A School That's Not a School

I know that I am very fortunate to work in a school district that is one of the top in my state and a school that is listed on several lists of top schools in the nation.  However, despite the successes we might have, we still deal with some of the same issues and struggle with some of the same questions that educators in any district would deal with: how do we ensure success for all no matter what circumstances we find ourselves in?  I think about this question often from both a teacher perspective and a leader perspective.  Considering all of the turmoil that has occurred in the St. Louis region with school districts losing accreditation and students selecting other districts to attend (sometimes to protest of residents), I also contemplate and research ways to turn around schools that are not as successful as my own.  What do we do to turn those schools around?

In this powerful TED talk, Linda Cliatt-Wayman, a principal in Philadelphia, discusses how she addressed these questions at Strawberry Mansion High School.  On her first day as principal, a student interrupts her assembly speech to ask her why she keeps calling Strawberry Mansion as school.  "This is not a school."  I can only imagine what she felt at that moment.  Having taught in a high-poverty, low-performing school, I could understand why a young woman might feel that way.  I often felt that the school was more concerned with disciplining the students and keeping them in line than with educating them.  I remember that it took me three weeks to even discover texts were available for me to teach to my students; most were texts that were below grade level for high school students.  I finally received a curriculum guide from a fellow teacher that was last revised 24 years earlier after being there for approximately a month.  Until then, I did grammar worksheets and projects with my students that did not (ultimately) result in any learning.

So I listened to this presentation to find out how someone faced with similar circumstances turned everything around for her students.  Mrs. Cliatt-Wayman provides advice and wisdom that may help us to better ensure that every school becomes a school.

TED Talk--Linda Cliatt-Wayman

End of the Year Reflection

We did it.  We made it to the end of another school year. As we breathe a sigh of relief that little Johnny managed to pass with the grade that he wanted, Susie received all of the credits she needed to graduate, Bobby is now a discipline problem for his English 2 teacher, and Laurie received the scholarships for which you wrote rec letters, we all probably manage to take a little time to reflect on our year and ask a few questions.

From my own school year experience, I am left with the following questions:

1.  What do I feel I did well?
2.  What would my students say I did well?
3.  What lessons/units were the most successful in terms of student learning and meeting lesson objectives?
4.  What do I feel did not go as well?
5.  What changes would I make next year in terms of the following: classroom management, content selection, learning objectives/enduring understandings, classroom procedures and policies, and lesson and unit design?
6.  What learning/research should I do over the summer to improve student achievement?
7.  On what aspects can I collaborate with my colleagues over the summer in order to improve student achievement?
 8.  How do I apply a social justice to all of my thinking so that the decisions I make create an equitable environment for all students?

Honestly, these eight questions will stay with me all summer as I begin planning for next year.  As humans, we have a tendency to focus on the negative, but I have found that it is equally important to think about what we do well.  We can learn just as much from the good as the bad.  So, for every negative item you may have to list, be sure to find two or more positives.  Rest assured that if you are taking time to think critically about your teaching's impact on your students' achievement, then you are definitely doing your career "right."