Student News: Big Plans Coming!

Well, we are at the "lowest point" in the school year; the weather is cold, the kids are tired, and we still have a few weeks 'til Spring Break.  By this time, students and teachers have all seen one another's bag of tricks—or we think we have. Over the past two weeks I have found there are still things to learn, if I open my eyes.

We had a fun 7th grade Olympic Games unit, in which we researched countries and sports and learned about the games and ate Olympic-themed snacks (thanks, Christi!)  The biggest thing to come from the entire event, however, was that in doing the "Olympic Minute," I learned a lot about students that I did not know.

I learned that some students for whom everything else seems effortless were not at all comfortable with the thought of speaking over that intercom for 300 students and teachers to hear.  It is true that public speaking is really difficult for many people, but I learned that, for instance, Russell has a gift for both speaking and a facility for copywriting, and that Lane probably needs to go to work somewhere that he can put his gift of speaking to good use, since he got a standing ovation from the upperclassmen in the hallway.

There is so much more to say about all the other outstanding performances, but suffice it to say that I was reminded that your children are capable of so much more than we ask of them, and that I need to challenge them in new ways.  While we have been opening our class with a CNN Student News broadcast each day, I'll now be substituting a 5-10 minute Friday student newscast which will be created and presented by 7th grade students each week. I'm excited to see what they come up with.  Collaborating to create and present with technology is a twenty-first century skill many of you use each day in your own jobs.  I know these students will amaze, inform, and entertain us.

Thank you again for trusting us with them.