Smooth Transitions and Safe Schools

This is a revised version (December 2012) of an earlier post.

Each September, we welcome 200 or so 12 and 13-year old children into our school community.  As I do each December, I recently visited Grade 8 classrooms to listen to our youngest students talk about their high school experiences so far.

Of all the transitions we make in our lives, I believe the move from elementary school to high school is one of the most significant and daunting changes we face.   Consider the context of 12-year old kids who are used to having one teacher in a smaller, familiar setting that they have belonged to for up to eight years.  It is a safe, comfortable place where they know everyone and, as Grade 7s, they are looked upon as the leaders of the school.  Grade 8 presents a move to a strange and unfamiliar school that is many times larger and typically filled with a thousand or more teenagers as old as 18 or 19.  They are suddenly the youngest  students again and the others seem monstrous in comparison. Some adults in their lives may have forecast pending doom by suggesting that "next year, it will be different..."  Grade 7 students hear that high school is difficult and that teenagers are mean and rude.  Rumours persist that secondary school teachers are overwhelmed ogres who have so much to teach to so many students that individual students are nothing more than a number.  Throw in all the other complex social, emotional and physical changes that go along with emerging adolescence, and stepping into high school is easily as significant as any other transition we make in our lives.

While the movies in my head may be in black and white, I can still recall being very anxious about going to high school and my concerns about being beaten up by older kids (shoved into a locker) and not coping with the pace of the school work were very real to me at the time.  These are similar to the concerns kids have now.  The greatest difference is that secondary schools today do a much better job of actively planning for the successful transition of our newest students.

We meet with Grade 7 teachers beginning in January and have conversations about each student coming to our school to determine what support kids might need to be successful.  We visit our family of elementary schools and meet with the Grade 7 classes to describe life at high school.  We always include former students from each elementary school to share their personal experiences.  We have a Grade 7 parent night in February and invite parents and students to see and hear more about the school and meet some staff.  We host a Grade 7 Fun Day in May, where all the incoming students tour the school, when it is “alive”, to experience actual classes and students in the hallways. Fun Day also includes team building games with all the other Grade 7s they do not know and a free pizza lunch.  Many students will also play in our annual Grade 7 basketball tournament or attend a play or music concert at our school.  On their very first day in September, they are met by some senior students and we welcome the new Grade 8s separately so they can find their homeroom, locker location and navigate the hallways without the distraction of the big people.  Grade 8 teachers are very skilled at welcoming our newest students.  They begin with “getting to know you” activities and curriculum review sessions to establish what students already know so they can pace their lessons appropriately for early success.   At the end of their second week of school, we take all the Grade 8s to a 3-day “Grade 8 Camp”.   The Camp is led by 30 senior students who organize more team building activities, host a keynote speaker and several breakout sessions on a variety of important topics designed to help our Grade 8s be successful in high school. We introduce our youngest students to our important school wide themes of “care” and “respect” – for ourselves, for each other and for our school and community.  Of course, Camp 8 also includes a lot of fun and games to show them what “school spirit” really is and where they discover that older students are actually kind, cool, welcoming and friendly. 

In early December of each year, members or our admin team go around to all the Grade 8 classes to check in with them on “how it has been going so far in high school?”   We identify the things students were anxious about before coming to school and how they feel now.  We talk again about the importance of care and respect.   We acknowledge that we want them to grow into independent and resilient young people, but that it also okay to ask for help whenever you are feeling overwhelmed by school or by anything going on in your life.  We conclude by asking Grade 8s to complete a survey on their transition to high school that includes an open-ended section for any other comments they want to make.     Completed anonymously, students can chose (a) strongly agree (b) agree (c) no opinion (d) disagree and (e) strongly disagree to these 20 statements:

1.              I have made a successful transition from Grade 7 to high school*

2.              I care what my teachers think of me as a person.
3.       Teachers and other adults at school care about me.

4.              It is easy to make friends at high school*

5.              I feel safe when I am at high school*

6.              Boys and girls are treated equally at high school.*

7.              Learning and doing my best are important to me.

8.              The things I learn and do in school are interesting and engaging.

9.              My reading skills and strategies are improving at school.

10.           My writing skills are improving at school.

11.           My math skills are improving at school.

12.          There are a lots of extracurricular opportunities at high school.* 

13.           I am treated with care & respect by other students at high school.*

14.           I treat all others with care & respect.

15.           I would feel comfortable going to my teachers for extra help.

16.           I would feel comfortable talking with a counsellor at high school.*

17.           I would feel comfortable talking with the principal or vice principals at high school.*

18.           My teachers’ classroom expectations are clear, respectful and fair.

19.           There are clear expectations for behaviour at high school.*

20.           This is a good school. *

*On the survey, our actual school name is used in place of the more generic “high school”.

I have completed a variation of this survey in each of the past dozen years and the results are very similar.  Overwhelming, Grade 8 students report that they have made a successful transition, feel safe and they are enjoying high school. In 2012, 98% students ‘strongly agree’ or ‘agree’ that they have made a successful transition to high school.  97% report that it is easy to make friends; 92% believe boys and girls are treated equally; and 99% report that they feel safe at high school.  Also, 100% strongly agreed or agreed that learning and doing my best are important to me; 95% that what they are learning is interesting and engaging and 89% or higher believe their reading, writing and math skills are improving (note: these results exclude kids who said they had "no opinion").  The vast majority of anecdotal comments are equally positive:

“I honestly thought that going to high school was going to be the most difficult transition ever, but I was definitely wrong.  Everyone is kind and respectful to me and I like how a lot of the older students are friendly and say hi to me in the hallways..."

"I like how each class we move around the school and get to learn with different students and teachers."

"...I really like how everyone is proud of our school and it feels like we belong to the same community....also, I am doing better than I expected in my classes...."

“…I joined a club and I was surprised at how welcoming everyone was to me….it did not seem to matter to anyone that I was only in Grade 8 and the teacher was very nice too…”

As educators, we need to sustain the remarkable 100% of Grade 8 students who believe that "learning and doing my best is important to me" for their entire journey through secondary school (and beyond) because we rub this enthusiasm, optimism and curiousity off of some kids.  Skilled teachers are motivators and encouragers and use a variety of heuristics to help all students believe, learn and succeed.  Similarly, there are always some comments every year that are provocative and powerful food for thought as we reflect on our practises, as teachers and as a school:

“…it is amazing how quickly some people can change and classmates who you thought were your friends are not really your friends at all....and they live to share secrets or rumours...."

"....I have really enjoyed high school, but sometimes worry about how fast my courses are going..."

“I am not sure how I would go talk to a counsellor when I need to.”

“I have met lots of people and I am doing well, but it some days it has been harder for me to fit in and make friends….”

Later in the spring, our student Camp Leaders, along with some peer helpers, will meet again with all of the Grade 8s.  Working in small groups, the student leaders will chat informally with the Grade 8s about how life in high school is going and then facilitate structured discussions.  They will examine a variety of case studies dealing with hypothetical but very real teen issues.  Scenarios include what to do when faced with ethical dilemmas involving theft, cheating and plagiarism, bullying or exclusion, racism, homophobia, substance use, swearing, graffiti, vandalism and litter.   Students listen to the scenarios and attempt to identify what is going on and then what choices people have.  We conclude the small group sessions by having each Grade 8 student complete a self-evaluation of their own level of Social Responsibility (using a scale we adapted from the Ministry’s Performance Standards).   Our goal is to develop capable young people who can think critically, who are interested in and care about the greater community and, when faced with difficult choices in life, want to do the right thing.

It takes time and careful planning to create a school culture that embraces an ethos of care and respect.   It is more than slogans and posters in the hall, but reflected in the hundreds of daily interactions people have with one another in the school.  It is important that this is modelled by the senior students (and all the staff) and introduced to the youngest students as soon as they arrive at the school.  We believe that the most powerful way to do this is through peer to peer interactions.  Adolescence is a time of great emotional, physical and intellectual change. In Schooling for Change: Reinventing Education for Early Adolescents, Andy Hargreaves, Lorna Earl and Jim Ryan note that these years are “…a time of rapid change, immense uncertainty and acute self-reflection.  The exhilaration and pain of growing up for many early adolescents resides in their having much less confidence in what they are moving towards than in what they have left behind.”

We continue to actively help our youngest students build a solid foundation so that they can safely and confidently explore “what they are moving towards” over the next five years.  We still have work to do in reducing the curriculum by identifying fewer, essential learning outcomes, using more thoughtful assessment as and for learning strategies and connecting core skills and competencies across the curriculum.   However, we have made great strides in easing the transition from elementary school and the evidence indicates that our youngest students are not only surviving, but thriving in secondary school.  Despite sensational stories and tragic incidents that occur from time to time, it is important to know that thoughtful people are working very hard to ensure that our public schools are safe, inclusive, welcoming and caring communities.

Do We Really Value Social Responsibility?

One of the many things public schools are held accountable for is helping to create socially responsible citizens.   Several social dilemmas are clearly within the immediate mandate of our schools (literacy, for example); however, many other problems invariably get added to the list of things we hope schools can fix.   Bullying, obesity, physical inactivity, substance abuse, mental health issues, environmental stewardship and social media awareness are recent examples.  I accept this responsibility as public schools should play a critical role in developing thoughtful and socially engaged citizens. However, we need to be realistic about the impact schools can make as I wonder how valued social responsibility truly is in Canada? 

The vast majority of young people I have worked with are remarkably thoughtful and responsible.  Indeed, much more so than my peers and I ever were in school.  Today, it is cool to be involved - in a club, on a team, playing intramural games, acting in a play, performing in the band and choir or just volunteering to help.  Students commonly initiate and organize awareness campaigns and fundraisers for a wide variety of local and global causes.  Students not directly involved are much more likely to participate and support their peers than mock or remain disengaged.   Since they arrive in elementary school, we teach kids about recycling and reducing their footprint; about kindness, working collaboratively and problem solving peacefully; about understanding and caring about others.  These are all admirable qualities that we hope and expect of our youth; however, graduates will need to show tremendous resolve to continue along this path outside of school.


While I believe most people are inherently good, our society generally pays lip service to social responsibility.  Sure, some corporations market themselves as "green" or "organic" or "fair trade" but these are still the exception.  Similarly, most of us donate a little, make an effort to usher our blue boxes out to the curb each week and perhaps volunteer a few hours to help in the community.  However, few in a position to do so seem interested in leading real change and our mass media chooses to interpret the world through a narrow, biased lens.  Global warming or famine in Africa are mostly sidebar stories.

Leaders in our society consistently provide a poor example of what it means to be socially responsible.  Political parties and candidates are more likely to engage in smear campaigns and run negative attack ads than articulate their ideas for transformation.  Patronage appointments remain common while governments influence, coerce, exert pressure and spend money they do not have to stay in power.  Greed and mismanagement have witnessed the strongest economies of the world teetering on collapse.  Corporations spy on the competition, steal ideas, plot hostile takeovers, headhunt top executives or downsize and layoff long serving employees to increase profits. Governments and industries refuse to commit to international emissions agreements because it will hurt their bottom lines or possibly result in losing the next election.  Evidence of cataclysmic global warming seems indisputable yet we continue to expand and consume at ever increasing rates.   Obesity, poor diet and inactivity are more symptomatic of an unhealthy society than school cafeterias or physical education classes.

The "occupy Vancouver" movement in the heart of downtown is another interesting example of our discomfort with meaningful social change.  Despite being part of a grassroots youth movement that is present in hundreds of cities around the world, the "occupation" makes most of us uncomfortable and the media largely portrays it as an unorganized blight made up of drug addicts and the homeless.  Geoff Olson provides another perspective in the Vancouver Courier that is worth a read .


Many were stirred witnessing the citizens of Egypt and Libya bravely standing up for democracy. Most are proud of the courageous Canadians serving with the United Nations and helping the people of Afghanistan establish themselves as a free nation.  Yet apathy sees us take our own democracy for granted.   As Canadians, we are fortunate to live in one of the most prosperous, safe and democratic countries on earth.  A peaceful, multicultural nation that is the envy of the world.  Yet we do not engage and vote in our own elections.  In the recent federal election (2008), the national voter turnout of 58.8% was the lowest since Confederation.  My city of Richmond had the lowest voter turnout of any municipality in B.C. for this election at 50.7%.  The three lowest voter turnouts in Canadian history have all been in the last decade.  In municipal elections, it is much worse, typically around 30% of registered voters bother to cast their ballot and this can sink as low as 20% in some areas.   Local governments directly impact our lives as these elected councils manage our community, neighbourhoods, parks and schools, yet 7 or 8 in ten adults don’t bother to vote. If the graduation rates in our schools were as low as the voter turnout, one can only imagine the public outcry!  

As a school, we are doing our part to encourage young people to participate in their democracy.  We support a wide array of local and global initiatives.  We hold annual elections for student government and candidates run positive campaigns and all students get to vote.  We often invite MPs, MLAs, city councilors and Board of Education members as well as NGO representatives from a variety of groups (e.g Amnesty International, Rotary Club, etc.) to the school to speak.  Social Studies and Social Justice classrooms are alive with debate on current events and issues as well as the formal study of political platforms, parties and procedures.  Each federal and provincial election we participate in Student Vote, a non-profit, non-partisan organization that works with educators to deliver experiential learning opportunities in the form of mock elections.  These are designed to help young Canadians understand and practice the responsibilities of their citizenship.

Certainly a big part of being socially responsible is being informed about local, provincial and federal issues and schools are doing their part.   How are you modeling this for your children?    Can you influence change from the sidelines? 


On Saturday November 19, all British Columbians are urged to participate actively in their democracy and get out and vote.

       

Technology Needs Good Teachers

As the year 2000 neared, we faced repeated predictions of a catastrophic Y2K meltdown in our computerized world.  In the end, the new millennium came in like a lamb, computers did not fail, banking systems did not crash, planes did not fall from the sky and life went on. 

In education today, the hottest topic is 21st century learning.  Prescient experts making the rounds on the speakers’ circuit are forecasting an uncertain future and raising anxiety levels. They insist that kids need different skills to cope with jobs not yet invented. Advocates are convinced that the only way to prepare students for the future is by engaging young people in personalized learning infused with technology.   


I wonder what evidence confirms that familiarity with technologies translates into deeper engagement with learning or advanced critical thinking abilities?    The fact that the handheld and wireless digital technologies we access today were all created by the minds of those educated in our 'industrial age' system warrants reflection as well.  Nonetheless, continuous improvement, evolution and adaptation are important for all institutions hoping to stay relevant and this includes our schools.  Technology will continue to enhance learning experiences but familiarity with apps, downloading music, online gaming, tweeting, updating your Facebook status and two-finger texting are not evidence of creative and critical thinking, intelligent decision-making or superior problem-solving capacities in young people.   Most people are attracted to technological tools and marvel at what they can do, but we must be careful not to confuse engagement with our devices with the intellectual engagement associated with deep learning. 

I am not a troglodyte.  I accept that technological advances change how I interact with my world every day, but I challenge the notion that technology in schools will guarantee a better future or improved learning for young people.  Social media is a revolution and Facebook alone has more than 800 million subscribers worldwide; however, I believe the potential is limited by the intellectual engagement of the users.   Twitter's 140 characters is limited by design and does not inspire, except when messages are linked to better or divergent sources of information.  The capacity of my smart phone is very impressive and the applications available are remarkable; however, it has not improved how I do the most important aspects of my job.  As a school principal, balancing management with leadership, cultivating a shared vision, nurturing ongoing, stimulating professional development and building the capacity of others requires constant communication and collaboration.  Emails, web sites, webinars, online forums, blogs and video links can help, but my work is best accomplished with face-to-face meetings, committees and study groups with colleagues, students and stakeholders who are invested in our school.  Relationship building is imbedded in genuinely knowing and trusting the people you work with and sometimes the convenience of electronic communication gets in the way of important personal connections with colleagues. 

When the Soviets sent Sputnik I into space in October of 1957 the world was startled.  A month later, Sputnik II was launched, sending a 1,000-pound payload and a dog into orbit, and western societies panicked.   The cry became that our schools needed to focus on math and physical sciences or we would be left behind.   Never mind that Russian society was stunted and people lived in fear and often without basic necessities, they had put satellites into space!  This Cold War rivalry between the Soviet Union and the West led to a spike in technological advancement never before seen.  Unfortunately, governments spent billions of dollars devising sophisticated ways of spying on one another or preparing to kill each other in unfathomable proportions.   The good news is that spin-off technologies have mushroomed ever since.  

In my childhood, we had one black and white television and my parents could not afford cable, so we made do with 3 channels.  We had a rotary telephone mounted to the wall, subscribed to the newspaper and long trips in the car meant listening to AM radio and rolling down the window if you were warm.  We often played outside and used our imaginations.  My children's television has a screen that is 47" wide with a spectacular, high definition digital image and they can access over 120 channels.  They both have laptop computers, iPods and smart phones.  Long trips in the air conditioned car sometimes includes watching DVD movies or accessing 1000 songs on the MP3.  Yet, they too play outside and use their imaginations.  Indeed, despite the technological sophistication of their world, they will need the same things I did to be successful in the future: a strong and committed work ethic; the ability to learn and to think, both independently and collaboratively; the ability to communicate; the ability to make decisions; and the capacity to be resilient, flexible and adaptable.  And, just like my generation, their lives will be made even richer by having an appreciation for music, art, literature and the outdoors; for having well developed interpersonal skills and making friends; by having a sense of humour and by exploring, embracing and enjoying life.  Most of this cannot be learned well in front of a screen. 

Technology is not a passing fad and it will continue to evolve at exponential rates and this presents a significant challenge for public schools.  School systems and governments need to work out how to make technology accessible and affordable for all learners and how to support educators in understanding and integrating technology into their teaching.   However, as the latest innovations will emerge at a rate school systems will never keep pace with, crucial literacy, numeracy, critical and creative thinking and problem solving skills will be even more important for students and must remain the focus of good teaching.  

Technology has changed how we interact with the world and it is important for young people to learn how to use computers and information technologies to enhance their learning and communicate with others.   More significantly, they will need a broad knowledge base, a deep understanding of key concepts and a sophisticated repertoire of learning skills to solve the problems of the future.  They will need thoughtful, skilled teachers and engaged parents to help them develop the critical thinking skills required to sort through all the noise and misinformation on the World Wide Web.  Indeed, it will take a determined, independent thinker to succeed in the face of the constant manipulation and conforming influences of the media inundating their lives.   Having been immersed since early childhood, I am confident our youth will continue to adapt to new technologies; however, like never before, they will need to scrutinize information, formulate ideas and think for themselves.  I do not think there is an app for that.   

Laika was the name of the first dog and first animal to orbit the earth in Sputnik II.  One of three stray dogs considered for the flight, Laika was rounded up off the streets of Moscow, clearly showing how there is hope for all of us as learners.  Nicknamed "Muttnik" by the American press, the dog lived during orbit but the Soviets had not yet developed a re-entry plan and she died in space.   Laika means "barker" in Russian, making her an ideal fit for my blog.

      

Lest We Forget

As we do each year, our school held Remembrance Day ceremonies just prior to the national holiday and the service had a profound influence on me.  Observing the ceremony as a former social studies teacher and proud Canadian, I felt a deep attachment to our school, our community and to our country.    Like many events and processes in contemporary schools, the ceremony was led by students.  Students served as hosts and ushers for our guests, but also played a significant role in planning and organizing the entire ceremony.  Students designed, decorated and set-up the stage.  Two students served skillfully as ceremony emcees and our student council president delivered a poignant and intelligent speech on the importance of youth taking time to remember.  The flag party was comprised of student cadets, the concert band performed brilliantly and art careers students contributed paintings and created an animation set to a song performed by the choir.   Special guests included active personnel from the Royal Canadian Navy and a WWII veteran who was involved in patrolling the North Atlantic, a representative of the Board of Education, parents and many local seniors.     The students and staff in the audience were quietly engaged and reflected with dignity and respect.  As it does every year, it made me feel very proud and fortunate – to be Canadian and to be connected to our school.

Remembrance Day ceremonies are one of the many things that our public schools do very well and they serve a critical role in building community across the nation.  Schools have a primary responsibility to nurture the cognitive abilities of young people to increase their life chances.   However, our role in building a democratic nation of socially responsible and engaged citizens is equally important.  Canadian public schools are a reflection of our society: vibrant, multicultural mosaics of people from many lands and socioeconomic backgrounds. Good schools spend years creating a sense of belonging and nurturing  caring connections among students, staff, parents and their greater communities, including an understanding of the rights and responsibilities of living in Canada . Young, educated citizens from Canadian public schools will be advantaged in our increasingly diverse and interconnected world.  As Bruce Beairsto wrote for the Canadian Education Association, “it is equally important that schools foster the sort of civil society in which students experience the “peace, order and good government” that our constitution envisages. Schools provide not only private good for individuals but also public good for society as a whole.”   Like the tremendous sacrifices made by millions of Canadians who have answered the call to defend the democratic freedom we enjoy in Canada and protect others around the world, it is important that we remember this.  Lest we Forget.

The animation below was created by our talented art club and senior Art Careers students for the assembly.  The story is based on the sonnet "High Flight" written by John Gillespie Magee Jr.  Magee was a Royal Canadian Air Force pilot who died in a mid-air collision testing a Spitfire VZ-H in 1941.  He ejected from the plane, but was too close to the ground, his parachute failed to open and he died on impact.   The music was written by our music teacher and performed by our choir.

Incessant Barking

Welcome to my blog.  I am not yet convinced that blogging will contribute to my personal or professional development or be of interest to others in any meaningful way.

For the past ten years or so I have maintained a "Principal's Page" on the web sites of each of the schools I have been connected to, but this was limited to "newsletter style" updates on the school.  I enjoy reading, words fascinate me and writing and thinking are intimately linked.   I also acknowledge that writing can be a powerful way to reflect, especially if you re-read, edit and revise your writing over time.  This writing process could be richer with constructive feedback from others I respect, especially if they are willing to challenge and expand my current thinking (and I do not become overly defensive).     I do "follow" several educational blogs regularly and it seems to me that you need to read a lot of stuff to find an original idea.  Personal learning networks or PLNs seem a little patronizing, with bloggers mostly agreeing with each other's latest posts, re-posting and linking the same video clips. 

For several years now, others have suggested that I create a blog and while I have considered it, up to this point, I have resisted the idea.  Now, here I am.  I will try not to be dull nor tell you something you already know.  Age has given me the wisdom to write carefully (especially online) as tone and meaning are often interpreted in unintended ways.  This may prove challenging for me, as I have a tendency to scrutinize all things with a skeptical point of view.  This is a softer way of saying that I can be direct (okay, there are other ways of stating this too).  I also believe in appreciative inquiry and embrace the idea that continuously improving is a hallmark of a professional, yet I am unlikely to be an immediate cheerleader for the latest hot topic.   We need to apply rigorous critical thinking to both the status quo and all new proposals, equally.

I will write about education through the lens of the school principal, as this is my professional role.  Indeed, high quality public education is the single most important and influential enterprise in sustaining a healthy, pluralistic and viable democracy.  We all need to engage in the conversation on how to improve our schools for all learners.  However, like all people, I am many things.  I hope to write about other current issues, sports or ideas, perhaps making a nexus to education and perhaps not.

I step into the blogger's world cautiously as I am a fan of this wonderful cartoon by Alex Gregory published in The New Yorker: