...CONTACTING MR. LEMIN [And a sincere apology]...
Regrettably, I don't check my voice-mail here at school as often as I
should. If you feel the need to contact me quickly, please e-mail me if
possible - I check it several times a day and I try to reply the same day.
Otherwise, please call the Middle School front office at 341-4830 after
school from 3 p.m. to 4 p.m. and have me paged.
And for the record: This isn't because I'm a Luddite [19th-century
anti-technology protestor], as some people think. It's just that I am very
old-fashioned. I don't like using a cell phone, I don't have personal
voice-mail or an answering machine - and my home phone number is unlisted.
[And now, the sincere apology:] Sorry.
...HOMEWORK...
Any assistance parents can give students in proof-reading his or her
homework is greatly appreciated. This work on the mechanics of writing is
part of an on-going Middle School effort to improve study skills across the
curriculum, as identified in our North Central Accreditation goals.
Proof-reading has paid off! There have been measurable improvements in
capitalization, punctuation, and spelling skills on standardized tests over
the past several years. The sixth grade faculty would like to commend DCMS
parents for their support of this effort.
...THE LIGHTHOUSES ...
Visitors to my room may have noticed the collection of more than 50
lighthouses. I have actually climbed to the top of several of the real
lighthouses they represent, including the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse on North
Carolina's Outer Banks, the Split Rock Lighthouse on the North Shore of Lake
Superior in Minnesota, the Old Mackinac Point Lighthouse on Lake Huron
(Lower Peninsula of Michigan), the Cape Cod Head Light in Truro, Massa-
chusetts, and the Old Point Loma Lighthouse in San Diego, California.
The lighthouses also reflect a personal philosophy regarding teaching.
In elementary school, a teacher may be thought of as similar to a "tugboat" -
if students struggle, the teacher comes to their aid and safely "pilots" them
to the answers.
But sixth grade is a time for new responsibilities. I think a middle
school teacher should be more like a "lighthouse" - guiding from a distance
and sharing any and all necessary information and procedures for students to
follow. It is then for the students to master the skills and to begin the
piloting process for themselves.
