“Self-esteem is not built from compliments. It is built from accomplishments of quality.”
-Ron Berger
After more scheduling issues courtesy of the weather, MDCS staff was able to meet for the second session of our study of Ron Berger’s A Culture of Quality. We began with a recap of the first session then broke into grade blocks, examined existing practice, and identified areas in which we wish to see improvement. The small groups then reported out to the whole group. We went on to identify our top priorities and to brainstorm strategies that would help us reach the lofty goals we are setting for ourselves. The list of top priorities, their associated strategies for teachers, and parent support tips follows.
1. Motivate all students toward higher achievement (15 votes)
Teacher Strategies:
- Emphasize Craft in every facet of the school experience
- Complete project work in phases to ensure overall quality
- Devote large blocks of class time to project work
- Raise the bar for everyone, all the time (Differentiation)
- Show and criticize models of high quality before work starts
- Peer Assessment
- Quality not Quantity (Less can be Better)
- Continue to demand exemplary behavior
- Publish work and announce it. Examples:
- Fourth grade book writing and illustrations- one copy in the library
- Fifth grade writing samples in library windows
- Poetry slam- Presentations to the class and parents
- Kindergarten CD
- 7th grade books
- Monarch’s Banquet- Role playing historical figures
- Production nights
- Articles for the paper
- 8th grade newsletter
- Website
- Computer lab walls, Classroom windows, Library bathroom, Administration building exterior wall
- Personalized assessment rubrics
- Positive reinforcement
- Fully utilize teacher resources, human, assessment, and otherwise
- Negotiating terms with students
- Student Accountability and consequences
- Peer tutoring
Parent Tips:
Encourage your child to do his or her best work all of the time. If you’re helping with homework, monitor quality from the standpoint of neatness, penmanship, grammar, spelling, and overall presentation as well as accuracy. Support high behavior standards (see letter one for more details).
2. More integration of art into the curriculum (12 votes)
Teacher Strategies:
- Collaborate with Amy and Dana
- Ask for input during planning, e.g. “How could I use music to teach this lesson?”
- Ask them to team teach with you.
- Obsess over opportunities to incorporate artistic elements into projects.
- Give yourself and your students permission to take longer on projects in order to include more artistic elements.
- Increase your own skill with a variety of media (P.D.)
- Devote class time to art skill instruction
- Devote class time to meaningful project work
- Solicit parents for special skills and ideas
- Classroom letters could have an “Upcoming Lessons” or “Planning Corner” section. (this could also be submitted to Gwen for Happenings)
Parent Tips:
I mentioned this in the letter on our first session, but it bears repeating that we are out to debunk the all-too-common student notion of art as something that happens from 1:45-2:45 on Thursday afternoons,” and, “the adult conception of art as something for museums or concert halls.” We want our entire MDCS community to see art as a, “world of skills and knowledge just like sports,” and as, “inextricably a part of all we produce.”*
This requires some effort on your part. Too many of us confuse artistic skill with talent. While there certainly are people who exhibit above average artistic aptitude, all people can reach a level of proficiency in any medium. Frequently, the true gift of a “gifted artist” is the fortunate coincidence of passion for art discovered at an early age and quality art instruction. Please help us communicate this to your children. If you don’t draw well, say, “No one ever taught me to draw” instead of, “I can’t draw.” You’ll be amazed by the difficulty you have phrasing things this way and the progress it can make toward bringing out your child’s inner artist.
3. Increased emphasis and awareness of all of the Design Principles (12 votes)
Teacher Strategies:
- Recognition areas for all Design Principles
- Be sure to use them!!!!!
- Signs or painted list on the driveway
- Design logos for each DP?
- Part of Community Circle leadership could be to develop a sign or paint the D.P. on the driveway
- Emphasize the Design Principle of the month in morning meeting.
- Work on listing/memorizing principles we’ve already covered a.k.a. “The Partridge in a Pear Tree” approach.
Parent Tips:
Ask your child about the Design Principle of the month, attend community circles, visit http://www.elschools.org/design/DesignPrinciples.pdf or stop by the office and get a hard copy of the Design Principles.
4. Real world service projects (12votes)
Idea:
Adopt Jenkins Branch Project (Stay tuned for further developments)
If you have any suggestions for teacher strategies or parent tips, please send them to webadmin@mountaindiscovery.org.
There will be periodic check-ins as a support mechanism for this whole initiative because we don’t want to allow the distractions of day-to-day life to keep us from realizing Mountain Discovery’s full potential. It will take some time to reach these lofty goals. I ask for your patience and continued support as we work toward them.
Sincerely,
Carter Petty
* all quotes from A Culture of Quality by Ron Berger
Dear Parents,
In the first letter of this series, I mentioned our staff book study of A Culture of Quality by Ron Berger. We were finally able to meet on November 20th and it was a great session. After everyone got a plate (or two) of the wonderful food prepared by our PAC Chair, Audrey Ellington, we sat down and began to examine the ideas presented in the book as they relate to the existing culture of our school and the vision set forth in the instructional plan written into our charter.
One of the fundamental ideas expressed in the book is that the teachers who participate in and create a culture of quality feel privileged to be working at their particular school. To put it another way, their work is more than a job, it is a mission. I asked our teachers if they feel privileged and got a resounding, “Yes.” The reasons they cited included our tightly knit community, freedom and encouragement to try new approaches, and the chance to make a difference in their students’ lives. We went on to acknowledge that the relatively unique privilege of working at MDCS is the chance to participate in the founding of a school. While it is true that we are established in many ways, we are still defining and improving our status quo. As a school community, we have the opportunity to leave a culture of quality in our wake.
As an MDCS founder, I am very aware that the founding process has its share of pitfalls. The goal or vision is a group vision; however, each individual participating in the process has his/her own unique perception of that vision which will never completely mirror the group’s. Our group has set and continues to work toward lofty goals and we must always remember that it takes time to become great. At the time of writing, the core of the staff Ron Berger describes had been working together for fifteen to twenty years. Combined with the fact that Appalachia has always been a magnet for strong individuals, the fore mentioned dynamics can lead to some serious frustration for members of the group who fail to manage their expectations.
At this point, we delved a little further into the book by comparing it to the vision written into our charter. We found numerous similarities and very few differences. I’d go into detail, but I’m afraid that your eyes are glazing over already. Instead, I invite you to come to the school office, check out a copy of the book, and read it for yourself. It is an inspiring 50 pages. We can provide a copy of the instruction plan if you wish to go through the comparison process yourself. I believe that you too will realize that Ron Berger’s book can be seen as a proxy for the MDCS charter, which tells us that with patience and perseverance, the lofty goals described in the charter can become reality.
One last point bears mentioning. There is one particularly glaring dissimilarity between the charter and the book. In the section “Art is Fundamental,” Mr. Berger debunks “the adult conception of art as something for museums…and the student conception of art as something that happens between 1:45 and 2:30 on Thursday afternoons (barring budget cuts).” He maintains that art should be “seen as inextricably a part of all that we produce and share” and that “even the most mundane events and products may be crafted and executed with aesthetic care.”
The founders shared this vision of art’s place in an educational setting. I spoke with a few other founders to be sure because the interesting thing is that this belief does not come across in reading the instruction plan. Katy Travitz posited that the omission managed to get through our extensive group writing and editing process because we all saw it as so absolutely fundamental. I agree with her theory.
I discussed these points with staff, and we came to the conclusion that anything can be crafted. Essays, behaviors, PE performances, and all other student efforts can be produced with skill and careful attention to detail. I hope that we move forward with a focus on craftsmanship and that it will become a watchword for our students. I believe true sense of accomplishment can only be acquired when a task is approached with the idea of crafting it. Hopefully, the idea of craft will become the vehicle through which our students discover the “intrinsic value of learning” mentioned in our charter.
I appreciate the time you’ve taken to read this letter, and as always, I’m available for any questions or comments you may have. I’ve enjoyed the past few months and I look forward to 2010.
Happy Holidays,
Carter Petty
Dear Parents,
In my October 12th letter, I dedicated a paragraph to our efforts toward improving our already strong school culture. The topic warrants more discussion. To fully understand what we are trying to accomplish, I ask for your patience while I get on a soapbox for a few sentences.
There is an increasing lack of quality in our society which we see everywhere, every day. A lot of the products we buy are built to sell but not to last, anyone can put anything on the internet, movies and television shows are written to distract, not to edify, and are subject to increasingly lax censorship standards. I believe that this lack of quality has led to a decline in overall cultural standards. It seems that frequently, people set out to do just enough to get by. Our goal at MDCS is to reverse this trend, at least in our little corner of the world.
As part of our continued effort to set a high bar for ourselves and our students, we are embarking on a cooperative staff and board study of Ron Berger’s book, A Culture of Quality. In his book, Mr. Berger describes his experience as a teacher at a small public school in rural Massachusetts. Along with a call for academic excellence, in so many words, Mr. Berger asks the question, “What good is skill and knowledge without character?” He maintains that “what goes on in the hallways is as important as what goes on in the classroom” and that people need to apply their skills and knowledge in an appropriate, kind, and respectful manner if they wish to be truly effective.
We agree with this premise and our behavior specialist, Mr. Todd has taken on a pivotal role in helping our students learn to be respectful and kind all of the time. He is in a position to help teachers manage behavior that historically they have had to either allow or manage on their own. There has been some fallout from this improvement. Students are blaming Mr. Todd for the new standards. It is easy for them to make him a scapegoat. Please rest assured that while he does help the teachers hold students to a high standard, he is always appropriate with them and goes out of his way to interact with them in completely positive situations. This is exemplified by his diligence and cheerfulness as a morning greeter. Park your car and help us greet the students one morning when you have time. You’ll see for yourself.
Some of you have been getting reports from us regarding behavioral choices that your children have made this year. Many of you have never gotten a call in this regard. We hear you saying something to the effect of, “My kid’s a good kid, why is Mr. Todd giving her a lunch detention and calling me about her behavior.” Consider this call to be a good thing synonymous to hearing from a teacher that your straight-A student got a B on her last project; increased communication is another goal of ours. A referral to Mr. Todd doesn’t mean that a child is suddenly a “trouble maker;” it just means they are being held to a higher standard and we’re letting you know about it.
As educators, it is our privilege to help you raise a whole person and this goes way beyond teaching “the 3 R’s.” Everyone on our staff takes this seriously and we work very hard to provide a safe, nurturing environment for your children to learn everything they need to know in order to succeed in today’s world. Teachers love having Mr. Todd’s support in the character education component of the experience we provide. They have more time to address all of their students’ academic needs and as a school, we are in a position to hold students to a higher, school wide standard of conduct.
We appreciate your continued support as we strive to be the very best that we can be, and in so doing, help your children become the best people they can be. I am looking forward to the start of our book study on Nov. 13th and as it progresses, I will be writing more letters to bring you up to date on the results of this exciting initiative. As always, please do not hesitate to contact me if you have questions or concerns.
Sincerely,
Carter Petty