In one sense, failure is not an option at our school because we don’t give report cards. Teachers are not required to give grades. We have regular reading appraisal tests. We do EL Civics testing quarterly, which has a written and oral component. However, we do not give our students grades.
On the other hand, if a failing student experience is a student who stay at one level and never progress, the answer is yes. For the students who are not progressing, they’re welcome to stay in our program as long as they’d like. Sometimes trained volunteer tutors give additional classroom support. But, beyond that, we have no other structures in place to prevent this type of failure. There are several conditions that make it ”too late to learn” and reach competency at my school: 1. We are open entry. Students can come in, leave, and return without penalty. 2. Our school doesn’t give grades. So, students may not be motivated to reach competency 3. We have too many multi-level classes. It’s not so clear to the student when he/she has completed a level because they stay in the same classroom. If I were the school leader, I would reduce the number of multi-level classes. Although it may be inconvenient for some to get to the appropriate class, this would be far more beneficial for students. I would institute managed enrollment to encourage consistent attendance. I would have all teachers create learning contracts with their students. In my present position, I can make some changes in my own classroom. I can share these ideas with my peers and my principal. As a TOSA, I have a considerable sphere of influence. The five things I’m willing to do this semester that will make my school increase learning opportunities are:
If we want to create a culture of achievement, we need to ensure that our language reflects it. As the expression goes, “you can attract more flies with honey than vinegar.” Creating a school culture which uses kind, uplifting words takes practice and effort. It must be intentional. Teachers have a responsibility to build up their students. We are in a unique position of authority over students and have incredible influence over them. This is much more pronounced with younger students. It’s in school that they spend the bulk of their day and where they learn who they are. We have to nurture the “Growth Mindset” or belief that intelligence and talent can be increased with effort. (Fisher, et al., 2012, p. 79) A “Growth Mindset” allows one to aspire to reach goals - like being the first in my family to graduate college. Teachers help students to dream and create a plan for their future, which motivates them to learn and do well in class. Using sarcastic remarks is inappropriate in the classroom. Damaging words, once said, cannot be unsaid. Even if it is subtle, students can pick up on this. With ESL students, they might not all pick up on the sarcasm, but they do pick up on tone and facial expressions. One thing, I grabbed onto this week is that small changes can make a huge difference. Consider this: You did great on your test, but your homework had some mistakes. vs. You did great on your test, and your homework had some mistakes. It’s really true that the “but” negates everything before it. (Fisher, et al, 2012, p. 85) Another responsibility of a teacher is to deescalate problems in the classroom, since “small transgressions can devolve into major incidences in the wrong hands.” (Fisher, et al., 2012, p. 90) Just this week there was a confrontation between two students. Other students watched as it escalated; the whole room got tense. I put myself between the students and started quietly asking questions and having a translator tell me what the problem was. The upset student explained her perspective, I nodded and suggested that maybe she was misinterpreting what happened. The other student exercised a lot of self-control and kept quiet while the ranting student continued. This situation could have escalated into something out of control if I did not take the time to hear out the angry student. It could have escalated if I had said, “Well I think you are totally wrong and I agree with the other student.” With adult students, as with younger students, there are often issues outside of the classroom that influence behavior (as in this case.) I take this into consideration while deciding how to address a troubled student; however, minimizing distractions and maintaining a class atmosphere conducive to learning is of utmost importance to me. I transferred from Japan into a GUHSD high school the middle of 10th grade. My English teacher, Mrs. Stamos, pulled me aside on the first day and said she knew that it was hard to come in mid year and that if I needed any support to ask her. Her words made a huge impact on me. They told me that she cared about me, that I was valued. As a teacher, I want my students to feel valued the way I did that day. As a school leader, I would want my teachers to do this daily. These are 5 things I’m willing to do this semester that will make my school choose words wisely:
Fisher, D., Frey, N., & Pumpian. I. (2012). How to Create a Culture of Achievement In Your Schools and Classrooms. Alexandria, VA: ASCD. When it comes to the concept of “Do No Harm”, I believe most adult ESL students have adequate life experience to understand that they should not harm self, others, or the environment. However, there are still things that need to be reinforced. My students who have had little or no public schooling need the most teaching in this area. There are also cultural differences that need to be considered.
Young adult students might not understand that answering the teacher before anyone else and asking a million questions can be disruptive to class learning. In one true-to-life case, I talked with my overzealous student and explained the problem. He insisted he was being a “good” student. I explained that others in class also wanted to learn and his actions were making that challenging. It was helpful that his mother was also in the class to reinforce my message. As the school leader, I would make sure that my beliefs would be evident in school rules. Before dishing out discipline I would dig deeper to find out the cause of the behavior and see if there was anything staff staff could do to help. If discipline was needed, I’d ensure that the punishment fit the crime. As the school leader, my beliefs would be reflected in program practices and initiatives by continual staff training. I’d model good behavior and expect staff members to do the same. I’d talk about ways to bring out positive behavior and share resources with the staff on this topic. The overall goal would be to create a safe learning environment. As the school leader, my beliefs would be reflected as a component in the PLC team meetings. The teachers would discuss discipline - what works long-term and what doesn’t work. We’d shift our focus away from enforcing the rules and more on creating a safe learning environment and teaching/affirming students’ good behavior. I think the concept of teaching students to “first do no harm” is not entirely integrated into the culture of my school. We need to change some of the current rules, aka Student Expectations. Locking students out if they are late from break, does not open students up to learning. We need more training on the “Do No Harm” concept. I am saddened by the above paragraph. I hear voices saying: “We are adult school. Their being students is a privilege, not a right. We have too many classes at night for students to be continually coming back from break late. Students need to learn that being on time is a part of life and especially important if they want to get a job.” I think that we jumped right to the quick fix, a tough rule, instead of asking teachers for other solutions. Here are the 5 things I’m willing to do this semester to make my school a more positive restorative place:
Our adult school is proud to be WASC accredited. Grossmont Adult School’s Mission Statement is: “to enrich the lives of our community members by providing high quality, affordable, lifelong learning opportunities; fulfilling personal, academic, and workplace goals for an increasingly diverse population.” How does providing a welcoming school environment tie in with our Mission Statement? Clearly we cannot enrich the lives of our community members and provide the services that we do, if we are not welcoming.
Let me paraphrase what I’ve heard: “If refugees need English classes, they’ll come here. We are in the same city and we’re free and some of our classes have childcare.” The sad truth is this kind of thinking does not foster a welcoming environment. It assumes that the convenience of our class locations will automatically ensure full classes. If this were true, then we never would have low class numbers and would never shut down classes. But, we do and we have. I want to share an unsolicited “secret shopper” experience. A long-time friend of mine was at a cross-roads in her education. She was deciding whether she wanted to pursue being a teacher. She asked if she could come observe me in the classroom. After I cleared it with my Admin, she went to the office to sign in as a guest. She reported back to me that the staff was “rude”. The clerk kept her head down and continued working when she walked in the office. When she finally looked up and spoke, it was brusque. She noted that the students were addressed in the same manner. This type of unwelcome behavior needs to be changed. It will take a cultural shift to make it happen. Although the teachers do not usually assist students or visitors in the office, I think that we can help change the culture if we adopt and model some welcoming practices. Here are five things I am committed to implementing immediately to help promote a welcoming and inviting campus:
Having a welcoming school environment does not happen by accident. It requires deliberate actions. In our case, we need a shift in school culture. As Dr. Ian Pumpian stated, “Find that Welcoming is the first step to Engagement and Engagement is the first step to Learning and Learning is certainly part of the Culture of Achievement.” As we strive to fulfill our school’s Mission Statement, we need to consider how being welcoming is critical for our mission as a school. Resources Green, L. (2013). Practicing the Art of Leadership: A Problem-Based Approach to Supplementing the ISLLC Standards. 4th Edition. Pearson Education (Allyn & Bacon). Fisher, D., Frey, N., Pumpian, I. (2012). How to Create a Culture of Achievement in our Schools and Classrooms. Alexandria, VA: ASCED |
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Sheila L. DavisPassionate Adult ESL Instructor at Grossmont Adult School. Seeking to learn new habits and unlearn bad ones. ArchivesCategories |