The Usual Chaos

It's teacher interviewing season here at school, and interviews bring their own sparkle and glitter or, sometimes, not. Last week I visited with a couple of outstanding candidates, one that particular sticks out. Never before has our panel been asked a question like this: "In this last semester, what's one thing that's happened to you here at Hebron that's made you proud to work here?" Hmmm. Thought provoking for sure! Luckily, my answer was immediate. Just a day or two prior, I began a nine-week long activity with my sophomores. It began with the "What if...?" and "I wonder..." sentence stems. I introduced the topic of those ideas and musings that tumble around in our brains, often when we are on autopilot while mowing the lawn or brushing our teeth. Sometimes, these thoughts drift through when the lights are off and the covers pulled high and the body is finally still. I wonder how my relationship with my parents will change now tha...

Midterms have come and gone, and state mandated testing has concluded. With nine weeks remaining, I asked my students to reflect on themselves as readers and writers so far, and as always, I received many interesting answers! Thus, in Mr. Fitz fashion, I'd like to use their thoughts late this Sunday night to kick off the final push to summer. "Before I was put in this class I would barely ever read, but the last 9 weeks I noticed I've read more than I ever have." "I have finally finished a book in many years after coming into this class. I have changed by suddenly wanting to read more books during my free time." "I've really taken an interest in the books I read. I even read more in my down time. I have learned that I can relate to a lot of my books and they can assist me in certain situations." Words like these make me ecstatic! My students are getting it, finding themselves in books and slowly making reading part of their lives, a ha...