"Doing the little things" in middle school
Middle School Principal Joseph Antonio is reminding middle students to prioritize “doing the little things” that strengthen our school community. “Doing the little things,” or DTLT as Mr. A calls it, includes saying hello and greeting peers by name, asking appropriate questions in casual conversations, body language in classrooms and assemblies, and using “sir” and “ma’am” when speaking to adults.
During the first week and a half of school, Antonio introduced DTLT to middle students and focused on two foundational “little things:” full-body engagement in group settings and respectful conversation with adults. In all assemblies, meetings, and chapels, students are expected to sit up, listen quietly, and smile. Students are also expected to use “sir” and “ma’am” when addressing adults on campus.
More recently, Antonio’s DTLT lessons covered conversational etiquette. First, when you see someone, say hello and call the person by name. Not only is a warm greeting friendly, but we also believe that calling people by name dignifies that person and reflects how he or she is known by God. Second, if you are asked a question in conversation, ask a question in return. Middle school teachers Connor Breslin and Candler Baxley brought this idea to life by illustrating conversational flow by playing a game of catch. Breslin and Baxley offered practical tips on how these scenarios play out in the life of a middle school student. To keep a conversation going or to keep the game of catch going, Breslin and Baxley emphasized that both people must be receiving and tossing back and forth.
While everyone can practice these “little things” every day, middle school students practiced conversational flow during recent grade-level assemblies. Each student received a BINGO board full of characteristics and experiences, and their task was to find a peer who satisfied an open square on their BINGO board. While seeking to line up a BINGO, students also applied what they had learned about conversational movement and made sure to toss the conversational ball back and forth.
During DTLT assemblies throughout the school year, Antonio will introduce more “little things,” like gratitude, picking up trash, email etiquette, and self-discipline, that encourage middle students’ social, emotional, spiritual, and academic growth. "Doing the little things" reminders can be seen on the TV monitors located in Wesley Hall to keep this message in front of our middle school students.
Antonio shares that "the genesis for the DTLT idea was a mixture of multiple ideas coming together at the same time. I want our students to fight against some of the negative effects of our culture becoming increasingly more casual where little things seem to be brushed off as no big deal and where the big, social media ‘postworthy’ events seem to be the only things that get our attention. On top of that, I’ve reflected on my own life and how little practices and daily habits are the ones that make the biggest difference whether that’s as a follower of Christ, a father, a husband, a principal, and the list goes on.”
Before you know it, these “little things” will add up to some big things!
