Do You See?

In this episode, Ms. Angie, Ms. Alisha, and Ms. Audrey answer all those burning questions we received from students and parents, including the all-important one about Ms. Angie’s Tesla. Feel free to send your question to [email protected].

In this episode, Ms. Angie, Ms. Alisha, and Ms. Kari discuss mindfulness. What is it? And is it a bunch of “woo” or is there solid research behind it? Ms. Angie dates herself with a classic “kids these days” statement and Ms. Kari teaches how breathing can activate the parasympathetic (“rest & digest”) nervous system.

In this episode, Ms. Angie and Ms. Alisha host a guest panel of three 9 th grade students who share their hopes and fears for high school as they finish up their time at our school…a vulnerable look at how it feels to be a teenager poised on the verge of the next big adventure.

In this episode, Ms. Angie, Mr. Alden, Ms. Terra, and Ms. Karen talk about initiative and the importance of so-called “soft skills” in success. Do our students sit around waiting for someone else to do something? I don’t think so! Mr. Alden gives a parent homework assignment that is important.

In this episode, Ms. Angie, Ms. Rebecca, and Ms. Melissa K. talk about the human need for belonging and the importance of creating classroom communities of acceptance, inclusion, and social support. Ms. Angie remembers a funny story from Ms. Melissa’s classroom.

In this episode, Ms. Angie, Ms. Alisha, and Ms. Autumn discuss focus and how students engage with work. They examine the idea of the state of “flow”, as researched by a Hungarian psychologist whose name Ms. Angie bravely attempts to pronounce, and Ms. Alisha says some things that she hopes her students never hear!

In this episode, Ms. Angie and Ms. Alisha interview three students, a 7th grader, 8th grader, and 9th grader about their school experiences and get all the pro tips about surviving and thriving in Middle School. They may or may not also get all the dirt on the Middle School teachers…

In this episode, Ms. Angie, Ms. Alisha, and Chef Rick Pettingill discuss our amazing school lunches and Chef Rick shares some tips for getting our students to try new foods. Ms. Angie shares some research about how important good nutrition is for developing bodies, and tells the story of her financial fight to create a “full prep” kitchen when the school was built. Chef Rick throws the teachers under the bus!

In this episode, Ms. Angie, Ms. Alisha, and Ms. Hailey talk about the essentials of the Montessori method and the difficulty in trying to explain it all quickly, because there is so much to it! With 20/20 hindsight, we postulate that perhaps this should have been Episode 1 instead of Episode 11, and instead of homework, Ms. Angie offers parents a bonus.

In this episode, Ms. Angie, Ms. Alisha, Ms. Melissa, Ms. Sheri, and Ms. Kimberly discuss the love of reading, and the amount of literacy expertise in this group is sure to impart some wisdom. They tell the stories of their own pathway to loving books, and give some opinions on graphic novels and some advice on struggling readers. Ms. Angie reminds us that books give us access to the minds of geniuses and dead people!