Oh, what a vacation this has been!  Today when your children return, I will be asking them to do a “Best of Vacation” list.  If they can come up with a few “moments” worthy of a second look, I will be a happy camper.

Much of what I have been reading during the respite concerns our remaining time together.  As I have mentioned to some of you, in the third marking period the students will be engaging in “Passion Projects,” ones that they pick and devote one day a week to developing throughout the marking period.  It is a methodology supported by many of the people I most respect in the field of education and hope you will as well.  Ideally it puts a student in charge of his or her own learning.

As a “warm-up,” the students are working on book-related projects from now until the due date on Friday, January 22.  When parents ask, “So what do they have to do?  What are the requirements?” I must in all honesty respond that the final project itself will not receive a grade.  The steps along the way, the proposal, the research, the record-keeping, the reflective blogging, a completed product that can be shared and the final self-assessment will all weigh in grading.  This will preclude any “last ditch” efforts to undo time spent poorly in class or changing the project up at the last minute.  All of this will prepare your child for the next, more ambitious, effort of his or her choosing.

As we continue toward graduation in June, I will keep you posted and hope you check in with your child’s blog as well.