Issue IV  |  January, 2012

In This Issue...

Is It OK to Sing at Silent Meeting?
by Julia Russell Eells

Mixing Work and Play–Middle School Classrooms at Their Best
by Peter Brooks

Is It OK to Sing at Silent Meeting

by Julia Russell Eells
Head of School

Mixing Work and Play–Middle School Classrooms at Their Best
by Peter Brooks, Middle and Upper School Director

Teaching Middle School students is nothing less than a fine art. The educators who choose to commit themselves to this rewarding vocation, are, in no uncertain terms, cut from a special cloth. The Middle School years in a young girl’s development are exhilarating, confusing, and profound all at the same time. The highs are the highest of the high, and the lows can seem nothing less than insurmountable. Friendships shift, long-standing passions and interests are questioned, and identities seem to change, evolve, and crystallize at a staggering pace. However, when the dust settles, and the summer after eighth grade comes around, the teachers who have committed so much of their time and energy to these gloriously unpredictable middle school years find themselves affirmed in their efforts due to the preparedness, confidence, and maturity that their students exhibit as they move on to the next stage of their schooling. Read more...