At my school failure is definitely NOT an option. We take multiple measures, to approach a situation where a child may not be showing progress, from as many angles as possible in order to ensure each child's success. We hold SST meetings, 504's, and IEPs in order to provide each child with the best accommodations possible. We work together with parents, as a team, and involve all stakeholders through the process so that everyone's voice is heard and to be as transparent as we can be. We seek to understand each child's individual situation and show empathy as we set them up for success. That's what our principal believes in and that's what our staff believes in.
The impact that this approach is having on our students is increasing their self-esteem, giving each student hope and enhancing their education, providing them with a happy and supportive learning environment in which they experience success and believe in themselves. Once they associate those feelings of happiness, achievement and success with school work, they look for more, increasing their chances of succeeding in life. Our approach is having a very positive impact on our students and their families. Our school does not provide its students with conditions that make it too late to learn. We help our students reach competency by establishing clear academic, as well as behavioral school-wide, expectations and providing consistency with regard to these expectations across the grades. We guide our students to take control of, and self-monitor, their academic progress so that they feel they have a say in how much they advance weekly. Our students have enough confidence in themselves to be proactive and reach out to us and say, "I do not feel I put forth my best effort on this exam. Could I please have a week to study the material and take it again next week?" We welcome those requests and grant them the necessary time, using appropriate strategies to reteach the material and scaffold when necessary so that they are successful when they retake the exam. Although we have made it clear that it is never too late to learn at our campus, I know that many of us are inconsistent about it because sometimes we forget to offer them another chance at retaking a test, for example. For me, personally, it is still a work in progress. I allow them to take an exam again, but usually it is because THEY take the initiative to come up to ME and tell me that they do not like their grade on their test and if I could please give them another try. I LOVE it when they think like that because it shows me that they know the world is full of possibilities and all they have to do is ask and it is granted. If I were the school leader, I would encourage my staff to help me create a "never too late to learn" learning environment by bringing more awareness to this philosophy. Many teachers on our campus are implementing this structure, but I am not sure that they are explicitly aware of the philosophy behind this pillar, or that we are even being consistent with our application of it. I believe that if everyone is conscious of their valuable efforts around this pillar, that "presumption of competence" (Kindle Loc 1573, Fisher et al) will increase even more and our students' desire to persevere will increase tremendously. I practice it in good faith, but most of the time it is only if I remember to do so or many times I am unaware that I am practicing it. I think it will be that much more effective if we put forth a conscious effort to take the type of action that leads to a "never too late to learn" environment. To create "never too late to learn" structures that would motivate my peers to approach student's low scores in a more positive and proactive way, I could use an online interactive platform, such as Schoology. For example, every Wednesday we have our spelling tests. Those students who score low, will have the opportunity to retake their spelling test a week later in the classroom. However, instead of me taking instructional minutes away from the other students to accommodate this particular group, they will be able to access their spelling test through the Schoology platform at their convenience. If they finish early with a different assignment, they will have the option of logging in to one of the classroom computers and take the test on their own time. They will receive instant feedback and monitor their own learning. I can "share" my "Spelling Test Folder" with my grade level colleagues in order to encourage them to also provide their own students with that "never too late to learn" opportunity. Pretty soon we will start seeing enough success to have the confidence to share our approach with the rest of the staff so that other grade levels can also start applying the "never too late to learn" approach to their students! It will spread like wildfire in order to provide our students with more opportunities to learn and grow instead of limiting them to a certain time-frame. This plan is definitely in my sphere of influence. Commit to 5 things you are willing to do this semester that will make your school increase learning opportunities: 1. Encourage staff to see mistakes as part of the learning process. 2. Encourage staff, students and parents to see assessments, tests, and other grading materials as tools that inform all stakeholders exactly as to where students currently stand academically in order to provide students with the necessary support and learning opportunities that will lead them to grade-level expectations. 3. Identify technology apps that our school has invested money into and determine for what type of support each of those apps works best. Share this list through a google-doc that all staff will have access to so that everyone can adjust and continue to add to as they see fit. It would include a description of what each app is and how we have used it in the past to support each academic area. 4. For tasks that usually prove to be challenging, provide students with check-off lists that will guide them along the way toward success. 5. Provide students with reference tools and resources they can use as training wheels until no longer necessary. For example, when learning how to compare fractions with different denominators, students who do not have their multiplication facts memorized, should be allowed to use a multiplication table as a reference while they work through the steps necessary to compare fractions because at that point we are not assessing whether they know how to multiply, but rather if they know how to compare fractions. Schools have the power to shape students' agency and identity through the different experiences we, as a staff, create for our students to interact, learn and grow as individuals. We have the power, through our words, actions, and belief systems to influence how our students think about themselves. "Language builds our identities, and in turn our identities are reflected in the language we use" (Loc 1169 Frey et. al). The experiences we go through in life, shape the story we tell about ourselves. The story we tell about ourselves is a reflection of the potential we see in ourselves. The way we see ourselves dictates the actions we take. If we want to turn this all around so that we can go on an upward spiral, rather than a downward spiral, we need to say yes to as many opportunities as possible so that we realize our true potential and then the story we tell about ourselves can change our perceptions of ourselves to a more positive and powerful one.
Reading chapter four of "How to Create a Culture of Achievement in Your School and Classroom" by Douglas Fisher, Nancy Frey, and Ian Pumpian, helped reinforce my beliefs that our choice of words have a powerful impact on developing students' agency and identity. According to Frey et. al, "[c]hoosing words carefully so that they build students' identities is an important aspect of building the culture of a school" (Loc 1082). At my school we empower students by using language carefully. We use a lot of the Leader in Me by Steven Covey language and encourage students to use that type of language when expressing themselves, especially though problem-resolution situations. My principal, and staff, acknowledges the impact our choice of words have on our students' self-esteem and we actively take steps to consciously use empowering language. If I were the school leader, in order to make using choice words a more conscious and accountable school wide practice, I would encourage all adults who work on-site to reflect daily on how they feel their interactions with students turned out each day and if they felt they were successful in using empowering language in their interactions throughout the day. We will all make mistakes and at that point, we can replay the scenario in our minds, at the end of the day, but this time we would replay it the way we wish we would have participated in that verbal exchange the first time around. Replaying the situation in our mind the way we wish we would have done it the first time around will help reinforce a more positive habit of mind. To make the use of choice words a more conscious and accountable personal practice as well as one embraced by others on my site I could model how to do it in a genuine way with my interactions with adults. Choice words is not just something to be used only with students. It can be a way of life that increases your sphere of influence. When you live it, you model it and as a result you stand out and increase your sphere of influence because you will have an approachable demeanor and personality. You can lead by example and that's the best way to spread any practice that you wish others to take on and adopt. Five things I am willing to do this semester that will make my school choose words wisely include the following: *Create a "Gratitude Board": a place where students, and any adult on campus, can go up to at any time during the day and add anything they are grateful for choosing choice words. *Encourage students to go up to five different people during lunch time and use choice words within those interactions. *Teach my students to give and receive genuine compliments. They will practice with each other and then with any adults they come across during the day. *Have my students create skits in which they demonstrate how to use choice words and then I would video-tape some of them and share them with the staff so that they can use these videos as examples for their students to view. *Create a monthly check-off list of different ways we can exercise using choice words throughout our days with students and colleagues. When it comes to the concept of Do No Harm, I believe…that this should not only apply to students, but to adults as well. Regardless of who you are (teacher, parent, cafeteria staff, office staff, volunteer, etc) we need to realize that our words and actions go a long way and have a deep impact on our students. We can choose to bring out the best in our students and set them up for success, both behaviorally and academically, or we can choose to go through disappointment after disappointment by approaching them in a way that doesn't give them a fair chance. As adults in the school setting, we need to adjust our approach to behavior development so that we realize that we are not there to discipline, but rather to coach students with their behavior so that they are empowered to do no harm to themselves, others, and their environment.
As the school leader, my beliefs would be reflected by offering different opportunities for staff to practice reflecting on, and refining, their approach to building a safe learning environment where ALL students are welcomed regardless of where they presently are in their path of behavior development. We would engage in role playing activities that would allow everyone to feel more comfortable developing restorative questioning skills. We would touch base often and provide additional support for anyone who felt they needed it. I would include office staff, cafeteria staff (if possible), and playground supervisors. I would also open it up to any parents wishing to enhance their current parenting skills. At staff meetings I would encourage teachers to share any triumphs during the week of how they handled situations differently then they used to, and how that led to student success. I would also encourage them to reflect on situations that could have been handled differently, or that they wish they would have handled differently. They do not have to share these situations with the rest of the staff, but they should at least reflect on them and replay them in their heads the way they wish they would have handled it, so that next time their mind, body, voice and thoughts are more prepared to handle such a situation in a more effective manner. I would also remind them that it is a work in progress and we are all in the learning process as we unlearn old, engrained ineffective behaviors and replace them with new, productive and effective habits of mind. I would say that the concept of teaching students to "first do no harm" is currently being integrated into the culture of my school through the Leader in Me Program that we have in place, as we are in the process of becoming a Lighthouse school. We also continue to live the by PeaceBuilder Pledge on a daily basis and use the language to address different situations. Not only do we recite the PeaceBuilder Pledge, but we embrace it and use it as a guide in making conscious decisions throughout our days as we encounter different situations. I see, first-hand, how empowering it is when students, teachers, and other school staff, as well as parents, use a common language school-wide, to help guide student behavior. Everyone takes it very seriously and believes in it. It is very gratifying to hear students point out this positive behavior in storybook characters as well. When we are reading a book, in addition to whatever the focus happens to be, students can't help but to point out when a character is being a PeaceBuilder, and they justify their claim with specific evidence from the text! They also often point out when a character is displaying one, or more, of the seven habits! This semester I commit to six things that will make my school a more positive restorative place: * Develop a "Buddy System" with a different grade level and students get to teach the Habit of the week to the other group of students. *When a conflict arises, I will change the current type of questions I use to the "restorative questions" format. *Invite four different students every other week to have lunch with me. During this time together we will have circle conversations in order to "build students' habits at sharing their thinking publicly with their peers." (Loc. 908, Fisher, D., Frey, N., Pumpian, I.) *Empower students with conflict resolution skills such as being proactive and using restorative questions with each other when conflict arises rather than waiting for an adult to intervene. *Share with my grade level, and student-teachers at our grade level, the new restorative practices that I'm learning. *E-mail my co-workers a few ideas about restorative practices to get them curious regarding the topic. I will include a brief description of what it is and a link to where they can find the book, in case they are interested in furthering their understanding of the subject. Source: Fisher, D., Frey, N., and Pumpian, I., (2012). How to Create a Culture of Achievement in Your School and Classroom [Kindle Version].Retrieved from Amazon.com. *How is the challenge of making stakeholders feel welcome to your school connected to your school mission?
Our school mission has a section that says "cultivate an awareness and respect for other cultures, and empower future leaders of a global society". I believe this sentence is definitely meant to welcome people in general, whether those people are our stakeholders, or people who are just visiting campus for some other reason. At our language academy our students develop an understanding and respect for all cultures. We have 4th and 5th graders who are trained as campus ambassadors and every time we have scheduled visitors, the student ambassadors lead the school tours. Part of being an emerging future leader of a global society means you develop the necessary social skills to be able to communicate effectively, in a welcoming manner, with people of different backgrounds. *What did you do to assess which stakeholder group (or subgroup) could be more effectively welcomed? And what did you find? In order to assess which stakeholder group, or subgroup, could be more effectively welcomed, I conducted very brief interviews with different stakeholders as well as informal observations. I discovered that as a school we could work on more effectively welcoming student-teachers, not just once during the formal staff-meeting welcoming, but on a daily basis. I discovered that the most outgoing student-teachers felt more welcomed, and at ease, than the more introverted student-teachers. I also made the observation that less people approach and initiate a conversation with the quieter student-teachers than with the student-teachers who are always smiling and asking questions to satisfy their curiosity, or just simply to learn more during their practicum. *Future Sphere of Influence: What would you do to improve welcoming this group if you were the school leader? If I were the school leader, I would prepare the staff a few weeks in advance, prior to the arrival of the student-teachers, by letting them know the date of their arrival to our campus and generating some ideas, together as a staff, of how we can welcome them on a daily basis. I feel that welcoming them once, is NOT enough. They need to feel welcomed daily. We need to create an environment that they will look forward to being a part of every morning when they wake up. I would encourage my staff, through weekly e-mails, to take the time to ask the student-teachers how their experience is coming along and offer their support in order to create a more inviting campus. *Current Sphere of Influence: What can you do in your present position to enhance welcoming these stakeholders? In my current position I can take the initiative and lead by example during lunch time when I see the student-teachers in the staff lounge having lunch together. I can choose to sit with them and ask them how they're doing and offer encouraging words and my unconditional support. I can also take it upon myself to e-mail a friendly message to the staff encouraging them to offer a friendly smile and greeting to the student-teachers and show interest in who they are and what they have to offer to our campus. This can be part of our "Kindness Challenge" that we have school-wide. *Current Sphere of Influence: Commit to 5 things you are willing to do this semester that will make your school a more welcoming place: --> Smile and greet everyone with whom I come in contact. --> Have my students create thank you cards for the recess/lunch/playground supervision staff. --> Have students create a thank you card for parent volunteers who invest their personal time into our classroom. --> Have students choose a teacher they have had in the past and write them a letter thanking them for something that they remember learning from them. -->Take the time to compliment people on a daily basis. |
Cristal HerreraI am a developing educational leader. Here I consciously explore the four pillars of culture as they become habits of mind. ArchivesCategories |