I was bullied in middle school. It’s not a story I tell many people, but around seventh grade, I was at an all time low. I was being beat up relentlessly in my classes. Kids teased me about my clothes, the way I talked and even how I walked. I felt constantly watched and always […]
“Ahhhhh, George*, stop being such an idiot,” the rain soaked, 13 year old girl in front of me screamed as she threw down her heavy back. George halted, mumbling the last few words of the song he was singing loudly only a second before. The rest of the group stopped mid-step. They stared at Stephanie […]
On October 10th, AMS will celebrate a milestone in our new building’s construction with a topping out ceremony. Just like the Scandinavian rituals of old, we will pay homage to the trees that went into the building’s frame and honor those whose hard work made our new classrooms and library a reality. Topping Out? Topping […]
I’m really weird. I know it and I love it. People often ask me how I ended up like this: a bilingual southerner with a passion for cultural exchange, an arsenal of fun facts, and a growing list of bizarre, yet hilarious true stories. My answer is always this: I wasn’t really not born in […]
Managing student behavior can be a challenging task, especially with middle schoolers. They like to argue and talk back. They like to disrupt class and draw attention to themselves. Some of them recently discovered the power of sarcasm and enjoy using it, a lot. As young adolescents discover their autonomy and figure out who they […]
Normally at Arthur Morgan School, we start the year with a three day hiking trip. Students break up into smaller groups and make friends while accomplishing a challenge together. The trips offer a great opportunity for students to feel accomplished while also easing their anxieties about starting the new school year. This year, however, we […]
Last week, Arthur Morgan School welcomed eight new staff members into our community. Some of them are artists. Others are gardeners. Some of them have backgrounds in education. For others, AMS will be their first time teaching. We are excited for the variety of talents and experiences each of them will bring and we look […]
As a consensus-run school, AMS practices, traditions and norms are heavily shaped by community dialogue. One question recently mulled over during our All School Meeting was “Why Should Teenagers Work?” And, from this lively discussion, we heard strong support for school traditions built around student labor. Some of the most nourishing experiences of AMS life […]
One of the biggest challenges for remote education is keeping lessons interactive. While stuck at home, students don’t have access to the same tools and materials they do at school. Everyone appreciates how Zoom and Google Classrooms are allowing us to continue teaching. Yet, even with these technologies it can be challenging not to reduce […]
This week most of the students and staff of Arthur Morgan School embarked on their 18 day field trips. They are having a wonderful time learning about philosophy, birth, death and medicine, and forced migrations. This blog post isn’t about them though. We will share their adventures next week, including many firsthand stories from each of […]