Sept. 25 Update

Please note this will be the last entry I am posting on this platform.  The Blog has been moved to ParentSquare, and I invite everyone who is interested in receiving updates to subscribe by entering your information here.

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Dear Parents and Caregivers,
 
I hope this message finds you well.  The term “Windows and Mirrors” can be found in the education world to describe books and curricular materials that are used to educate students.  The word “Windows” serves as a metaphor for books and materials that give students the opportunity to gain the perspectives of people who live very different lives and experience the world differently than they do.  The word “Mirrors” serves as a metaphor for books and materials that allow students to see their own lives and experiences reflected back at them.  Books and materials that function as “Mirrors” can be empowering because they allow students to see how their lived experiences are part of the larger human experiences and thus increase their sense of belonging.  A good book not only serves as both a “Window” and a “Mirror”, it also functions as a “Sliding Door” because it allows readers to step into the world that the author has created or recreated.
 
According to the CCBC (Cooperative Children’s Book Center) of the University of Wisconsin – Madison’s School of Education, out of the 3420 books it received in 2021, 450 (13%) titles are about Black people, 74 (2%) titles are about Indigenous people, 357 (10%) titles are about Asian people, 242 (7%) titles are about Latinx people, and 22 (less than 1%) are about Arab people.  Out of the 3,700 books it received in 2017, CCBC counted only 136 (3.7%) titles contained significant LGBTQ content.  
 
The positive news is CCBC also reported that children’s book written by authors of color in 2020 increased by 3% compared to 2019, but books about racially diverse characters and subjects only increased by 1% during the same time span.  Although the increase in racial diversity in children’s book are modest, the pattern has been trending upward since 2014 which until that year has remained stagnant during the previous 25 years.
 
I bring this topic up because McCall teachers and staff have been working hard to create Windows, Mirrors, and Sliding Doors for our students.  Our work in this area goes beyond selecting books and curricular materials to be part of our instruction; it is also reflected in other parts of our work such as the types of extracurricular activities we offer and the people we bring into our faculty.  We believe creating Windows, Mirrors, and Sliding Doors benefits ALL students because everyone’s lives are enriched when everybody is exposed to experiences that are different than their own.  Everyone benefits when we all have our own experiences affirmed and see ourselves belonging to the larger society.
 
Learning about experiences and points of views that are different or even diametrically opposed to their own will cause students to generate questions, experience confusion, and even develop a sense of discomfort.  These are all signs that learning is happening.  We all want our students to experience pleasant feelings while they are learning, but we also want them to stretch themselves and to step out of their comfort zones.  Limiting students to perspectives that they are used to hearing, experiencing, and agreeing with is essentially teaching them less.  We all should strive to do the opposite which is to teach students more.
 
Thank you,
 
James Lin
Principal
McCall Middle School

Moving to ParentSquare

 Dear McCall Parents and Caregivers,

I hope you are well.  In an effort to consolidate all parent communication platforms into one, I am moving the McCall Principal's Blog to ParentSquare.  You are welcome to subscribe to the postings on that platform.  Please go to the McCall school website (please click here) and click "subscribe" in the section labeled Principal Lin's Blog.

Thank you very much for taking this step.

 

James Lin

Principal

McCall Middle School

Sept. 18 Update

Dear Parents and Caregivers,

I hope you are well. I have been asked by parents and caregivers why McCall teachers and staff are openly sharing their pronouns when they are introducing themselves to a group of people including their students, and why McCall staff include their pronouns in their email signatures and Zoom names. I would like to take this opportunity to explain why we are engaging in these practices.

As you may know already, the School Committee adopted the Nondiscrimination on the Basis of Gender Identity policy in 2019. The policy states that staff and students have the right to choose pronouns and names that are appropriate to their gender identities regardless of the genders or names that were assigned to them at birth. In my opinion, this is an important step to take so that McCall and all of Winchester Public Schools can be a safe and inclusive place for all staff and students. Sharing pronouns is part of what all of us can do to align our practices with this policy.

In our culture one often assumes people’s gender identities based on how they express themselves such as the way they dress and through their mannerisms. When we share our pronouns and ask others to share their pronouns we are not making assumptions about other people’s gender identities based on their appearances. Teachers and staff also share their pronouns and invite others to share their pronouns in all situations – not just LGBTQ-specific circumstances – because we want to make sure we are not singling out certain people or communities by asking only those students and colleagues to share their gender identities.

It is important to point out that sharing pronouns is not just for the purpose of supporting our LGBTQ (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Questioning) staff and students even though that is a big part of why we are engaging in this practice. Surveys and studies consistently show LGBTQ students in WPS and across the Commonwealth and country disproportionally struggle with their mental health which ultimately impacts their school performances. Our work to create a safer school for students of all gender identities – including the engaging in the practice of sharing pronouns – is to benefit all students. Creating a school culture where we normalize gender identity expression signals to all staff and students that people do not have to hide or be ashamed of their gender identities whether they are consistent with the ones they were assigned at birth or not. These efforts also communicate to everyone that no one gender identity is superior to another and that no one identity is “more normal” than another. Ultimately, we want all staff and students to understand that there is a place for everybody, and McCall is truly a place for ALL.

I would like to make sure everybody knows we do not require anyone to share their pronouns if people do not feel comfortable doing so. We only invite staff and students to take this step. Some folks may choose not to share their pronouns because they have not decided what is the appropriate pronoun for themselves or for a variety of other reasons. I understand some of our students are confused by why this practice is taking place at McCall. This is particularly the case for our sixth graders given that many of them have not been exposed to this practice at their elementary schools. I will continue to work with my staff to make sure students understand the rationale behind sharing pronouns, and that they all have the option to not share pronouns if they are not comfortable doing so.

I understand some students may feel conflicted about the practice of sharing pronouns even though they have been informed they have the option to either do or not to do so. I know some students feel the conflict because they see other students and their teachers are sharing their pronouns and they do not want to be left out. I encourage you and your students to reach out to the staff or me if your students are feeling this way. We will be happy to work with you to resolve these concerns.

Thank you for taking the time to read this post. 

James Lin

Principal

McCall Middle School

 

September 2 Update

 Dear McCall Parents and Caregivers,

 

I hope everyone is doing well as we head into another start to the school year.  My backyard is adjacent to a field that serves as a summer camp for livestock.  That is, the property owner rents it out to livestock owners during the summer for the animals to graze on the grass that they grow on that land.  This is what we have been seeing from our backyard since May.  Three weeks ago, there was a knock on our door in the middle of a hot Sunday afternoon.  It was the owner of the cows that have been attending “cow summer camp”, and she informed us of this news.  The animal was quickly located and returned to where it was supposed to be, so there was no need for Missing Cow posters to be plastered all over town.

 

I share this with you because this was a notable event in an otherwise low-key summer for me.  I also share this news with you because corralling a wayward cow seems strangely similar to the work ahead of us this year.  I would like our focus for the 22-23 school year to be on getting back to those important things that have gotten away from us during these past two incredibly difficult school years.  I am hopeful that with the pandemic behind us, we can get back to the place where we enjoy learning, teaching, and being with each other in-person.  I can see looking out past my backyard that the four cows are back enjoying their last few weeks of their summer camp.  I am grateful that they have returned to the place they belong, and all of the students are back where they belong enjoying what McCall has to offer.

Thank you,

James Lin

Principal

McCall Middle School

June 20 Update

 Dear McCall Families,

 

I hope this message finds you well.  I entered this school year with cautious optimism about returning to normalcy, but this year has been more challenging for me in a lot of ways than previous years.  The negative impact of the pandemic on the students’ academic progress and all our physical and mental health cannot be understated.   Although our conversations about the pandemic have often been about what it has taken from us, I think it is also necessary for us to think about what it has given us.  I am reminded of the commencement address Chief Justice Roberts delivered to the Cardigan Mountain School graduates in 2017.  During that speech he talked about the relationships between fairness and justice, pain and compassion, loneliness and friendship, and bad luck and chance. I think it is fitting to extrapolate what he said during that speech and apply it to our circumstances with the COVID-19 pandemic.

 

The impact of the pandemic has caused us pain.  However, it is in pain that we gain a better understanding of what it means to receive and give compassion.

 

The pandemic treated us unfairly - some more so than others.  However, it is when we receive unfair treatment that we understand the value of justice.

 

The isolation during the pandemic forced us to experience loneliness.  However, it is when we are lonely, we learn the value of friendship.

 

All of us experienced bad luck during the pandemic.  However, having experienced bad luck means we better understand our successes may not be completely deserved, while other people's failures and suffering may also not be completely deserved.  

 

This past school year has been a hard year for many of our students, families, and staff members.  We cannot change what the pandemic has done to us, but we all can take this experience, learn from it, and help ourselves and each other grow.

 

Lastly, I would like to congratulate Mr. Tom Awiszus, Technology and Engineering Teacher, Ms. Pat DeVries, Digital Literacy Teacher and Instructional Technology Specialist, and Ms. Anna Kerkorian, Digital Literacy Teacher, for concluding their careers.  All three colleagues decided to retire at the end of the current school year, and I wish all of them well as they head off on their new adventures.  

 

Thank you, and I hope everyone’s summer is one that includes a lot of fun, rest, and reflection.

I am looking forward to a great 22-23 school year with all of you!

 

James Lin

Principal

McCall Middle School

June 5 Update

Dear McCall Parents and Caregivers,

 

This weekend was a celebratory one for my family.  My daughter and first child joined many seniors across the country to from high school.  We are proud of her and all her classmates who overcame so many obstacles during the last three years to get to this point.  The graduation ceremony was particularly special for my wife.  She was a special education teacher in the junior high that my daughter attended and taught some of the beaming young adults who walked across the stage Friday evening.  It was almost like having my personal color commentator during the presentation of the diplomas as my wife whispered in my year comments like the following:

 

“That kid couldn’t even write a paragraph when I had him and now look at him heading off to UMass-Amherst.”

 

“She was so good at asking for help when she could not get her work done so she could help mom take care of her younger sisters – she so deserves the full scholarship to Gettysburg College”

 

“That kid is so awesome with the way he handled his dad’s death in 7^th grade”

 

Although we did not have to manage the craziness of hybrid, remote, and the full return like last year, this year in many ways was much more challenging than 20-21.  I know many of you came into this school year with the hope of having a normal year.   I also know many of your dreams were dashed when this past winter showed us just how unrelenting this pandemic can be.  Listening to my wife talk about some of these graduating seniors who struggled during their middle school years reminded me that the trajectory of a person’s development is never linear.  It is made up of ebbs and flows and progressions and regressions.  Those of us who had a difficult year should remember we all can bounce back if we are wise enough and courageous enough to self-reflect and make the necessary changes so we can do better.  Just as Maya Angelou taught us when she wrote, “when you know better, do better”.

 

It is my hope that everyone - including students and McCall staff members - will take some time to reflect upon our school year during the summer.  Whether your experience was positive or negative, you will find ways to learn from it and use that learning to make 22-23 a better year.

 

I wish you a great week!

 

James Lin

Principal

McCall Middle School

 

May 8 Update

 

Dear McCall Families,

 

I hope everyone is well.  Happy Mother’s Day to everyone.  For those of you who know me, you know my childhood is an atypical one.  My family traveled a lot due to my father’s work, and there have been times when all three members of my family were living in three different countries.  Although my mother is not always by me physically, I am always connected to her in many other ways.  I am also fortunate to have other adults like my aunt and uncle who served as maternal figures for me.

 

We live in a society that is increasingly diverse, so the words “family” and “mother” have different meanings for different folks.  Therefore, I would like to wish everyone who are mothers in the most conventional sense and everyone who serves as caregivers for our students a Happy Mother’s Day.  The pandemic has made mothering, parenting, and care-giving more complex and challenging than ever.  I hope everyone will take a moment today to congratulate yourselves for the hard work you have done to raise and care for a middle school student.

 

I wish you all the best!

 

James Lin

Principal

McCall Middle School