A SCHOOL ON THE BRINK

A few weeks ago I was at an event to kick start Homecoming. Since it is a shared campus all the schools in the building were present in the
auditorium.

At the beginning of the ceremony, the mistress of ceremony(mc) publicly acknowledged the respective administrative body of each school. When the names of a given school administration were called the
student body was strangely quiet. They were even a few "boos" scattered here and there.

I was both mortified and embarrassed! The students have clearly made known how they feel about their administrators. Can it further be elaborated that this was how they felt about their school........teachers included! I could not help but to think.......Have the adults in that given school failed to connect with the students?Is this a school on the brink?

I was deeply troubled. If this is the current reality, can it be said that those students have a school? Is there learning taking place in the classrooms? What good is it if the
students don't feel "good" about their school? What are they really trying to tell us?
Are we listening? What can we do about it?

The students have stopped cheering.

Who will champion their cause? Let's get the students cheering again!

Have a great week.

Petreno

THE LIES WE TELL OURSELVES 2

AAAhhh the lies we tell ourselves.......

It's so great to be back! Really? I started working on this blog during the summer. I thought that I would have long days just languishing around not doing much but was I in for a surprise!

I made the mistake of coming up with a schedule and a list of things that I'd like to accomplish. This list suddenly ballooned. I got myself in a situation where I had to prioritize. One of my biggest lesson this summer was learning to let go......it's ok not to be in control all the time. Isn't that what summer should be about for us educators?

In fact, I had the greatest lessons too. I found out that I learned more in a relaxed state. I was able to truly make connections between what I taught and the real world that were powerful. I have gained a much better insight into how students learn and how to help them better by thinking outside of the box. Most of all I have rediscovered who I am as a learner and is determined to help my students do the same.

I am more invigorated and excited about this year. Like Will Smith in Men In Black, let us not give reigns to our curiosity but use it to guide us as we do what we love....TEACH......despite the prevailing conditions.

How was your summer?

Have a Great Week!

Petreno

Let the Students' Voices Be Heard!

Isn't it interesting to hear students' views outside of the classroom?

I recently had a conversation with a student that was rather thought-provoking and somewhat disturbing.

I have always seen this particular student around school but have never had the opportunity of teaching in my courses.  Further, the student was always in and out of school because of behavioral issues. None-the-less I was impressed of how well informed and passionate the expressed views were about what was happening in the school.

The student was able to accurately describe the school environment and culture as well as the existing dynamics which was excruciatingly blunt. I could not help but think to myself Wow! How many other students are there in the school with similar views? Have we failed in engaging them appropriately in the teaching learning process? How can we effectively utilize the views of these students in school improvement?

Usually in any school improvement initiative the students' voices are often left out in this process yet it is often about them! Have we been getting this wrong? We have always thought that we know what's best for students often imposing rules, best practices, new curricula, and social services that we think will benefit them based on the research. Though these are all good........should we rethink based on the evolution of our student population of today? Are we truly addressing their needs?

The student disclosed during our conversation the need to pass required examinations which meant that there is an issue of being under-credited. Additionally, the hope that teachers can look beyond faults and provide what is truly desired ......... an education was aggressively demanded. If we are to successfully close the achievement gap we need to seriously listen to our students.

There are many articulate and brilliant students who are caught in this dilemma. How can we help them?

Have an Extraordinary Week!

Petreno

HOW WAS YOUR WEEK?

How was your week? Did it live up to your expectations? How could it have been different?

I had an interesting week. Though excited to be back at school, the reality of the magnitude of work to be done seems overwhelming! During our teachers' conferences, the faculty was asked three simple questions:-

1. Where are we?
2. Where should we be?
3. How do we get there?

These three profound questions invite us to deeply reflect on the current situation that will impact the future based on what we do now.

Amidst getting back into the daily school routine and figuring out how best to maximize our time both inside and outside of the classroom, let us keep the needs of the children who sit before us as our top priority. I strongly believe that if we are able to do this, we will find the answers and more to the questions above. They may not be easy ones and will ultimately require hard work, patience, and perseverance.

What will you do today?

Sometimes it takes a radical action of just one person to initiate change. Think of our leaders both past and present. They made an unwavering decision to fight for the greater good. Just like Marva Collins and Ron Clark, let us never give up hope especially when hope seems elusive but persevere like Mr. Cohen in Front of the Class despite the odds.

Have yourselves a FABULOUS week!

Petreno