Lunchtime Lessons

The conversation about what happens at lunch is not a new one at Castillero, in Almaden Valley or at any middle school across the country but has recently been given some attention by local media. I'd like to ask my adult readers to take a little walk down memory lane and think about where you sat at lunch during middle school or high school and who you were sitting with. Early adolescence is a time for discovering and creating self-identity. While the family remains the primary source of affiliation (including attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors), children start testing the waters to find a sense of belonging in groups outside of the family and this helps them with self definition. Almost no one enjoys feelings of rejection, least of all teenagers, and so they look for similarities and differences between themselves and others in order to find a comfortable fit. Some factors that are compared are very surface such as physical appearance while others are less obvious such as moral values. Ethnicity, culture and language do come into play as well as academic interests and extracurricular activities. The thing that we need to get clear with ourselves and our kids is that wanting to feel included and accepted is normal (though not especially adventurous) and that feeling excluded hurts. We need to talk to our children about their willingness to extend themselves to others who might be feeling left out. One way of doing this is by searching for some common ground with people who, at first, may seem to be very different and getting to know them. Diversity is a wonderful thing that makes the world a rich place where we can all learn and grow. Talking to kids about this is valuable and it's important to remember that our actions speak volumes. Who will you have lunch with today? Who comes over for a weekend barbecue? Who lives in the house next door? If you want your child to appreciate and value diversity the best thing you can do is live your life like you mean it.

Welcome Back!

Many people think that a career in education is a pretty sweet gig primarily because of ATTO (all that time off). The truth is that a career in education is a pretty sweet gig but there really isn't that much time off. Teachers are consummate learners and summer is a time for revisioning, revising, and refining. The work is never done. In addition to rejuvenating the mind, body and lesson plans, Castillero has seen quite a bit of change to the facilities. Thanks to your Measure F funds, we have all new carpets and flooring and the windows and doors are in the process of being replaced. Everything was picked up and shuffled around in order to accomplish this task and we are still in the process of reorganizing but the campus and staff provide a welcoming environment for students. Opening day went very smoothly and all the smiles and positive energy make our school a wonderful place to be. We are looking forward to a terrific year at Castillero!