Summer School Review
Summer school has been a successful endeavor. It has gone smoother than I expected, and has proven to be a more positive experience than I thought possible. Here are some things I think are responsible for its success, and a couple ways we can make it run even smoother next year.
Already Great
First year/second year partnership. The pairing of first years and second years is the strength of the summer session. Second years get a much-needed break from the front of the classroom, thereby freeing them to impart their wisdom and observations to the first years. Everyone is a winner, stronger social connections are made, and as boring as it can be to just watch others teach in a classroom, the lessons I witnessed were more interesting than the majority of Teacher Corps classes.
Food. Every school lunch was palatable. I enjoyed having salad every day, and the hot lunch was far superior to what Simmons High serves. There was also breakfast provided. This was pretty unappetizing, but the croissants we had one morning were a delight. The lunch ladies were similarly delightful.
Need Improvement
Administration. Every school needs a central figure who installs and helps maintain the bottom line. We did not have one this summer, which was problematic. Teachers could not be confident that unruly students would receive discipline if they were sent to the office. Mr. Chase told students to let their teachers handle it, but there are some situations where an administrator needs to step up and get a teacher’s back.
Second Year Power Struggle. Some second years who were not lead teachers seemed to be slacking off. I had a great view of the library from the art-room window, and I noticed a handful of second years who routinely spent three or sometimes four periods a day in there. I tried to give Mason Cole more responsibility than that, because he is every bit as capable as me of giving our first-years valuable feedback. Next year, make expectations of all second years known in the beginning, and don’t treat non-lead teaching second years like second class citizens.
Already Great
First year/second year partnership. The pairing of first years and second years is the strength of the summer session. Second years get a much-needed break from the front of the classroom, thereby freeing them to impart their wisdom and observations to the first years. Everyone is a winner, stronger social connections are made, and as boring as it can be to just watch others teach in a classroom, the lessons I witnessed were more interesting than the majority of Teacher Corps classes.
Food. Every school lunch was palatable. I enjoyed having salad every day, and the hot lunch was far superior to what Simmons High serves. There was also breakfast provided. This was pretty unappetizing, but the croissants we had one morning were a delight. The lunch ladies were similarly delightful.
Need Improvement
Administration. Every school needs a central figure who installs and helps maintain the bottom line. We did not have one this summer, which was problematic. Teachers could not be confident that unruly students would receive discipline if they were sent to the office. Mr. Chase told students to let their teachers handle it, but there are some situations where an administrator needs to step up and get a teacher’s back.
Second Year Power Struggle. Some second years who were not lead teachers seemed to be slacking off. I had a great view of the library from the art-room window, and I noticed a handful of second years who routinely spent three or sometimes four periods a day in there. I tried to give Mason Cole more responsibility than that, because he is every bit as capable as me of giving our first-years valuable feedback. Next year, make expectations of all second years known in the beginning, and don’t treat non-lead teaching second years like second class citizens.
posted by Joel Hebert at 12:11 PM
2 Comments:
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Great feedback. Thanks Joel.
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