Well something had to give. It was the blog.
I'm back, but with no promises except one. I will post
good stuff here when I post. With that being said.
Here is a preview of topics to come in future videos about
connecting students with the community in a meaningful way. This is taken from a group of essays I wrote last
year. I hope you find it useful.
As teachers it is our job to
ensure that education transcends the classroom. There are as many ways to
connect students and the community as there are teachers to teach them. When
done successfully the impact on students is powerful.
In addition to, and through
a subject's content Teachers should encourage and equip students to be their
own educational advocate by being aware of and able to successfully navigate
the educational landscape leading to their success. Students who
attend any class should learn the roles, function and purpose of administrators
and counselors. Rather than waiting for a teacher to take care of
personal educational issues, students should be taught who to see when problems
as simple as attendance records or complex as the appropriate educational path
to graduation need attention. They are able to respectfully ask questions and
seek the solutions they need to be successful.
Teachers train
students to know what is expected of them in each class and if they are unclear
to ask the instructor appropriately. They begin learning how to carry and are
expected to initiate adult level conversations with teachers, administrators,
parents and each other. We should continually remind and model for students
that teachers are just as human as they are and as such should be given the
same courtesies and kindness that they as students expect. And in those
instances when it is not received the student can serve as an example for the
adult. These skills, if nurtured throughout a student’s educational
journey will produce a foundation for success in life.
There is a whole world out there! Events occur every
day outside of the school building that impact the students’ lives. Because
of the Small Learning Community structure we have in place on my campus, I am
easily able keep up with subject matter in courses other than English and find
ways to relate my current subject matter in English with the other classes. Much
of the curriculum in Freshman English can be tied to current events. Teachers
should seek out every opportunity to relate to these events, and specifically
look for topics that touch the world they are familiar with, electronics and
phone usage, net neutrality, laws and stories, News that breaks the myth of
celebrity with its gossip, beliefs, and mindsets, also political events that
have obvious connection to the lives of students
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Teaching students to read and watch information with an eye for
its validity and credibility is another skill that is foundational to success
in this world. This is modeled in my class every time a “fact” is
offered as evidence in an essay or class discussion, the person bringing the
fact will be asked how they learned, where they read it or how they learned the
information being offered.
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