Two firsts this week, and it makes me very thankful we followed four days of classes with a four-day weekend.
After four days to prep, the 2023-24 academic year began on Monday. I find it interesting that more than a few veterans found themselves nervous as we arrived. We’d already had freshmen orientation the previous Friday, and that went well.
My two freshmen classes are small and seem very nice. We’ve done a series of activities discussing themselves and finding commonalities. One will clearly be the quiet class; there’s one every year.
I also have three sophomore classes, which do not seem to be as challenging as last year’s sophomores. It’s interesting to see so many I dropped from honors freshman classes last year, giving them a chance to be more successful. One has already shown a major change in attitude and productivity.
We added a new Assistant Principal for Climate & Culture, and she has instituted some new policies that have already adjusted the climate in the building. We need to sustain it, and I think we’re going to have a very strong year.
On Wednesday, I skedaddled and suffered through the I-95 traffic to make it to the Maryland Institute College of Art. Even though I thought we made it clear the 4 p.m. class would begin at 5, I rushed in at 4:40, and they were all sitting waiting. Two were absent, but the others were friendly and attentive and, best of all, prepared.
Each walked us through their proposed 30-page graphic story, responding to questions and feedback from their peers. I spent Friday taking a deeper dive into their written work, and I am preparing for my one-on-ones with them this coming week.
I also talked about my background, prompting them to ask to see my work (after all, they showed me their stuff), so I toured them through my website. We also took some time to talk story structure, not something they had received a lot of guidance on.
No one told me that there’s a dinner break for long night classes (remember, mine is scheduled from 4-10 p.m. that can run as long as an hour. Thankfully, we took less and got out just after 9.
Once we move to full weeks of high school, we’ll see how the schedule treats me, but I am cautiously optimistic.
#Tags: Freshmen, MICA, Sophomores
This bears further discussion (assuming it’s not just lowering the thermostat): “We added a new Assistant Principal for Climate & Culture, and she has instituted some new policies that have already adjusted the climate in the building. We need to sustain it, and I think we’re going to have a very strong year.”
When I teach long classes, I don’t break. Instead, I encourage my students to get up when they need to and we eat in the classroom. That way, we don’t lose momentum and we get out earlier. I think of it as a play without an intermission.