Brett Erenberg

The Spring Edition of the VMS Chronicle is here! Our student journalists cover school happenings, trends, sports, news, opinions, and a few “interesting” items that you’ll just have to see for yourself. Enjoy! vms.valhallaschools.org/ourpages/auto/… @ValhallaSchools

How The Ring And Chain Trick Works 😮

President #AbrahamLincoln's grandfather was born #OTD: 1744. Capt. Abraham Lincoln a Revolutionary War veteran, was killed in 1786 during an ambush near his farm in Kentucky. His young son Thomas survived. You can visit the grave at Long Run Baptist Church Cemetery. #USHistory

Debate Club attendence awards! Congratulations, especially to our graduating seniors! @ValhallaSchools

7th grade back on the trail. It rarely ends well. @ValhallaSchools

@WarrenHart @ValhallaSchools Thank you. I enjoyed those collaborations so much! I hope you are doing well, Warren. Your students were always working on incredible things!

@BrettErenberg @ValhallaSchools @BrettErenberg, very cool to see some of the work you, your students and colleagues are doing. I remember our class to class collaborations fondly.

The Spring Edition of the VMS Chronicle is here! Our student journalists cover school happenings, trends, sports, news, opinions, and a few “interesting” items that you’ll just have to see for yourself. Enjoy! vms.valhallaschools.org/ourpages/auto/… @ValhallaSchools

The students’ revolutionary newspaper projects are in! Momentous headlines, spicy opinions, clever political cartoons and old-timey ads. History has never been this entertaining! @ValhallaSchools

One of the most talented and dedicated educators I’ve ever worked with was Barbara Gajewski. I had the privilege of calling her a colleague for several years when she served as the college counselor at our high school. She was exceptional at her job—so exceptional, in fact, that everyone wanted her time. Parents lined up to talk with her about scholarships. Students depended on her for letters of recommendation. College admissions officers called constantly. I know she spent hours on weekends crafting those letters, carefully telling each student’s story. I’m not sure I’ve ever seen someone work harder or care more. One day, I was sitting in her office, and she shared something that has stayed with me ever since. She wasn’t trying to give me advice. She was simply reflecting on her own growth. But because of the respect I had for her, I took those words to heart. She said,
“Danny, I used to get so frustrated. The constant interruptions drove me crazy—students stopping by, teachers popping in, phones ringing nonstop. I had so much to do, and it felt like these distractions were keeping me from doing my job. And then one day, I realized something important. Those interruptions… were my job. That person on the phone or standing at my door is important. They deserve my attention and my energy.” I remember sitting there, struck by the power of that insight. And I’ve thought about it many times over the years. Because let’s be honest—you’re busy. Your to-do list is long. Your calendar is full. And it’s easy to become frustrated by the constant interruptions that pull you away from what you planned to do. But what if those interruptions aren’t distractions at all?
 What if they are the work? Never underestimate your ability to make someone’s day in a brief, unplanned moment. The student who lingers in your doorway. The teacher who needs just five minutes. The parent who calls with a concern. These small moments can become big memories. You never know which interaction will stay with someone for years.
You never know when a few minutes of your attention will change the course of a day—or even a life. So embrace the interruptions.
Lean into the unscheduled conversations. Make the most of the moments you didn’t plan. Because those just might end up being the most important moments of your day. Cheers, Danny

I felt a weight lifting just reading this.

The 7th graders will say of course I’m old enough to have signed it.

@AndyMasley Knowing your stuff is always > knowing your pedagogy.

I got into teaching partly bc of an interest in ed policy, and stuff like this is why I left the field. There are these gigantic problems that actually have very simple fixes that a lot of people can see, but there's no sense anywhere that anything can be done. The attitudes common in the field are just so strange and helpless and anti-agency. The people who rise to prominence are often lazy and just coast on slogans.

Reading and math matter. They are important tools. But they are still tools, not education itself. Those tools matter because they make deeper learning possible, not because they are the totality of learning. Research is clear: academic skills don’t operate on their own. Students don’t succeed in life just because they can read and calculate. They succeed because they can regulate, reason, persist, and work with others. Education is learning how to: stay regulated when something feels unfair hear feedback without shutting down speak up without being aggressive handle uncomfortable moments without melting down recover after embarrassment own a mistake and keep going work with others when it’s hard Because if a student can read but can’t regulate, if they can calculate but can’t cope, if they can pass tests but can’t handle failure, we didn’t educate them. That’s how we end up with adults who can read and write but can’t manage frustration, failure, or responsibility. That’s why science, social studies, PE, the arts, and even recess, movement, & play aren’t extras. They’re where judgment is formed. They’re where regulation is learned. They’re where thinking transfers to real life.

@waygroundai The lesson plans aren’t done.

Saturday before school starts. The lesson plans are (probably) done. The coffee is stocked. You're more ready than you think. 🚀

Armed with chocolate, sprinkles, candy, marshmallows and icing in a piping bag, Valhalla Middle School students in the Partners Program gathered for holiday gingerbread-decorating festivities. Read more here: bit.ly/44Rc8L4

Congratulations to our inspiring Valhalla Middle School musicians, who wowed audiences with their skills at the annual Winter Concert. Thank you to our wonderful music teachers for their guidance!

CONGRATULATIONS: We are so proud of this team for the hard work they put into creating their newest issue of The Chronicle! Read the Valhalla Middle School newspaper here: bit.ly/44NixXz

Sharing the first issue of the VMS Chronicle this school year. Just love seeing our students’ voices on the page. Enjoy!! @ValhallaSchools vms.valhallaschools.org/ourpages/auto/…

@LundukeJournal Thank you so much. I almost fell for that.

I’ve heard this “Indy played no role in the outcome of Raiders of the Lost Ark” theory before. But it’s wrong. If Indy was not in the film, the USA would not have obtained the Ark of the Covenant at the end (which they put in the giant warehouse). While the specific Nazis on the island would have still (probably) died, the Nazis (in general), and Hitler, would have retained possession of the Ark. Preventing that was the primary goal Indy was tasked with at the start of the film. And he succeeded.

7th grade students did such clever work on their “haunted history houses”. #HappyHalloween @ValhallaSchools