It is with the deepest of pleasure that I say welcome back to all of the Percy Julian Middle School students. We are on the precipice of commencing another year replete with intense scholarship and intellectual growth. It is good to be back home.
I just returned back from India earlier this week. It was a pilgrimage that afforded me many moments of understanding and clarity. It also allowed me to perceive both past and future experiences in a new light. I will target this opening blog entry of 2008- 2009 to two sets of people that have served to create meaning during my time at Percy Julian Middle School: Former Students and Prospective Students.
To my former students, I want to take this opportunity to wish you best of luck for the upcoming year, your last as a Percy Julian Student. I hope you enjoyed your summer. I am certain that you spent time escaping from the demons of the Final Assessment, Outcome Sentences, Daily Planners, Teaching Assignments, as well as paying attention to the LCD Projector. Yet, like all of those who seek refuge from that which stalks them, I believe that “you can run, but you cannot hide.” It is close to the time where you will assume the leadership of the student body, and be expected to embody “those things that are best” as you prepare for your departure and your entrance into the new domain of high school. I will be mailing out letters to all of you by early next week. Each letter begins with the same opening paragraph, but is personalized to each of you. The purpose of this letter is to wish you best of luck for this upcoming year and explicate the meaningful nature of my time teaching you. I hope you enjoy your letters and I look forward to you gracing my doorway in the upcoming year.
To my prospective students, I want to take this opportunity to wish you all the best in enjoying the remaining time you have in summer. I hope you were able to do all of the things you told yourself that you were going to do at the start of it. I am confident that you told yourself that you would visit the Art Institute, spend a day touring the Friendly Confines of Wrigley Field, study the great architecture of downtown Chicago, and read the great works of Western Philosophy to discover meaning in existence.
… Or maybe you stayed at home, hung out, and simply vegged.
Whatever it is you did, I hope you enjoyed it. I also hope you are preparing yourself for the start of school, and in particular, your time as a 7-1 Student. Allow me to welcome you to such an experience. You will be a part of something special, unique, powerfully difficult, and intense. It is my belief that your time as my student will represent some of the most difficult time you will spend in a classroom. It will be “the toughest job you will ever love.” I believe that it might be the first time where you will be introduced to the pantheon of scholarship. I will assure you that I will do my best to move as many of you as possible into the domain of intellectual analysis.
If you have me for advisory, you will have received your advisory letter. (See you on Tuesday, as I don my Edmonds jersey.) For all of this year’s 7.1 students, if you are wondering what is awaiting you in Social Studies, feel free to examine this blog. You can see the first two syllabi of the class, and also see the handouts and distributed items for the first three weeks of the course. Please be mindful that the syllabi featured are a guideline as to what will be covered. As with all first weeks, there will be time commitments outside the realm of academics that might compel us to alter when we reach certain topics. You can also see what this blog features, and read over some of the topics covered from last year. I hope you ruminate and contemplate what this class will be like for you. I promise that you will work… oh, you will work, my emerging scholars.
Expect another entry as the start of school creeps closer and closer. The Jayhawk has a hold over us all, indeed.
All best and happy hunting to both former and prospective students.
Mr. Kannan
I just returned back from India earlier this week. It was a pilgrimage that afforded me many moments of understanding and clarity. It also allowed me to perceive both past and future experiences in a new light. I will target this opening blog entry of 2008- 2009 to two sets of people that have served to create meaning during my time at Percy Julian Middle School: Former Students and Prospective Students.
To my former students, I want to take this opportunity to wish you best of luck for the upcoming year, your last as a Percy Julian Student. I hope you enjoyed your summer. I am certain that you spent time escaping from the demons of the Final Assessment, Outcome Sentences, Daily Planners, Teaching Assignments, as well as paying attention to the LCD Projector. Yet, like all of those who seek refuge from that which stalks them, I believe that “you can run, but you cannot hide.” It is close to the time where you will assume the leadership of the student body, and be expected to embody “those things that are best” as you prepare for your departure and your entrance into the new domain of high school. I will be mailing out letters to all of you by early next week. Each letter begins with the same opening paragraph, but is personalized to each of you. The purpose of this letter is to wish you best of luck for this upcoming year and explicate the meaningful nature of my time teaching you. I hope you enjoy your letters and I look forward to you gracing my doorway in the upcoming year.
To my prospective students, I want to take this opportunity to wish you all the best in enjoying the remaining time you have in summer. I hope you were able to do all of the things you told yourself that you were going to do at the start of it. I am confident that you told yourself that you would visit the Art Institute, spend a day touring the Friendly Confines of Wrigley Field, study the great architecture of downtown Chicago, and read the great works of Western Philosophy to discover meaning in existence.
… Or maybe you stayed at home, hung out, and simply vegged.
Whatever it is you did, I hope you enjoyed it. I also hope you are preparing yourself for the start of school, and in particular, your time as a 7-1 Student. Allow me to welcome you to such an experience. You will be a part of something special, unique, powerfully difficult, and intense. It is my belief that your time as my student will represent some of the most difficult time you will spend in a classroom. It will be “the toughest job you will ever love.” I believe that it might be the first time where you will be introduced to the pantheon of scholarship. I will assure you that I will do my best to move as many of you as possible into the domain of intellectual analysis.
If you have me for advisory, you will have received your advisory letter. (See you on Tuesday, as I don my Edmonds jersey.) For all of this year’s 7.1 students, if you are wondering what is awaiting you in Social Studies, feel free to examine this blog. You can see the first two syllabi of the class, and also see the handouts and distributed items for the first three weeks of the course. Please be mindful that the syllabi featured are a guideline as to what will be covered. As with all first weeks, there will be time commitments outside the realm of academics that might compel us to alter when we reach certain topics. You can also see what this blog features, and read over some of the topics covered from last year. I hope you ruminate and contemplate what this class will be like for you. I promise that you will work… oh, you will work, my emerging scholars.
Expect another entry as the start of school creeps closer and closer. The Jayhawk has a hold over us all, indeed.
All best and happy hunting to both former and prospective students.
Mr. Kannan
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