One of the greatest things about education is that with each new year, comes an opportunity to reflect, assess, and start anew. Being a first-year principal, I had two goals. One, to build relationships with everyone in our Good Shepherd community. And two, to observe and learn as much as I could about how our school functions. I wanted to make sure that I was looking at everything through an unbiased, positive lens.  For me, this helped me to stay focused on what was best for the students and recognize that challenges are simply opportunities to grow. It was never my intent to come in with a big bat and make changes overnight. Instead, I needed and wanted to fully understand, to see a complete picture of the students, staff, and parents before enacting change.

Over the next two months, I will be sharing my vision for change. Every other week (or so), I will focus on a different area of our school community. Up first, middle school.

 

Good Shepherd Middle School

 Whether you have raised a middle school student or you remember your own experience, I think we can all agree….middle school is tough! Students are caught between the consistency of elementary and the freedom high school provides. These students want more independence but have no idea how to handle it when given. They are too cool to listen to stories, yet many are overwhelmed by chapter books. And then when you add in social media and hormones…BOOM! Take a look at this graphic:

Personally, I was struck by the green circle. How on earth do we expect them to handle stressful situations when their bodies are misinterpreting connections almost half the time? In my experience, there is a very fine working with middle school students. How do you give them the support they need while allowing them to figure things out for themselves? This is our challenge!

Introducing our 2022-2023 GSCS Middle School theme:

EmPOWERing Student Leaders though

            Positive Relationships

            Owning your Actions

            (W) Flexible Classrooms

            Effective Communication

            Reaffirming Spiritual Connections

 

Priority: Positive Relationships. I firmly believe in “Connections before Content”. Students need a space where they can learn and fail, without fear of shame, rejection, or embarrassment. Students need teachers who care about them, and who take the time to communicate with them as individuals. One of my favorite authors, Brene Brown said, “Connection is why we’re here; It is what gives purpose and meaning to our lives”.

Action: Weekly Check-ins.  Next year, the middle school students will have weekly check-ins with an advisor. In addition to all middle school teachers, several special area teachers and myself will be given 5-6 students to mentor throughout the year. This is not an academic/study hall time, but instead, a chance for everyone to put the books/computers away and have time to build real connections. We will create a safe space where students can share their goals and ideas while fostering a new dynamic built on empathy and respect. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Priority: Owning your Actions. Teaching middle schoolers responsibility is one of the critical factors in their character development. Yet, it might be the most difficult. How do you move from “I don’t care” to “Yep, that’s my fault”? For parents, the extrinsic motivation of taking their iPhone or not letting them go out with their friends might work. But teachers can’t use those same tactics. We can’t mandate more chores at home, remove all technology, or cancel the upcoming sleepover.

Grades by themselves are terrible teachers of self-discipline or builders of responsibility. Receiving an unrecoverable F or a zero on a final project or a test for which they did not prepare doesn’t teach students how to get their act together and meet deadlines or how to study better for tests. If Fs taught students to be responsible, we’d have a lot more responsible students. Instead, it’s the recovery from these mistakes under the skillful guidance of a caring adult that teaches. It’s also the purposeful strategies we use with students prior to and during our lessons that keep them from going down the ineffective path.

Action: Setting Clear Expectations. With clear, consistent classroom expectations, students know and understand what's expected of them, which gives them confidence. Students monitor themselves and take more responsibility for their behavior — and their learning. Students spend more time on task and academic learning time increases. Additionally, if a student or a group of students misses an assignment or fails a test, we have to do a better job of asking ourselves what was missed. My focus next year with the teachers is on assessments, both formative (daily) and summative (end of unit). We will no longer pass back failing papers/tests without a conference and/or discussion. If we want students to take the time to do their best, we have to take the time to listen and see where they need help.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Priority: wFlexible Groupings. Ok, so I couldn’t come up with a good “W” word that fit my thought. One of the many benefits of a small school is that we have more chances to think outside the box. Our goal is simple, to educate our students and help them succeed. However, what marks “success”? For one student, it might be completing twenty math problems, yet for their best friend, it might be finishing five without a calculator. One of the worst educational philosophies to ever be taught to teachers was the idea of “teaching to the middle”. This gem told teachers that it was okay to teach to the average student in their classroom. The thought was that the lower students, if lucky, might pick up a skill or two, while the higher students can work on their own. Ummm, no. It was a horrible idea then and remains a horrible idea now.

Our job, as educators, is to assess where students are and what resources are needed to get them to the finish line. Those resources can be anything from extended time, to audio books, to typed out instructions. When something doesn’t work, we move on to the next. Think of it as the Eiffel Tower under construction. Students need varying levels of support, that with time, are slowly taken away as students learn to cope and succeed on their own. The time that takes is both developmental and academic. Some kids get their faster than others, and that’s okay! For me, I didn’t “get it” until college…somewhat of a late academic bloomer. Maybe that’s why meeting the needs of all kids (low, average, high) is so important to me.

Action: Flexible Classes. The scary think about change is the unknown. Some people believe it’s better to dip your toe in the water while others just jump in with both feet. We’re going to meet in the middle. Next year, both Math and Reading/Writing (they are two separate classes) will be multi-age/skill based. We will use MAP data, as well as teacher recommendation/observations to place students in their needed math/reading level. Think of the game Chutes and Ladders.  Every student will start and end in the same place, however, there are multiple ways to complete the game. It means that your child will be met at their instructional level and supported to make progress. Religion, Science, and Social Studies will be taught in traditional 6th/7th/8th grade sections.

Let me say this, I don’t have all the details worked out. I will be working all summer on creating a schedule that benefits both the students and teachers. I know this is a BIG change!  Plus, we’re adding two new teachers. But I’m going to ask you to trust me. I’ve been thinking and planning this for a while and both of our new teachers share my philosophy. We’ll see multiple book groups in the same classrooms, various ways to assess student knowledge, an increase in student dialogue, more hands-on, in-class experiences, and hopefully, an increase in student buy-in. I’m going to be upstairs and inside these classrooms so much that they students may think I’m one of their teachers.

And, if it doesn’t work, we can change it! Our classrooms and schools look and feel different than they did three years ago. As much as we want, things might never get back to normal. Having said that, our new reality might be so much more beneficial than our old one.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Priority: Effective Communication. Open communication is so much more than maintaining email, phone, and in-person conversations. Effective communication can help to build and foster a safe learning environment where students can thrive, prosper, and learn.

Action: Classroom Expectations. When teachers come back in the fall, we will work on setting positive and effective classroom expectations. We are going to motivate students to initiate and engage in meaningful conversations. Teachers will create supportive and safe environments where students feel comfortable to open up and share their thoughts and ideas. We will model and teach the skill of active listening; making a conscious effort to hear, understand, and remember what others are saying. We will encourage teamwork, allowing students to practice the invaluable skills of  communication, collaboration, and compromise. And finally, we will be putting a greater emphasis on giving positive feedback. Students that receive praise are more likely to believe that they can achieve tasks and be successful. And the biggest factor in a student’s success is their belief in themselves. If they think they can, they will.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Priority: Reaffirming Spiritual Connections. Middle school students need to be loved and valued. They need to know that they are important to adults, even though they often communicate that adults are not particularly important to them. Additionally, our students are going through massive physical, mental, emotional, and possibly spiritual changes during these years. We need to meet them where they are and remind them that the Bible and its’ messages are not old and stagnate, but alive and vibrant.

Action: Rethinking Religion Classes. Our middle school religious program will focus on small group discussions and service. The key is that this model is not just about education but formation. We will work to make discipleship tangible and imaginable first, rather than focusing on transmitting the content of the faith. Working with our GSCC Youth Leader Katherine Coleman, students will be encouraged to explore new aspects of their faith, not only in the classroom, but while attending Mass and participating in our GSCC Youth Group. And finally, Confirmation will be moved back to 8th grade starting in the Fall.

Change is hard and requires faith and trust. I hope everyone knows that every decision I make is based on the question, “will this have a positive impact on our students?” I won’t get it right 100% of time. And yes, many of you will question this email and past/present choices. That’s what I signed up for as principal. But after 19 years in schools, I can sometimes see through the fog, as to what could be. I hope you are as excited about this journey as I am!