Donald Gately Ed.D.
Category Archives: Inside the Middle School
My COVID 19 Diary: Are you all in?
Regardless of the approach to reopening at your school, you need to commit yourself to your purpose. In my school I am privileged to work with the most amazing staff who are possessed of an unflinching clarity of purpose. They know that our role as educators is to nurture the learning and well-being of our kids, to love them so that they know they belong and that we are their champions. Continue reading
My COVID-19 Diary: I want to talk like that
Not the only, but one of the reasons we fixated on the nieces from Texas were their accents. They spoke with a deeply appealing southern drawl that was captivating to our ears. My friends and I were fascinated by their use of the “ah” sound in simple words like “faav” (five), “pah” (pie), and “naht” (night).Their way of speaking rendered the native diction of our East Flatbush neighborhood both crude and pedestrian. Continue reading
My COVID-19 Diary: Culture outlasts quarantine
Somehow, given the magnitude of our current crisis, getting around to following up on a kid who took fries off another kids’ tray without asking, leading to some minor pushing, seems inconsequential. Continue reading
My COVID-19 Diary: Were you ready for this?
I appreciate the opportunity to applaud my amazing teachers for all that they’ve done to give us a huge head start and I encourage all of us to see our present reality as part of a dynamic approach to learning that can continue even when we go back to a face-to-face environment (please tell me this will be soon!) Continue reading
Middle-leaders Collaborative: How do you handle “lame-duck” days?
The holidays are approaching. Working with middle school kids on the days preceding a vacation can be particularly challenging. How do you make it work? This post is a collaboration between a group of middle school leaders from across the … Continue reading
Middle School Principals’ Collaborative: Beginning of the Year Essentials
This post is a collaboration between a group of middle school leaders from across the country. Periodically, these passionate and dedicated middle school principals share their thoughts on issues of relevance for those “in the middle”. Topic: The 2019-20 school … Continue reading
About our legacy: What details will be remembered
Whenever you ask young adolescents about the adults in their lives, their teachers, administrators, their bus driver, the lunch ladies, they always focus on some quirky detail that is the part that becomes the whole. Continue reading
Stories: About a boy
Amazing educators, when you ask them, “What do you teach?”, they reply, “I teach kids!” Great teachers love kids. They love the students in front of them and they understand the sacred nature of their professional responsibility to nurture the academic and personal development of kids. Great teachers know that relationships are the most important thing; not homework, not tests, not awesome lesson plans, but relationships. Continue reading
About school: We can make it special
rincipals and teachers can create singular moments for kids everyday. Like the Brooklyn Nets, these are our schools, classrooms, hallways, gyms, and cafeterias. We are in charge of these settings. We can do extraordinary things to create lifelong fans of learning and of our schools. Continue reading
About reading: You’re not alone
For every adolescent who encounters fear or conflict or love, there is a person, real or fictional, whose life is described in words and whose experiences can help them realize they aren’t the only one. When kids read books, they come to recognize that the world contains innumerable thoughts, feelings, and experiences. Continue reading
Posted in adolescence, Best Practice, Parenting, reading, Reflections, Teaching/Learning
Tagged adolesence, reading, scary things, stephen king
Leave a comment
In the middle of learning - by Donald Gately Ed.D 
You must be logged in to post a comment.