The fourth quarter end on May 31 and we swung right into finals, with makeups this past Tuesday. On Friday, we locked the grades and the academic year was over. So, what sort of year was it? Tiring and all-consuming it felt. My three sophomore classes, largely comprised of students I taught as freshmen, disappointed […]
I have been hearing about KAIROS since the year I regularly subbed at St. Vincent Pallotti High School. Three times a year, one-third of the juniors are whisked away to a retreat center, and when each gaggle returns, I hear how transformative it was for them. Finally, late last school year, I asked our Director […]
Faculty and staff returned to school on August 23 and it was genuinely wonderful to see everyone again. There were laughs, hugs, high-fives, and more. We welcomed the unusually large number of new faces and got ready to welcome back the students. The good news was that enrollment was up for the freshmen class and […]
The first semester officially has closed. The mid-terms are graded and posted and the focus is on the second half of the school year. My four sections of freshmen arrived after a year and a half at home, effectively transitioning from seventh grade to ninth grade, entering high school somewhat unprepared for the expectations. They […]
I find it hard to believe that we are more than halfway through the first quarter. Our classes began August 26 and the quarter ends on Oct. 21, so it’s barreling along. I am relieved to see everyone from freshmen to seniors are happy to be back in the building. They mostly do not complain […]
Even though I spent most of a week prepping materials before returning to school, the actual return required a tremendous amount of mental recalibration. The shift from that of a writer to that of a teacher felt more profound this time. On Sunday, Deb helped me get the classroom ready. After everything was moved to […]
I am not sure who created Teacher Appreciation Week, but I sure like the timing of it. By having it the first week of May, it reminds the administration and parents of the role we play. At this point, we’re all getting tired, certainly worried about the students who are definitely not passing the year, […]
After extra time to prepare, the school year began in earnest on Thursday. Here’s how the in-class students see the online students. My desk got moved upfront to create more socially distant desk spaces for the students. I have five freshmen classes and it’s interesting as their personalities are starting to take shape. Overall, four […]
For whatever reason, unlike last school year, I have been exceedingly pressed for time. As a result, I have barely done any writing or editing, let alone blogging in ages. Here it is, the third day of my break, and I am finally getting back to the website. My freshmen wrote and performed skits showing […]
Time is flying.Our second quarter began October 25 and I have been meaning to reflect back on it ever since but here we are a week later and I’m finally getting to it.Given religious and national holidays, the first quarter felt long. The prolonged summer heat didn’t help, keeping kids longing to be back outdoors. […]