scene in the movie the connection I made with my family at the table was the first thing that came to mind. The perspective on how Derek saw his teacher that he spoke so highly of was altered after listening to his father’s view on the books being read and affirmative action in the US. This is a true portrayal of how behaviors and beliefs can be learned by the influence of others. Derek’s role model was his teacher and his father but in the end his father’s views were put on a pedestal and it changed the way Derek thought. This was a learned behavior. As Derek and Danny’s teacher Mr. Sweeney quoted in the movie, “ he learned it and can unlearn it” he was referring to Danny’s view on racism after his brother was incarcerated after killing 3 young black males who were stealing his car. Danny's views changed quickly at the end of the movie after hearing how his brother Derek's perspective on people had changed while serving time. This movie is pivotal in displaying to audiences how imperative one's influence can be.

Can compassion be taught? I was recently in a workshop on positive discipline and it was stated that there is no scientific study that says it can be taught. I truly believe that compassion comes with experience. People are born with various levels of certain character traits and much of these traits can be learned, however, I believe that compassion comes with experiences in life. We as parents and teachers can certainly try our best to teach it but it comes from within. Derek found it through negative experiences in his life but it may have been the only way for him to unlearn his behavior and way of thinking.

A profound quote in the movie was, “anger shuts down the brain.” This was a realization that Derek had within the last 6 months in prison. Mr. Sweeney had asked Derek, “Has anything you’ve done made your life better?” When Derek had this realization and spoke to his brother about his new found wisdom in jail he had a colossal influence on his brother. This was proof on how teachers, siblings, parents, and mentors are imperative when molding young minds.

Assignment #3

Hank, if you entered my 2nd grade classroom I believe you would see many aspects of a peaceable classroom. You would see that the 7 and 8 year olds in the room are successful in cooperating with each other. You would witness how they show responsibility for their actions, their practice of empathy, and self -control. I work together with team members to come up with ways to teach these traits so that the students are socially capable to create a positive setting in the classroom. When students can witness teachers working together they will mimic the act with their peers and I believe that lasting change begins with adult community so we as teachers need to be the role models for what we preach.

Our school mission is that Shanghai American School inspires in all students a lifelong passion for learning, a commitment to act with integrity and compassion, and the courage to live their dreams. This mission statement is posted in large letters across each wall in the classroom and is referred back to regularly. Along with this mission statement I teach character traits starting from the first day of school. I show how we as students and teachers in our classroom community can own these traits to become better people in society. Teaching character traits is a complicated task. For starters, the vocabulary alone can be difficult for students to comprehend. I teach the meaning of these words through read alouds, character analysis’, and group activities. We then model these traits through role- play and other various activities. Can we teach compassion? That is up for debate, however we can make students aware. Our students, as a grade level, sponsor children at a school in Malawi. They raise money for them to go to school at Jacaranda and write letters. When these students at SAS enter the high school they will have the opportunity through SAS to visit the school of Jacaranda. Shanghai American School took a school of orphaned children that was started in a woman’s home in Malawi of 10 children and helped build the school to where the enrollment is now up to 450 students. The high school students give riveting talks to our elementary school students about their experience visiting Jacaranda. Many tears are shed in these talks. Compassion cannot be taught but it can be learned. I believe our school works hard in helping our students by giving them opportunities to be in touch with the world around them.

A daily activity we do every morning at 8:00 am is have a morning meeting/activity where I lead students in daily gatherings where the students participate in a friendly greeting, sharing of news, or I lead them in a song or dance activity. These consistent meetings create a bond and trust within the students and it turns the classroom into a community. It is something I have just started the past year and I have seen an extraordinary change in my students and I will always begin the day in this manner for the remaining of my teaching career.

I believe it is important for students to have a voice in the classroom, which is why I choose to collaborate with the students to develop classroom rules that support everyone’s learning instead of me just posting my rules in the classroom. Once rules have been established I involve the students in demonstrating and analyzing certain behaviors that support the social and academic rules and responsibilities that are expected.

To promote a peaceable classroom I respond to misbehavior with consequences that are respectful of the students and supportive of their willingness to learn how to fix their mistakes. I give them tools to help them solve their problems and have the school counselor come in weekly to also help aid in this. Children are given choice in the classroom so that they can maximize their learning creatively in a manner that works for their learning style. With choice students are happier to be in school and when they are happier they are more capable of learning and are less likely to become frustrated. I work with students in problem solving daily, not only academically in math but I show them that problem solving is also about solving problems socially. I teach them skills for solving problems with independence where they do not need a teacher to solve the problem for them.

I enjoyed reading the speech by Oscar Arias. I believe he has so many valid points and peace is completely looked passed when it is the one thing that should be and can be focused on in all subject areas in our schools. The statistics he gave put things into perspective in an eye- opening manner. If adults are not seeing things with a certain perspective than how do we teach our children? Educating adults is imperative so that we can be successful in educating the next generations.

Assignment #4

Test Results


 * Name || Q1 || Q2 || Q3 || Q4 || Q5 ||
 * MC || F || F || F || T || F ||
 * CG || F || F || F || T || F ||
 * SC || F || F || F || F || F ||
 * MC || F || T || F || F || F ||
 * MC || F || F || F || F || F ||

1. Why do you think the rate of homicide violence has gone down in the last 800 years? I hope to think the reason homicide and violence have declined is due to education. Society is taking on the responsibility of teaching children about conflict resolution, anger management, and community. I feel it is rare to walk into a classroom these days where cooperative learning is not a focus. Students and adults are often expected to work together to complete projects and assignments. This way of learning gives people skills in life more than we may know. In my school it is a focus to teach children about being global minded citizens, how to be adaptable, and being literate (which is more about communicating). These skills were not taught in schools until recently. It is now embedded into our everyday curriculum. We now have bullying programs and counselors that come into the classroom to discuss with children about how to react to situations. 2. Did you over estimate violence in the US? Yes. I believe that media instantly made me overestimate the violence in the US. I watch movies such as “Waiting for Columbine” by Michael Moore and watch the news and I see that there have been 72 school shootings since the Sandy Hook crisis. I am glad I over estimated and it makes me believe that maybe, we as a society, are doing something right.

3 & 4. What did your 4 subject colleagues think about violence in general? Why? We had a long discussion about this topic after the test was given. We discussed the violence that occurs in the US and how we believe a lot of it is due to mental illness, which is a huge topic that needs to be addressed more aggressively in the US. We compared crime in the US to crime in other countries where there are child soldiers or countries such as Cambodia where 1 in 5 children are exposed to human trafficking. We did all agree that authorities find criminals for these crimes easier now due to technology such as DNA testing and cameras, which may decrease crime rate when culprits know their chances of being caught are at a higher percentage rate. We did get into a deeper discussion about gun laws, where we were all in agreeance of having guns, however not semi automatics. I found it interesting in the article, “Homicide: Explaining America’s Exceptionalism” when it gave the statistic that gun ownership has most likely declined since the pre 1850’s. In the article it states, “Gun ownership has also changed. Few Americans live on farms, few hunt, and few are at high risk of an attack on their households. Therefore, a much larger decline should have been in order. Moreover, the type of guns owned has changed”. The type of guns have changed and the use of them have changed. They are no longer used for hunting but in the hands of gang members and people who have had no training on how to use them. I have a very dear friend who is often fighting the system to help her son who has schizophrenia. She entered his home one day to a pile of guns on the floor and he was having an “episode”. She had confiscated the guns and went directly to the police. She is constantly fighting for an answer to get help. When she told me this story it was eye opening to hear from someone I know and how mental illness and gun control in this country can be a devastating combination. I also found it interesting when the article broke up crime rates by states and did not discuss the US as a whole. This changes perspective.

5. What did you think about this lesson?

This lesson was eye opening. It certainly informed me of violence in the US through a difference set of lenses. I am relieved to see that violence has decreased but I do believe we have a long way to go. I have faith in our teachers and school systems that we will continue to teach peace and conflict resolution starting at a young age to continue the decline of violence in our country.

Assignment #5

When I first read this assignment I was able to quickly think of movies where I have seen amygdala hijacking but I wasn’t sure where I had witnessed it in real life and then it came to me. I looked at myself and came to the realization that emotions have certainly triggered my amygdala where I have reacted to situation in irrational an destructive ways. I feel like I have a very good sense of self- control. I practice yoga regularly, which helps in my breathing, which in result helps with any anger or anxiety issues that may arise. Well, there was a point in my life where I was living with an addict. A very sad and scary time in everyone’s life who was involved. I did my best to be rational, understanding, and helpful. This reaction of calmness and rational reactions to things can only go on for so long until something triggers the brain to react in another manner. There were two incidences I can recall where my emotions got the best of me. Both having to do with theft of money and items in my home being pawned off. I regret my reaction. I pride myself in handling situations with grace but there are moments when emotions take over and the only thing we can do is learn from them.

Amy Cuddy mentioned in her TED Talk that power is how one reacts to stress. What a simple concept really. Self-control is a power one has over their body. It’s making good decisions in stressful times where it is easy to make a bad decision. I took a class this past February on body language and this TED Talk “Your Body Language Shapes Who You Are” is a great reminder to dive into all of my resources from the class and review them. There are certainly things I need to be working on. It takes discipline and reminders to do just that though.

Assignment #6

Conflict Resolution is the method and process involved in facilitating a peaceful ending to a conflict. There is a wide range of methods and procedures one can do to address conflicts.

The conflict that first comes to mind in terms of a “Hijacked Brain” is a scene in the movie //Unfaithful// starring Richard Gere, Diane Lane, and Olivier Martinez. The plot of the movie is about an upper middle class couple (Connie and Edward) who seem to have the perfect life. They were a nice couple, living in the suburbs outside on New York City. Edward seemed like a hard -working man and stand up husband. However, Connie got herself involved in an affair with an artist in New York City. Edward had found the address of his wife’s lover and entered his home. Connie’s lover had entered the home while Edward was there and without even thinking about it, in an act of anger and emotion Edward killed him. Edward was not portrayed as a violent or irrational man, however his emotions took over him. I believe situations like this happen often in life and lands many people in jail. It is scary to know that our emotions can completely take over our rational thinking. When the question asks, does the involvement of emotions always hinder conflict resolution? Well, //always// is a pretty strong word so no I do not believe it always hinders conflict resolution. Although I do believe it can when emotion are strong enough. I also feel that some people are more passionate and emotional and are hindered more so with conflict resolution from a “Hijacked Brain” than others. This is why there are anger management classes out there. I believe it is crucial that people are given tools at a young age on how to manage and resolve conflicts in a positive manner.

Assignment #7

“I” Statements

1. “Wow Myles, look what you can accomplish when you remove yourself from distractions. I would love for you to read what you have written during share time. I hope to see this kind of concentration and work from you tomorrow too. “

Myles is a very loveable, happy, and fun student, however he is very immature for his age and has great difficulty listening to directions, lessons, and completing work. When he was given this positive “I” statement his response was, “ I got lots of work done today because I concentrated. I am proud of my writing.” I almost fell off my seat when I heard him say this. He truly responded to the positive “I” statement and started being more self reflective of his work and listening skills.

2. “Dana, it has been 30 minutes since we have started independent writing and you have only one sentence written. I am disappointed because I know you are more capable of getting your work done.”

Dana is a student who is very aloof about school. She would much rather play and she gets easily distracted. I have tried positive and negative “I” statements with her and I have found that she actually responds better to negative statements, which surprised me. I always start with positive statements when working with students, however some don’t respond to them so I go the other route. In this case Dana responded well to the negative “I” statement.

3. “Tiana, I love to see you raise your hand during math lessons. It shows me you are gaining confidence and even if you are not sure of your answer you are willing to learn from your mistakes.”

Tiana is a very timid student who is very unsure of herself. This is the student who absolutely would not respond well to a negative “I” statement. She would shut down and never want to try scared to disappoint her teacher or feel “dumb” in front of class members. Tiana, by the end of the school year, raised her hand everyday during math time even though it was her weakest subject.

Assignment #8

I truly enjoyed the article //Giving Students What They Need.// This article is important to read before creating contracts with students. I believe that creating a contract with the child is quite empowering for them. It is a contract they made with goals for themselves, with teacher guidance, and because they created these goals they have a reason to strive to succeed. It is not the teacher’s goal they have to work towards. There was a child in my room this past year and he was quite immature for his age as a second grader. He had great difficulty staying focused during whole group lessons. This really affected his learning in all subject areas. And, because he was not focused during the lessons he was also lost when the students were given directions to head to their seats and start their task. During writing time he was quite distracted and often got very little written on his paper in 30 minutes. This student was also infamous for leaving trash all around the room. This student is so capable but just needed the encouragement and guidance to get through the day productively.

I had a meeting with this child’s parents about their kid’s behavior in the class. They spoke with him quite a lot at home about these issues and I did as well during class time. When it was time to make the contract I asked him about the goals he wanted to work towards. I did not have his parents involved with signing any documents but I did give them a verbal updated everyday after school. Maybe next time I will have parents involved in a more formal manner.

Behavior Contract:


 * I will move to a spot in the room during independent work time so that I will not be distracted. This is a place of my choice but I have to be responsible for my work once I choose a spot to sit.


 * I will throw my trash away after snack time and not leave it on the floor.


 * I will repeat directions to you after they have been given during whole group lessons.

(I prefer to stick to just a few goals so the students do not get too overwhelmed. Once they have reached these goals then we can work together on creating new ones).


 * || I will move during independent work time. || I will throw my trash away. || I will repeat directions back to the teacher. || Total ||
 * Monday ||  ||   ||   ||   ||
 * Tuesday ||  ||   ||   ||   ||
 * Wednesday ||  ||   ||   ||   ||
 * Thursday ||  ||   ||   ||   ||
 * Friday ||  ||   ||   ||   ||
 * Stars were placed in the box if he completed these tasks without being asked throughout the day. His goal was to get 3 stars a day. If he did not receive a star in one of the areas then he would reflect on it and come up with ways to help him achieve his goal for the following day.

Again, I prefer coming up with some kind of reasonable award with the child’s thoughts in mind. Within time it wasn’t about the reward, it was about the pride he took in his work. It was a beautiful transition to see.

Assignment #9

My scores were quite balanced across the board on this test, which surprised me after reading the article by Baum and Nicols. The one that most surprised me was my score in Learned Expert. Very few of these qualities seem like me except the fact that I do like to watch documentaries and read memoirs to learn. However, I’d much rather experience adventure. I do not see myself as “scholarly”. I believe I have much more social intelligence than book smarts. I learn and know things on a surface level and often choose to learn only what I am interested in.

I definitely understand my score under Practical Managers. I am very organized, I live my everyday life with a checklist and have dates planned out a year in advance. I do not think I become obsessive compulsive about any of these traits though. It is very difficult for me to be with a partner who is aloof when it comes to bills, expired dates, and cleanliness. The article did mention that people with a high score in PM are often happier with one or two close friends, this is not true for me. I enjoy many friends around and I am really good at keeping close with them.

My school has given 2 different personality tests to the staff in the past two years. I have discovered that I am quite balanced in all areas on these tests. I don’t lean to one side or the other too far on any specific trait. I always thought I was a people person but after taking many of these personality tests I realized I was not strong in this area, just balanced. I’m a melting pot of all the traits in a quite balanced fashion. These tests are interesting to give to adults as well as students. It makes them have a deeper insight on who they are and what their challenges might be.

Assignment #10

Both movies //American History X// and //October Sky// were very compelling films. Both films had very powerful messages for their audiences, however the story endings gave a much different feel for the audience. The feeling of pain, sadness hopelessness, and fear was what took over me in the movie //American History X,// whereas the feeling of accomplishment and hope due to perseverance is the feeling I got when the movie //October Sky// ended.

The settings of both films were far extremes. The setting in //American History X// took place in the present day in Venice beach. This was a place filled with crime and violence. There was hatred in the air. Racism and anger took over this city. On the other hand, the setting in //October Sky// took place in the 1950’s in a rural coal mining town in West Virginia. The people in this town were not exposed to much besides football, school, and mining. Even with such a difference in time and location of both movies there was a lot that these school children and educators had in common.

Both lead roles in the movies were affected by their parents’ ideals. Derek was affected by his father’s philosophy in a negative way, which landed him in jail. Derek was first inspired by his English teacher, and after he had listened to his father’s viewpoints about minorities and “black novel” month Derek had changed his attitude about how he saw the world and how there was injustice all around white Americans. In contrast to Derek, Homer was not affected by his father’s beliefs about what he should do in life. Homer did the opposite of Derek and took the advice of his math teacher to pursue his dreams. This took great courage and in the end was a positive outcome for him in life. It is interesting how a parent or teacher can mold young minds. Young minds can choose to take sides on who their role models are going to be.

As for family members, in both families there was one who spoke up and then their were the silent members. In the movie //American History X// it seemed the mother could see what was happening but didn’t often say much. During the argument at the dinner table with her boyfriend Mr. Murray and son Derek his mother was quiet, whereas his sister was very vocal about her disagreement with Derek’s views. Derek’s sister vocalized her opinion in a very aggressive and angry manner. In //October Sky// I felt the silent one in the movie was Homer’s brother. Especially when he didn’t argue with Homer about taking the job in the coal mine when his father was injured. The older brother continued school so that he could go to college on his scholarship and did not offer any kind of resolution for both of them to help the family with money when his father was injured. His mother was the vocal one who took Homer’s side in helping with his dreams. She showed courage when she approached Homer’s father and demanded he help Homer at the science fair or else she would leave him.

The teachers in both movies had an incredible impact on the main characters. Both teachers, Mr. Sweeney and Miss Riley, fought for both Homer, Derek, and Danny to help them become the best they could be. Miss Riley pushed Homer to persevere and never give up his hope to become someone outside of his hometown whereas Mr. Sweeney pushed for Derek and Danny to have a different more positive perspective on life. Both teachers succeeded at their role.

What was also interesting was that even the small West Virginia coal mining town seemed like a nonviolent place there was a drive by shooting in the movie and this was back in 1957. Violence and crime happened then just as it does now. I enjoyed both movies and saw courage in both Derek and Homer. Hopefully characters such as them will be the ones to mold young minds in a positive direction in this life.