Mr. Thomas Has His Turn On Shadowing A 6th Grade Student
By Mr. Greg Thomas
On Thursday, March 30, 2017, I had the opportunity to shadow a student at the John T. Nichols Middle School. “Shadow a Student” is an idea that Mr. Geoghegan brought back with him from a conference he attended. For the past two years, Mr. Geoghegan shadowed an 8th grader at our school. He thought it would be a great idea if Mrs. Rae and I got in on the fun. The student I was privileged to shadow was Sophia Gabor. Sophia is a 6th grade student at the John T. Nichols, Jr. Middle School, and she is full of energy. I knew it would be a fun day!!!
I arrived at Sophia’s house bright and early. I had my backpack and a box of Munchkins. I was excited to begin my day.
Sophia seemed excited to begin the day, as she greeted me outside.
Sophia’s Mom surprised me with a coffee from Dunkin Donuts. It was perfectly delicious.
Thursday is #PositiveSignThursday at Nichols Middle School. Mr. Geoghegan was kind enough to drive me to Sophia’s house and we were lucky enough to be the first to take a picture with him for the day.
It was time to wait for the bus stop. Luckily, it was not too cold.
Sophia and I waved good bye to her Mom, and to Mr. Geoghegan.
I felt like it was my first day of school all over again!
I was very nervous about the bus ride because I didn’t know what we’d talk about. Luckily, Sophia put my mind at ease. She talked my ear off all the way to school.
We arrived to school greeted by blue skies and Mrs. Rae!!
We, of course, had to take our picture with Mrs. Rae for #PositiveSignThursday.
We had to show our Tiger Pride.
Once inside, we went right to our locker and began to prepare for the school day.
First stop, homeroom. We made sure we had all our supplies, our tablets, and completed homework. We then waited patiently for the morning announcements to begin.
Our first class was ELA. Our warm up excercise, tied back into our homework, which was to read an excerpt of “Roll of Thunder, Here Me Cry.” Ms. Conant spun the wheel. Who’s ever name the wheel landed on had to give evidence about the prompt. Somehow the wheel fell on my name three times.
Ms. Conant’s class went by quickly. We were busy from the minute we walked in until the minute we left. We finished the class with a Socratic Seminar about the book. It was awesome to see everyone participate in this exercise. The students were so comfortable sharing their ideas about the book.
Next class, Social Studies! Mr. Leonard met us at the door and put us right to work. Today’s topic was population density. Mr. Leonard did a great job explaining it, tying everything back to Middleboro. I was so engaged.
We then had to tie what we learned into the population density of Indian States. By using different colors, we were able to show what the most dense states were. Additionally, we were able to show that the areas were so populated because the land and area was conducive for large amounts of settlers. What’s most impressive is that I still have got my coloring skills...it’s like riding a bike!
Sophia and I were lucky enough to spend our DIAL with Mr. Leonard as well. We watched a follow-up video about something the students had watched in prior DIAL’s. We then watched a CNN 10. CNN 10 is a 10 minute news show designed for students.
Sophia and I left DIAL for Science. I was really enjoying this class. We were learning about Alfred Wegener and the Continental Drift. Mrs. Curtin did a great job explaining the theory and students had tons of questions.
Then, out of no where, we had to take a QUIZ!!!!
Lucky for me, it was an open book quiz! I think I nailed it!
I learned a lot in science and was only scolded once. Thank you Mrs. Curtin!
I was so ready for lunch. It was a long morning of learning and I had worked up an appetite. If lunch were a subject, I definitely would have gotten an “A.”
The best part of lunch was the fact that it was popcorn chicken bowl day! This lunch is cooked with love and a favorite of the kids...and adults too!!
After lunch, we moved back upstairs to math. This was the class that had me worried. As a student, math and I never got along. However, I was so fortunate to be in class with Mr. Luppino and Mrs. White. They were helpful and put my mind at ease. Mr. Luppino even called on me a few times and I answered correctly. Talk about building up one’s confidence.
If you look closely at my paper you’ll notice a lot of erase marks. Mrs. White even taught me the correct way to write a fraction. I really learned a lot.
Thank you to Mr. Luppino and Mrs. White. You both made class fun for me and the other students. I stressed myself out for nothing.
The last class of the day was chorus. We started by watching a cool You Tube clip of the cast of “The Lion King” doing an impromptu performance on a New York Subway. This was followed up by vocal warm ups. The kids seemed to get a kick out of me trying to sing falsetto.
We then broke down into groups and began singing in rounds. It was super fun. There are so many talented students in chorus.
It seems like class just started and then Mrs. Cavanaugh came on over the loud speaker for afternoon announcements. Mrs. Young was a great host. At the conclusion of class, Sophia and Mrs. Young presented me with my report card for the day.
I couldn’t believe it. I got all A’s!!! That baby is proudly posted on my refrigerator. I had such a rewarding and fulfilling day. Sophia looked out for me and showed me the power of being a good friend. I was reminded of what it was like to be a student. The day is long and tiring. I left exhausted and at times felt a little overwhelmed. I imagine that’s the way some of our students feel as well. Most importantly, this day served as a reminder to me of what a dedicated and awesome group of educators we have at the John T. Nichols Middle School. Our teachers are patient, kind, funny, and driven to ensure all of our students succeed to the best of their abilities. I feel so fortunate to be a member of this John T. Nichols Middle School community.
