October 25, 2010

Due to the change in the procedure for conducting CPR, I am going to quote the Bee Gee’s. For those who do not know, the beat in the song “Stayin’ Alive” is taught as the proper rhythm for counting chest compressions while giving CPR:

“And now it's all right, it's O.K.
And you may look the other way.
We can try to understand
The New York Times' effect on man.
Whether you're a brother
Or whether you're a mother,
You're stayin' alive, stayin' alive.
Feel the city breakin'
And ev'rybody shakin'
And we're stayin' alive, stayin' alive.”

And now, you don’t need to ask.

And on to the blog:

We get asked almost daily by parents, friends, and spouses, “how do you work with middle school children?” When I was going through graduate school, high school and elementary school methods’ classes were filled, while there were eight, yes, eight in my middle school seminar. From the outside, it must look like this age group is filled with challenges – they tend to get pretty grumpy at some point during the three years, social issues blossom more frequently, and there are few students who look back twenty years later and say, “I really wish I was back in middle school.” To many in the profession – and this is not an indictment – this is a deterrent. To middle school teachers, there is no better age to teach.

Middle school students bring an unique energy to school. They are now old enough to have a more complex sense-of-humor. This plays out in a number of ways during the week. For one student, it was trying to find how many different ways he could “obliterate” me in paint ball – JOE dinner thing – with the best being on Friday – “Mr. Houle, I am going to decimate you.” Awesome. I better wear old clothes. Each child brings different interests to the table. In the Colossal Classics Challenge, one student has finished reading East of Eden already, while another is racing me to the end of the book – she’s winning! We have students who compete nationally in gymnastics and fencing. We have trained dancers, musicians, and we have one or two future college or pro athletes in our midst…maybe more! Each child brings an unmatched abundance of energy. There are always kids yelling, running, and laughing. Who wouldn’t want to work in an environment where so many people each day are happy?

I have taught middle school students for almost my entire adult life. Our master teachers who have collectively worked in middle schools for a long time will all have reasons for why they teach this age group and what the draw is for them. But, every one of your child’s teachers will always come back to the same thing – they love your kids. They love that energy, those senses-of-humor, those differing personalities. They love that this age group still loves learning, loves coming to school, and are so impressionable. So, when we sit back and debrief at the end of a week it is always with a smile because there are always too many good things going on in the middle school.

Have a great week!

Athletic Events October 18-22:
• No MS events scheduled

Happy Birthday to the following students:
• Zach Roubein – Oct. 27th
• Garrett and Shelby Glover – Oct 29th

Mazel Tov to the following students who will celebrate their Bar Mitzvah’s on October 30th:
• Sam Stewart and Zach Roubein

Calendar Events:
• Thursday, October 28th – JOE Dinner – 12:30 Dismissal
• 2nd Interim Grades should be emailed home by the end of the week.

Kallah/Advisory:

Monday –
• 6th grade – Study Hall
• 7th Grade – Havurah!
• 8th Grade – Advisory

Tuesday –
• 6th Grade – Havurah!
• 7thGrade – Advisory
• 8th Grade – Advisory

Wednesday -
• Clubs

Thursday –
• 12:20 dismissal for the JOE Dinnner

Friday –
• crEWS Kick-off during Kallah (postponed from last week)

Looking ahead:
• Monday, November 1st – Conference Day – Off day for students
• Wednesday, November 3rd – 6th Grade Parent Event