A big thank you to Cherith, Kathleen, Marcel, Jake and Rhonda for taking time out of their busy schedules last week to discuss Life in a Crowded Place by Ralph Peterson. Those of us who had read Choice Words , How to Talk... and Beyond Discipline last year noted that this book fits well with the ideas put forth by those authors. We had an interesting discussion about the tension between what we want school to be about (an environment where children feel welcome and supported) and the pressures of outside influences (testing, the need to give grades, etc.). Some people talked about instances when they made time to build community in class and then felt somehow "guilty" about using time this way, even when they could see the positive effects in their classroom! We bemoaned the fact that community-building is a given in early grades but then often loses ground to a more academic focus in the older grades, and wondered about ways to continue to build community with our students in middle school. We also talked about how schools (such as Salk) create advisory programs to fill this need, but wondered if advisory would become redundant (and possibly obselete) if everyone felt able to make space for community building in their own classrooms. Finally, since we had several eighth grade teachers present, they started brainstorming ways to play around with the advisory format -- Cherith, Marcel, Kathleen and Jake, please keep us posted about what you try and how it goes!!
In terms of next time -- we are going to take advantage of the fact that we have an author in our midst!! Please join us on Friday, Nov. 30 to join in the unique opportunity to discuss Jake's Y.A. book with him!! Here are the details:
The book is, of course, Spanking Shakespeare by our very own Jake Wizner.
The date is: Friday, Nov. 30th at 3:15 PM
Note the earlier time -- we'll meet at school, in Jake's room -- coffee and dessert will be provided. (You can either view this as its own event or think of it as the precursor to the regular Friday-afternoon outing...)
If you haven't read Jake's book yet, I suggest you run, don't walk, and get yourself a copy. (This is not a paid promotion -- just a strong suggestion from a fan!) As others who have read it can also attest, it's a really fun read -- the perfect antidote to the stresses of report cards, etc. And, for those of you who have read it, I'm sure you can imagine how enjoyable it will be to gather together with Jake to get a chance to discuss the book.
Looking forward to seeing you all there!!
Pauline
