The Perfect School

     In my 18 years of teaching experience, I don't think there has ever been a time that anyone asked me to describe the "perfect" school. I have been thinking about these ideas for quite a while now and I think it's time to share some ideas. Some of my ideas run contrary to our current system of education, but most of the changes I would make are substantiated by research. For those of you that know me, most of everything I do in the classroom is research based. There is a purpose for every routine and lesson in my classroom. Even my own students have finally caught on to this idea. I want to acknowledge that what I will be describing costs more money than what is currently spent on education, however some of what I will suggest is about setting priorities and allocating money differently. With that said, here we go.
     I would begin by extending and changing the schedule of the day. Instructional minutes should be determined by academic need and not by the schedules of programs served by itinerate teachers such as music, physical education, art or cSTEM. Don't get me wrong, I support all these programs. I think these programs help to provide a well rounded education for students, but not at the cost of academic instruction. If you are setting a schedule by academic need and you want to provide other programs, then you have to hire the staff to teach it on site.
     Next, I would extend the school day 30 to 60 minute depending on the grade level. Those last minutes of the day would set aside for homework only. The research behind this model has shown that students benefit more from homework when the teacher is there to answer any questions that arise from the day's lesson. This is particularly true for our English Language Learners and our Socio-Economic Disadvantaged students. Additionally, it would insure that homework would be done before students left school for the day and it also stops the "homework battle" at home.
     Then, I would create small learning communities within the school. A small learning community or SLC is a group teachers working together to analyze student performance data which in turn, drives instruction for every student. In this model, students may be regrouped often because the grouping of students is based on mastery of the standards. There are several ways to create the grouping, but most often you see K-2 ( if K is full day kindergarten) then 3-5 and 6-8. All the teachers in the SLC are teaching the standards for their grade level, however there would be movement between the grade levels by students. In other words, it's possible that a third grader could be sitting fourth grader in math class. A SLC has several other advantages as well. The teaching teams get to know each of the students in the SLC very well and every teacher is responsible for the learning of every child. Also, teachers are working in teams where collaboration is the expectation and the norm. Research has shown that teacher collaboration increases student success. More importantly, teachers are not teaching in isolation. Also, the SLC model provides for a positive connection with an adult at school and research has shown that students that make and keep positive adult connections at school are more likely to succeed.
     Additionally, I would hold two conferences a year. One at the beginning of the school year somewhere in early September and the last conference in May. The first conference would be a goal setting conference based on assessment data in which the teacher, student and the parent would set academic and asset building goals for the year. The conference in May would be a student lead conference reviewing their portfolio and how the student met his/her goals. Obviously, this would look very different in primary grades and upper grades. Which brings me to the discussion of report cards.
    What exactly is the purpose of a report card? Most will say that it is a way for the school to give information to the parent about how their child is doing in school. But what exactly does an "A" mean? For that matter, what does any letter grade mean? When I am planning my lessons, I am thinking about the standard I am teaching. What does the student need to know? What do they have to be able to do? How will he/she show that they know this? I want my students to master the standard. I am after mastery of a standard. So, what does A, B, C, D or F mean in terms of mastering the standard? Does "A" mean they mastered the standard more than a grade of "B". How is that determined? Is a "C" still mastery? How is that different than an "A"? In other words, our current grading system really doesn't tell parents anything. I think parents AND students would be better served by moving to a standards based report card. Students have either mastered the standard or they have not. This allows teachers, parents and students to identify areas of weakness and provide remediation to assure mastery.
     I have other ideas floating in my head that I have not shared in this blog, but stay tuned. I will write about those ideas as well. If I have provoked your thoughts about teaching and learning, I suggest you do some reading about these ideas. They have come from some very interesting individuals in educational research. Spend some time reading Doug Reeves, Becky and Rick DeFour, Larry Ainsworth, Robert Marzano, Charlotte Danielson and Tom Guskey. It's time to start a conversation...
   
   
   
   

Change

     I have come to the conclusion that we spend a lot of our time learning to deal with and accept change. Change is something that doesn't come easy to most people. We get set in our ways of doing things or ways in which we think and then out of the blue.......the situation changes. I walked into work two weeks ago to find out we were getting a new principal next year. Keep in mind that this will be our fourth principal in the last seven years. While I was happy that my current principal was growing professionally and moving on to bigger and better things, a part of me was just angry. The self talk began, "Why couldn't we continue the work we had begun? Why was my principal chosen? What about the students? What about the continuity of their school experience? What about the community?"
I found myself asking all the questions everyone asks themselves when change happens in a school community. Once again, I was confronted by change. But change, my friends, can be a good thing.
    For change to be a positive experience, it requires open mindedness, lots of discussion, and patience.
It requires everyone to reserve judgement, to listen, watch and to be kind. There are many changes headed our way at our school. Teachers are retiring, new teachers are being hired, families that have been at our school for years are moving on to the junior high and new families will join our school community. Upon reflection, I realized that although there will be new faces at school, the mission stays the same. It's all about the kids! Everything we do is about educating children and that will continue regardless.
     My students are facing change in a huge way in the next month. Most will be leaving the only school they have ever attended and go to a new school in August. This can be a rough time for them as they come to this realization. It's my job to let them know they are ready, they are prepared and they can do it. I saw amazing changes in my students this week when we were at Science Camp. They became more independent, took care of themselves AND others, showed caring, kindness, and took responsibility. They have learned many things this year and some of it is about life and getting along in this world. The academic lessons were easier than the life lesson, but in the end, the life lesson are so important. I hope the memories and successes they experienced this year and particularly, this week, will stay with them for a lifetime. On my classroom wall I have posted, "Expect the unexpected." Change happens.