How Clique Leaders Can Help You Mix It Up
Mix It Up at Lunch Day is just around the corner. Most students report that the Mix It Up experience – taking one lunch hour to sit somewhere new and make friends – is a positive experience that helps reduce tension across social boundaries. Sometimes, though, students are reluctant to participate.
Ted and Me: In Memoriam
Like many, if not most, I had a rough first year as a teacher. I was 21 years old and full of passion and desire but little else. I had survived student teaching on the Navajo Reservation for six months, but arrived on the other side of that experience with much to learn. I was teaching two-hour blocks of seventh-grade history and English. I was struggling on almost every level in almost every area.
“We’re Not Like That School”
Did you hear about that high school with the obvious race problem?
You know, the one where the n-word still gets used? Where friendships across racial lines are a rarity? The one where the idea of holding an interracial prom — rather than the traditional approach of holding separate proms for blacks and whites — led to lengthy discussions about “safety concerns” and, ultimately, to the presence of armed guards at the school dance?
Bring Back Teachers as Individuals, and Systems That Support Them
My first non-standardized teacher was Bob Williams. He stood about 5 foot 5 if he tiptoed, was an ex- Navy Seabee, a chain smoker and the best English teacher I ever had.
Mix It Up: A Bold Declaration
Mix It Up at Lunch Day is almost here, and on Nov. 10, 2009, schools across the country will be participating in the national day. On this one day, students will be asked to abandon their usual seat in the cafeteria, cross through social boundaries and sit with someone new.
