In reality, the last day of school is the beginning of summer! And just the thought of summer fills us with excitement.
As a former teacher and parent, who by the end of June will have had two teenage daughters graduate, I know the last day of school is filled with emotions. You’re happy to see your students move on to the next grade (hopefully), some will go to summer school, some won’t come back! Regardless, you will miss most of your students, even if they did give you a hard time.
For the schools that will be closing their doors for good, the last day could be emotional for all.
Kindergarten teachers will miss their 5 year olds and their toothless smiles, while 8th grade teachers will be celebrating commencement with their 13/14 year olds wondering if they will ever see them again.
I have many memorable last day of school moments, but two that stand out are:
Being part of a school closing that was just about to celebrate their 75th year anniversary was a tearful one – but everyone supported each other and held together, and managed to get through it.
Being part of the 8th Grade commencement celebration and leading the graduates down the Church aisle with my colleagues was an honor and one that I will cherish. Sharing my students’ success brought tears to my eyes.
Whether the last day of school is somber, sad, or joyful, I know it’s a roller coaster ride for all, you survived! and you should be proud of yourself…
On behalf of CTN and myself enjoy your many gifts, rest over the summer, and we’ll see you again in September! Oh, and don’t forget to check back to our website to see what we are planning for you – we’ll post some updates.

“NO STUDENTS LEFT UNTESTED” should be the new slogan instead of NO CHILD LEFT BEHIND

New York State Exams … Are the exams helping by making us accountable?
Or are we spending too much time/effort teaching for the test?
My story: When I began teaching the 4th grade, I was very nervous. I knew that preparing students for the state exams was not going to be a walk in the park. I had to prepare them for three state exams: ELA, Math, and Science. The exams were to be taken within three months of each other, with little time in between. The fourth grade was self contained, which made it even more difficult.
Expectations were high:  I knew, starting the beginning of the school year, my class was well prepared. Their former 3rd grade teacher was a great colleague and supportive. She was a disciplinarian with phenomenal teaching skills. Knowing that the students had a solid foundation going into the 4th grade was important and helpful. I was hard on myself, and felt the pressure.

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We all have had a student or students who seemed so overly active in class that we asked:  “What did you eat this morning?” or, “It seems like you had too much sugar this morning.” Well, if you’ve made these remarks before towards your students, there is scientific and sound reasoning behind it.

School is where young people spend most of their time.  It is important to teach them healthy eating habits.  Determining who’s eating healthy and who’s not is difficult. Trying to link a student’s performance to his eating habits is even harder, but what we do know is that eating a well-balanced meal, especially breakfast (the first meal of the day) is paramount for students to perform well academically.  Eating breakfast and eating healthy keeps students alert, and helps get them ready for the day.  Here is an interesting website with a study supporting the relationship between healthy lifestyles and school performance: http://clearinghouse.missouriwestern.edu/manuscripts/203.php

My experience: When I taught Junior High in the Bronx, every morning when parking my car in the lot, I would see a handful of students in front of the deli picking up a quick breakfast meal.

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On my final day, I attended a school visit provided by the Academy of Holy Angels. This school was the talk of the town.

They started a project called Project Laptop where every child in their school is given a laptop computer to use on a daily basis during school and outside of school.  The students lease the laptops and the package includes the computer, software, accessories, technology support, ongoing training, and a warranty. Textbooks are no longer used. Success of this project was a school group effort from the principal to all the teachers. They all had to share the same philosophy and be in sync with the idea that implementing technology on a daily basis is the way to go in the 21st Century. All teachers at Holy Angels had to be trained to use technology and teach the skills young people need in a digitally connected fast-paced world.

Holy Angels put this project in place two years ago, and the students love it!

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This week I attended the National Catholic Education Association hosted in downtown Minneapolis. This year’s theme is Leadership- Direction- Service, and how we, in our current positions as teachers, priests, or administrators should continue promoting this theme.

Impressions:
I arrived at this beautiful city and was impressed with its environmentally, eco- friendly, well-kept surroundings. Not to mention, VERY trustworthy. From the airport, I took a tram to the light rail, equivalent to our subway system. After paying for my train ticket, there was no one to redeem it. I later found out that Minneapolis’ train system doesn’t require collecting tickets – only purchasing them. They will let you pay and validate your own ticket and ride the train. Police officers occasionally will ask to see your ticket and fines will follow if you do not have one.

Right away, I thought “how trustworthy can you be? “… and how this paying method will NEVER work in New York City.

I transferred for the bus that left me right in front of the hotel. Their bus system runs on very narrow streets, with plenty of security and police presence.
Downtown Minneapolis boasted high-end retail stores with a very trendy modern look, great restaurants, as well as some historical landmark buildings and churches like the National Shrine of St. Paul Cathedral and The Basilica of St. Mary, the nation’s first Basilica. Minneapolis was a throwback of the old and the new in one.

Day 1:
I started my morning by attending Mass and the opening liturgy. The convention keynote speaker was Father James Martin, S.J., an author who uses laughter as the key to a better spiritual life. His speech was incredibly funny, uplifting, and very inspiring. His focus was on the different vocations of life. He reminded all of us not to take life so seriously, and have fun living God’s proclamation..

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Every teacher’s nightmare is hearing a student’s cell phone go off while trying to teach. What do you do if this happens? How do you control misuse of cell phones in the classroom?
We have rules and policies already in place to combat cell phone use, but have you considered using cell phones as a TEACHING TOOL?
Believe it or not, there are advantages to using cell phones as a resource in the classroom.

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Bullying in the classroom…. It’s distracting and can be psychologically disturbing for any student. Bullying is affecting our students in many ways. Most of the time it goes beyond the classroom. Kids also get bullied during lunchtime, at lunch recess, at dismissal and even on the Internet. This form of bullying is referred to as cyber bullying. Any form of bullying is bad for the student’s self-esteem and can lead to more serious consequences if not monitored.

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