Inconvenience Yourself™ is a way of living.  It includes not only how you behave, but also recognizing and acknowledging the actions of others. This everday concept is celebrated in February on the fourth Wednesday - Inconvenience Yourself™ Day February 25, 2009.
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The Inconvenience Yourself™ concept fits in with community-building very well.
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Testimonial:

As a teacher, I am always looking for ways to incorporate values education into my classroom. I have been working in a large urban school district for nine years and have discovered that to be productive I must establish a community of learning. This community begins with a foundation of respect for self and others. The Inconvenience Yourself™ concept fits in with this community-building very well. No matter where you teach – rural, urban, big, or small – all teachers must develop a real relationship with their students. I have used the Inconvenience Yourself™ concepts as part of my school’s Community Service and Peace-Makers Programs. Organizational meetings at the beginning of the school-year for these two groups include a visit to the Inconvenience Yourself™ website followed by discussion of how we can and will include these ideas in our activities throughout the year. All of my students use the Inconvenience Yourself™ journal writing as part of their nightly homework. I have had positive comments from several parents who believe this is a worthwhile effort. These parents seem grateful to have the additional reinforcement of values and morals they are instilling in their children. Throughout my years of teaching, I have found that I must meet students where they are. There always seems to be a communication gap that must be spanned between teachers and students. I use the Inconvenience Yourself™ concepts as a bridge to close this gap between me and my students.

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We want you to share your stories with us. What are some things that you do to show the Inconvenience Yourself™ way of living? Please send your stories and ideas to us by clicking HERE.

 

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Inconvenience Yourself™ is an easy way to incorporate values education into already over-stuffed curricula. It can easily become a part of standards-based teaching and behavior management programs. Some suggested ways to include Inconvenience Yourself™ are listed below.

English Language Arts Applications

Journal Writing: Students spend a few minutes each day reflecting on their behavior as it relates to the Inconvenience Yourself™ concept.

Personal Narrative Writing: Students are directed to the Inconvenience Yourself™ website, read one of the stories and respond to the story with an emphasis on making a personal connection.

Reading: Character analysis is critical to reading comprehension. Students make margin notes (on sticky notes) about characters’ behaviors that exemplify the Inconvenience Yourself™ concept. They may then add a note to our classroom “IY” poster that highlights character traits. The “IY” poster is simply the letters I and Y written on chart paper or poster board. The letters are large enough to fill the page and are outline-style so that comments can go both inside and outside the letters. Students also make their own desktop “IY” mini-posters. They are given a file folder where they draw the letters I and Y and add comments to their personal IY poster as they encounter such behaviors from characters in their reading.

Reading: Comparing and contrasting is another important reading comprehension strategy. Students can take the margin notes they made about character traits and incorporate these into a Venn Diagram comparing and contrasting two characters.


Social Studies Applications

Citizenship: Inconvenience Yourself™ can be used to implement real-life rights and responsibilities education. Students are considered citizens of a classroom community and are expected to behave accordingly. Rewards and consequences can become part of this I Inconvenience Yourself™-driven classroom community.

Student Government: Individual classrooms choose to elect representatives to determine how the Inconvenience Yourself™ program will be implemented in the classroom. The elected representatives may also decide to add new Inconvenience Yourself™ parameters to their particular classroom on an as-needed basis.

Classroom Management / Environment

Student of the Week / Month: Teachers may use the Inconvenience Yourself™ concepts to determine student of the week or month. Quarterly awards may also be given for the student(s) who display the characteristics of Inconvenience Yourself™.

Art

Art Project: Students can use any art medium to create a representation of the Inconvenience Yourself™ concept or an Inconvenience Yourself™ experience they had. Projects can be drawings, sculptures, etc. Teachers may hold a monthly contest that involves selecting one of the pieces of student-created artwork and prominently display this in a place of honor.

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We want you to share your stories and ideas with us. What are some things that you do to show the Inconvenience Yourself™ way of living? Please send your stories to us, by clicking HERE.
 
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