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Teaching the Outsiders
- OH NOOOOOO! (Part I)It’s never good news when your principal, as you’re rolling for home, says, “Can I get 5 minutes with you tomorrow morning…(wait a beat and a half)… about a scheduling issue?” (silently) What do you need me for? Scheduling is part of the counselors’ job…hmmmm. (aloud) “No worries. See you tomorrow. […]
- Wish I had at least one this year…No, I’m not dead yet. Though they are slowly killing me this year. I haven’t posted much lately because: 1. The kids turned in their research papers last week. I have turn-in timed every year, so that if I read about 12 per day, I finish the day before the last day. This year it’s […]
- The Five Stages of Grief (in 30 seconds)Middle schoolers are like drama queens with Alzheimer’s. “ZOMG, the world’s going to end if I (don’t)… (the next day/period) “Are you OK? You were pretty upset.” “What?” Every “crisis” is like a terminal illness or an impending death. Whether that crisis is personal or school related, or simpl […]
- I’ll take 32, please.We’re at the halfway point in the research process; one week in, one week to go. You can tell how exciting this past week has been by the lack of snappy posts. There are still about a dozen shmarties who basically haven’t started, but most seem to have something going on. The Titanic is […]
- “Until you have kids here.” (Not already?!)In my annual Back to School Night spiel to parents I always talk about what a Disneyland we have here. I worked for two years in da hood before I landed this job, and I’ll be here forever. “Like I say to the kids, ‘I’ll be here until you have kids here.’” I’ve been saying […]