Posted on Inside Ed in Response to Sun Article
There are many factors that go into making a good school, and I'm not sure I understand all of them with the limited experience I have. But some of them are pretty evident:
- Kids WANT to come to school when it is good. It becomes a more powerful voice than the many other factors that are pushing their sense of self-definition. At a good school, there is a powerful ("magnetic") influence— one that makes kids feel good about themselves, believe in themselves, strive to develop their mind and spirit.
- As I've said elsewhere before, good schools are not accidental: they are works of art by master painters who all craft together. They know what they're working towards, have a clear vision of the end result and the brush strokes, pigmentation, shading, etc, needed to get there. They have a sketch of what it will look like that forms the backdrop of the canvas. And they've studied with the masters. There is a "chief artist" on board directing and guiding.
- The best form of classroom management is a good lesson. Fast paced, differentiated and scaffolded according to the needs of the learner. Kids get caught up in exploring new worlds, asking and answering significant questions that matter. I'm really coming to the place in my teaching career where I'm less concerned about students "mastering" a set of well defined materials. I feel more successful when the students leave my room with more questions, and I have modeled strategies and helped them acquire skills that they can use for the whole life.
This is all a vicious cycle: education is the path out of poverty...an empowerment. Yet poverty is what drags education down. How do we get out?
By the way, why do Elementary Schools even get on the list? I hear sometimes of how the kids are running the asylums, but come one people— if we can't get 5-11 years olds under control....wondering!
