tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-78349202990559604102012-02-16T04:31:37.924-05:00partnering with parents to help them survive and thrive during the middle school yearsMr Ihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00283777690483485210noreply@blogger.comBlogger501100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7834920299055960410.post-42351442544422677872010-05-20T14:21:00.004-04:002010-05-20T14:28:42.602-04:00

I read this letter to the 8th graders last night as a final charge to them. I also gave them a laminated copy of it. I have more if your son/daughter didn't get one. Dear Edge Class of 2010, I know that the last 3 years have probably not gone too quickly for you, but they have for me! It seems like just the other day, you guys were coming into Edge as little 6th graders. You were so small and

Todd Iannettahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13210430053018312734noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7834920299055960410.post-48844717592314840692010-05-06T09:16:00.002-04:002010-05-06T09:22:41.980-04:00

The seriesThis series is called, “the friend you’ve always wanted.” Now, I know what many of you are thinking. He is going to take about how the best friend you could ever have is Jesus. Although that is true that Jesus is our friend, that’s not what I am talking about. Instead, I am talking about human friendships. We are calling it the friend you’ve always wanted because we are going to

Todd Iannettahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13210430053018312734noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7834920299055960410.post-24456848707566140702010-04-29T12:11:00.002-04:002010-04-29T12:14:04.696-04:00

Here is the last outline for the Exposed Series. Do not let anyone treat you as if you are unimportant because you are young. Instead, be an example to the believers with your words, your actions, your love, your faith, and your pure life (1Timothy 4:12).5 Steps toward Sexual Purity:1. Know your STANDARDS2. Make your standards KNOWN. 3. Choose WISELY.· who you like· who you

Todd Iannettahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13210430053018312734noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7834920299055960410.post-18004831360615576652010-04-26T11:46:00.005-04:002010-04-26T15:33:35.983-04:00

Hey parents, we are bringing in 2 very important speakers for our SPRING THING retreat. I wanted to make sure you were familiar with them and why I picked them specifically to come speak to your kids.ANGIE SMITHAngie is a 30 something that realized that God wanted to use her story of impurity to reach young women's hearts. She began her ministry PurityTalks to mentor and speak to girls about

Todd Iannettahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13210430053018312734noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7834920299055960410.post-63614553861985367352010-04-22T09:48:00.000-04:002010-04-22T09:49:20.527-04:00

Here is a brief outline of week 2 in our Exposed SeriesWe’ve Been Lied To!Lie # 1: The OUTSIDE matters more than the INSIDE.… God does not see the same way people see. People look at the outside of a person, but the LORD looks at the heart (1 Samuel 16:7).Charm can be deceptive and beauty doesn't last, but a woman who fears and reverences God shall be greatly praised (Proverbs 31:30).Lie #2:

Todd Iannettahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13210430053018312734noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7834920299055960410.post-11803644896684098132010-04-15T09:29:00.003-04:002010-04-15T09:48:44.678-04:00

This is the first part in the series called Exposed, which is all about God's truth and plan for sex and dating.WHAT WAS GOD THINKING?We started off by talking about sex as a gift that God has given us, but the world has distorted.Here is an outline of our time together.2 MYTHS about SEXMyth #1: Sex is WRONGGod created sex and here is what the Bible has to say about things God created.For

Todd Iannettahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13210430053018312734noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7834920299055960410.post-7278814942920463082010-03-25T12:03:00.002-04:002010-03-25T14:34:25.702-04:00

This was the last week of our Jim series, which is an overview of the book of James.SCRIPTURE: James 3:1-12TOPIC: The TongueAlthough the tongue is just a small part of the body, it has tremendous implications for our lives. The tongue is a difficult topic that James makes very clear using 3 important illustrations.1. Bits in the mouths of horsesHorses are controlled by little bits in their

Todd Iannettahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13210430053018312734noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7834920299055960410.post-86760594794566548162010-03-18T10:35:00.002-04:002010-03-18T10:41:42.377-04:00

This week at Edge, we were on our 3rd night of our series called, "Jim" which is an overview of the book of James. We took a look at James 2:1-13, which is all about favoritism, or judging others.This is a really important topic for all people, and especially middle school students. Here is the basic outline.1. I started with a few example stories of favoritism.2. We talked about what

Todd Iannettahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13210430053018312734noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7834920299055960410.post-21768129336288042692010-02-25T08:34:00.002-05:002010-02-25T08:50:47.455-05:00

In week 1 of this series, we talked about why it's important to grow in your faith?This week, we answered the question, "How do you grow?" Last night, we talked very practically about what spending time with God looks like. We broke it into 2 segments...1. Listening to God2. Talking to GodAfter each segment of teaching, we gave students a chance to practice these disciplines. It went really

Todd Iannettahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13210430053018312734noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7834920299055960410.post-89031817262556877152010-02-18T09:33:00.002-05:002010-02-18T10:06:08.642-05:00

We are back with Edge recaps so that parents can stay in the loop and know what their son or daughter heard at Edge...Full Throttle is a series on growth. It started last night and now is just a 2 part series. We are focused on 2 questions...1. Why GROW in Christ?2. How can I GROW in Christ?This first week, we focused on talking about why it's so important to grow.Ask your child about the Nascar

Todd Iannettahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13210430053018312734noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7834920299055960410.post-87800125570574823832010-02-04T11:29:00.000-05:002010-02-04T11:30:58.703-05:00

Hello parents,I am excited to announce a change happening in Edge starting on Sunday, March 14th. Pastor Joe’s challenge for this year for our church is to go from being consumers to disciples. This challenge along with 6 years of doing Sunday morning Edge the same way has caused me to rethink our format. Right now, 180 students sit under my teaching in the gym. Because of the size, it is

Todd Iannettahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13210430053018312734noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7834920299055960410.post-29645651512197818182009-12-17T11:14:00.002-05:002009-12-17T11:20:51.682-05:00

Our final week of Upside Down was focused on the fact that Jesus gave a lot of attention (maybe the most) to his closest companions or his friends and family. This really vital because I think it's sometimes easy to focus on serving people around the world and in the community and neglect the people closest to you.Example of Jesus serving his friendsJesus served the 12 disciples by washing their

Todd Iannettahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13210430053018312734noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7834920299055960410.post-65534439640877385522009-12-10T11:33:00.002-05:002009-12-10T11:47:57.415-05:00

This week, since we are celebrating Christ's birth by trying to do what He did which is serve, we gave our time to some people that many would say don't deserve it.Jesus was always giving his time to what the Bible called the "least of these." Check out Matthew 25:31-40.He was always giving his time and love to the unloved or who society would say didn't deserve it like the poor, the oppressed,

Todd Iannettahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13210430053018312734noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7834920299055960410.post-30570862769865560592009-12-03T09:44:00.002-05:002009-12-03T10:09:26.529-05:00

This month, we are doing a series called, "Upside Down." This series is based on the reason for the season...celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ. Everything about the birth, life, death, and resurrection of Christ was Upside Down from what the world is like. The world lives with a "me first" mindset, but Christ lived with an others first mindset. So during this month, we are going to

Todd Iannettahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13210430053018312734noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7834920299055960410.post-91039467806104360262009-12-01T10:36:00.003-05:002009-12-01T10:41:31.493-05:00

Hey parents,Would you take a couple minutes and complete these 3 surveys? It will only take 2-3 minutes total. This is to benefit the new parent group that has started called, "Block Watch." It's a group whose purpose is to join parents together in an effort to help protect our kids from the dangers of technology and equip them to make the right decisions. Just click on the surveys below to take

Todd Iannettahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13210430053018312734noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7834920299055960410.post-74967289776659866252009-11-19T09:44:00.003-05:002009-11-19T10:22:13.903-05:00

We had a great night last night which was our final night in the series called, "Joshua." We finished with a student, Jordan, an 8th grade boy, giving his testimony, what God has been doing in his life, and then giving the challenge to students. It was powerful because it was peer to peer. Here is the basic outline from last night.Review Crossing the Jordan RiverJoshua was obedient even when it

Todd Iannettahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13210430053018312734noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7834920299055960410.post-41620678992354988012009-11-12T11:03:00.002-05:002009-11-12T11:11:10.973-05:00

This is the 2nd week of our Joshua series. We are taking a journey through some of the major events of Joshua's life and how God used Joshua to accomplish some pretty amazing things for the Israelites.This week, I told the story of Joshua and the battle of Jericho. The only problem is that it wasn't a typical battle. Joshua was told by God to take his men and march around the city for 6 days,

Todd Iannettahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13210430053018312734noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7834920299055960410.post-32033710630845593452009-11-05T13:44:00.002-05:002009-11-05T13:54:47.448-05:00

Our newest series started last night called "Joshua." You can probably guess that it's a series based on Joshua from the Bible. As a matter of fact, there is a whole book dedicated to his leadership of the Israelites. There is so much to learn from Joshua about obedience to the ultimate authority. That's what this series is focused on. Here are some key points from last night...1.

Todd Iannettahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13210430053018312734noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7834920299055960410.post-46012051443314947242009-10-29T10:07:00.003-04:002009-10-29T11:13:20.912-04:00

The title of this message is CIRCUMSTANTIAL FAITH. it's the last message in our series called THE REAL DEAL. This series is all about what it means to have authentic faith in God.The last 2 weeks, we talked about how and why we can trust God by going over a pledge from God's Word that we called, THE EDGE PLEDGE. It goes like this.1. God is who He says He is.2. God can do what He says He can

Todd Iannettahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13210430053018312734noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7834920299055960410.post-34918089577057995542009-10-22T09:49:00.002-04:002009-10-22T09:59:41.905-04:00

The Real Deal series continued last night with the last 2 parts of the Edge Pledge. As a reminder, the first 2 portions of The Edge Pledge from last week are...1. God is who He says He is.2. God can do what He says He can do.The next part is what we talked about last night...3. I am who God says I am.4. I can do all things through Christ.The Real Deal series is based on believing that God is

Todd Iannettahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13210430053018312734noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7834920299055960410.post-68556683334711017642009-10-15T10:20:00.002-04:002009-10-15T10:38:11.875-04:00

Last night, we dove into our series called, THE REAL DEAL. This series is based on the idea that God is someone who we can trust...He is THE REAL DEAL. Not only that, but it's only when we believe that God is THE REAL DEAL that we become the THE REAL DEAL ourselves...the kind of person who lives out their faith. Here are a few highlights from last night.The next couple weeks are dedicated to

Todd Iannettahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13210430053018312734noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7834920299055960410.post-89158099437597593462009-10-08T09:23:00.002-04:002009-10-08T09:38:53.237-04:00

This week, we started our brand news series called THE REAL DEAL. The theme of this series is authentic faith. So often, students make decisions for Christ, but their lives don't really reflect the decision they have made. The reason for this is that students don't really trust that God is THE REAL DEAL. KEY PHRASE FOR THIS SERIES: If we don't believe that God is THE REAL DEAL, then we will

Todd Iannettahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13210430053018312734noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7834920299055960410.post-59043785270218308362009-10-05T10:49:00.002-04:002009-10-05T10:58:21.751-04:00

Last week, in Edge, we finished our night with giving students an opportunity to respond to the message by writing a prayer to God. Part of their challenge was to ask forgiveness from the brokenness in their lives, realizing that Christ took it on the cross. Here is a list of some of the brokenness in the lives of middle school students...difficulty with school work, trouble growing up, parent's

Todd Iannettahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13210430053018312734noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7834920299055960410.post-33103695787100743542009-10-01T12:34:00.002-04:002009-10-01T12:37:19.307-04:00

This is the video we ended with last night at Edge. Another youth pastor did this when he had students in his ministry write down the things in their life they struggled with. We had students watch this to reflect on their own brokenness and need for Jesus Christ. They followed this up by writing their response in a prayer to God.

Todd Iannettahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13210430053018312734noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7834920299055960410.post-63326218175330217592009-10-01T10:17:00.003-04:002009-10-01T12:41:11.792-04:00

This week at Edge was the gospel night which means that we shared the part of the gospel story that is so unbelievable! The part where God in His amazing love for us, made a way for man to get back into a right relationship with Him through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ! Here are a few points...We are broken through our sin and hopeless.Because of our sin, we are desperate

Todd Iannettahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13210430053018312734noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7834920299055960410.post-73441789815052684182009-09-24T09:27:00.002-04:002009-09-24T09:42:45.265-04:00

Last night, we did the second part in the Unbroken series entitled "Broken." This is the part of the story where things go really bad and really wrong because of man's disobedience and sin against God. Here are a couple of points made last night.1. Every good story starts off well, but then things get really bad before they get better. That's the same with the gospel story.Examples: I used

Todd Iannettahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13210430053018312734noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7834920299055960410.post-61988186281516090822009-09-17T11:57:00.002-04:002009-09-17T12:07:24.739-04:00

Last night, we continued our Edge series called "Unbroken." In this series, we are going through God's story for all time found in the Bible. This first part of the series is focused on God creating the world and creating man. Here are some key points from the night.1. God's Creation is AMAZING and everything about it points to his glory.From a caterpillar having 228 seperate and distinct

Todd Iannettahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13210430053018312734noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7834920299055960410.post-38236952160632404102009-09-10T09:49:00.002-04:002009-09-10T10:15:28.913-04:00

Parents, as promised, here is the outline of my talk last night at Edge for you.Tonight was the intro of Edge for the year and the introduction to our series called "Unbroken."Here are a couple key points and take aways from the night.1. Your life compared to eternity is like a mist. (James 4:14)I used 2 illustrations for this point. You can ask your son/daughter about them. One involved my

Todd Iannettahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13210430053018312734noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7834920299055960410.post-75378835134178522192009-09-01T13:33:00.002-04:002009-09-01T13:44:28.646-04:00

We just had our fall parent meeting and I am reminded of how it important parents our to the ministry I lead. I would even go so far as to say that Edge is a ministry to parents just as much as it is a ministry to students. If we don't value parents in this ministry, we wouldn't have students in this ministry...bottom line. The reason is that parents play a vital role in the lives of their

Todd Iannettahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13210430053018312734noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7834920299055960410.post-68410958145465978082009-08-12T19:32:00.003-04:002009-08-12T19:51:59.139-04:00

Jillian and I just welcomed our first baby girl into this world on Sunday. Her name is Reese Dillon Iannetta and she is incomprehensibly beautiful! We are both very in love with her. It's crazy that she is here now after 9 months of preparation. She's better than I could have imagined. When I first had the chance to hold her for a while, I just stared at her with wonder and amazement. My

Todd Iannettahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13210430053018312734noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7834920299055960410.post-22680162393144463802009-07-28T13:57:00.003-04:002009-07-28T17:12:32.460-04:00

My wife and I are expecting our first baby any day now. It's difficult not knowing when the baby will come. The unknown is always hard and more importantly, it moves us to trust God more. Over the last couple months, we have been preparing for this child to come...getting a crib, clothes, strollers, reading parenting books, and thinking about things we have never thought of before. We are

Todd Iannettahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13210430053018312734noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7834920299055960410.post-59453281909978565652009-07-13T21:07:00.002-04:002009-07-13T21:29:37.662-04:00

This year's father-son trip meant more to me than any past trip because I am only a month away from being a father myself. Watching these fathers express their love for their sons was inspiring to me. Here are a some things that I learned from this trip.1. Men in general don't always express their true feelings, but this trip is a time when fathers unleash their love for their sons in a real

Todd Iannettahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13210430053018312734noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7834920299055960410.post-46914394450629721242009-06-23T11:32:00.003-04:002009-06-23T11:41:31.708-04:00

I spent the past week with 25 seventh graders in Kentucky serving on a mission trip. It was a really good trip and a privilege to be a part of. This was the first year we took an all 7th grade trip and I made some observations. First of all, I realized why we don't take 6th graders on these trips. Secondly, there is a big difference between a 7th and an 8th grader. They did a great job, but

Todd Iannettahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13210430053018312734noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7834920299055960410.post-88976995160289006222009-06-08T16:09:00.003-04:002009-06-09T14:48:11.341-04:00

Today, I received a call from someone at Hudson Middle School. She said that she was scheduling all the dances for the next school year and wanted to make sure that their dances didn't conflict with any of our Edge ministry events. First of all, I couldn't believe that she actually cared about this. Secondly, I love the fact that our events are actually taking enough students away from the dance

Todd Iannettahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13210430053018312734noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7834920299055960410.post-64392879171736347102009-06-01T13:08:00.004-04:002009-06-01T13:27:04.015-04:00

A parent recently sent me an link to an article and news clip from goodmorning America. It's about how teens are viewing oral sex as no sex at all. It's a very acceptable thing to do among teens right now. On top of that, there are teenage girls actually getting paid for sexual acts, taking off clothes, etc. I am not even talking about inner city kids...I am talking about wealthy affluent

Todd Iannettahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13210430053018312734noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7834920299055960410.post-60045915264496544442009-05-22T12:32:00.004-04:002009-05-26T12:37:21.376-04:00

I got PHIFF. Do you have it?Recently, at a retreat, I got to witness 4 students make first time decisions for Jesus Christ. It was an amazing thing! Just the other day, I met with one of the girls who made the decision. Her parents wanted me to talk with her more about what it means to have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ (which is really great!). I told her that knowing Christ is a

Todd Iannettahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13210430053018312734noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7834920299055960410.post-48979348134459245832009-04-10T13:33:00.003-04:002009-04-10T13:38:59.933-04:00

I have been listening to this song lately called True Love, by Phil Wickaham. It's all about the love of Jesus in death that broke down the wall of sin that seperated us from God. It's amazing! All of us are a part of putting the wall up between us in God...every time we sin...but in one amazing and miraculous event in history, the God of the universe destroyed the hideous wall by dying to pay

Todd Iannettahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13210430053018312734noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7834920299055960410.post-92103639123423203572009-02-17T20:50:00.002-05:002009-02-17T21:11:51.752-05:00

This week, I saw many middle school students impacted by their first real tragedy. A Hudson Middle School teacher who also attended our church was arrested for showing an inappropriate video to a middle school boy. This teacher was so devastated that a few days later, he took his own life. Most middle school students cannot wrap their minds around such a tragic series of events with someone

Todd Iannettahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13210430053018312734noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7834920299055960410.post-56198596920443324402009-01-23T13:34:00.002-05:002009-01-23T13:51:03.931-05:00

Just this week, I met with a student whose dad is dying of cancer. This is something that no 13 year old boy should have to deal with. After all, being 13 is difficult enough. This day in age is the hardest it's ever been for middle school students. On top of dealing with peer pressure, popularity, puberty, and sexual issues, they are faced with family deaths, parental divorces, single parent

Todd Iannettahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13210430053018312734noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7834920299055960410.post-76315555029995014252008-12-20T12:30:00.003-05:002008-12-23T11:27:45.380-05:00

Christmas for middle school students has always been a discouragement to me, especially because most of the students I know come from wealthy families. It seems like they always get what they want and more for Christmas (a lot like my life in middle school), which usually leaves them more selfish and ungrateful than they were before Christmas. BUT...I am seeing a growing trend among many

Todd Iannettahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13210430053018312734noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7834920299055960410.post-31636054274092304132008-12-12T15:03:00.002-05:002008-12-12T16:06:40.036-05:00

Now that I have your attention, let me explain. Pornography has never been more accessible as it is right now. I would say that 70% of the middle school students I know have cell phones and texting capabilities. That means that any of them at any time can receive pornography via text messaging. It blows my mind to think that pornography is being passed around, even during the school day.

Todd Iannettahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13210430053018312734noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7834920299055960410.post-47521579287802032422008-12-08T09:51:00.002-05:002008-12-08T10:10:21.400-05:00

I am continually challenged by middle schoolers pushing boundaries to see how far they can go. This is a common trait that we like to say is "typical" of middle school children. As I thought about it, I was convicted to think about my own life and what boundaries I like to push. They are different boundaries then the middle schoolers, but boundaries none the less. We all like to push

Mr Ihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00283777690483485210noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7834920299055960410.post-34126158534694740152008-11-28T20:08:00.003-05:002008-11-28T20:25:26.678-05:00

Sometimes, it's obvious to me why middle school students are wild and goofy, and don't take anything seriously. Could it be that no one takes them seriously enough? It seems like all the adults in their lives are telling them everything they are doing wrong, everything they are not doing, exposing their immaturity, and more. But are they being challenged? The most important thing I like to

Todd Iannettahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13210430053018312734noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7834920299055960410.post-48712437376541793282008-10-13T20:20:00.004-04:002008-10-13T20:41:43.402-04:00

I had the privilege this past week to pray with 2 middle school students to receive Christ as Savior. There is no greater joy of mine! I love to watch students process the whole thing. Middle school students are at the age, where the gospel no longer seems as simple as it used to be in Sunday School. They begin to ask the tough questions. One of the students that I prayed with to receive Christ

Todd Iannettahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13210430053018312734noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7834920299055960410.post-13561743439240325592008-10-08T11:02:00.005-04:002008-10-08T11:31:56.559-04:00

If there is one thing true of middle school it is that most of them operate with a "herd "mentality. That is to say that there is very little they are willing to do or say as individuals, but rather are easily swayed by the students around them, or the "herd". You can see this play itself out in all sorts of ways, whether it be in the way they dress, behave, and even talk. Being effected by the

Mr Ihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00283777690483485210noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7834920299055960410.post-66513243472004776342008-05-01T11:12:00.002-04:002008-05-01T11:23:54.887-04:00

While most of us go about our day doing whatever it is we do, there are people looking at pornography every second. I recently did a survey with 75 middle school boys and found out some interesting things regarding pornography. 90% of those boys said that they have seen some kind of pornography, even if it was accidentally. The majority of those said that they first viewed it in their own home

Todd Iannettahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13210430053018312734noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7834920299055960410.post-49613552998958945502008-04-28T12:55:00.003-04:002008-12-09T15:32:51.887-05:00

This weekend we took some students from my class to downtown Cleveland to feed the homeless at a few different shelters. I think it was a very important opportunity for students to experience others who are less fortunate then they are and give them some perspective on what "real life" can sometimes be like in contrast to the "unreal life" most of them live. At each shelter there was an

Mr Ihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00283777690483485210noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7834920299055960410.post-66848425396380722732008-04-17T10:27:00.003-04:002008-12-09T15:32:52.350-05:00

A must read for parents of middle school students or any teen for that matter is a book called "Engaging the Soul of Youth Culture." This book is key in understanding today's youth culture, what they are seeing, what they are hearing, and what culture is throwing at them. The impact of media on today's teens in stronger than ever before and we need to know what is being communicated to them.

Todd Iannettahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13210430053018312734noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7834920299055960410.post-64335479371939100172008-04-15T10:23:00.005-04:002008-12-09T15:32:52.548-05:00

The longer I am with Middle Schoolers the more I realize they have no concept of personal censorship. They think very little of how anything now might effect the future, or of what consequences might come of their actions or words before they "release them to the public". This has revealed itself to me in a couple ways. First, with the use of email and text messages, they have no concept that

Mr Ihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00283777690483485210noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7834920299055960410.post-55483306978322081762008-04-11T13:00:00.001-04:002008-12-09T15:32:52.724-05:00

I have come to a shocking reality in recent days that may seem like a no brainer to most. There are some days when my students will hate me, and I am OK with that. To be honest it is a daily struggle for me, no one enjoys not being liked, and I work very hard to maintain the respect of my students, but I have come to the reality that sometimes I am doing what is best for the students in the long

Mr Ihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00283777690483485210noreply@blogger.com1