I’m sitting here completely jealous of the 8th Grade Global Issues stuff that your school is doing. Talk about an amazing opportunity for your kids to become aware of their place in the world.

I just finished a book called High Noon: 20 Global Problems and 20 Years to Solve Them. The thinking behind it is if we focus on the issues that cross borders: Poverty, lack of water etc…..that we can affect meaningful and long lasting change.

My personal goal has been to use the book—and some of the ideas in it—as a framework to hang a middle school course off of. Or as a conversation point for a global partnership with a sister school in another country (We’re working with one in Denmark and possibly Kuwait).

The wild part is you’re already doing it! Here I was thinking that I was on to something.

I did track down a collection of resources that the National Association of Independent Schools is using to work on a similar project. Thought the link might help you guys out somehow:

http://tinyurl.com/3dfjyv

Rock on,
Bill Ferriter

While it may be your job, you clearly enjoy it and you seem to have fun with it. Your upbeat attitude really gets us in a similar if not identical attitude.

Although it is your job, you don’t make it seem like that. It’s like hanging out with one of your friends-you can just be yourself and say almost anything. Almost. I say almost because, after all, you are still a teacher and so it would hardly be appropriate to say “Oh, yeah, I bet this teacher is gay.”

But, to summarize this rant: thank you for everything.

It’s a bit like when you tell your wife she looks nice and she says “But you’ve seen in me in this loads of times.” I’m sure if/when she answer does that, you feel like saying, “So what? You still look nice.”

It doesn’t matter that it’s your job – they’re still grateful to you. The thing is, though, when you say that, it makes them feel as if it was a duty rather than a pleasure to you, and may cause them to feel as if they’ve been a burden.

So just tell them it’s your pleasure. If you want to make the point for future reference that it’s part of your role, then add something like “…and it’s what I’m here for.”

Just my 2p worth.