Tuesday, August 27, 2013

To my little Copper Mountain Colts:


Dear Colts,

   Welcome to ninth grade!  This is a big year for you.  This year counts towards your high school graduation.  It may seem like its just another year at the middle school, but this year is really your first year of high school.  You have new expectations.  No longer are you a lost little seventh grader or a coasting eighth grader. Now you are an accountable ninth grader, and I will be treating you as the freshman you are.  I will not coddle you like a seventh grader or nag you like an eighth grader.  The academic and behavior expectations have been raised.  This may be a shock for some of you, but it will be a good shock.  It’s best to learn reality now than later when the consequences are much higher.   
       We will be implementing Standards-Based Grading in a greater capacity in this class than in most of your classes.  That means that your entire grade will come from mastery of the standards.  Homework, behavior, and assignments will not count towards your final grade (they will count towards your citizenship-which now accumulates throughout high school like your GPA).  Homework and assignments are your opportunity to experiment and practice without consequence and fear.  Take advantage!!! You may think, “Sweet, I can sit back and do nothing in this class and then pass the standards.”  CAUTION: Practice is the only way to master something!!!! Those of you who play sports, a musical instrument, or participate in any hobby know this already.  Don’t fall into a procratinative pit.  Show up to class, be prepared, participate, and take risks.  The rewards will automatically reflect in your mastery of the standards and your grade and you will learn life skills that will serve you throughout college and your future careers. 
       Along with a new way of grading, we will have a global focus this year.  What? This isn’t a Geography class?  We will have the opportunity to digitally interact with students in different countries.  You will be expected to be respectful and empathetic with those students and their culture.  You will be able to improve your written communication skills as well as your collaborative skills.  You will be able to make new friends and learn from those who have very different lives and school experiences from yours.  As you work with your classmates and students from around the globe, remember, “You are no better than anyone else, but you are just as good.”  Tolerance begins with perspective and we will look at many different perspectives this year, including your own. 
           
So, let’s get started! 

Tell me what your thoughts are about working with students in other countries. What are your expectations, fears, and anticipations?  What questions do you have about this class or about Miss Ewell? 

Follow the posting format: Period#FirstNameLastInitial

If there is more than one of you with the same name in a class period, follow the following format: Period#FirstNameFirstThreeLettersofLastName. 

Sincerely,

            Miss Ewell

147 comments:

tewell said...

Warning: You must follow the posting format. No point will be awarded to comments that do not follow the format or for silly, off-topic, or inappropriate comments.

tewell said...

Just choose "Anonymous" for your posting identity.

Anonymous said...

2KamrynM I think that working with students in other countries will be really cool and fun. My only concern is I don't like talking to people I don't know. Thanks!

Anonymous said...

6C.J.F: I just hope we don't offend them with our dumb American grammar. I got no questions, just wondering why the sky is blue. Must ponder...

Anonymous said...

7JaecieG I think that it will be really cool to get to know how other cultures work and what their lives are like.

Anonymous said...

3BrooksJ: I think that collaborating with other kids from different countries is a great idea, we all have diverse views of the world.
That and I want to know how an American accent sounds to a foreigner. Attractive or dumb..?

Anonymous said...

7EmilieH - I am really excited to work with people from other countries. I love learning about what life is like around the world.

Anonymous said...

5AllyN: I am so excited to talk to kids from another country! It will be so much fun! I think it will be a great experience to learn how to collaborate with kids in another country. I have one worry, will all our photos, videos, projects, etc. be visible for everyone to see? I can't wait to start and I hope that my partner likes me.

Anonymous said...

5DanielJ I think it will be neat experience talking with other people around the world and get to know what their cultures and their situations. I think it is going to be fun to hear about what it is like in other places in the world. I hope to learn a lot about other things and places in world.

Anonymous said...

2AshtonA I think it will be a really neat experience to get to know someone from another country around the world. The first time that i talk to someone is a little awkward for me at times, but i think i will be able to be fine and have a good time.

Anonymous said...

1KaylaW I think it will be cool to talk to other people from different countries. My only concern is the different languages that we speak.

Anonymous said...

2RileyC: I think that this will definitely be a new experience for me, but I am excited! It will be cool to get a global perspective with all of the kids from different countries!!!

Anonymous said...

2SarahN: Having pen pals from around the world would be awesome! I really like learning about other cultures. SO Excited!

Anonymous said...

2AndrewM: I think it will be great to talk with people from other countries. We will be able to learn some of their culture, and they can learn some of ours. It will be pretty fun!!

Anonymous said...

4KadenceH-A
My opinion is that it would be a great learning experience to be able to interact with students around the world. I know that I will enjoy being able to interact with them.

Anonymous said...

6SamanthaN: I am looking forward to meeting other kids in other countries and find out what school is like for them.

Anonymous said...

3Ericc: I think it is going to be cool to work with people online.

Anonymous said...

6EthanR:

I am very excited to have 21st century pen pals. And it will be fun to learn about different cultures.

Anonymous said...

6BrighamA: I think that it will be a cool experience being able to collaborate with other kids across the globe, and I think that it will be intriguing to learn more about other cultures. I expect this class to be fun!

Anonymous said...

1MeganE: I am very excited to work with students from other countries this year! I think it will be so amazing to work with people who have a different culture and natively speak a different language. I hope I get a chance to make some new friends through this. The language barrier might be a little hard, but it will still be awesome.

Anonymous said...

7TawnyH: I am very excited for the opportunity to talk to different children of different cultures! It will be a great learning experience!

Anonymous said...

5AurelioR: I think that working with other students that have a different life style will be great chance to see the world in a different way. I'm a little nervous that I'll offend them without meaning too or I'll make them feel bad or weak. I just hope that the other students and I have fun.

Anonymous said...

2MasonB Really excited to meet people from foreign countries can't wait to meet them

Anonymous said...

7DevonH: I think that it will be a very exciting experience to be able to communicate with other students around the world. I anticipate it to be a very fun thing to do.

Anonymous said...

2SamanthaT: I am excited to talk to people from other countries, I am just nervous that something they, or something that we say will be read wrong and we won't understand what they are trying to say.

Anonymous said...

5RebeccaR: I'm very excited to be working with kids from other countries! I've always wondered what all the stereotypes have been about our country and now I can actually ask someone! My worst fear is that when we video chat it won't work and we'll fall behind.

Anonymous said...

4SpencerM: it will be cool to work with other people in deferent countries, it will be a great learning experience for everyone.

Anonymous said...

7AubreyG: I am excited to interact with people all over the world and learn new things about them and how they are taught.

Anonymous said...

1FelicityL: I think this will be a great experience to be able to communicate with other students from around the world. I think it will help with communication skills. I'm just worried that it will be hard with different languages, but I'm really excited!

Anonymous said...

2AbigailL: I am very excited to work with people from other countries. I am interested in learning about other cultures, and about the people from those countries, like their personalities, and how they dress and such . I think it is a great experience and we are very lucky to have the opportunity.

Anonymous said...

7BradenBal: It's going to be great meeting new people in new countries this year.

Anonymous said...

7NishaA: I am extremely excited to work with foreign students. I can not wait to get started. I think this will be an incredibly fun process!

Anonymous said...

7EleanoreS: I am thrilled that we get to communicate with students from other countries. I love learning about different cultures and their way of life. I am just worried about the different languages and about misinterpretation.

Anonymous said...

7MarcD: I think that it is awesome that we will be able to communicate with students from around the world. I'd like to know about the different cultures.

Anonymous said...

4SabianR: Well I hope this is going to be a VERY good experience for all of us, also i am sorry for my spelling i'm sort of bad at it, but i will work on it :).

Anonymous said...

7NicoleH: I think it is going to be a great way to experience different cultures and what school and life is like in other countries. I'm really excited to be able to communicate with people outside of our country. My only fear is not being able to communicate very well because of the language differences.

Anonymous said...

5MarissaF: I am so exited to be working with other students around the globe, this is a great opportunity for myself and my other classmates! I expect myself to get an inside perspective on other kids with different cultures and lifestyles life in school. I'm really exited!

Anonymous said...

4KassieM: I think it will be amaizing to communicate with other students in different countries! I expect that we will be able to have a fun but concentrated time communicating with them. My only fear is that we will not be able to understand eachother very well because languages can be so different. But, I am very excited!

Anonymous said...

7TevanM: I think it sounds like a bunch of fun! It will be a great experience to learn about their different cultures.

Anonymous said...

2NoahW: I think it will be a great experience to interact with students from around the world! I can't wait until we start!

Anonymous said...

6SummerJ: I am way stoked to be having our own type of 21st century pen pals. I think this will be a fun way to learn about other people in different parts of the world.

Anonymous said...

2LaurenW: I think it will be really cool to see how life is like for students our age in different countries and I can't wait to get started.

Anonymous said...

5jaidenf.i think it would be interesting to see and listen to what rules they have at there school and how they live.

Anonymous said...

2HaileyD i am so excited to communicate with people all over!. I am excited to see what it is like to be in their schools and classes. I dont have any questions

Anonymous said...

7HannahC: I am really excited to learn about new cultures and communicate with other students! I can't wait to get started on it!

Anonymous said...

4AnthonyM: Working with students from other countries would be really cool. I would expect to learn new languages or at least a little bit. It would be a good experience and I could learn new ways to learn.

Anonymous said...

4ShauntellC I think working with students from other countries will be fun to see how they are different from us.

Anonymous said...

1CorbinR: I think working with students in other countries will be a good experience. I am excited to see how kids in different countries work at school.

Anonymous said...

1AleC: I love the idea of working with students in other countries. I think it is so interesting to learn about the way their schools work and the differences we have. I expect it to be really fun.

Anonymous said...

4TateF: I'm pretty excited! I think it's going to be way cool that we can work with students from other countries. It will be very interesting what kind of things that they do and we don't, and what we do different from them.

Anonymous said...

5AllisonW: I am so excited to get to be able to communicate with others from around the world and to learn about them and their culture! I think this will be a great oppurtunity and I can't wait!

Anonymous said...

3CarsonD: I think it will be a fun experience working with students from other country's. my concern is the I won't know any of the students we are working with.

Anonymous said...

6HaydenS:I think it will be cool to talk to people from other countries.

Anonymous said...

4SydneyA I think it will be extremely cool to be able to talk to other students acrossed the world!! It will be a whole new experience for me. I am not worried a bit.

Anonymous said...

2BrysonC:"I am very exited and can't wait to talk to people from other countries.

Anonymous said...

2AjT: I am pretty excited to talk to other students. It will give most of us a new opportunity. I don't really have any concerns about this year.

Anonymous said...

7NathanA: "I am very excited to meet and work with people from other countries and to try to understand how they work and think."

Anonymous said...

4 McKenzie T. I think it will be a great thing to work with international students! I think we will learn a lot. I have no worries, and I'm very excited.

Anonymous said...

4McKaylaM: "I think it would be a great experience for our class to interact with other students from other countries. I am a little bit nervous but I am pretty sure I will get over my nerves after we start. I expect it to be fun and exciting!"

Anonymous said...

4AdamB: I'd be cool talking to people I dont know that live far away. I'd be interested in communicate with them and I am looking forward to that.

Anonymous said...

7CarolynS:
I lived out of the states for quite some time, so I'm excited for some future interaction with everyone.

Anonymous said...

2AlexusD: I think that working with students in other countries is an amazing idea. It will help us learn about different cultures and also how thing are different there than they are here. Talking to students in other countries is like going on vacation but you are at home!!

Anonymous said...

3mariahbut." " I Am excited to learn and participate in this class with other people and meet.How other people and se how they make there work easier I dont have any conserns in this class

Anonymous said...

3AlyssaD: I think it will be a wonderful experience to be talking to other students, and learning about there culture. That will be very fascinating. I'm looking forward to be talking to new students . I love talking to people and getting to know them.

Anonymous said...

2LindaD: The idea of working with other students in another country is a really good one. I have friends in other countries and it's great to see how different their schooling is from ours.

Anonymous said...

1KaliO: I am so excited to be able to learn about other places and cultures. I feel like it will be a great learning experience and I hope I will gain a lot from it. It will be fun to see what other people thing the American culture is like.

Anonymous said...

7BradenBla: I think working with students from other countries will be an awesome experience. My expectations will be that we will be surprised with their culture, and vise versa. I expect this opportunity to open up a whole new world to our eyes to see what it is like in different countries. This will be a super awesome experience.

Anonymous said...

2#ErinDeM

I think it's a great Idea. I've barley been out of Utah, and well.. I could say I'm Seshelted. It's exciting to get to communicate with different kinds of people.

Anonymous said...

1FayM

Sounds exciting!! I think this is one of the most interesting English classes ever, I am glad we are able to have this opportunity.

Anonymous said...

4CameronB It sounds really cool! I Cant wait to see what they have to say.

Anonymous said...

2ParkerB: This English class is going to be very fun. I know it. I have already spoken to people from England and Portugal. I was surprised at how many other people spoke English.

Anonymous said...

This year I am very excited to be working with students from other countries and having a new teacher this year. I can't wait to see what I learn!

Anonymous said...

7KedrynP I can't wait to talk to the students from Brazil. It seems like it'll be a lot of fun!

Anonymous said...

4RaimondC I would really like to meet someone from a foreign country, it would be a new experience.

Anonymous said...

1PrestonI:I am excited to see how they view us. I like to talk to people from other countries.

Anonymous said...

5TylerP Its going to be really cool to talk to kids from different countries. It will be cool to learn about their different cultures and religions.

Anonymous said...

6Mikel valdez. I think that working with people all over the globe is going to be really fun and very interesting this will be a great experience for all of us I think interacting with them is great because we both get to learn new thing from their community and ours. this is going to be great I am hoping to learn a lot of new thing go colts.

Anonymous said...

Trisha: I think we will have lots of fun with others in different people around the world

Anonymous said...

7JewelC: I think it will be a great experience to work with people around the world. I'm excited to be able to learn about the different cultures and people.

Anonymous said...

4TaylorJ: it's going to be awesome to communicate with other people in different countries. I want to learn about how there life is. I am worried about leading at the beginning of class.

Anonymous said...

5trevordai
I am excited to learn from people in other countries and I am also excited to get to teach them and help them.

Anonymous said...

2KeilaniH: I think that this year will be really great in this class! I'm really excited to be able to share cultures with other countries, and learn about our different hobbies.

Anonymous said...

6ChadS
i hate traveling

Anonymous said...

6SoulR: i wonder what the other kids will be like?

Anonymous said...

so my thoughts on learning with other people is great its going to be great getting to know other people around the glob and share our different cultures is great my fear is none

Anonymous said...

3.Bailey.E I can't what to strat laguge arts and make. New friends

Anonymous said...

4korben.y so my thoughts on learning with other people is great its going to be great getting to know other people around the glob and share our different cultures is great my fear is none.

Anonymous said...

6MaxS I think it will be awesome cant wait! I don't have any fear.

Anonymous said...

6TannerL Meeting new people around the world from different countries sounds fun! I have no fear at all!

Anonymous said...

6EmilyS: I am very excited to be speaking, and interacting with students form other countries! I think it will be a wonderful experience, and I have absolutely no worries at all.

Anonymous said...

5BrandonS: I am really excited to talk to other students from other countries. I can't wait to talk to them!

Anonymous said...

6AlemaB. I just hope that there isn't any confusion between what we say or anything like that.

Anonymous said...

3EastonM I think it will be different but be fun.

Anonymous said...

6JaxsonS: I think it would be a wonderful opportunity, no only for having fun but for knowledge reasons also.

Anonymous said...

1SophiaH I believe that interacting with different cultures will be a great experience! It will give me some perspective about what other education in different countries is like, because all I've ever known is how things work in Utah. I'm worried that I might not have enough time to ask all the questions I have!

Anonymous said...

3ArianaF I think that talking with students from other countries would be a really cool experience because you normally don't get to interact mug with people with different cultures. I don't have to many concerns.

Anonymous said...

3ZachE: this year sounds like it is going to be awesome, and I am looking forward to having you as a teacher!

Anonymous said...

2joelb It is a different and cool opportunity for us. It will be cool to get opinions of someone out of the country.

Anonymous said...

4PrestonB: I think that working with students in other countries will be interesting but cool. I have never done something like this before. Thanks.

-Preston

Anonymous said...

4tylerd
I really like the idea of working with students from other countries! I think I will be fun! I am worried that we may not be able to communicate to well, but I'm sure it'll be fine.

Anonymous said...

2JennaS
I think it will be super fun to get to interact with people from other countries and meet new people who are different than me.

Anonymous said...

3kennedyr:I think it will be great to hear from kids in other countries. We will learn a lot about their cultures and other important things they think and do. I'm excited to see what they have to say about them and even us.

Anonymous said...

5KayleeHolt. This will be a great opportunity for me to not only learn new things from different countries but to be able to teach other kids the stuff that I have learned here in America. I'm excited to see what they have learned, and what stuff we will be doing.

Anonymous said...

6Ashleystu Thanks Miss Ewell. Looks nice. Are we writing letters to the kids or are we doing one of those online chat thingies?

Anonymous said...

1AlexisH
I am very excited to work with students from other countries. I hope to be able to see what their classroom environments and techniques are like compared to ours. I think it will be a very good learning opportunity.

Anonymous said...

2Mackenziej I think that it will be amazing to talk to students in other countries! Getting to see what the cultures and schooling is like there will be interesting. My one fear is that they will speak a foreign language and we won't be able to understand them and they will not be able to understand us.

Anonymous said...

2SydneyG
This is such an amazing opportunity to be able to collaborate with students in other countries this year! I am so excited and really look forward to this year!

Anonymous said...

7AmandaS: I am so very excited to be have the opportunity to work with these wonderful students from across the globe! i expect it to take some time to get used to. I also expect it to be very difficult in the beginning. I guess my biggest fear would be not understanding them or offending them. I would feel so horrible if that happened. I really am just anticipating meeting them and getting to know them as well as their culture. I am also very excited about making new friends! How much homework do you give per week on average?

Anonymous said...

7TeganL
Im excited to get the opputunity to meet new people from around the world, and learn about their different cultures!

Anonymous said...

2ConnorR: I think that working with people in other countries will be an excellent opportunity for us. I hope we get to talk with some interesting people.

Anonymous said...

3blakeC

I think it will be a fun experience to talk with other people in a dig rent countries it will be really fun.

Anonymous said...

I think it would be cool to work with students from other countries. I anticipate that this year will be full of all kinds of different, fun and entertaining things. I don't really have any questions about the class for the up coming year. 1AmberleyN

Anonymous said...

1whitneyl
I am really excited to be able to talk to people, and be able to learn how it is in Brazil!

Anonymous said...

1Emilys: I am very excited to be able to interact with people around the world. It is a very cool opportunity to see the cultures of other countries

Anonymous said...

7ZachM: I am excited to talk to kids from a different countries and see how their lives differ from ours.

Anonymous said...

7MarshallC
I cant wait to communicate with kids from other countries. It will be a great way to get to know them and learn about their different culture.

Anonymous said...

2MorganL
I'm extremely excited to talk to kids from other countries. My dad speaks portuguese and has told me tons about Brazil. I'm kind of pumped about this.

Anonymous said...

I'm super excited to work with kids from other countries! I think it will be way cool to see and hear about what life outside the U.S. is like!

Anonymous said...

1RileyR I think that working with students from other cultures/countries is going to be a great experience! I'm super excited, and can't wait to start!

Anonymous said...

1SadieV
The idea of working with students from other countries sounds exciting! I'm a little worried about the language barrier but I know you've worked with them so I'm not all that concerned. I'm so excited to hear what life is like in other countries. I myself lived in France/Switzerland for 8 months when I was four and we did get to travel Europe a bit but I was so young I don't even remember. This will be a new experience!

Davin Koller said...

1DavinK

I don't have any fears with this. I've worked with kids from other countries many times before. It will be a great experience.

Anonymous said...

1HannahN: I think that working with other students will be fun I think that it will be cool to see whats happening with other countries and be able to work with them. I'm not that worried about anything. I think it will give me another perspective on how other countries do things. I'm super excited about this.

Anonymous said...

7CourtniB: Working with other students in different countries and states I believe is going to be a great experience. This leaves an opportunity for me personally and other students to gain a learning experience. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to do this. It will answer a few of the questions I have of the comparison between the school systems in different countries and states along with what activities that are participated in another teenagers life, in a different country. Can't wait to get started.

Unknown said...

Really exited t be in your class, though I'm not sure that I am doing this in the right blog SPOT. I'm in your 6th period class in CMMS, sorry for the tardy in the blog home work. still exited for this year. I did this cause i saw that my grade on the asignment as an f. so if i can get BETTER GRADE ON THIS. PLEAS let me know. BTW my name's EZ

Anonymous said...

2KylieS: I am very excited to be working with other students from other countries. It will be fun to learn about the foreign things they do and their culture.

Anonymous said...

1#BrodyS

I am very excited to work and talk with people in a whole different country! i think it will be a lot of fun. i love talking to people! this will be a great year.

Anonymous said...

2HaileyD: I am so excited to talk to kids from other countries! I think it will be really fun to see how classrooms in different countries work! This is going to be such a great year!

Anonymous said...

3AustenSny

I think it will be fun to talk to kids from other countries and see how different their grammar is from ours.

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7ManuelF

It'll be great and my biggest worry is we won't understand each other

Ethan Whittier said...

1EthanW

I can't wait! I am really interested in talking to other students in different countries. I think it will be a lot of fun! I want to know more about how they live their daily life.

Anonymous said...

1CalebJ I think it will be fun to talk to students from other countries

Anonymous said...

this is a awesome idea to talk with other students around the world. I am so excited this year is going to be soo much fun!!!

Anonymous said...

2JaxonS I am so excited to talk to kids in Brazil. It is so different. I have never done this before but I think it will be a blast. I just hope I can understand what they are saying...

Anonymous said...

2AshleyW: I am so excited to get to know all the students in other countries. I think it will be a great learning opportunity for all involved. I can't wait to start learning about their culture.

Anonymous said...

3BriannaS: I think It is a good idea to work with students outside of the united states. It would be cool to learn about how students learn outside of the U.S.

Anonymous said...

6:gg
it seems like it would be fun

Anonymous said...

3KaiS:It would be intersting to learn about other peoples life style,outside of the U.S

Anonymous said...

7PeterO: I think that this is a great idea and that we will all enjoy it!

Anonymous said...

7JacobN: I'm looking forward to working with them. I've been to 14 different countries in my life, but none of them are in South or Central America. I'm stoked to see what their culture is like.

Anonymous said...

I say this is a Floccinaucinihilipilification.
:D

Anonymous said...

Taylor Perry period 3

I am looking forward to working with other people it would be awesome to see how other student outside of the us learn

Anonymous said...

2 Alex b.

working with kids in other countries will be awesome. I can't wait to do it

Anonymous said...

1KandaceFul:

I am so excited to work with children from other countries. I have no fear at all when we talk to them. Communication comes easily to me so I am very anxious and ready to get working with these kids!

Anonymous said...

1MorganS
I'm excited to see what it's like in different countries! This is going to be a great year!

Anonymous said...

5TrevenT

Can't wait to get started! You can learn a lot from other cultures and societies.