Musings From a First Year Wall Fly

Many times this year I have made myself as a fly on the wall, quiet and unseen.  I’ve stood back, blended in, and filled my hungry eyes and ears with observations about Walton Middle School.  I am new to Walton this year.  Like our incoming sixth graders, I am learning as I go, finding out the norms and campus culture on the fly, hoping I fit in, and wondering what my contribution to this place will be. 

What I have found is that this is a place of enthusiasm.  Every person I’ve come in contact with—students, parents, teachers, administrators, custodians, and counselors—is sincere and helpful.  Ideas are shared and cultivated like seeds, and already we are seeing the first green shoots of exciting learning experiences emerge from the ground. The most common phrases I hear aren’t grumbles or complaints about what isn’t working or what roadblocks are in our way.  What I hear as a refrain from both students and adults is  “How can I help?” “I can fix that,” and “Do you have what you need?”   

Students in my Language Arts classroom have already written gripping stories, evaluated the merits of their own work, applied abstract notions to create their own multimedia products, and taught one another how to use the technology and the platforms they all have access to.  They have been enthusiastic participants our classroom and in the larger community of Walton Middle School. 

In the coming months, we will continue to write, read, think and create.  We will do these things in many formats, using a wide range of media.  We will thoughtfully consider topics and pursue authentic audiences.  And I am confident in the strength that will come from the satisfying struggle we are experiencing in class.  My confidence is built on the observations I’ve made since coming to Walton.  We are a special campus, and we are going to have an exciting, transformative year.

Shannon Cruthirds

7th and 8th Grade Language Arts