14 WAYS TO SHOW LOVE FOR INNER-CITY MIDDLE SCHOOL KIDS IN JUNE

THE SUN IS OUT, AND YOUR FLIP FLOPS ARE PRIMED FOR YOUR BEACH VACATION. YOU STILL HAVE YOUR 33 STUDENTS FOR LESS THAN A WEEK, AND THEY WANT TO BE AT SCHOOL FOR ABOUT 10% LESS THAN YOU, SO USE THIS TIME TO GET CLOSER TO THEM.

1. SHARE TUPAC'S "DEAR MAMA", WITH LYRIC SHEET.

A RETROSPECTIVE APPRECIATION LETTER TO HIS MOTHER FOR ALL THE INSANITY HE PROBABLY CAUSED HER, TUPAC PULLS AT ALL OF OUR HEART STRINGS. SURE TO ILLICIT A TEAR OR TWO. BRING TISSUES.

2. SCREEN THE DOCUMENTARY "BOYS OF BARAKA"

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5 INNER-CITY AFRICAN AMERICAN MIDDLE SCHOOL STUDENTS FROM BALTIMORE SPEND A YEAR STUDYING IN A REMOTE SCHOOL IN KENYA.

YOU'RE GOING TO NEED AN EXPRESSION STRONGER THAN "FISH OUT OF WATER" TO DESCRIBE THE EXPERIENCE THESE KIDS GO THROUGH.

YOUR STUDENTS WILL FALL IN LOVE WITH THIS MOVIE. SHOW IT.

3. RAP BATTLE WITH YOUR KIDS. JUST DON'T SOUND LIKE THIS:

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FEEL FREE TO SET THE ONE SIMPLE RULE OF NO CURSES. THAT'S IT.

YOU'VE BEEN IN SCHOOL, IN ONE FORM OR ANOTHER, FOR ROUGHLY 18 YEARS. MAKE US PROUD. WIN OR LOSE...YOU WILL, ULTIMATELY, WIN WITH YOUR CLASS. SO BATTLE!

4. GIVE THEM A BIG HUG

TELL THEM THAT YOU LOVE THEM. NOT OUT OF CONTEXT, OF COURSE (WEIRDO), TELL THEM A STORY ABOUT YOU, EDUCATION, WHY YOU DO WHAT DO AND THEN *BAM*, THEN TELL THEM YOU LOVE THEM, ALL OF THEM.

BECAUSE YOU DO, OF COURSE. THEY MAY EVEN TEAR UP. YOU CAN THANK ME LATER IF THEY DO.

5. TAKE YOUR STUDENTS OUTSIDE

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NEXT TO A SNOW DAY OR AN ASSEMBLY, NOTHING IS MORE EXCITING TO STUDENTS THAN A SPONTANEOUS JAUNT OUTSIDE. IT COULD BE FOR ANYTHING; TO PLAY WITH A BALL, A TRIP TO WHEREVER.

YOUR STRATEGY IS TO CLEAR THIS WITH YOUR ADMIN. AHEAD OF TIME AND THEN SELL IT TO YOUR STUDENTS AS SOMETHING YOU JUST DECIDED TO DO, OUT OF THE BLUE! POOF! "HERE'S AN IDEA...FORGET THESE BOOKS---OUTSIDE WE SHALL GO!"

YOU'LL SEE A GUARANTEED JUMP IN YOUR APPROVAL RATING FROM YOUR STUDENTS. GREAT WAY TO END THE YEAR, BY THE WAY.

6. BRING IN PHOTOS AND VIDEOS FROM YOUR CHILDHOOD. NOT ALL OF THEM, OBVIOUSLY, BUT FUNNY ONES YOUR KIDS CAN RELATED TO.

7. MAYBE SOMETHING LIKE THIS WOULD WORK:

8. BRING IN 2 DOLLAR BILLS. A STACK OF THEM.

AND GIVE SEVERAL OF THESE $2 BILLS TO EACH STUDENT AND TELL THEM THEY'RE FOR GOOD LUCK; ONE FOR THEM, TWO FOR TWO SPECIAL PEOPLE IN THEIR LIVES.

THIS WILL BE SPECIAL TO MORE THAN HALF OF YOUR CLASS.

9. SHOW THEM A MOVIE! NOT A BORING MOVIE...

10. ...BUT AN AWESOME MOVIE!

11. THEY'RE OUTSIDE FOR RECESS. IT'S 95-DEGREES.

WHEN THEY GET BACK INSIDE THE CLASSROOM ASK THEM WHAT THEY WANT- WHAT WOULD BE AWESOME RIGHT NOW?

WHEN THEY SAY "ICE CREAM!", YOU SAY "NO KIDDING! BECAUSE THAT'S WHAT I HAVE IN THE FREEZER RIGHT NOW! IT'S A SURPRISE SUNDAE PARTY!"

INSTANT LOVE. SUNDAE LOVE.

AND YOU'RE WELCOME, BTW.

12. DRESS AS AN OLD MAN OR WOMEN, AND ASK A TON OF QUESTIONS OF YOUR STUDENTS, WHILE STILL IN CHARACTER, HILARITY ENSUES

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YOU CAN ASK ABOUT THE INTERNETS, THE ELECTRIC COMPUTERS, THE JEANS SHOWING UNDERWEARS, ETC. HAVE FUN WITH IT, ITS YOUR CLASS, YOUR STUDENTS, ITS JUNE- YOU CAN DO WHATEVER THE F YOU WISH!

JUST DON'T TRY THAT INSANE LEAN THE GUY IN THE VIDEO DOES. IT LOOKS PAINFUL.

13. TAKE YOUR KIDS TO DINNER!

NOW, I KNOW WHAT YOU'RE THINKING: "I NEVER SEE MY STUDENTS OUT THIS LATE, ESPECIALLY AROUND "HERE". THIS MAY BE WEIRD. I'LL GET IN TROUBLE FOR THIS! THE RULES OF THE BOOK WILL BE THROWN AT ME!

MAYBE, BUT---IT'S LATE JUNE AND AT THIS POINT, ALL OF THEIR PARENTS AND GUARDIANS, AND SISTERS, AND COUSINS, ETC. WILL BE ON YOUR SIDE. CAN IT GET ANY COOLER?! A TEACHER TAKES HIS KIDS OUT FOR DINNER, TEACHES THEM HOW TO ORDER, HOW TO ASK QUESTIONS, WHICH FORK GOES WITH WHICH DISH, ETC. IT'S A STEP INTO THE REAL WORLD, WHICH WE ALL NEED A TOUCH UP COURSE FOR, BUT THIS IS VERY NOVEL FOR MANY OF OUR KIDS. THEY'LL LOVE IT. DON'T BE SURPRISED IF THEY COME DRESSED TO THE NINES!

FUN IN JUNE IS OUTSIDE THE SCHOOl.

14. GET THEM VEGGIES FROM THE ROOF OF THE SCHOOL.

YOU'VE BEEN GROWING TOMATOES, ARUGULA, AND OTHER NICETIES IN THE MULCHY WOODEN BINS FOR ABOUT A YEAR NOW- TIME TO SEND THE FRUITS OF YOUR LABORS BACK HOME, WITH THE KIDS, WHERE THEY TRULY BELONG.