[Winona Online Democracy]
Hello onliners...I've recently re-subscribed so as to be able to listen in
on the panel discussion and followup from the Bianchi talk. Although I was
not at the talk, I've really enjoyed the comments from the panelists. It
seems that he struck a number of sympathetic chords with the panel, and
that there are several themes that could be developed into action projects
or initiatives.
I understood the intent from organizers was that this past week would be a
time for a discussion on how Bianchi's ideas could be used to improve
schooling in Winona. Unfortunately, there doesn't seem to be much of that
discussion going on so far, at least not that I've seen online. I'd like to
throw out a couple of ideas to see if they generate any interest.
First, many panelists mentioned the importance of parents (and Jodi added
grandparents) being meaningfully involved in each school. As a high school
teacher and parent, it seems to me that the secondary level always does
less with parent/grandparent/community involvement than the elementary
level. There are of course a bunch of reasons why this is so, but I don't
think it has to be that way. How about exploring some ways that our public
schools can make increased use of the many adults in the community who'd be
willing to share their experiences and skills with teens? For instance,
couldn't the wonderful senior volunteers at WSHS do a lot more than just
say hi to the kids as they arrive in the morning?
In a previous teaching job, I was lucky enough to have a twice/weekly
senior volunteer in my classroom. Bill was in his early 80's, drove a cool
red convertible sports car, told great stories, and was one of the most
popular adult staff members in the juvenile corrections facility where I
worked. He was able to say things to kids in a clear, gruff manner that
they really tuned in to, even when it wasn't what they wanted to hear. Many
teens don't have much contact with members of their grandparents'
generation, and vice versa. This kind of initiative could help teens
appreciate the history and values of this community, and it could also help
older community members increase their understanding of the challenges in
public education today.
Secondly, almost all the panelists mentioned the importance of having a
school or system that treats teachers well. I was glad to see confirmation
of something I've observed before in other school systems: how teachers
are valued is usually a parallel version of how students are valued. Recent
internal surveys related to site teams and communications have shown that
there is a lot of variability within our system in terms of whether
teachers feel empowered.
Following up once again on one of Jodi's suggestions from the charter side,
how about revitalizing the site based management sytem? Ideally, this is a
shared decision-making structure that leads to the kind of community
feeling and innovation-friendly autonomy which Bianchi apparently
advocates. However, our system does not have a very strong requirement for
power-sharing built into its site teams. I think that Board members and
district administrators may sometimes forget that it can be risky for staff
to participate fully in site teams when the potential for conflict with a
supervisor exists.
In fact, my experience has been that too many teachers who volunteer huge
chunks of time and energy on such activities end up feeling frustrated and
unappreciated. When that becomes a frequent outcome, it gets almost
impossible to find teachers willing to volunteer...not because they don't
want to improve their school, but because they no longer trust that they
will be listened to, treated respectfully, or even thanked for their work.
So, my suggestions for action: (1) work on ways to increase parent &
grandparent involvement, especially at the secondary level, and (2) empower
teachers and other community members to improve their schools by
strengthening WAPS site-based management policy and procedures.
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"There are years that ask questions and years that answer."
Zora Neale Hurston
sent by:
Scott Lowery
461 Sunnyview Drive, Rollingstone MN 55969
home phone: (507)689-4532
school phone: (507)450-2256
home email: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
school email: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
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