Have a wonderful holiday. When we get back in January we will do some amazing things in the art room! I have big plans for you. I will miss you , stay safe.
Love, Ms. B.
Love, Ms. B.
 Earlier today, I walked through the galleries at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History to view all of the gems. If I am not looking at art, you can find me gazing at minerals and gems. This is a new interest of mine, brought about from the short time that I stopped teaching in 2013 to sell jewelry for David Yurman in Manhattan and in Boca Raton. Prior to selling for Yurman, I really didn’t know very much about gems. During the short time that I sold for Yurman, I broke three sales records. One of the records that I broke was that I was the first salesperson at the Boca Boutique to sell a diamond from their bridal collection. It was a gorgeous $40,000 diamond!
I learned a little about diamonds back then, and today as I gazed into the cases of diamonds, it made me think about the wonderful mysteries of diamonds. Did you know that diamonds come from a material (some say carbon, others say charcoal) that has been subjected to great heat, pressure and stress, in order for it to transform into a beautiful diamond? When the natural material is placed under pressure, it will transform into a diamond or if it can’t handle the pressure, it will simply become dust. Fascinating! What a wonderful analogy to life. Some of us, when placed under stress and pressure will rise to the top and achieve success, while others crumble under pressure and quit. l want to challenge you to think about how you handle pressure in your life. Do you fall to pieces or does stress cause you to gather your strength to conquer the situation? Truthfully, I have reacted to stress both ways. There have been times when I have fallen apart over stressful situations, and there are other times when pressure empowered me to continue on. High school can place a lot of stress and pressure on you. There is peer pressure, performance pressure, pressure for grades, pressure for GPA’s and pressure to get into college. For some of you, it is simply the pressure to finish high school and get your diploma. So, what can you do to ensure that you don’t crumble under pressure in school? This is an important topic to discuss because one thing is for sure; we can not escape pressure in life. One of the key factors that will help you be successful in school and to handle pressure is to surround yourself with supportive people. You are not alone in this journey. You have teachers, administrators, counselors, resource specialists, security officers, and climate & culture people all around you to help you be successful, so take advantage of all that support. Also, I suggest to surround yourself with friends who are on the right path and who share similar goals that you have, and try to minimize everything that will distract you and keep you from making the right decisions. Take responsibility for your school work and believe in yourself. Make a concerted effort to see challenges as opportunities for achievement and growth, but don’t forget to pace yourself. Stress and pressure can wear you down at times. Sometimes, you have to stop and take a break to rest. If you run yourself down too much you will crash under pressure, so remember to eat healthy, sleep and exercise. Life is so interesting. Sometimes, when things are at its worse, and the pressure is on, you might feel defeated, but, always remember, it is always darkest before the dawn. People in my life have seen me at my worse and did not stick around long enough to see me blossom. They did not have the capacity to understand that catepillars turn into butterflies, sand into pearls, and coal into diamonds. When I look at you, I don't see a lump of coal, I see a diamond in the making. Don't quit under pressure, allow your education to transform you into something beautiful. Love, Ms. B. Many of us do not have a lot of extra money at the holidays season to buy gifts for our family, friends and neighbors, but there are many things that you can give that doesn't cost a thing! Love and kindness are free to give and wonderful to receive. Random acts of kindness is always free and will bring more happiness to you than you will give to others. Try it and see if I am right!   This is the season of giving. It is a season of joy, peace and most importantly love. "Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things and endures all things". Life is meaningless if you do not have love in your heart. If you have nothing to give this holiday season, try giving love. Love is the most precious of all gifts; it is free to give and it is free to receive plus it makes the world a better place!
English - love , French - l'amour, German - Liebe, Spanish - amor, Italian - amore, Portuguese - amor, Polish - miłość Dutch - liefde, Finnish - rakkaus, Norwegian - kjærlighet Danish - kærlighed, Swedish - kärlek, Greek - ἀγάπη (agape), Hungarian - szerelem, Turkish - așk, Chinese - 爱 (ai), Japanese - 愛 (ai), Korean - 사랑 (sarang Auguro a tutti voi un felice e salutare vacanza stagione. Buon Natale, Ms. B. Camping with my students in Goshen, Virginia.  Awesome to have the opportunity to bring urban kids into the country (away from the busy city) so they can peacefully explore who they are and where they are going in life. I am blessed to be apart of changing the lives of teens. I'm grateful.
 Changing Lives For Eternity When I was in high school I belonged to an amazing club called Young Life and now I am a Young Life leader at Ballou High School. This weekend we took a group of students to a Young Life camp in Goshen, Virginia called, Rockbridge Camp. It was an amazing time for the kids and for me! Lives were changed, and friendships were built. Check out our photos and if you are curious to learn more about Young Life, click on the links below. Now, I will get to bed early and try to re-cope some of the lost sleep from this weekend. Love, Ms. B. https://dcsouth.younglife.org/Pages/default.aspx https://www.younglife.org/Pages/default.aspx |
Donna BonaviaI am an art educator and a professional artist. I write this blog to guide my students in (SEL) social, emotional, and academic development. S.E.L. is the District of Columbia Public School's priority because we believe that we must educate the whole child. 
Yale National Initiative
Fellowship 2017 2017-DCPS Standing Ovation recognition Highly Effective Teaching
 2016-DCPS Standing Ovation recognition Highly Effective Teaching
DCPS Capital Commitment
Fellow 2015-Present 
2015 Teacher of The Year
Blanche Ely High School
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October 2019
 This work by Donna Bonavia is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. Based on a work at www.msbonavia.com. |
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