School Board Meeting

     At the school board meeting last Monday, several topics were addressed.  The meeting opened with a teacher from Chandler.  He discussed the robotics program that he leads over his classes recess hour.  He shared with the board the excitement of the students as they cooperate on this hands on building activity.  He also brought in e few of the robots that the students had built.  He was followed by a research team asking permission to use Latino students for a study.  The study was on how the discrimination that minorities face can lead to depression or anxiety problems. They then did a brief overview on the TAP program, as well as an overview of elementary school ISTEP scores.  When compared with the scores of previous years, many schools are showing improvements. Then they discussed building plans and plans to keep the train quiet during the school day.  Mr. Kissinger tried to gain support for a new score board for the football field.  These topics were all discussed either properly or at length.  When they moved into budgeting, which took most of the rest of the meeting, it was only listing the proposal and then voting to decide whether it would be approved.
     I expected there to be more discussion during the meeting.  I greatly appreciated the teacher from Chandler coming and sharing his experience with robotics.  This gave a look right into the classroom to directly see how a group of students is doing.  However, the rest of the meeting felt out of touch with the everyday happenings of schools.  Sure, they could compare year to year test scores on a chart.  But no discussion was put into why they different schools were doing as they were.  For example, Chamberlain's math scores went down, while almost everyone else's went up.  It would have been nice to see the school board figure out why.  Chamberlain is in one of the poorer neighborhoods of Goshen.  They likely don't have robotics programs as Chandler does.  How does this affect student excitement about learning? How can budgeting be adjusted to help create appealing programs for students? Discussions such as those were what Iexpected from the school board meeting.  What I found was a group of people swiftly voting on proposals that had been sent out and read already.  The purpose of the school board seems to be managing the business side of schools.  However, it seems to me that to properly and successfully manage those things, one must understand the classroom side of schools as well. That's how one discovers where priorities are.

Nine Actions to Becoming an Excellent Teacher

     The task of educating the children of the world is certainly a daunting one.  As a future teacher, it is important that I understand the work of more experienced members in the field of education.  Studying teaching methods, classroom management styles, and general teacher behavior will be important in developing myself as an educator. Educators Grant and Gillette's list of nine actions is one example of a resource I can study.  These include interacting with different types of learners and understanding how their families affect their learning,  being able to critique oneself and constantly improve, taking one's own education seriously, understanding the importance of oneself as a role model, and interacting with a diverse group of people.  Also included are practicing democratic priciples, finding time to relax, studying effective teachers, and finding allies in the school system and beyond.  Understanding and applying these actions will lead to becoming a teacher who can be actively involved in the lives of the many students I will encounter.
    The past few months I have come a long way in understanding the importance of experiencing different learners and the role their family has in their education.  Interestingly enough, this new experience comes not from a student, but a mother with whom I work.  Though I have never met her children, I see the way their mother has shaped her life around them.  Grandaughter of a coal miner and a first generation high school graduate, she works fifteen hours a day and still struggles to pull her family out of the routine of living paycheck to paycheck. During the four hours of daylight that she is not working, she works with her son on homework he struggles to grasp, and cooks dinner.  I am realizing that this is the life of many families in this country, including the families of students that I may teach. Learning to comprehend how out of touch many of these familial lifestyles are with the school structure will continue to shape the way I interact with students. Being able to teach students to make connections in the world and manage their life, regardless of what path it will take them down, will play a large role in my curriculum.
    Another action which I have experience with is acting as a role model.  I have been babysitting and nannying since middle school.  These children have spent time with me for up to eight hours a day, five days a week. Over the years I have come to see how the way that I act influences these children's actions. They hold me, at times, at a higher standard than their own parents.  This makes me incredibly self aware.  What does what I am wearing say about appropriate dress? Do I talk positively about school, or complain? How do I help them interact with their siblings when they encounter conflict? What do my interactions with people at the library, or the park, say about how to treat people different than them? It feels, at times, as if I am being over analytical.  However, I must understand, as an educator, that when I spend seven hours a day with a child, they come to notice things that even I may be unaware of.
    With these strengths come weaknesses, and one of these is understanding the importance of alone time.  I feel I can unwind through art.  In fact, the self reflective and meditative qualities of art are part of what led me to my desire to teach the subject.  However, I am also a very social person.  Sometimes, my desire for social interaction keeps me from enjoying alone time to create art, process everything, and unwind. This gets exhausting, when mixed with school and work. As I will be influencing up to one hundred students on a daily basis, it is important that I come into the classroom ready to give the students my full energy and attention.
    The idea of having an ally in the school setting is one that I had really never thought about before.  Never had I thought of the isolation a teacher may feel in the school setting.  I can only compare it to the loneliness I would sometimes feel while babysitting. An ally in the school is not just important for keeping my own sanity.  If a child in my class is struggling, it is important that I am comfortable going to their other teachers and collaborating on how to help them.