About four years ago my wife called me at school and told me that our oldest daughter had gotten off the school bus crying. Walking up our 100 feet of driveway between the road and our door, she had her report card in one hand and was clearly trying to gather herself before getting to […]
graduation
Posted inHigh School
Graduations, Endorphins, and Persistence
It happens to me every year about this time the feel-good buzz of a school year’s end inevitably changes my outlook about the prior 35 weeks. Happy memories are expressed in end-of-school projects, field trips create great photo ops and lasting bonds, little gifts come from students, and the emotional high of graduation dominates any […]
Posted inFeatured, Opinion
Why Teachers Should Attend Graduation
Firefighters regularly press their uniform and cap, polish their trucks, and look their best to march in Memorial Day parades. It’s a way for the entire firehouse to forge together, in a common bond, for the good of their department and to showcase their best for their community. They don’t get paid for it, and […]
Posted inCharter Schools, Featured, High School, Middle School
Graduation! (Charter School Diaries #25)
Week 6/24 – 6/28 When I think about the process of schooling in America, the ultimate culminating event for any and every student participating in that process is graduation. I can remember just about every graduation I’ve been a part of and as I contemplate reentry in graduate school, I fanaticize about a potential walk […]
Posted inParents
But Class is Boring! A Survival Guide for Students
As a parent, I’m sure you often hear stories of how boring their classes are in school. They are not lying school is boring -you attend a set number of classes for 180 days, with the same instructors many times covering the same content. However I’ve mastered the art of keeping teenagers engaged. So when […]