We always complain about the way kids act in school and how they do not really care about school and learning. Everyone expects the parents and the kids to change and do better. Let’s be realistic about the situation. That is not going to happen. Change starts with us, the teacher. We have to change the way we think about education and teaching and do what is best for the students. But how many of us are willing to find fault within ourselves and make the necessary changes to improve our schools? So I posed a question at my school: Since we are tossing around the idea of a cultural change for our school, it is only fair to consider the following idea. Have you ever considering creating a freshman academy at your high school? You may find yourself asking several questions. While you are asking yourself these questions, I would like to take the time to share some benefits of a freshman academy. It is fair to say that the majority of the students are not ready for high school. The old saying that “it takes a village to raise a child” is very true indeed. However, when they are inconsistencies in how to “raise the child” then we are faced with a multitude of challenges. A freshman academy would require a team of the four content area teachers: math science, English and social studies. The team of teachers would share the same students, have the same planning period and have the same rules and procedures in their classroom. This would include everything from how to enter to classroom and how to take notes to the heading on the paper. Consistency across the board helps the students as well as the teachers. Teachers find themselves in a “little village” per se in which they are able to turn to their colleagues for support and for help with challenging students. In addition, the academy teachers would work on finding commonality among their content area to build a seamless connection in curriculum. Teachers are provided with the opportunity to talk across the curriculum. The four content areas have common threads, but are provided with the time to brainstorm and discuss how they can help and support each other professionally. Also, the freshman team has a support system from only their department, but teachers from areas as well. Teachers are able to discuss which EOC readiness and supporting standards they have in common and use the same vocabulary in ALL four content areas! Furthermore, this is a great opportunity to incorporate “Numeracy across the Board”, in which all content areas talk about math. Sharing test taking strategies and well as sharing the skills needed to use the graphing calculator can be used in all classes, not just math classes. When we are talking about change, some people will resist and rebel; some will embrace change. If you do what you have always done, you will get what you have always gotten. It is fair to that doing what is best for students is imperative. In addition, providing an environment that fosters a supportive climate for learning is paramount. The willingness and support must start at the top and spread like a disease throughout the rest of the campus. From my experiences as an educator, I have seen this implemented and be very successful.
Posted on: Sat, 15 Jun 2013 17:32:06 +0000
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