This month in AVID, we are focusing on community service. Community service is a great addition to any college application as it helps students stand out as servant leaders. It also helps them understand that community service can be done in a multitude of ways.

This month only, for every 10 non-perishable food items students donate they will obtain 2 hours of community service. These hours can be used towards their final exam projects.

All food collected will be donated and delivered to the Ozanam Homeless Shelter on November 1. Thank you for supporting our AVID class and your local community.

Progress grades are due Friday, October 14th, this is a great checkpoint to see how students are doing academically. If you have concerns, check with your students teacher to set a conference during their designated conference time.

I recently listened to Brene Brown's The Gifts of Imperfect Parenting, and as a parent, it was exactly what I needed to hear right now.

There is no parenting handbook, and we are truly doing the best we can. Within the next few weeks, I'll share with you some of the biggest takeaways for me.

Guidepost #3 Perfectionism Versus Healthy Striving

Perfection is overrated and often times the reason we burn out. I have learned to say no and create boundaries. I think this is important to model for our children because we unknowingly create expectations for them and they are stressing out.

In the last five years as a freshman teacher, I see these students try to take on too much, and simply overwhelm themselves. All in the hopes to not disappoint you or the expectations that they feel that they are supposed to meet.

What I encourage you as a parent to do is to reflect on what your expectations are for your kids and yourself. Have you shared this with them? If not this is a great conversation to start having now.

My name is Mrs. Tolman and I am the 9th Grade AVID teacher. I come from a family of educators who firmly believed that an education never ends.
During the summer of 2021, I was certified as a Yoga Instructor with Breathe for Change. A program that is designed to create Social Emotional Learning Facilitators and teaches how to guide trauma informed yoga. We have successfully been able to bring yoga into our campus and currently offer five yoga classes before and after school. It has been amazing to see the practice come to fruition on our campus. During the 2021-2022 school year I served as a Teach Plus intern, where I had the opportunity to co-author a request for Texas Policy Change.
I have completed my Masters of Science Education in Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment, along with the Integrated Leadership Principal Preparation Program.

I am currently pursuing my Doctorate in Curriculum and Instruction.

Email: lmteran@bisd.us
Website: www.TolmansClass.com
Location: Rivera Early College High School, Ruben M Torres Boulevard, Brownsville, TX, USA
Phone: (956) 831-8700
Twitter: @tolmansclass