That title is lacking. I really wanted to make a play on words with the theme song for The Jeffersons, but I didn't want to make it seem like going from Danville HS to Jefferson Middle School was a step up or something. In some ways, however, it is. As far as test scores go, JMS has about 80% of its students meeting or exceeding state standards. DHS has only 40% or so meeting or exceeding standards. Convenience is a plus, too. It takes about 10-15 minutes for me to get to my new placement, which is much better than the 40-50 minutes to get to Danville. On the other hand, it will take quite a bit for me to learn more than I did at Danville. I feel a lot more prepared to teach after having that experience... but now I'm at Jefferson, so let's reflect a bit on the first week there.
First of all, I love the teamwork that goes on at JMS. The math department meets on a weekly basis to work on curricula planning. This allows the 6th, 7th, and 8th grade teachers to know what each other will be teaching in a given year. I think it makes every teacher more effective to know what everyone else is doing. The 6th grade math teachers (my co-op and another woman) collaborate formally on a weekly basis and informally much more often than that. They exchange ideas and plan what they'll be doing in the coming weeks. It helps us have an idea of where we're trying to go when we have that far in advance planned. That was a struggle for me at Danville: trying to stay ahead. (Of course, sometimes things don't go as planned, and you need to make changes, but they're easier to make when you're ahead.)
In addition to departmental teamwork, there are almost daily team meetings among the 6th grade teachers who have the same students. This allows one teacher to say something like "It seems like Johnny has been slipping with his effort," and get feedback from other teachers to see if this is a trend across all classes or just that one. I love it when I get to meet up with my fellow pre-service math teachers at U of I, and it's this kind of exchange and discussion, the kind where you find out that you're not alone in something, that strengthens me. It also lets the teachers figure out the best way to help students. It worked especially well during Parent-Teacher conferences this past week because parents were able to hear from all their son or daughter's teachers at once to learn what they could do to help their child.
Lastly, the teamwork at Jefferson works well even on the school-wide level. Every week (I think), the entire JMS faculty get together for professional development and discussion of school-wide issues. There is a sense of community during these meetings. It feels like everyone is aware that they are working toward the same goals. There is good-natured joking amongst the staff. There is respect for those who take the lead during the meetings. Now with a smaller staff than of a high school, this is probably more feasible. Dunbar's number is 150, which would suggest that a high school faculty should be able to achieve this same sense of community and social stability, but with a faculty of around 55 it's probably easier to establish at a middle school like Jefferson. No matter if it's easier or not, there is definitely a healthy community at JMS that cannot help but aid in how students learn there.
My experiences in the classroom have been positive as well. I haven't run into too much disobedience, and what disobedience there is is nipped in the bud by asking students to "take one." This is code for "Put your hands in your lap and remain silent for a short period of time." It's a way to "reset" students, let them know that they were being disruptive, and correct their behavior with minimal embarrassment. It's simple and seems to work. There are times when students are slightly more disruptive and need to be taken into the hallway for a short conversation, but these incidences are much less common. Detentions and referrals are even more rare.
I haven't really begun teaching yet, and I'm likely to encounter some of the same difficulties I faced at DHS, but I hope to be able to handle them better than I did before. I don't want to have unrealistic expectations for this experience based upon the first week. I know, know, know that there will be crests and troughs. Being more mentally prepared for them is a good start. There's a long way to go, but I'm ready to keep movin' on up. (There it is! The reference I wanted all along.)
2 comments:
"In addition to departmental teamwork, there are almost daily team meetings among the 6th grade teachers who have the same students. This allows one teacher to say something like "It seems like Johnny has been slipping with his effort," and get feedback from other teachers to see if this is a trend across all classes or just that one."
You wonder why we stop having students in a cohorts after middle school. This benefit seems to me substantial and tangible, quite possibly trumping that students can have an individualized curriculum.
On a different note, having had my kids go through Jefferson, we think the Principal is terrific. I wonder if what you've observed about the collegiality of the staff also depends on how the Principal sets the tone.
Dr. Zola is terrific! I know her husband, too (also Dr. Zola), and he is an excellent teacher educator.
I think the principal really does set the tone for the entire school. I haven't had a lot of interaction with Dr. Zola at school, but I can tell she stays involved in the everyday activities. She doesn't separate herself from the students like some principals tend to do. Just today, she was in the lunchroom, dismissing groups of students to go to class. Teachers respect an administrator who knows what's going on in the classroom.
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