Donald Gately Ed.D.
Category Archives: Inside the Middle School
About…The Wheels on the Bus?
I have been a middle school principal for 15 years. It doesn’t seem like a long time to me. The thing about working in a school, there are certain rituals and procedures that are repeated in the same way every single … Continue reading
Posted in Inside the Middle School, Leadership, Personal Best, Random Thoughts, Reflections, Uncategorized
Tagged adolescence, fun, school bus
4 Comments
About June: The madness!
The month of June is a fraught time for a school leader. There are countless tasks to be completed and deadlines to be met before the end of the school year which is fast approaching. More than once, in the midst of … Continue reading
Posted in Inside the Middle School, Leadership, Personal Best, Reflections
Tagged communicating, failure, Mindset, Work
1 Comment
About Reading: Don’t take it for granted!
I have been following with great interest a recent series of blog posts by Grant Wiggins about the nature of reading. Wiggins explores the essential question: What exactly is going on in our minds when we read? It’s mysterious really, … Continue reading
Posted in Inside the Middle School, Personal Best, reading, Reflections
Tagged adolescence, Fish in a Tree, learning, Lynda Mullaly Hunt, middle school, Mindset, reading
6 Comments
About Bullying: What makes an easy target?
We recently held the third annual Bully Prevention Kickoff at our School. For the second year in a row students, staff and family members walked thousands of miles to demonstrate their commitment to stand up to bullying. It was an incredible … Continue reading
About the first week of school: Some highlights and reflections
Okay, it’s Friday. We are off to a great start to the school year. Just three days in and everyone seems like they never left. I love all the smiles around our school. Some highlights and observations: First of all, … Continue reading
About a field trip
This entire week I have been away from school on the eighth grade trip to Québec and Montréal as part of our students experience studying French at the middle school. An administrator attends this trip along with the teachers every … Continue reading
Posted in Educational Focus, Inside the Middle School, Personal Best, Reflections
Tagged field trip, learning, middle school, students
2 Comments
About parent involvement: Not important? REALLY?
It’s been two days since the New York Times published a piece entitled, “Parent Involvement is Overrated“. It was written by two researchers who are soon to publish a book based on their study with the intriguing title: The Broken … Continue reading
Posted in Educational Focus, Inside the Middle School, Personal Best, Reflections
Tagged middle school, parent involvement
2 Comments
About leadership – don’t be annoying…
When I first bought a house, I remember I was nervous because of all the paperwork and attorneys, it was intimidating. Somebody said to me, “Don’t worry about it, it’s always tough when you buy your first house, after that, … Continue reading
In the Middle of Learning
I have had a blog for some time now, but only this year have I become more dedicated in posting to it at least once every two weeks. I appreciate the voice it gives me and the opportunity to work … Continue reading
Posted in Inside the Middle School, Personal Best, Reflections
2 Comments
I don’t know, ARE our kids too coddled?
Frank Bruni, a writer for the New York Times has been getting beaten up in the “blog-world” (see Tony Wagner, Jersey Jazzman, Paul Karrer, Patrick Walsh, and John Horn) for a recently published editorial entitled: Are our kids too coddled? … Continue reading
