These are some scratchy notes Alisa took June 9 (remember she was late!):
Check-in
- where is your accent from?
- how can school BAMSS goals go faster, and be more integrated into everyday decision making?
- what happens to families when children move outside their class of origin?
- every person needs comfortable spaces for belonging
Categorizing Action Ideas (from Action Idea Sheet #1) -- is the idea a:
- community action?
- school action?
- individual actions you can take on your own?
- actions that the community and school can take together?
Developing an Action Plan for Developing a Community Where All Our Students Can Succeed
Vision & Obstacles
- Inclusive future
- Respect for differences
- Ongoing affirming actions
- Respect for achievement accomplished by multiple intelligences, not limited to academic competition
- Values: what we value, how do we value the strengths of where someone is?
- People with power & privilege do not want to give it up
- Stop reform efforts, need to transform the whole paradigm!
- Practical reforms we can do now, while still thinking big
- Participants in this study circle are not in the system -- what can we do from our position?
Ideas (relative to the High School) participants will explore before next meeting June 16:
- Changing Evaluation and Assessment
- Advocacy Training
- Community/Service Learning, including Empathy Education
- Community Building & Project-based Intentional Community
Changing Evaluation and Assessment
- Society's definition of successful student currently limited to good grades & test scores, not in trouble, whether going on to Ivy League school
- Tests are known to be biased
- GPA is not a true determinant of future success
- Nobody wants the "effort" certificate instead of the "achievement" certificate
- How do we acknowledge that each person has a talent or gift? Even if not a strong writer, may be strong editor, or strong in verbal articulation
- Individual classes may be differentiated, but how to do that on a system-wide basis?
- MCAS is a red herring: this status quo predates MCAS
- Equity vs Equality
- Privilege gives some children experience beyond the classroom -- does a child who went to Europe with family pass test more easily than those limited to classroom experiences?
- How do children know if they are gifted in particular area if they have not been afforded access to those activities?
- Preconceived notions prevent children from being challenged to do higher level work
Advocacy Training
- Advocating for people who don't have the power
- Teaching self-advocacy
- Must come from outside the education system: conflict of interest for teachers, also for parents
- Parents as partners
- Finding a niche, feeling of belonging
- Marginalized people are not always students of color
- Kids being disciplined repeatedly should participate in self-advocacy training -- what are their unmet needs?
Community/Service Learning, including Empathy Education
- Some schools elsewhere require Community Service, including PVPA
- Language of Community Service tends to emphasize lower income
- Should be a graduation requirement, matter-of-fact to choose one of these options, rather than expecting kids to step forward
- Community is full of resources that could offer service opportunities, if they were asked
- Could be part of some courses, an enhancement to all courses, or a separate requirement
- Concern about avoiding burdening teachers with yet another task
- If the community values schools offering Community Service requirement, why would it be seen as a burden to the system? The community expects French to be offered, yet the high school does not expect the community to step up to provide the French curriculum and contacts
- The community can decide Community Service is a priority, just as the high school has decided to offer additionl music courses to reach a broader range of students
- Curriculum models are out there at both high school & college level, so don't need to reinvent the wheel
- Before sending students out into the community, need Empathy Education including sensitity issues, so students are doing work from their hearts, not "here to save the poor" -- without that education, Community Service wouldn't serve the community or the students themselves
Community Building & Project-based Intentional Community
- Lack of opportunity to connect -- little "hanging" time, no off-campus lunch
- Lack shared experience of daily assembly or homeroom
- Challenge Day was well put together, kids who never spoke together were able to do so
- Orientation over the entire first week of school -- what do we want to do this year -- engage kids in dialog, in setting goals for their community
- Specific day to engage in community building, required for all
- Small groups within the high school engaged in ongoing discussion
- Small group participants would be carefully chosen for balance
- Small group working on a chosen project over time
GO BACK TO StudyCircles