School Visit

I walked through the door...I wasn't frisked, a knife wasn't put to my neck, and no one tried to sell me drugs. Instead, I was greeted with a very warm "Good Morning, How are you today?" That was the beginning of a wonderful morning at AM School in Port City. After signing in with the woman at the desk, one scarlet blazer wearing student walked me up to the meeting room where I was then ushered to an open seat. As I walked through the door, I was handed two folders, one of which had a Monopoly board on the front. I was also asked to pick up a card with one of the Monopoly board pieces on it. I picked the thimble. I hate the thimble. I'm always the dog because the dog is the absolute best. According to the sheet that was provided: "The Monopoly Game Piece Theory" I am either a grandmother or I'm no good at Monopoly. I'm excellent at Monopoly which I guess means I'm a grandmother - who knew?!

The presentation that Principal M and her staff gave revolved around this creative Monopoly theme. The powerpoint presentation had monopoly graphics, the tables were set with monopoly placemats and later on, we split up into groups depending on our symbol (either the iron, the hat, or the thimble). The faculty at AM School aimed to show us how they play a part in the development of the whole child. The school builds up each student's academic ability and works on character development as well. One woman stated: "We try to develop our student's character. We don't want to raise smart crooks."

During the power point presentation, we were presented with a great deal of information. As we followed along with the presentation, we were to fill out our Monopoly Answer Sheet. Some of the topics included Best Practice, Teacher Development, Study Groups, and Before and After-School programs. I had all of my notes on the back of the answer sheet, however, the faculty that was running the show collected the papers as we left to visit various classrooms. They collected the answer sheets because they were going to pick out three sheets which had 10 answers right (or something like that) and award those people prize baskets. I guess it worked out in the end since I ended up winning a baking themed basket filled with tons of goodies. I will be baking brownies and/or cookies for Thursday's class, so we all can enjoy the treats =)

When asked about the hardest aspect of teaching at the school, I found it interesting when Principal M said, "The hardest aspect is instilling in the students a love of learning and the belief that they can succeed." Although I was only there for a short while, it seemed that each and every faculty member had a love of teaching and a love for their students. There was an upbeat, positive vibe which radiated throughout the school. It showed in the teacher's eyes, in their smiles, in the general affect of the students, and in the murals on walls in the hallways. When we went around and visited the classrooms, I did not see any rowdy students, any untoward behavior, any violence or drug deals - anything that the movies and television usually depict. In each classroom I visited, the teachers were engaged with their students. They weren't burnt-out teachers who could care less what happens in their classroom, but rather, people who take pride in their work and have dedicated their time and effort to providing a quality education for their students.

We only spent about five minutes in each classroom, so there was not a lot of time to ask questions or gather information. But in that short time, you definitely got the sense that this school is making a difference. During the presentation, we were told that the school incorporates various technologies into classroom instruction. Since this went by very quickly, I was hoping to learn more about specific technologies and how those technologies benefit the students in a way that traditional methods do not. For example, if the students are taking a test on a computer, how does that differ from taking a test with paper and pencil. Does the test give immediate feedback? If students get questions right, does it give progressively harder questions? If I remember correctly, I remember the powerpoint mentioning the use of smart boards. While we were on our classroom visits, it was interesting to note that each teacher used photocopied papers and dry-erase boards (or being very resourceful and laminating white construction paper to act as a dry-erase board). I think that relates to my question about how much good the technology is doing. Don't get me wrong, I'm not a Luddite - I am all for technology. But I think sometimes people think that by using technology in the classroom, the teaching and instruction gets improved magically. The teachers I saw today used very little technology (in terms of computers/smart boards/power point etc.) and were still very effective in their teaching. The students seemed to be enjoying their time rather than wishing the day away.

I'm sure I will remember some of the other questions I had, but for now I will call it quits and start baking some chocolate chip cookies (ingredients courtesy of AM School).