School's Out for the Summer

I'm an educator who hopes we never give up summer in favor of school. Oh, I've read the research, and I hear the state legislature and the No Child Left Behind freaks drone on about how kids don't retain the information they learned in school when they're out for the summer... and how it's really hard for them to get back into the swing of learning when school starts up again in the fall....and how we're not keeping up with other countries. But school in the summer?! It's just not natural.

On the other hand, I stopped by a ball diamond the other day where a bunch of pre-adolescents were playing baseball. It brought back memories of my own childhood until I noticed how many parents were there...most of them yelling at their kids. Yes, I said "at," not "for." Moms hollering to run faster. Dads criticizing every move. It made me sad. Summer should be a time for kids to organize their own games and not be bothered with adults horning in, making the rules and passing judgment. When I was a kid, whoever owned the bat and ball got to make most of the rules. There were no spiffy uniforms, no coaches, no fans, and definitely no parents. How does a kid learn to negotiate and play fair if they're not ever left alone long enough to try it?

I live in a neighborhood where about 100 school age kids reside, but I rarely see any of them. Why aren't they outside playing? Where are the bikes, the skateboards, the jump ropes? Nobody's playing hopscotch or jax or frisbee. Maybe they're all at summer camp or taking music lessons or gone to DisneyWorld with their parents, any one of which would be great. But I fear that many of them are sitting on their butts in the house, watching TV or playing computer games until their parents get home from work.

I used to ground my kids outside the house and they weren't allowed to come in until I said so. Friends could come over, but they had to play outside. There's so much for a kid to do outside in the Copper Country that it seems almost criminal to let them stay in all day. There's water for fishing, swimming, boating, jet skiing, canoeing, kayaking, and water skiing. There are nature trails for hiking and plenty of woods to explore. There's baseball, golf, and tennis. Bike trails galore. Public beaches everywhere. Berries to pick, mountains to climb, gardens to grow. If we had year 'round school, when would kids do all these things? When would they form relationships that aren't school related? When would they fall in love? Oh my gosh, can you imagine going all the way through adolescence without a summer romance?

Ahhhhh.....sweet, sweet summer! I don't care how much the kids forget between June and September or how far ahead of us the Chinese get. Here's to no school in the summer. Here's to parents who let their kids have unstructured play time. And here's to my wish for kids to unplug all their electronics and experience the real joys of summer.

Graduation Parties

Even with all we know about teens and alcohol, there are still plenty of parents out there who struggle with whether or not they should serve alcohol at their child's graduation party. I can't tell you how many times I've heard parents say that their kids are going to drink anyway, and they would rather have them drink at home than out in a car somewhere. Oh, really?? I know plenty of teens who don't drink and don't want to hang out with kids who do. I guess if you believe your child is going to drink no matter what, then he probably will. But there's nothing wrong with expecting that your child will NOT drink until he's of legal age, if then! Furthermore, even if aforementioned argument is true for your child, what about other people's children? They won't be drinking at home, they'll be drinking at your house. You sure you want that responsibility? And, of course, there's always the risk of being arrested for serving minors.

Think of it this way....kids don't need alcohol to have a good time. That's an adult thing. The adults might be bored at a kid's graduation party without the booze, but so what? The party's not for them, it's for the kids. The graduates will be deliriously happy regardless of the refreshments you serve. It should be a fabulous, stay-up-all-night laughing your head off with your friends for maybe the last time ever kind of event. And wouldn't you like them to do it without puking or dealing with a hangover the day after?

If you're trying to be the cool parent by letting them drink, you're way off base. Trust me, they won't think you're cool...they'll think you're pathetic.

Last Week for Seniors!

This is the last week of classes for seniors. They brought in the "Senior Sofa" today and they are finishing up the last of their course work. It's amazing how much they've grown in the last four years!

In order to participate in the Graduation ceremony:
ALL CLASS ASSIGNMENTS AND REQUIREMENTS MUST BE COMPLETED BY MAY 19. NOTHING AFTER THE 19TH WILL BE ACCEPTED.

Check our End-of-Year Procedures below for more information.

SENIOR SCHEDULE
Seniors must complete the following requirements:

1. All class assignments and requirements must be completed by May 19. Except for exams. Nothing after the 19th will be accepted.

2. Outstanding debts and library fines must be paid on or before May 15th.
3. Lunch Accounts must be paid by Wednesday, May 8th.
4. Lockers must be cleaned.
5. All books and classroom materials must be returned.
6. All financial obligations must be reconciled.
7. Seniors may be exempted from final exams if they have a B or better and NO UNEXCUSED ABSENCES in that class during the second semester or at the discretion of each teacher.
8. A list of fines and unexcused seniors will be published by Friday, May 8th.

Seniors who have NOT met the above academic requirements will be required to take ALL EXAMS and follow above procedures before leaving. If you are required to take an exam and you don’t show up to take it, you will not receive credit for the class.

Monday, May 18 - Senior Exams during normal class hours

Tuesday, May 19 - Senior Exams during normal class hours


COMMENCEMENT PRACTICE

Seniors are REQUIRED to attend BOTH commencement practices. Working students are to make the necessary arrangements with employers to be present. Please be prompt!

Thursday, May 21 - 10:00 – 12:00 Commencement practice

Friday, May 22 - 10:00 –12:00 Commencement practice

Sunday, May 24 - 3:00 p.m. GRADUATION

*******REPORT TO THE AUDITORIUM AT 2:00 P.M.


COMMENCEMENT TICKETS

No commencement tickets will be issued. Ample seating on the main floor and bleachers will be available. If you need to make special arrangements for seating, please contact the high school office at 482-0450.

Happy Mother's Day

As Greg Mortenson said in Three Cups of Tea, "When you educate women, you change the world." Read to your children and your grandchildren!

Want to feel good today?

Just take a couple minutes to watch this. You'll end up smiling, I promise!

Teacher Appreciation Week

I'm not sure what the point of Teacher Appreciation Week is, or who thought it up and decided it would be this week. But this is a great time of year to thank a teacher because most of them are on the brink of losing their minds right about now! I can't think of another profession whose members are better educated, work as hard, or take as much crap as teaching. School administration runs a close second, but I won't get into that right now. The other day I was talking to a guy, who is a maximum security prison guard, about thankless jobs. He decided his wasn't as bad in that area as ours! And the amazing thing is that teachers LOVE what they do even when they're stressed to the breaking point half the time.

It's not a great time to be a public school educator in Michigan. Enrollment is down and we're funded according to enrollment, so needless to say, we're bleeding cash on a regular basis. As teachers retire and are not replaced, the remaining teachers are faced with larger class sizes. Many are being assigned to areas that they would rather not be assigned to and having to teach classes that they perhaps haven't taught in years or ever! That's one of the many lovely things NCLB has done for us. AND although there's no money for people or books, there's plenty of money for technology and it's coming whether we want/need it or not. So everybody better get with the 21st century and figure out what to do with it. Did I mention there's no money for technology training? Yeah, just the technology itself. Good luck everyone!

Here's an example of what teachers go through. I had been spending a lot of time with a particular student athlete who was in some trouble inside and outside of school. His mother wasn't happy with the fact that he was going to have to sit out a hockey game. In an e-mail to me she said that she wasn't through with me. That she was my master and I was her slave. I was offended at the time, but my years since have proven her to be correct. We ARE slaves to the public. As a teacher, you're in a classroom of 30 teenagers from 30 different homes, with 30 different levels of intelligence and maturity, and 30 different personalities; you have to teach them all the same content, make sure they all succeed, and do it in a way that pleases their parents. And you do it five times a day, five days a week, 36 weeks a year.

So, yeah, there definitely should be a Teacher Appreciation Week. If nothing else, we can appreciate each other!!

Cell Phones in School

I'd be interested in knowing how many (if any at all) students at HHS do NOT have a cell phone. Cell phones are great for all kinds of things, but they have become a problem in school. Here are some of the issues:

• The obvious distraction is when a phone rings in the classroom. It interrupts whatever was going on, and with any interruption it takes a few minutes for everyone to refocus on the lesson at hand.
• Kids do a LOT of texting. No matter where you are or what you're doing, it's almost impossible to ignore a text. So a student getting a text while in class is going to look at it and probably answer it. Then he/she is going to tell the person in the next seat what it was. They'll need a minute to laugh about it and another minute to refocus. In the process, part, if not all, of the lesson is missed.
• Cell phones can be handy little cheating devices.
• Unfortunately, adolescents can be mean to each other. Cell phones can easily be used to harrass someone and it would be nearly impossible for a teacher to catch someone doing it.
• In school, taking pictures of someone without their knowledge when there is a reasonable expectation of privacy (like in a locker room or restroom) could lead to irreparable humiliation for the victim and criminal charges for the photographer.

On the plus side,

• I know that parents like knowing they can communicate with their children easily via cell phones.
• In the case of an emergency, parents would want their children to be able to call for help.
• Students are able to make after school arrangements without having to stand in line to use the phone in the office.
• Many of the phones are actually tiny computers, providing wireless internet access for research and calendars for keeping track of homework.

We are in the process of reviewing and revising our cell phone policy. We have asked for input from the Student Council and our school attorney. If you have an opinion or suggestion about cell phones in school, I'd like to hear from you!