Welcome to 8th Grade! 

#youmatter

Welcome, Students! 

I'm really excited to start school this year. To be honest, I'm also a little nervous. School doesn't look like it did in the past--either when I was an eighth grader in 1984 or when I was an eighth grade teacher last September. Our world has undergone a lot of changes. Some of those changes make me sad. But some make me happy. Some make me afraid and anxious. But some make me feel grateful.

I've had A LOT of feelings just in the month of August alone. Who knows what feelings September will bring? There are a few things that have helped me:

1) Reading--not heavy analysis where I have to look through a lens. But simply reading a book where I can get lost. I can't wait to share books with you. 

2) Writing--sometimes I'm just messing around in my notebook. Sometimes, I'm working on Anytime Pages dumping all my worries on the page. And this summer, I put some of my writing out there into the world. It was scary. I don't know if it was accepted yet. But even if it wasn't. I can revise and try again.

3) Repeating the phrase "You can do hard things." One of the members of my writing group reminds us of this whenever we get stuck. This song reminds me of that phrase.

4) You! Thinking about returning to teaching--no matter what that looks like because being a part of a community of learners is really exciting. 

So until we start school on September 8, know that You Matter! I'm keeping YOU in mind as I plan our first days together. 

Enjoy the end of summer!

Dr. Schmidt 

***Parents, please do not email me via Google.