So, it's not hard to tell upon entering the second floor that it's homecoming week in Husky Country! The halls are decked out with school spirit ... something that hasn't happened in this school for a long time! Being the sponsor for the Freshman class allowed me to have the opportunity to encourage the Freshmen to go all out when they decorated! It was a success! The freshmen loved the idea of showing their pride in their school by decorating a hallway! To my amazement, the energy and and enthusiasm of the Freshmen trickled downward almost immediately! When the Seniors and Sophomore classes, who were working on their hallways at the time as the freshmen, saw how much pride and spirit the Freshmen were displaying .... they followed in suit! Within a short time the seniors and sophomores had regrouped and gone back to the drawing board! They too were going to get involved and show how much they cared about their school! What a wonderful moment to witness! I couldn't stop smiling! It made me realize what a difference this staff is making at North Marion this year! I draw from the popular movie, "Remember the Titans", "Attitude reflects leadership"! And that is exactly what is happening at North Marion this year! The innovation zone began as just a far fetched thought, sometime last year and much like the students with the hallways, it has trickled downward to the majority of the staff! A major component of teaching this Freshman class was to teach them a culture. We wanted the freshman to have an attitude filled with respect, trust, and responsibility! If you look down the hallways you will find that not only has this been instilled in the freshman class, but it has also began to filter throughout the school! The deal breaker? Well, that would be the hard-working staff at North Marion! Staff members give up countless hours of unpaid time to make this school and their students better! The innovation zone, the innovative teaching of all teachers, and the fact that North Marion's teachers aren't afraid to roll their sleeves up and go to work is changing this school for the better! Oh yes, and not to be forgotten.... the Juniors have jumped into the running of the homecoming hallway battle!
Monday, September 26, 2011
Monday, September 19, 2011
Empowering Our Students
As Amy, Joetta and I were discussing student voice during a grant meeting this evening, I kept thinking about all the ways Kristin and I are empowering our students in our classes. I just had to share this story with everyone because I think it is so extremely powerful.
Today, I had a young lady approach me with a concern about one of her group members. She explained to me that her male peer had done something that was inappropriate and she and her group members wanted to fire him from the group because he had not been taking his work seriously. So, instead of approaching him upon hearing this information, I talked it over with Kristin and we decided that we should try the mediation approach because we both agree that it would be more powerful coming from his group members than a teacher telling him that his actions were not appropriate and....we were right.
I had Mr. Shaffer, our assistant principal, sit in on the mediation session so that the group knew that it was a serious matter. I gave everyone a chance to speak and express how they were feeling about the situation. I was so impressed at how they conducted themselves. The student that had caused the issue was very accepting of the process and did not become angry that his group members had brought the problem up. Instead, he owned up to this mistakes and realized that what he did, did not make his group happy and that he would make sure he stayed on task from here on out.
To see freshmen students conduct themselves in a way that they could problem-solve and discuss an issue within their group was certainly eye opening. It didn't turn into an argument. It wasn't a blame game. It was a genuine conversation from several peers to another, letting him know that they wanted him to work with the group and not distract the group from their work, otherwise, they were going to fire him.
I feel that if I or Kristin had approached this student on our own without the other group members, it wouldn't have had the same effect. This empowered the students to have a say in how their peer "got in trouble" so to speak. They were able to have an honest, open conversation with a great end result. I may be assuming when I say this; however, I believe that students respond better to their peers (when executed in the right way) than to teachers, even parents maybe.
I'll have to keep you updated on the student's behavior for the rest of the PBL, but if I had to guess I'm sure he'll be working diligently from here on out.
Today, I had a young lady approach me with a concern about one of her group members. She explained to me that her male peer had done something that was inappropriate and she and her group members wanted to fire him from the group because he had not been taking his work seriously. So, instead of approaching him upon hearing this information, I talked it over with Kristin and we decided that we should try the mediation approach because we both agree that it would be more powerful coming from his group members than a teacher telling him that his actions were not appropriate and....we were right.
I had Mr. Shaffer, our assistant principal, sit in on the mediation session so that the group knew that it was a serious matter. I gave everyone a chance to speak and express how they were feeling about the situation. I was so impressed at how they conducted themselves. The student that had caused the issue was very accepting of the process and did not become angry that his group members had brought the problem up. Instead, he owned up to this mistakes and realized that what he did, did not make his group happy and that he would make sure he stayed on task from here on out.
To see freshmen students conduct themselves in a way that they could problem-solve and discuss an issue within their group was certainly eye opening. It didn't turn into an argument. It wasn't a blame game. It was a genuine conversation from several peers to another, letting him know that they wanted him to work with the group and not distract the group from their work, otherwise, they were going to fire him.
I feel that if I or Kristin had approached this student on our own without the other group members, it wouldn't have had the same effect. This empowered the students to have a say in how their peer "got in trouble" so to speak. They were able to have an honest, open conversation with a great end result. I may be assuming when I say this; however, I believe that students respond better to their peers (when executed in the right way) than to teachers, even parents maybe.
I'll have to keep you updated on the student's behavior for the rest of the PBL, but if I had to guess I'm sure he'll be working diligently from here on out.
Sunday, September 18, 2011
Essentials for Culture
Just found this interesting as I'm reading for a grant:
- Intense focus on school culture
- Students are comfortable talking with adults about academic and personal issues
- Verbal and written reflection shared among staff members
- Rituals (e.g. new student orientation; International Night; alumni reunions; etc.)
- Pick Me Ups (formal time to start each day as a community)
- A focus on professional development/life-long learning for staff members
- Inter-grade & across-grade student groupings
- Democratic governance
- Student leadership
- Respect and caring
- Diversity recognized and celebrated
- Clear policies and expectations for behavior
- Emphasis on reflection
- High attendance rate
- High graduation rate
- High college acceptance rate
- Low dropout rate
- Fun!
Saturday, September 17, 2011
Creating a new culture---
A step in the right direction? This is the graffiti MaryAnne found in the upstairs girls' bathroom last week:
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