The school year is in high gear.
We’re past the honeymoon stage where the students are on their best behavior (though, admittedly this group’s behavior is still pretty amazing) and summer is a distant (though glorious) memory. This week we even hit the mid-way mark in the first marking period when students with D’s and E’s get progress reports sent home; if students are already needing a wake-up call, we must be well on our way.

I even hit the wall once, which doesn’t usually happen for another month.
{FYI, “hitting the wall,” in English teacher-speak, is when you have so much to grade that evasive action needs to be taken…going around or over the wall…things like having the students grade an assignment, taking a ‘mental health day’ and mostly grading, and hibernating in your classroom grading notebooks for an entire Saturday afternoon while, elsewhere, the Spartan football team is playing}
It wasn’t pretty, but I made it to the other side in time to have an accurate assessment ready for those progress reports. I can’t make a habit of it, though. I know better.

Another sign of hitting our stride was last Friday’s Activity Night. Over half the students in the school showed up (240 out of 460 total) and they kept the DJ hopping with requests, found time to play a bit of ping pong and basketball, and seemed to have a fabulous time at it. The 7th graders are feeling quite comfortable in the building — as evidenced by their large numbers on the dance floor; the positive mood spread to Mrs. Frierson, our principal, and myself, who both found occasion to show some of our dance moves (though not with each other). Also not to be forgotten was the awesome parent support. A plentiful number of parent chaperones helped make the night a success.

The high school’s Homecoming football game is Friday, which means we are participating in Spirit Week. Today, for example, was Twin Day; Mr. Math, Dean Hanton, and I were brothers, both sporting shirts with a humble message…

Other signs of being in the groove abound: I turned in my Curriculum Pacing (year at a glance) guide, the Academic Center is up and running (helping students on Wednesdays and Thursdays after school), the Debate/Speech club is meeting, and MEAP testing is right around the corner (a week away). It’s been an exceptional start to the year.

This year feels a bit different, in a good way, for several reasons. I am piloting Digital Writing Portfolios with my students: this summer I attended the National Writing Projects of Michigan Digital Portfolio workshop and incorporated some of what I learned into what I was already doing with our class wiki. I tend to try new things and this one is challenging organizationally and instructionally. The rewards (having a more tangible record of student growth) seem worth the extra time, though. Another positive, but challenging, aspect of this year is that I’m incorporating a more positive approach to classroom management, called CHAMPS. It values explicit instruction around Conversation, Help, Activity, Movement, Participation, and Success — and starting the year with it, as well as using it daily, has made my expectations more transparent and predictable. Combining those changes with the Kevin Feldman professional development at the beginning of the year (which challenged me to outlaw hand-raising in most cases and engage students more fully), the changes this year have helped things start smoothly.

And yet…a cloud of uncertainty hangs over the school.
There’s something about working without a contract that makes the days a little longer. And then there’s the threat of losing our right to collective bargaining if Proposal 2 doesn’t pass in November. It’s a good thing that there are people out there speaking up for public schools and that I work with such an amazing group of professionals.

Even the baseball world has its questions at this moment as we wonder whether Miguel Cabrera will win the Triple Crown. Fortunately, that one will be known soon.