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Beginning Anew

This school year has started off very well in my opinion. The enforcement of the student dress code was met by some trepidation by many of the students but it really has been a positive. The young gentlemen look different but gone are the super long t-shirts that looked a lot like dresses to me. It will take some getting used to for the students but all in all it has been a very positive change.

The students in my English 9 classes have been learning how I like things done in class. We have organized our notebooks and learned how to work our classroom server and computers. Tomorrow we will be taking some photographs for our autobiographical poems. These short poems should be completed this evening so that we can get them typed up and printed out before this week is over. This assignment allows me to better get to know the students and allows them to use the available classroom technology first hand.

We also began our Introduction of the Vocabulary we will be working on this semester. Being able to break down words into their individual pieces and parts as well as from the context of how they are written will serve the students well on standardized testing and with numerous informational reading challenges in life.

To say I am pleased with the beginning of the year is an understatement. Being out of the classroom last year makes returning to the “trenches” even more exciting. I look forward to a great year!

Posted by hlperson at 01:22 PM | Comments (0)

Welcome Back Falcons - 2007

It is that time of year and everyone is excited. I do believe the parents are most happy for school to be beginning anew. :-) Ninth grade is a huge year for these aspiring young adults. They are no longer stuck “in the middle” but are not quite as independent and self sufficient as they would like to be – and for the most part, no where near as organized as their parents want them to be. One thing is true – they are exciting, energetic, and expensive!

I believe fully in the TEAM (Together Everyone Achieves More) Concept. Parents + Teachers + Community = Successful Students! I wanted to take just a minute to make you aware of some of the items that are available to make sure that communication is a constant two way process to ensure success. Over my years of teaching I have built this website, with the generous help of an outside sponsor, so that students can be more organized in their studies and parents are more aware of the goings on of class and at school. I often hear from parents who lament the fact that students never seem to keep them informed about what is going on at school. Our classroom website really can help if you take advantage of it!

In the Classroom Calendar section of the page, homework will be listed out everyday, upcoming school wide events will be posted, and important dates will be maintained. Everything will be posted from sporting events to school pictures and dances and club trips. This is an excellent way for students to make sure they are in step to achieve their maximum potential and for parents to make sure they stay informed and connected at school.

On the Classroom Calendar each of the underlined entries will open up to reveal more information. Be sure to explore the entries regularly to get the most up to date information.

In the Quick Links section I will be posting digital copies of the resources and activity sheets that go along with our class. This way, if a sheet is lost, misplaced, messed up, or a student is absent - the assignments are posted in the calendar and available online. You do need Adobe Acrobat Reader to view the files. Acrobat is a free resource to download. Some of the files are large and dial up browsers might be a little slow.

I want to provide every available resource for the students to be successful and the parents to be kept informed. This site gives us a great start. With the energy of the students, the determination of the teacher, and the expectations of the parents, we cannot help but achieve our goals.

I look forward to an exceptional year!

Posted by hlperson at 09:38 AM | Comments (0)

The Right Decision

To say I was a little hesitant to leave the classroom and move over to the Media Center is an understatement. I was unsure if I would enjoy not having the day to day interaction with students. I was moving to a new school in an entirely different area than I spent the last ten years. Two great friends from Norwayne moved over this summer with me – Temple Herring and Carol Frederick. They came by the Media Center during lunch today and we all agreed whole heartedly that CBA is a FANTASTIC place to work. We laugh out loud at our pseudo Norwayne Alumni meetings and think how “Everyone is Someone at CBA!” Mr. Radford is a true gentleman and great to work for. The same kids who were holy terrors in middle school grow up and change into young adults who carry on civil conversations. They run clubs, they organize events, and they really are a pleasure to work with.

I am assisting Mrs. Caplinger with the Key Club. We meet every Thursday morning at 7:15 AM. You know this is a special group for me to get up this early for a meeting. Carson is the President and runs the meetings. I sat in awe at the last meeting as the “Educational Cottage” held 75 young adults willing to get up early and interested in performing 50 hours of community service each. The Kiwanis Club deserves huge accolades for developing an organization that provides young people with an opportunity to learn by serving others. I am also lucky enough to be working with Mrs. Savage in starting a Falcon Photography Club. These kids are going to get to learn the basics of photography and be able to capture the special memories of their high school years. We plan to use these images in our “Do it Right!” video presentations in the cafeteria. They will be printed, matted, framed, and displayed around campus to showcase the kids in their daily endeavors. So much of societies attention is focused on the mistakes kids make. We want to accentuate the positive.

There are difficulties. The chaos of the Media Center is so unfamiliar to a classroom guy who is used to at least occasionally controlling or even directing the classroom chaos. Whereas my responsibilities included only 50 students a day in the classroom I am fortunate to have worked with over 150 young adults today alone. Yes I have an enormous amount to learn, and classes to take, and the roof is leaking all around me, but I sit here at 4:30 this afternoon with a smile on my face, content with the work I have accomplished today, knowing that I am appreciated and happy beyond belief with the decision I made.

Posted by hlperson at 03:47 PM | Comments (5)