Our eighth grade students write a six-word memoir to start their year in language arts. Being a fan of Twitter-like conciseness, this is a favorite assignment of mine. I take time to really read to understand why students write what they do. These brief glimpses into young adolescents' thoughts often provide me a different perspective than a full-length autobiography might.

One student, who's had a difficult life, abandoned by adults and in trouble at a prior school wrote, "Haven't found the silver lining yet". When his teacher shared this memoir with me, knowing this young man's background, I was breathless for a moment. While it's insightfully sad message, it also conveys hope that the silver lining is yet to come. What if we weren't aware of this student's family background? How might that change how we interpret his memoir? How can we help him find his strengths and passion?

Finally, one of my favorite memoirs mirrors our growth mindset perfectly: "Started out shaky, now a champion". This student struggled with anxiety, but with dedicated and compassionate teachers and family, he became a confident leader in his class. Isn't this sort of growth, fueled by self evaluation, the ultimate goal for all of our students?

Do yourself and your students a favor: Build relationships and seek to understand students' backgrounds and perspectives. Taking the time to do so will allow you more time to teach your content and students will give more effort in the long run.

I hope to see you at #OMLA2018 in October at Kalahari or sooner at an OMLA regional event or virtually via our monthly #OhioMLA chat! Think boldly and act courageously this school year!

Thank you for all you do to continually improve middle level education in Ohio. Finish the school year with strength!

Jay Clark
President, OMLA