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How the Fly Five core beliefs inspire and motivate me

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How the Fly Five core beliefs inspire and motivate me

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I like that the standards spell C.A.R.E.S. because it reminds me that instilling the values of cooperation, assertiveness, responsibility, empathy, and self-control help students learn to care for themselves and others. These life lessons will extend beyond the classroom into their daily work, play, and relationships throughout their lifetimes.

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The C.A.R.E.S. standards embody the Fly Five mission in ways that can create joyful learning and relational connections that inspire students to be lifelong learners. As a lifelong learner myself, I will make connections to my own experiences and values as I work on this project, aligning myself with the Fly Five mission.

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Responsive Classroom's language of "creating safe, joyful, and engaging classrooms and school communities" connects with me especially because I was a student who didn't always feel safe, joyful, or engaged at school. The Fly Five curriculum inspires me because it helps teachers find specific ways to create the environment that meets student needs. In teaching SEL concepts to students I have found myself being re-taught in a safe and joyful way that I didn't get to experience.

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It is so powerful that CRS recognizes the importance of emotional competencies in addition to academic skills... both need to be taught explicitly and the combination of the two allow children to thrive.

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I am truly inspired by the fact that this belief can be adopted by anyone. The belief has no color, race or creed attached to it but elements that empower everyone to be able to work together, resolve conflicts peacefully, help one believe in oneself and others. I am inspired that the curriculum focuses on elements that can help people throughout their lifetime.

Shirah Simmons

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My projects should always be thoughtful and centered around the students in my tone. Social and emotional growth in students should always be at the forefront. I must keep the competencies in the forefront.

Shirah Simmons

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The word mindset inspires me most. Having the right mindset can influence how someone perceives and influence the world. I also belief that a positive mindset can definitely help make the world a better place.

Shirah Simmons

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I whole heartedly believe that social-emotional learning is as important as academic learning when it comes to schooling. In order for our students to be successful adults, they need to develop the CARES skills. We as educators and caregivers do them a disservice when we assume that they will develop these skills without explicit instruction. Children of all ages need opportunities to explore these skills, to develop necessary vocabulary, to role-play in a safe environment, and to learn coping skills for everyday problems that they will face.

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The work that I produce should provide students with explicit instruction, opportunities for socializing and interactive learning, and opportunities for student choice and autonomy.

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The Guiding Principal of Responsive Classroom that has always resonated the most with me is that "Teaching social and emotional skills is as important as teaching academic content." Educators often feel pressed for time and view SEL as something that can be set aside in exchange for more academic time. The goal of creating an engaging, effective, and robust SEL curriculum is that teachers feel energized by the work and see the benefits of the lessons in their students.

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What inspires me the most is the belief that success in all parts of life requires social and emotional competencies, not just in school or to help with academics, but lifelong skills that will help you be a successful human.

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Fly Five's mission can guide lesson objectives and what activities I create for students. It will help me consider activities that allow students to gain social-emotional skills in a way that builds their independence, sense of community, and competence.

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The phrase "successful in and out of school" from the Responsive Classroom core belief resonates with me because the social-emotional and academic competencies are both sets of skills that will help all students better manage the challenges that life will bring them beyond school. I wish I had been taught these as a kid, because I see how helpful they are in my daily life!

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What inspires me most about the Fly Five core beliefs are the competencies. I love how they spell out "CARES"—it's a powerful and easy-to-remember mnemonic that resonates with students. I'm also inspired by how this social-emotional learning curriculum is designed to be integrated into core academic content. Teaching essential life skills, like emotional regulation, is more important now than ever, and Fly Five provides a meaningful way to meet that need.

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The Fly Five mission can guide my decision-making and actions throughout my project by helping me keep students’ well-being, positive behavior, and academic success at the forefront. By intentionally embedding the C.A.R.E.S. competencies, I can ensure that the content supports students holistically.

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The phrase that resonates with me most is, “We believe that educating all children is the most important work in the world.” This belief speaks deeply to my values as an educator. Around the world, children have diverse learning styles, backgrounds, and needs. A program that is committed not only to academic excellence but also to the development of social-emotional skills plays a crucial role in nurturing the whole child. By teaching competencies like cooperation, empathy, and self-control alongside core subjects, we are preparing students not just for academic success, but for meaningful, well-rounded lives. That kind of impact is powerful—and it’s exactly why I’m passionate about being part of this work.

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CRS vision inspires me to become a better educator. They believe in providing a world class education to all students.

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The Fly Five mission brings awareness to biases that educators are not aware of when developing feasible content for students.

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"In order to be successful in and out of school, students need to

learn a set of social and emotional competencies" This phrase stands out to me because it is very new concept that public education is deep diving in order to teach the whole child.

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What inspires me most about the Fly Five core beliefs is the overarching mission to build social and emotional competence and create a culture of dignity and hope for all people. It feels deeply meaningful to be part of something (even in a small way like helping to develop curriculum) that centers empathy, social and emotional growth, and the belief that every child and person matters and is capable of success. In today’s world, that gives me real hope. -Kaleigh White

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The Fly Five mission will guide my work developing curriculum by reminding me to create learning experiences that foster students’ social-emotional growth through autonomy, belonging, and competence. Each child should feel confident, connected, and capable as they learn, not just academically but as whole people. Keeping this mission in mind will help me design lessons that nurture kindness, independence, and a strong sense of community in every classroom! -Kaleigh White

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The phrase that inspires me most from the CRS core beliefs is seeing the approach as “proactive.” To me, being proactive means creating learning environments that help students build important skills like self-awareness, empathy, and resilience from the start, rather than reacting after challenges or difficulties occur. This kind of intentional support, at the heart of Responsive Classroom and Fly Five, that sets our students up for long term success inspires me most. -Kaleigh White

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I really like that the ultimate goal is for students to be "successful" in multiple areas of their lives. The Fly Five curriculum allows teachers to take a step back from subject concentrations and focus on helping students develop as whole, valued individuals through a serieves of social and emotional competencies. -Jessica Evers

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The words "empower" and "autonomy" stand out to me as guiding forces in my project; everything I create should be focused on making the students a part of the process! -Jessica Evers

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"Transform schools into optimal learning

environments for all students" was the phrase that most stood out to me. This shows that this program goes beyond many other curricula and aims to change the learning environment itself, a critical step for many schools. -Jessica Evers

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I believe that the C.A.R.E.S acronym will be a focal point for me as I navigate through the curriculum. It inspires me to to be intentional in guiding the teachers through their instruction to be empathetic to their students' needs and encourage them to be aware of their words and actions towards themselves and others.

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While engaging in the lessons, the mission can be interwoven into the activities through essential questions that encourage the students to be thoughtful of their actions and provide them the opportunity to grow their social emotional capacity in a positive way.

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Fly Five core belief mentions that in order to be successful in life, school, work, relationships and business that there are certain social competencies that we must have. These social competencies inspire me to be intentional in how I approach any given situation. I want my work to provide meaningful content and activities for the students to build their emotional intelligence and awareness.

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I appreciate how the beliefs are integrated into classroom practices that match students’ age and developmental stage.

Shaimaa Mohamed

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I will have to prioritize content that builds community, belonging, and respect for all by using inclusive examples and reflecting diverse identities.

Shaimaa Mohamed

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"Evidence-Based Approach" inspires me because I know that I would be using real data and proven strategies. Knowing that my choices are guided by research gives me confidence.

Shaimaa Mohamed

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I always am inspired and motivated by how huge it is that the C.A.R.E.S. competencies permeate all aspects of our interactions in and throughout life. The Fly Five Core Belief states, "Success in learning, life, work, play, relationships, and business requires a set of social and emotional competencies, namely cooperation, assertiveness, responsibility, empathy, and self-control." I am pleased that the C.A.R.E.S. competencies are aligned with the national SEL standards and with the core competencies of The Collaborative Academic Social and Emotional Learning (CASEL). When I think of the global impact of this, I envision a world where everyone is accepted and respected for our humanity.

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The Fly Five Mission provides the compass that supports the concept that SEL should always center autonomy, belonging and competence for all. When we do this in earnest, we realize that SEL is not one-size fits all and can center the uniqueness and diversity of all.

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There are many words and phrases from the CRS Core Beliefs that inspire me -- many.

One that resonates with me is "...students need to learn a set of social and emotional competencies and academic competencies..." I feel that too many times in education, the opportunities for teaching and learning these competencies are missed when we misunderstand that these competencies CAN be learned and practiced, especially when educators plan to meet the diverse needs of all learners.

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The aspect of Fly Five core beliefs that inspires me is the dedication to social emotional growth.

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The aspect of Fly Five core beliefs that inspires me is the dedication to social emotional growth.

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The Fly Five mission can guide me through my project by being a reminder of the end results of the materials I am creating/revising.

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The Fly Five mission can guide me through my project by being a reminder of the end results of the materials I am creating/revising.

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The phrase that inspires me the most is that students need both social-emotional and academic competencies. This inspires me because CRS is looking at the whole student. 

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The phrase that inspires me the most is that students need both social-emotional and academic competencies. This inspires me because CRS is looking at the whole student. 

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I think the element of the FlyFive core beliefs that stands out to me is implications of the CARES principles. They are valuable in creating space to learn and interact effectively and empathetically with others. However, I think the most important asset of the curriculum is that it empowers students. They maintain self-control, learn to have empathy for others, and gain assertiveness, all of which can serve to make them more comfortable and secure in their own skins, which can be vital when school or home life are not always conducive to learning and success.

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This is where backward design is valuable. We begin with the mission goals in mind, and then craft activities that help students implement them. So while the lessons should be enjoyable and interesting, they are also crafted with those end goals in mind.

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I think the academic competencies--academic mindset, perseverance, learning strategies, and academic behaviors--stand out to me the most. While modern schools perform an impossible number of functions, the core mission is still to instill knowledge, so the balance between the emotional health as a way into addressing beneficial academic strategies and mindsets are particularly helpful,

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I think that all the beliefs in the Fly Five curriculum are cohesive and create a balance and a wellness to the students learning them. However, if I had to choose one that is the most inspiring, I would say empathy. I think so many problems could be resolved in this world if more people had empathy for others. It is something that has to be explicitly taught in the classroom and practiced.

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The projects are student-centered and are aimed at helping students identify emotions within themselves and in their own lives. This will be the driving force to my work here.

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The idea that SEL cannot be shrugged off because it is not one of the "core" subject areas. It is just as important if not more important for students to find success in life in managing their own struggles and triumphs as well as interacting with others and building relationships.

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When reading the vision, I was motivated by the statement "...fosters...a culture of dignity and hope for all people". Teaching social and emotional skills is very important for students, but seeing what we are hoping it brings for them through the program is special to me. All people deserve to feel dignified in themselves and who they are. I also am inspired by the program being something that we are hoping students take outside the classroom, into their real world situations. - Jordan Cutchall

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Keeping the core belief in my mind when working throughout the projects will be my guide for decision making due to it stating that the CARES competencies are what create success in all aspects in life, which piggy backs off of my motivation comment. - Jordan Cutchall

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I spoke on this in my motivation comment about the vision statement, but I also am inspired by the core belief and where it says, "In order to be successful in and out of school..." because it is another example of how important the CARES skills are to all aspects of the students' lives. - Jordan Cutchall

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The Fly Five C.A.R.E.S. beliefs inspire and motivate me because they encompass skills that every individual should learn. By teaching these values and modeling effective strategies to help these students enhance their social-emotional abilities, they are learning how to care for themselves and others. The most important thing inside and outside of the classroom is the well-being of each student and not how well they perform on a test.

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The Fly Five mission can guide my decision-making and actions throughout the project, as I aim to ensure that all aspects of it meet the C.A.R.E.S. criteria. The C.A.R.E.S. standards will act as the blueprint for making the content I create as fun and engaging for educators and students, so they look forward to teaching and learning about their social-emotional well-being.

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Our vision is to influence and inspire a

world-class education for every student

in every school, every day, and to bring

hope and joy to educators and students

alike."

This quote inspires me the most because educators and students should enjoy going to school each day and be passionate about what they are teaching/learning.

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I appreciate Fly Five's acknowledgment that academic learning requires the development of social-emotional and life skills.

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The Fly Five mission will guide every project decision by serving as a three-part filter: Does this support autonomy, belonging, or competence? When designing activities, I'll consider whether I'm giving students meaningful choices or imposing rigid structures. When planning interactions, I can prioritize elements that build genuine connection and help students feel valued. When setting challenges, I'll ensure tasks build real capability, not just fill time. Keeping a pulse on autonomy, belonging, and competency helps me prioritize learning activities and create a product aligned with the mission.

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"Academic behaviors" inspires me most because it names something schools often treat as a prerequisite rather than an outcome. Too many educators assume students inherently know how to organize, take notes, ask for help, or manage their workload—essentially, how to "student"—when these are actually learned skills that require explicit instruction. This is fundamentally an equity issue: students whose families navigated academic systems have inherited these behaviors, while others are left to decode invisible expectations on their own. This phrase motivates me to dismantle the myth that academic behaviors are personality traits or indicators of motivation, and instead recognize them as teachable competencies. By explicitly teaching these behaviors rather than assuming them, we level the playing field and ensure all students have access to the tools they need to demonstrate their true capabilities.

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Five Five Core beliefs that motivates me to create lessons on how students are able to be successful in and out of school, using the social and emotional competencies and academic competencies. Social and Emotional and academic skills are essential for students to know when they are faced with adversity and perhaps the opportunity to teach their peers how to carry out these compentencies.

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Understanding Fly Five mission will guide my actions throughout the project to be able to center the work around the goals of students using these competencies in their own personal lives. Using C.A.R.E.S standards will help the lessons come to life as these skills are essential in today's world.

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This phrase resonates with me, "Success in learning, life, work, play, relationships, and business requires a set of social and emotional competencies, namely cooperation, assertiveness, responsibility, empathy, and self-control." With all the different events taking place in the world (Social Media, Education changing everyday, and other essential job skills necessary before graduating high school), students need to understand that there are strategies that can be learned to be successful in all parts of life. I am excited to be apart of this work and looking forward to embedding these skills in my own personal life.

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To me, there's nothing more powerful than testimonials, and even more so when it's from the students who've interacted with the curriculum. Hearing the students explain how what they're learning from Fly Five can help them in their lives beyond the classroom and into the future is powerful! I'm excited about being apart of this!

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What really inspires me about Fly Five’s core beliefs is how much value they place on social and emotional skills as part of real learning. The idea that cooperation, empathy, self-control, etc. are just as important as academics really resonates with me. I love that the program helps students build confidence and a sense of belonging, not just skills. It reminds me that education isn’t only about what students know, but who they become.

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The Fly Five mission guides me to design with joy and connection in mind. It reminds me to keep learning student-centered, create space for social interaction, and make every choice support meaningful, engaging experiences for both teachers and students.

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What stood out to me was how Fly Five creates these lessons with students AND teachers in mind. I know how hard it can be to fit social and emotional learning into an already short school day, so it’s really encouraging to see a program that makes it easier for teachers to bring those skills to life without feeling overwhelmed.

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The fact that Fly Five lessons will prepare students to be successful in so many areas of their lives is inspiring. The standards of cooperation, assertiveness, responsibility, empathy, and self-control are essentially teaching students how to be good humans and the world definitely needs good humans.

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Fly Five's mission should be the threads that create an overall tapestry of learning for students. Everything I create in service to this curriculum should focus on the C.A.R.E.S. standards, have social-emotional learning at the forefront, be aligned to child and adolescent development, and support autonomy, belonging, and competence.

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The phrase "successful in, out of, and beyond school" from Fly Five's core beliefs stood out the most to me. The social-emotional skills that are taught to students must extend beyond the walls of the classroom and past the homes and towns students live in. Now more than ever, people are global citizens and students need to develop skills that transfer to the variety of situations they will have to navigate in life.