EGGI week

Next week we celebrate Education, Go Get It! week at Deerpark Middle School. It is the week that we "formally" promote high school and college. I will update you on all the activities next week and all the fun things happening concerning college awareness. I hope you all have a fabulous weekend. RRHS plays McNeil tonight at Dragon Stadium. It should be a fabulous game, and it would be great if we could all go and support our feeder high school!

Schools to Watch

I received an application today from someone in the district to apply for the Schools to Watch program. It is a program sponsored by the Middle School Association that chooses outstanding middle schools to be model schools for others to emulate. Of course, this is the vision that I have for DMS---I want Deerpark to be the best model for middle school education in the nation. I want it to be so good that schools from all across the nation come to visit, so they can model their schools after us! As I reviewed the application, I realized that although we have many outstanding systems in place, there is still so much more we need to do to be a "School to Watch." So, I made the commitment to share the guidelines with my staff and a make a plan to start introducing some of the systems that I know will make our campus the best. I am excited to start this journey with my faculty and students. I feel they are ready---no, we are ready to make our mark on public education. We will do it not only because it is good for Deerpark, but we will do it because it is what is good for kids.

DMS Rocked the House

We had our first pep rally today, and the kids were fabulous! I loved seeing the varsity theater boys dressed as cheerleaders to teach the crowd "Clap Your Hands!" The entire school rocked to "We will Rock You," and the cheerleaders did a great job of teaching the students how to cheer to "Go Big Red," played by the band. Speaking of the band---wow--what an awesome performance of the Black-Eyed Peas' song "I've Got a Feeling."
We had the best class competition--I think the 8th graders could be heard at McNeil High School. It was a lot of fun, and I am so proud that our students have so much school spirit. Go Rangers!

The 21st century learner

I walked through a 7th grade science classroom yesterday, and the students were learning about plant cells and micro-organisms. I sat and spoke with a group of students and inquired about their learning. What are you learning? Why are you learning it? Why is that important? I was inspired by these students as they discussed micro-organisms and their impact on the world. They discussed with me what happens when small species are killed forever and how it effects the Eco-system. They discussed the "green movement" and why it is so important to bring awareness to all people the results that destroying plant life will have on our planet. As I sat there and listened to these 12 and 13 year olds, I thought to myself, "These kids are so so much smarter than I was when I was their age." I had the same sentiment when I observed an 8th grade math class. Students were discussing the relevance of Scientific Notation and how it applies to our world. Once again--so much smarter than I was when I was their age. As an educator, I hear concerns about public education, and I often hear that students aren't as smart as their parents. I always hear how we are worried about this generation of learners. I can tell you that my experience with my middle school students has shown me that our students are smart, thoughtful, and inquisitive. They possess a different intelligence than their parents--not worse, just different. I especially see this when students are working with technology. Our students can manipulate technology better than most adults. They often show me how to make presentations better, use WIKIS, and incorporate Photoshop! As educators, we need to tap into this resource and have students learn using technology. So, this year, our teachers are researching 21 things the 21st century teacher needs to know to teach today's learners. Our action research as a school is all about technology. I will keep you posted on all the incredible things that our students and teachers are learning.

College Bound

I have been helping my daughter with the daunting task of completing her college applications. Helping her with her applications has truly given me an appreciation for the difficult decision students face about growing up, deciding what college to attend, and then making the move to leave home and go to a university. It is an overwhelming task, and I can see the apprehension and the unsettling feeling my daughter experiences every time she speaks of leaving home to go to college. Of course, there are those moments when she tells me that she can't wait to move out, go far away, make her own decisions, and never come back! I just smile and say, "I know." If it is this difficult for a senior in high school, then I can only imagine how hard it is for our middle school students to focus on college. They have more important things in their heads: who should I go to the dance with...am I wearing the right clothes...will mom let me go to the mall with my friends? I speak about college every day with many students, but they get this glazed look in their eyes, and I feel like everything I say goes in one ear and out the other. Many people may ask why talk to middle school students about college at all? My response is that I want to give my students the idea that college is an expectation, not an option. I want so many doors to open for them, and I know that these doors will open more easily with a college degree. So, I won't give up talking about college with my middle school students. It is my hope that even though it may go in one ear and out the other, that some of it sticks on the way out!

3 Day weekend

Thank you to all of our community for being so supportive of DMS. I hope everyone has a safe and relaxing Labor Day weekend!