My Experience as an 8th Grade Comet
Last Friday, March 4, I shadowed a student, Gavin Youngclaus, from door to door including riding the bus to and from school.
In a word the day was #Awesome.
I enjoyed it in so many ways.
The idea for the day came from ShadowAStudent. I first heard about the "challenge" when I was at the NASSP Conference. On the website, the reason for doing it is summarized here:
"When students feel known and valued by an adult at their school, they show up. When they are engaged in relevant, challenging work, they are building competencies for college, career, and civic life. What is it like to be a student at your school? To ride the bus? Juggle the workload? Fit into the culture?
From February 29 – March 4, 2016, we're asking school leaders to clear calendars, silence walkie-talkies, throw on sneakers, and immerse themselves in student life for a day. Join the community of educators committed to rethinking the student experience-starting by walking in the shoes of a student. See you at the bus stop."
I took the challenge with many other principals from around the Commonwealth and across the world. There is so much that I learned but I did try to narrow it down to my Top 15 learning moments from the day.
Here are my major take-aways from #ShadowAStudent Day:
1. Mornings are Difficult for Families. I see the Homework time at night and the exhaustion from the day settling into my own two children, but I am at work when my wife is getting the boys up for school. Being at the Youngclaus house in the morning I got to see how quickly and difficult it is to get five middle school students out the door to the bus stop. I give major props to Mrs. and Mr. Youngclaus and all other parents/guardians getting their students off to school.
2. Extra-Curricular Opportunities Give Students a Place to Belong. On the bus, one eighth grade student said she "can't wait for Friday and the weekend to be over." She then said, "I know this sounds weird, but I can't wait for play practice on Monday." When students are able to experience something they love and enjoy, they want the weekend to pass to get to it. That's pretty cool. We need to help students by creating extra-curricular programs and clubs so they can be excited and see where they "fit in."
3. Greeting Students with a Smile is So Important. When I came off the bus and everyone was looking for me, it was fun. I try to make sure to get out in the foyer each morning to greet the students with a "Good morning" and smile, and being on the other side, it was an awesome way to start a day. When we do this, we show that our school is a very welcoming place and we need to continue this either at the front door or at our own classroom door.
4. Our Students Do a Really Nice Job with Announcements. I am not typically in the building and not with the students making the announcements, so to hear them as I was in the classroom was very impressive. They read clearly and distinctively. Students are rotated in each month, and any eighth grade student can do it. Some students get nervous to do so at first, but hearing them, it is impressive. They understand #GrowthMindset as they put aside fear of making a mistake and calmly present the material.
5. Our Students are Learning at Such a High Level. As I was in every class, I was struck by how much we teach now that was in high school just a few short decades ago. When we look at the Physics, Chemistry, and Biology that we teach now in middle school it is incredible. But then one looks at the work we are doing in our English Language Arts classes and it is easily skills I can say that I was teaching in high school. I walk-through classes on a weekly basis but the time I spent in the classes on Friday really showed me the upper level work our students are doing and the profound impact our teachers are having on our students' learning.
6. Our Teachers Connect Learning to Our Students' Lives. The teachers here see openings to make connections for our students to understand through their own lives and highlight these aspects on many levels. These connections help our students see the importance in this learning. It is tremendous to see.
7. Our Teachers Won't Let Students Fade Into the Background. The teachers do an excellent job in getting all students involved and engaged in lessons. If they notice a student not totally participating or engaging, those teachers make a way over to that student to help get him or her involved. Students might need a gentle nudge and our teachers do just that.
8. Tapping Creativity Makes Learning Challenging in a Fun Way. When doing something creative, it makes you want to do your best. When our teachers make it something creative for our students to do, it forces the students themselves to live up to the challenge. They want to do well and they do.
9. Challenging Activities Make the Day Fly By. The day went so quickly for me for I was engaged in so many creative, challenging activities. The kids do want to please, and it is not compliance ... it is living up to the challenges put in front of them. And not for a grade but for that sense of accomplishment.
10. Support from Teachers Prepare Our Students to Do Their Best. Giving students the skills and the little nudges in the direction of working hard helps our students see they can accomplish great things. Our teachers are always making us stretch ourselves, in directions we never knew we could do. (I am not an artist, but I was made to feel as though I am … and can do it well.)
11. Students Need Time to Just Be. During lunch, locker breaks, in the gym, etc, students need this time to be themselves, talk with each other, and just be. Whether it's talking about subjects off-task or even just being (with a horse mask) they need this time during the day.
12. Support from Teachers Prepare Our Students to Do Their Best. So important, it came up again. When given the chance and a little support when needed, students can outdo what they believe they can … and thus gain confidence and skill they didn’t know was possible for themselves.
13. Our Teachers Give Students A Chance to Show Off and They Thrive. When students are given a chance to do things they are good at, it helps to give them a willingness to try things they're not proficient at yet. Our teachers think about middle school students and give them "choice and voice" in deciding how they can display their learning: poetry, artwork, debates, projects, opinion articles, skits, etc., all of these creative, challenging activities help to build our students into life-long learners.
14. Our Students Move and Discuss. One of the findings this challenge believes principals may have is that our students don't move all that much and they are not given time to discuss. That was not my finding. Our students are moving throughout periods and they work in groups and with each other many times throughout the day. Our teachers do a phenomenal job in knowing what our students need and need to do throughout a school day to support their learning the best.
15. Our Kids are Really Good Kids. I was the "new kid," "Marty," and even "Orange backpack boy" but throughout the day, I saw our students as really good people. It was nice to see. I am even more proud to be the Principal of the Nichols Middle School after shadowing Gavin.
As I have done before, I tried to Tweet out as many points of my day as I could, here is my Storify of the day.
Please check it out; it was an incredible, fun day.
Thank you, Gavin, for letting me shadow you for the day; you and your teachers rule.
1. Mornings are Difficult for Families. I see the Homework time at night and the exhaustion from the day settling into my own two children, but I am at work when my wife is getting the boys up for school. Being at the Youngclaus house in the morning I got to see how quickly and difficult it is to get five middle school students out the door to the bus stop. I give major props to Mrs. and Mr. Youngclaus and all other parents/guardians getting their students off to school.
