On Identity and Firedrills

Had a half-day today and two really cool things happened.

First, because of our weird schedule, I had a Freshman Latin class for longer than usual. So, we took a little extra time to have a class discussion about online personae and the importance of owning your own.

The kids really got it. These 14 year olds want to be in control of how they are portrayed online. And so we worked on building Google Profiles that demonstrate good digital citizenship and which can be authenticated by email. Then, we went through examples from the students' profiles on their blogs and social bookmarking sites. We discussed what works and what doesn't.

And I was really proud of the kids because they 'got it'. They understand that the profiles they are making today will evolve and grow with them throughout their high school career. And they are getting off to the right start.

Second thing...

We had a fire drill today. No biggie. Most schools have fire drills in the first few weeks.

But something was different about this one.

My buddy Bob (from Follow Bob fame) got the idea to take a few cameras out onto the football field where we all meet on the bleachers during these drills. Enlisting a few students and our Fine Arts chair, he caught the whole school together in one place both on film and video.

And the school responded.

It's not that the students were rowdy, it's that they were happy. Joyous. There we sat smiling and laughing under a beautiful blue sky and had our picture taken. All of us. Students, teachers, admins, staff. A family.

The Seniors led the students in the Wave. The Freshmen got to see what it was like to be part of the school family rather than just being the 'new kids'.

And it all came together. Like artwork.

It's been a great week. My excitement for this year is boundless.