Houck Middle School, home of the Huskies, has an average student enrollment size of 1,025 students. The current enrollment for the 2009-2010 school year is 966 students. It serves student grades 6th -8th. There are a total of 353 6th graders, 284 7th graders, and 329 8th graders. The school is run by the current principle Susan Rieke-Smith and the assistant principle Leeana Fletchall. There are a total of 59 licensed teachers on staff with a support staff of 34. There are also 3 school counselors as well as a fulltime bilingual services staff member.
There are a total of 2 gymnasiums which provide a place for afterschool sports like basketball and volleyball, along with wrestling. There are also track and field facilities as well as both a football field and soccer field surrounding the school. The school provides an afterschool program in the cafeteria in which students can hang out and play a variety of video games such as guitar hero. This offers students a chance to interact with entertainment technology that they may not have a chance to at home.
The school has just recently enforced a mandatory dress code for their students. As I walk the halls I can sense the students responses to having to wear white, black or gray. Most are ok with the dress code, as it has helped lower violence and gang activity on campus. Others however, feel they are being ignored a chance to display their personalities in how they dress. Overall, the teachers have positive things to say about the enforcement. There are little to no problems with inappropriate female and male attire, and most teachers participate in the new dress code.
Overall, the middle school has an atmosphere of excitement and energy. Students walk around with smiles on their faces and seem eager to interact with one another as well as with their educators. There is quite a contrast in how I feel from the outside community where it seems so desperate, to inside the school where I feel safe and excited.
I think that the overall feel of the school is going to help improve my investment in the school. If my students are excited to be there, even if it is because they receive a hot meal and a safe eight hours, I am going to make every effort to be excited to be there. I think it will help to make my lessons more exciting and interactive. It says a lot about a classroom if a teacher is excited about a subject. Feeling the energy in the halls and making sure to bring that energy into my class is going to be a top priority. As a middle school educator, I have a crucial roll to play in the educational development of my students. Here in middle school they are beginning to come into contact with core classes such as math, social studies, science and language arts. If I can influence my students to be more excited in these core classes, it will help to provide a strong foundation for them as they move on to high school and college. Houck Middle School will influence me to be aware of my students. I know what lies outside of these halls and so I am better prepared to provide for the needs of my students while they are here.
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A support staff of 34! Wow! What do they do? Are they all instructional assistants or is there an LRC or...? (principAL) What is the racial/ethnic/gender makeup of the school? How many students are on free and reduced lunch? IEPs? ELLs? So a bit more data...
ReplyDeleteInteresting that they offer video games after school! Do you think that helps create a positive environment? Are there lots of students participating? Does it help build community or is it just to keep students busy? I guess I want to know what is the point?
Dress code. Interesting that the teachers also participate. What is the feeling about teachers that don't? What do you think about its impact on the school community? Sometimes I see schools with dress codes constantly harassing students, for instance. Students in some places are always pushing the limit. Are students generally okay with it?
It is great that there is such a positive feeling in the school. Do you think students have the same feelings you do? I wonder about the transition from school to home. Do you sense any particular feelings from students getting to school or going home? Do you have a sense of how that environment is created in the school? What do teachers do? What do administrators do?
I appreciate your wanting to capitalize on the energy in the school and transfer it to learning your subject. I agree that attitude of students about their subjects and learning is huge. It really makes a difference if students feel they enjoy learning and feel that they can do it.
In this paragraph be sure to comment on the data and observations you provided above. How does knowledge of the support staff influence your teaching? facilities? dress code? demographics? Do you notice any differences between the demographic in the school versus in the community?
I appreciate your positive energy, too. I think that a dress code will probably help soothe the tension in the school. That is certainly what happened at Leslie. They actually discontinued their dress code this year--but I think it makes a big difference.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed your thoughts about the sports and activities at the school. I didn't think to add that to mine--I guess I will have to do that.
You are right about the importance of core classes at middle school. I don't think students really appreciate the different disciplines when they are in elementary school--everything just kind of runs together. I also believe that middle school is often when a student develops a real passion for a subject like science or history. Unfortunately, it is also often a time when students give up on a certain subject--such as science or history--and that depends largely on teachers.
Dev,
ReplyDeleteI find it very interesting that the students seem to feel the same change in atmosphere as you from the world outside of school to the world inside it. I was wondering, though, how you will prepare to meet the needs of your students? What aspects of teaching will you be aware of or will change due to your knowledge of their outside environments? Does that knowledge affect your approach? your mindset?
I really appreciated that you mentioned the teacher buy-in to the dress code. Since they are role models within this school community, its really important they model the importance of and compliance with their own policies.
I am interested to know more about the students, especially since you said in the community part that there is a lot of racial, ethnic, and economic diversity. It would be great to see the breakdown of that info. Also, have you seen Houck's report card? If so, how are they doing and how does their report card affect your approach to teaching there (if at all)?
Your commitment to bring high energy and excitement to class is awesome and I think a very important aspect in reaching students.