Mr. Nixon's Words of Wisdom

Oct 26 2021 1

Mr. Nixon's Words of Wisdom Podcast artwork

MAKING SENSE OF MIDDLE SCHOOL--Mr. Nixon taught 7th and 8th graders for thirteen years in the Churchville-Chili School District, a suburb of Rochester, NY. During that time, he wrote and delivered twice-weekly messages to the school community aimed at helping students make sense of the middle school experience. Topics included dealing with change, being a good friend, handling conflict and building self worth. With the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, Mr. Nixon has stepped forward to bring helpful new counsel to our middle school students and to make available a large library of previous "Words of Wisdom."

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Volleyball

Oct 26 2021 1 mins

My granddaughter is a middle schooler having just entered eighth-grade. She is very athletic and focused her talents on dance for many years, but last year she discovered volleyball. I was thrilled personally because I can now go and watch her play. But it also started me thinking about the importance of team sports for our young people. In volleyball , you need someone to dig out

Foreign Language

Aug 20 2020 1 mins

I have had many students ask me the same question over the years: “Why do we have to take a foreign language?” Said a different way, they ask, “Why doesn’t everyone just learn English?” My answer is always the same: “Je ne comprends pas,” or, “no comprendo,” or “Ich verstehe nicht.” In other words, I don’t understand you, and if you don’t understand me, we

Feed The Wolf

Aug 20 2020 2 mins

The inauguration of President Obama has been dominating news coverage and rightfully so. It represents an historic milestone for our country. I was watching coverage of the morning after prayer service. The first woman to ever give the sermon at that event, the Reverend Sharon Jackson, spoke about a Cherokee story, which I thought I would share with you. It goes like this.A young m

Self Esteem

Aug 20 2020 1 mins

One of the most popular words in education and in psychology is self-esteem. Sometimes I hesitate to use it because it is used so often. But, the truth is that self esteem is the most important goal we can have for ourselves, our friends and our family members. Lots of good things happen if we are feeling good about ourselves. The opposite is also true. We can send waves of destruc

Spring Poems

Aug 20 2020 1 mins

The last week or two, with their heavy rains and warmer breezes have truly reminded us that winter is gone and spring is gaining on us every day. I thought it would be nice to see what people have said over the years about the magic of Spring. Thomas Tusser wrote the now immortal words in 1557:Sweet April showersDo spring May flowers.In 1852, Alfred, Lord Tennyson wrote:In the spr

I Am Woman

Aug 20 2020 1 mins

March is Women’s History Month in the United States. The celebration was begun with the National Women’s History Project in 1980. This year 14 outstanding American women are being honored for their contribution to this country and the world. I think back to 1972, when a woman named Helen Reddy recorded a song that became an anthem for the women’s movement. It was called simpl

Caring

Aug 20 2020 1 mins

I remember when I was the age of my students, my father’s parents came to live with us for a period of time. I remember asking my grandfather how he was doing. He used to say to me, “I’ve got my health and when you’ve got your health you’ve got just about everything.”It’s funny. Now I know what he meant. As you get older the number of things that can go wrong increase

Fortunately Unfortunately

Aug 20 2020 1 mins

Many of us are afraid of change. We assume that even if things aren’t exactly perfect now, they can always get worse. Remy Charlip wrote a children’s book called, “Fortunately.” Here’s how it starts:“Fortunately, Ned was invited to a surprise party. Unfortunately, the party was a thousand miles away. Fortunately, a friend loaned Ned an airplane. Unfortunately, the motor

Hope Poem

Aug 20 2020 1 mins

For those of you feeling hopeless today, I’m going to read a short poem. I don’t know who wrote it, but I like the message.It was just a tiny speck of lightalmost swallowed by the nightit had almost given up the fightthe darkness was all it could seeIn the distance suddenly it seemedwas a sight the light could not have dreamedanother speck sparked and glowed and gleamedthe ligh

Value

Aug 20 2020 2 mins

As middle school students you are beginning the most important battle of your life, a battle that will literally last for the rest of your life. You should not expect to fight the battle perfectly, but you need to spot when you’re off the trail and get back on. I am talking about the battle for control of your value.First, let me tell each of you that you are of tremendous value.