(bright upbeat music) - Good morning, amazing students.

I am so excited to be with you this morning.

I'm here today with three of my favorite people in the whole world.

These are my kids.

Hayden, Hallie and Harper.

And today, we are going to do an activity that I love to do in my classroom with students.

This is what I call my culture cube.

Now, sometimes when my students seem to be having a tough time, we call a timeout and we toss around the culture cube.

Culture can mean the values or the beliefs of a group of people.

The way you do things and what you think is important.

And in my classroom, nothing is more important than knowing that everyone feels respected and supported.

So, sometimes we use this cube to remind ourselves to stay positive and to support each other.

Okay, Hayden?

Do you have one picked out to get us started?

- Yeah.

I chose, "The best compliment I've ever received is..." - Okay, so that's our sentence starter.

The best compliment I've ever received is?

And what is that for you, Hayden?

- One time my teacher said that they were excited to see me become a great young man and that just stuck with me.

- I love that.

Harper, what is the best compliment you've received?

- Whenever I'm about to go to school and you give me a compliment on my outfit.

- Okay.

Hallie, how about you?

- The best compliment I've ever received was whenever I was at a sleepover with my best friend and I was putting on my makeup and she told me that I was beautiful just the way I was.

- Oh, that's a good one.

One of the best compliments that I've ever received was actually in my classroom.

I was teaching a math lesson and we were having so much fun that day, learning math.

And two of my students were sitting at a table behind me and they didn't know that I could hear them.

The conversation that they were having.

But I heard one of them say to the other one, "She makes me want to be a math teacher."

And that for a teacher, that's one of the best compliments you can ever get.

Okay, Hayden.

Let's toss the dice.

- "One way I like to help others is..." - Okay.

Hayden, what is one way that you like to help others?

- I like to give them compliments and advice.

- Oh, good one.

Harper?

- I need time to think.

- You need a little bit of time to think?

- Uh-huh.

- Okay, Hallie.

What is one way that you like to help others?

- I like to give and it can be the tiniest thing, like a kid in my class needs a pencil, I'll give him a pencil.

Or someone really needs clothes and I'll give them some of my old clothes that I don't need anymore that they can put to use.

- Harper?

- Helping them with homework.

- Oh, you like to help your friends with homework?

That's probably one of mine too.

Since I'm really good at math, I just love to be able to help kids that maybe struggle with math become really confident mathematicians.

Okay, let's do another one.

- We already did that.

- We already got that one.

- "Something I'm really good at is..." - Ooh, good one.

I won't start with you this time.

Hallie, what is something that you're really good at?

- I'm really good at dancing and singing.

- She definitely is.

This girl can dance and she has a beautiful singing voice.

Harper, what's something you're really good at?

- I'm good at gymnastics and art.

- Oh, you are.

- Yes.

- Yes.

You're an excellent artist.

Hayden, what's something you're really good?

- I'm pretty good at drums and running track and cross country.

- I definitely agree.

Something I think I'm really good at is helping people see what they're good at.

So, I don't know if that makes sense, but a lot of times with students at the high school level, they kinda wonder what they're gonna do with their lives.

And maybe they just feel a little bit down.

And I think I'm really good at helping them see a vision of who they'll be as an adult one day.

Okay, you want to do one more?

- "One thing that makes me feel special is..." - What makes you feel special?

- Whenever I'm given compliments and treated well.

- Okay.

- Yes, same thing.

Whenever people give me compliments, I feel very special.

- Getting to go here with you.

- Ah, getting to be on Rise and Shine.

And y'all, that's all the time we have for today.

♪ It's time to rise and shine.

♪