Great week. Just great! We had all of our new students for orientation this week at school. 33 new 7th graders (with another 90 or so joining on 8/17). We got them acclimated to the school culture, taught them the schools core value and got to know them.
I taught them how to write Haiku's and have been blown away by the thoughtfulness and eagerness with which they approached an activity I had expected them to reject outright. 7th grade boys writing poetry right? But in between the Haiku's about video games and Pizza Hut (which were pretty good in their own right) were some amazing ones full of imagery and emotion. It made me feel lucky to have the opportunity to teach them.
Today we had our tie ceremony where all of the students receive the ties that are part of their uniforms. One of our school leaders gave a wonderful speech about the importance of the ties and what they symbolized and then the teachers helped all the students to put on their bow ties. What an amazing 1/2 hour. These boys who all walked into school Monday with this tough exterior were humbled by the prospect of putting on a tie. We got to witnessed the beginning of their transformation into the men that they are starting to believe they can become.
Oh and nothing is cuter then 7th graders in bow ties. Seriously. Nothing. And I owned a bunny once.
Next week we have more professional development and then school starts on 8/17...Here is hoping for a weekend with plenty of time to relax, hang out with friends and make plans about what is to come. I never doubted that I made the right choice in coming here. But it was this week that I finally got to experience why.
