FAQ - Frequently Asked Questions

Q: When you have students collect the “Do Now,” why do you have them put the papers on your chair?

A: I do that so I have to deal with them as soon as class is over. If I had our scholars put them on my desk, it’s possible I could overlook them for a few hours or days. Putting them on my chair brings them to my attention immediately.

Q: Why don’t you use turn-in bins?

A: Since I teach two grades and four science classes, staying organized is critical. I have found that using turn-in bins becomes very messy. Students put the wrong papers in the wrong bin and it makes grading much more difficult.

Q: Why so much homework?

A: You must be an eighth grader. I give a lot more homework to the eighth grade than the seventh grade. There are several reasons. First, we have a lot to cover and can not get it all done in our 50-minute classes. I tend to give a lot of readings for homework and those are intended to prepare you for the next day’s classwork. Second, your middle school teachers have to get you ready for high school. You will be expected to do even more homework in high school. We are trying to get you used to spending time on academics even when you are not in school and help you develop good habits - like doing your homework.

Q: What’s with the “Mr. McKellar is Currently Reading” signs in the window?

A: I think reading is critically important to learning. Not everything you need to know can be summarized in a 3-minute Youtube video. By sharing what’s on my reading list, I hope to encourage others to read more. 

I read a lot. I usually have a book I’m really reading and an audiobook that I’m listening to in the car. I enjoy reading. I’m curious about a lot of things and reading is how I learn about them. For example, I visited Cuba this past summer and became interested in the history of that island nation. So, I am listening to a book about the history of Cuba. I also love reading fiction. I love how fiction can make you feel for a character, like he or she is a real person. Fiction can touch your emotions in a very special way.

Q: I’m interested in doing Current Events but really, really hate speaking in front of the class. What should I do?

A: I get it. I do not care for public speaking either. The most terrifying part of the year for me is at the end of the school year when I have to present the eighth grade science student award in front of the whole school, and a ton of parents. It takes just thirty seconds to say what I need to say, but those thirty seconds just kill me. As for Current Events, we can share the presentation. I’ll present for you the first couple of times, then you can tell everyone the name of the article, while I explain it and so on. Over time, you’ll become more comfortable speaking in front of your classmates. It is an important skill to develop and you can do that by practicing - like presenting your current event.

Episode VI – Return of the Science Teacher

Welcome to or welcome back to my blog. I write this for and to you, my students. 

This is my forum to write about my life as a teacher, a student and a person. Sometimes, I write to amuse. Sometimes, I write to inform. And, sometimes, I write to help my students put things into perspective.

For some of you, the thought of voluntarily writing an essay - without it being required for a grade - makes no sense. For others, who enjoy expressing themselves with the written word, well… you get it. 

I enjoy writing. For as torturous as the process can be sometimes, I get a lot of satisfaction out of it. I have done a lot of writing in my life for fun and profit. I’ve written for newspapers, magazines and…this is the coolest thing ever…seen my work referenced in a NASA book.

I usually post on Sunday mornings - and no, not at 3:15 a.m. (the posting time is listed as Pacific Standard Time). I will post a link on google classroom, so you’ll get an email notification when there’s something new to read.

I hope you will find them interesting but you’ll all be the judge of that. Please read, share, comment, and disagree with my thoughts and feelings.

Bonus School

Well, here we are. 

Bonus school, extra innings, overtime. Call it what you will but now we pay the price for all those snow days. 

With no snow days, the last day of school would have been Tuesday the 12th. Of course, we missed nine days this year so our actual last day is June 26th. 

Ugh.

Back in January I blogged about the “Revenge of the Snow Day” and I wrote: 

“Think back to the last days of our last school year at the Bartlett Community Hotbox. Windows designed to keep kids from accidentally falling out but also accidentally keep fresh air from coming in. Fans just blowing stale, clammy air around. Classrooms so hot you feel like you’re actually melting. Sweating so bad you feel like you need a shower and it’s not even nine o’clock, yet.”

Monday, temperatures are forecast to be in the high 90’s and that means by the end of the day, inside the school, we may exceed 100 degrees. And, of course, the way the school is

built - that heat will stick around even after it cools down outside on Tuesday. It’s going to be so hot the school department is considering giving us another day off (Thankfully, we would not be asked to make this one up).

All-in-all, I’d rather be in school when it’s miserably cold outside, and be out of school when it’s miserable hot inside. 

But that’s just me. 

My Walk-a-thon Experience

It seems about ten percent of the the 7th and 8th grade opted to stay home rather than participate in our annual fundraising walk-a-thon, 

Really? 

What’s with that?

Anyway, I thought I would share my experience for those who missed out on the event. 

Friday was a perfect late spring day - clear skies, comfortable temperatures with very low humidity (7th grade - remember, that’s a vocabulary word). The route is from the end of the driveway, over a canal, into a park, through part of Umass-Lowell, then back across the athletic fields to the school. 

It’s a one mile walk - not exactly a grueling event. I mean, we’re not running a marathon, or scaling El Capitan here, right?

I was at the front of the 8th grade section. Here’s the transcript of what I said during the walk-a-thon:

“Please, go slower, do not run ahead.”

“Wait, you are going too fast.”

Please, slow down.”

“Wait.”

“Stop.”

“Please, stay on the walkway.”

“Please, put the stick down.”

“Put the stick DOWN!”

“DROP THAT STICK, RIGHT THIS SECOND!”

“Please stay on the sidewalk.”

“Please stay on the path.”

“STAY OUT OF THE STREET!”

“Please do not touch the garbage cans.”

“Please do not touch other people's property.”

“Please, do not run ahead.”

“Please, wait for the group to catch up.”

“Wait for the group to catch up.”

“STOP! Wait for the group to catch up.”

“Please do not throw rocks.”

“I’m sorry, we’re out of ice pops.”

<sigh>

Spirit Week ‘18

In case you were not aware, this coming week is Spirit Week and extra-special good news - it’s going to be cool this week so no hot-house classes to drip through.

Here’s the rundown on the week’s fabulous activities:

Monday - Rainbow Day

Dress as colorfully as possible. No blacks, whites or khaki. We want color! The school should look like a whirlpool of wild and vibrant colors.

Tuesday - Sports Team Day

Wear your Red Sox, Patriots, Bruins, Celtics, UMass Lowell, or other sports team gear. I believe you can wear sports team hats for at least part of the day.  Of course it has to be school appropriate - no camouflage, and, most important of all - NO YANKEE GEAR. Okay, that’s just my own guideline. But, seriously, don’t wear Yankee gear in my classroom or be prepared to face the consequences.  

Wednesday - Meme / Superhero Day

Hump day is the day to let your personality shine. Dress up like your favorite meme, make yourself a meme for the day or, dress like your favorite superhero. One caveat - No wearing your undies on the outside of your tights. I know Superman does it, but hey, he’s

Superman.

Thursday - Dress Up Day

Put on your finest outfit and be ready for the sly, admiring glances from all your super-impressed friends. Just don’t be that guy who wears the t-shirt printed up like a tuxedo.  

Friday -  Dragon Day

Wear your Bartlett gear! This school should be flooded in Bartlett Blue!!!  

New Beginnings

I’ve been thinking about our eighth graders a lot this week. They’re almost done at the Bartlett and in a few months they’ll be heading off to high school. 

High school is one of the most important experiences you will go through. You will change your ideas about a lot of things, you will begin to see things on a larger scale, you will meet new people and probably know those people for the rest of your life. 

A quote from Charles Dickens is approbate to describe the period you are entering:

“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to Heaven, we were all going direct the other way – in short, the period was so far like the present period, that some of its noisiest authorities insisted on its being received, for good or for evil, in the superlative degree of comparison only.”

High school is a chance to explore and learn who you are and become who you want to be. 

It is a chance to start over - to find friends who will genuinely support and care for you. It is a chance to find your group or groups and fit in. 

High school is such a big experience - so many people, so many challenges, so many directions to go in - it can seem overwhelming -  but it’s not. You will rise to the occasion. You will find friends, you will move on from old relationships, you will move between groups and find the people who will help you become the best version of you that you can be - and you will help your friends do the same. 

It will all work out in the end. There will be scary days, disappointing days and days you wish would just end, but there will also be days of passion and glory and achievement, days you will remember for the rest of your life. 

High school is a big step, but you’re ready (even if you, maybe, don’t really feel ready). 

In a few weeks you will leave the warm and comfortable environs of The Bartlett. Your elementary and middle school experience is done and now it’s time for the next step. 

Take a deep breath and keep moving forward. You’re ready.

Confession Time

I have a confession to make. 

It’s not something I’m especially proud of, but I have to get it off my chest.

At this point, it’s become kind of a habit. 

People are depending on me and I don’t want to let them down.

I take pens. 

Yes, I take pens to use in my classroom. Not for me, for the students. 

The school-supplied pens are terrible, they’re as likely to tear the paper as they are to leave any writing on it, so I’m always on the hunt for free pens.

You know how certain businesses have pens available for their customers? Promotional pens - it's about the lowest form of advertising. Yes, those. I take those pens. 

I have identified a number of businesses in my town that make pens available as a courtesy and I regularly take a couple every time I go there. I have actually chosen which businesses and offices to use, based on their supply of free pens.

Banks, insurance agents, my dog’s vet and more. Businesses all over town.

Last summer, on vacation, we stayed in several hotels and I scooped up about twenty-five pens along the way. I bought two new cars last summer - yup, I every time I saw a pen at the dealerships, I picked it up. When we went to the Invitation 2 Innovation event at the Tsongas Center, I saw a table with free pens - I took as many as I could get my hands on. 

If you’re borrowing a pen in my room it might have almost anything written on it.

It’s just one of those things you do as a teacher - take pens for your students to use.