Administration should be praised for placing common planning time at a premium.
Teachers should be commended for using this time effectively to diagnose problems and collaborate on solutions. Because of the small learning communities, teachers are better able to serve students.
Teachers should also be praised for having the courage to teach a technique like ROPE-W. For most English teachers, the last thing they want to do is make writing a soulless, formulaic exercise. And while it might not be what they envisioned when they signed their contracts, these teachers are developing a foundation for growth. Middle school teachers, especially in failing districts, must not seek tangible rewards in the form of seeing students flourish. They should rest confidently in the knowledge that they have set the student on a solid path going forward.
Two recommendations would involve the weekly meetings and the uniforms. Both of these issues can seem like window dressing to outsiders. It is therefore important that the principal demonstrates action in response to student feedback. A principal willing to have such meetings must be willing to handle the radical issues and ideas that might be brought up. More harmful to student morale than administrative dictatorship is the illusion of democracy. I would also recommend a stated rationale for the uniforms to students. In an environment where we are trying to build relationships and personal understanding, it can be trying to have everyone dressed the same. I feel the same sense of continuity and shared purpose can be conveyed to students [and accepted by them] in other ways. To build this climate we have to foster the core belief that all are equal...through curriculum design, extracurricular programs, even student awards/recognition. Uniforms look the part but without student buy-in...they are all sizzle and no steak.
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How exactly would students "buy in" to uniforms?
How exactly would students "buy in" to uniforms?
How exactly would students "buy in" to uniforms?
Uniforms are generally used to enforce the idea that students should be judged on their merits. The essence of this community lies in the investment students have in each other.
Uniforms demonstrate the value we place on personality, not on appearance. But do these like-robed students respect each other? Do they appreciate diverse opinions and personalities? Are they willing to value the opportunities that their school offers? Do they consider the school's mission and how it relates to themselves and their classmates? If students understand the mission and are inclined to respect it then they are "buying in".
Perhaps the greatest way we can get students to buy in to our ideas, is to let them participate in the construction of the school's mission. With a certain level of investment, students feel personally obligated to adhere to the school's principles. Students can always be forced to wear uniforms, and this might not necessarily be symptomatic of a learning community. But when they invest in the school's mission those uniforms become representations of a shared purpose.
Your points are well taken, but I also appreciate what you said in your original response about "the illusion of democracy". If we empower students to take a greater degree of ownership over their education and their school, are we prepared to go along with what they may come up with? Does creating the illusion of democracy, where students are led to believe that they have a voice but they know that in actual practice they do not, do more harm than good? Perhaps part of the answer is to give students clearly defined criteria to which their input must adhere. We give them a taste of democracy, but also assert that we must stay within certain boundaries.
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