This week started out with our heroes preparing themselves for Thursday’s exhibition. Nearly everyone felt confident. On Tuesday, we spent some time listening to one another, offering feedback, and talking about the importance of tone, body language, and being conscious of filler words. On Wednesday, we then ran through the exhibition and made last-minute adjustments.

Though our heroes definitely felt more prepared for this exhibition than the last, some of them were nervous, and didn’t feel as if their performances were as good as their practices. Our heroes agreed that practice and experience can help this. They also recognized that it’s helpful to perform just as you practice, and avoid changing things at the last minute.

In addition to our exhibition, our heroes have been working on meeting their session goals (which they set for themselves for the 3 week period) during core skills. While a few heroes decided they needed to stretch themselves farther (after meeting their goals more quickly than thought), there were also a few heroes who failed to meet their goals. While it is important for these heroes to keep a growth mindset (failure is a chance to learn), we are also emphasizing the importance of striving to meet your goals! Next session, we will be addressing the goal-setting process, and what it means to actually achieve your goal. We will be asking the heroes, “Does starting a goal mean that you have achieved it?” and “Why do people set goals for themselves”?

On Friday, the heroes enjoyed a more laid back day. They loved spending time with their siblings (Thank you for making this happen!!), making Christmas ornaments, and assembling bikes through Elves N’ More. We will have the opportunity to deliver these bikes to children on Christmas Eve morning.

A few of our Discussion Topics this week included:

• When managing your time, is it most helpful to set daily goals or to pay attention to the session map?
• Are words, tone, or body language the most important aspect of communication?
• How often do you hear people using filler words such as “um”, “like”, and “ya know”?
• When did you notice someone being patient this week? What does it mean to “bear with one another in love” (Ephesians 4:2)? Can you memorize this verse?
• How was preparing for our “Power of Persuasion” exhibition different than preparing for our “Colonial” exhibition?
• Is it better to perform just as you practice, or improve up til the last minute of your performance?

I hope you all have a wonderful Christmas!!! Blessings!