Letter from Mr. Nelson
Cougar Nation-
Let me tell you a story about a first-year ESL and PE teacher at Porter Middle School. The story's events occurred way back in 2001, and this gregarious young educator was heck-bent on being the best PE/ESL teacher the district had ever known. How? Simple. By making learning fun.
Even though his intentions were true, the way he shared this vision with his students may have been lacking. One day while leading a most uncooperative class of 8th graders through calisthenics, he asked the students to spell out the word “Fun” while doing jumping jacks instead of the standard “P-A-N-T-H-E-R-S” spell-out they performed each day. He sold it to them as putting the “fun” in “fundamentals’ and that the class was now dedicated to being the most fun experience of the year! As the young, non-grey-haired teacher of promise blew his whistle to begin the day, he relished in quiet victory as he heard his students yell the new spell-out word at the top of their lungs. “F-U-....”
Wait. Where was the “N?”
He quickly faded back into his tortoiseshell all first-year teachers escaped to when making monumental mistakes and hoped/prayed/wished/pleaded that nobody would ever speak of this again. However, to his surprise, this ragtag group of students laughed like never before in this class and went through the entire routine with vigor and enthusiasm like never before. The energy didn’t stop after the warm-up, and the kickball game that followed was the highlight of the young year.
The class used the embarrassing moment for the teacher as a way to connect, and they actually came together as friends and worked together better than before after the incident.
What became of the roguishly handsome, sandy-brown-haired teacher after the infamous “F-U...” debacle? He learned that one cannot force others into having fun; it needs to be organic and has no set path. He realized that when students and staff have fun together, they learn better together and work harder for each other. He learned that to have the most fun, you sometimes have to let go and let middle school kids be middle school kids.
He also learned that for all students and staff to have fun at school, you must hire like-minded educators that believe in the same fundamental principles. This is why we hire who we hire here in Smallville and why we work so hard to make each day as fun as possible for staff and students alike.
Oh, he also learned never to underestimate a gaggle of 8th-graders.
Enjoy your weekend, and stay warm!
Matthew Nelson
Principal
matthew.m.nelson@austinisd.org
(512) 841-6705
NJHS Applications
A note from Mr. T
Friends, Cougars, Countrycats,
I will be participating in the Austin Studio Tour this and next weekend on Saturdays and Sundays from 12pm-6pm. Here is the link to my entry. I will be exhibiting with our hostess Abby Burnham (art teacher McCallum HS), Holly Edwards (art teacher, Murchison MS), Devon Gibbons (art teacher, Anderson HS) and Erin Weber (former art teacher, Austin HS). There will be artwork for sale (here is the shameless plug part) and IThere will be artwork for sale (here is the shameless plug part) and I'm trying to stack paper for a ring. #teacherpay, amiright?
Austin Studio Tour started 20 years ago as "East Austin Studio Tour (E.A.S.T.) before expanding west, and eventually, the whole of our city. The West Austin Studio Tour launched last weekend with the West/East tours overlapping this weekend. Next weekend is East-only and the final weekend for Austin Studio Tour exhibitions.
Don't feel obligated to see my art. This is a great opportunity to see a variety of solid artwork that's going on in our slice of Texas.
I love y'all.
-Fred
Dr. Davis Celebration of Life Video
Chargers
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Click here to purchase or see what charger you need for the school chromebooks.
Clint Small Middle School
Email: jennifer.newell@austinisd.org
Website: https://small.austinschools.org/
Location: 4801 Monterey Oaks Boulevard, Austin, TX, USA
Phone: 512-841-6700
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100057069836221