I recently read an opinion piece in a major newspaper in which the author states she is “fed up” with the endless fundraising a modern PTA organization must undertake. The author, an editor in New York City, notes that the PTA at her children’s school (which she had been an active member of) raised $185,000…
middle school
Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes
Do you see what’s just ahead? Autumn. Autumn is all about change, and it’s no coincidence that the traditional school year starts on the cusp of autumn, since there are always so many changes at the beginning of each school year too. For example, my oldest son is in middle school. This week, all 1,100…
Theory Into Practice
Some things are good in theory but pale when put into practice. I’m thinking, of course, about a family pack of high-powered water guns as a Father’s Day gift. Or the platypus. Or teaching a class of seventh graders the word masticate. On the other hand, there are good ideas that end up being even…
Arrrr ya feelin’ sick, Mr. S.?
If middle school students were pirates, I can only imagine the number of times I would have put down a mutiny. Not every day, of course. Heck, not even during those times when the workload became grueling and the homework became relentless. No, I think that if my students had been mutinous scallywags, they’d have…
857 Is 857 Too Many
One topic that elementary school teachers don’t have to contend with is dropouts. Either a child is getting to school or she isn’t. By and large, the same goes for middle school. Elementary and middle school students are not legally allowed to make their own decisions about their schooling. Parents and guardians do that. I…
That First Open House
Do you remember your first school open house? Or do I need to ask Dr. Peabody and Sherman for their Wayback Machine again? Because I sure remember mine. Back then, I was the new deputy on the dusty streets of middle school, flush with the power of my own corner classroom and a license to…