Hello Bartlett...

A new school year begins. 

For me, it’s not just a new year, it’s a whole new school. A maze of a building with nooks and crannies and loopy hallways, ramps and a garden smack-dab in the middle of the whole thing.

It’s a wonder I can find my way in and out of the building most days. A school without students is a pretty empty place. There’s no one to ask for directions. It doesn’t help that Ray and his custodial crew keep sweeping up my trail of breadcrumbs, so I just wander around until something looks familiar.

Think about this: I come in the main entrance and go down the stairs to room 23 and I’m on the second floor. Is the front door on the third floor? That can’t be. Seriously, who puts the main entrance on the third floor? Is there some warp in the space/time continuum between the front door and my room? I don’t know.

I’m sure I’ll figure it out. I’ve got a good sense of direction, a GPS app on my phone, and I’ve got students to show me around. 

Now, if someone can help me find the copy machine…

Thank You

It was Friday when it really hit me that I was leaving. Dan said such nice things about me in closing circle that I could not choke out a reply. But I had a weekend to wrestle with the emotions of leaving a community I love. 

Today, I wanted to say something and I did…it wasn’t the exact words that had been rolling around my head all day, but it was close enough. 

Thank you all for helping me, supporting me and valuing my contributions. I can not tell you how much this has meant to me. 

I wish each and every one of you all the best. 

I will take the spirit of McAuliffe with me to my new school. We are crew, not passengers.

The Natural World

The ten design principals underpinning all we do at McAuliffe reflect the educational values and beliefs of Kurt Hahn, founder of Outward Bound. These principles include an appreciation of The Natural World.

In June, we will plunge headlong into The Natural World with a three-day, two-night camping trip.

This trip will be “Challenge by Choice”- there will be a challenge of some sort for everyone, but each individual will choose their level of individual challenge. 

There will be some Crew-based activities including preparing and cooking a meal all together.

Cat Videos On The Internet

“And, please don’t waste time watching cat videos on the internet.”

That’s how I ended the instructions to my crew a few days ago. It’s actually something I say a lot. It’s what I hope will be a funny way to follow up on my instructions that they make use of this time for something academic, i.e. homework, classwork, reading etc. We only had about 20 minutes and they had no interest in playing a game or doing a check-in.

My instructions did lead to a telling interaction:

Student: “What did you do for fun when you were in 8th grade, Mr. McKellar?”

Me: “I watched cats.”

Student: “I don’t understand.”

Me: “I watched cats.”

Student: “I don’t understand.”

Me: “I watched cats, actual cats”

Student: “I don’t understand.”

Me: “The internet hadn’t been invented yet.”

Student: “Okay, but I still don’t understand.”

Me: “I watched cats, real cats”

Student: “I don’t understand. How did you do that?”

Me. “We had cats and used to watch them play….in real life….not on a screen…in my backyard - real cats!”

Student: “Ohhhhhhhhh, I understand.”

Find The Things That Excite You

“I can get excited by learning something new.”

That was the HOWL (Habits of Work and Learning) target I wrote on my front board Friday.

I think sometimes kids think it’s cool not to be excited or impressed by the things they learn. They act as if they’ve seen it all already, that they can not be surprised by something. They can be really blasé about really exciting things.

I think sometimes they don’t allow themselves to be excited - it wouldn’t be cool.

Trust me, there are way more important things than coolness. There is the excitement of exploration.

I learn new things every day. I get excited when I’m surprised by something I didn’t know.

I’m still thinking about all that I learned about the Colosseum in Rome a few weeks ago. I was blown away by all the amazing things I learned during a short tour (a retractable roof - really???). My imagination has been on fire thinking about how this structure was built and used all those centuries ago.

If you are studying the criminal justice system, plant cells or quadratics, seek out new ideas. Find the things that light a fire in your imagination. That “thing” will be different for everyone. 

Find what excites you - things that you want to learn more about. Actively seek out new ideas and new information. The lessons we teach are not the end of the topic...they are the beginning. 

The Secret Of The Morse Code

My room is one of the most over-used spaces in a building full of over-used spaces. Someone is teaching in my room during every block most days. My room is used for enrichment after school and meetings before school. It is one of the designated indoor recess rooms and, I offer extra help in math and science during most other lunch/recess times.

Let’s just say there is a lot of traffic in and out of my room.

I would like to have some personal memento on my desk. Unfortunately, I do not feel comfortable having something very personal like a picture of my wife or family in my classroom. I do not want to spend precious class time answering endless questions about my family.

My solution is Morse Code.

Some students have spotted it. Some have tried to decipher it. A few, I have taken into my trust and shared the secret of the Morse Code.

I can’t take credit for the idea - it was Thomas Yawkey, former owner of the Boston Red Sox, who inspired me. Just as he did on the big scoreboard on the left field wall, I have secretly placed the initials of my wife and myself on the wall of my room.

It’s a way of reminding me of who is most central in my life. It is my way of honoring and thanking my wife for all her support. It is my “family picture” in Morse Code form.

And, eighth grade, now that you know the “secret” keep it one. Don’t ruin it for next year’s crop of eighth graders. Let me have my fun with them...

Ahhhh, High School

Ahhhh, high school.

    “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.”

Ahhhh, high school.

It truly will be the best of times - the time you make friendships that will literally last a lifetime. It will be the time you make poor decisions that result in great stories that you will retell for years and years. And, you will learn…great stories are one thing, but you will learn to make the best decisions you can. Some will turn out great and others…not so great. And you will learn from all of them.

It will be the worst of times - the times you make the biggest decisions, when you are the least prepared to make them. You will feel pressure. You will be told that the decisions you make are for your entire life. If you fail an exam, a class…really at anything…you will feel horrible. You will feel you have ruined your entire life. 

I call nonsense on that. 

We all have a path to follow and we’re not completely in control of that path. Make the best of any situation. Learn from your failures - often they lead to your greatest understandings.

Some teachers will inspire you. They will ignite your imagination for life. They will lift you up and encourage you to follow your dreams, whether it be through poetry, drama, science, literature, sports, music or any of a score of other disciplines.

Ahhhh, high school.

High school is a scary, fantastic place. It is a place where you will find your crowd. You will fit in and make new friends. It is a place where everything is magnified - where the most momentous things of the day will, in time, fade into triviality. It is a time and place to find yourself, to try on new versions of yourself and feel which one authentically reflects the real you.

Ahhh, high school. Every adult wishes they could go back, then instantly revises that wish to choose only the fun, funny and fantastic moments of that fabulous four-year journey.

 “It is a far, far better thing that I do, than I have ever done”