Hawk Herald
News and Notes for Teachers- March 18
Dear Staff
In this newsletter, I have included the Ds and Fs count for each core subject and grade level. We have a lot of students that need support to improve their performance. I know you are all working on ways to reach your students. We have great resources in our building to support you if you need it.
Everyone is excited as the spring break approaches. Routines and engaging activies are a good way to keep students calm and focused. Keep up the positive interactions with each other and students. Have a great week!
Mary
"It is easier to build strong children than to repair broken men." -Frederick Douglass
PLCs- Wednesday
Perform
Make sure your tasks in Perform are complete and up to date.
Leadership Meeting
AVID Site Meeting
Secondary AP and Deans
7:45-9:30
Supervision
Meetings and Events
Monday-18
- Advisory Calendar
- AVID Site Team-3:30 rm230
Tuesday-19
Wednesday-20
- PLCs
- Attendance 10:10
Thursday-21
- Secondary APs and Deans Meeting in library 7:45
- Team Meeting
Friday-22
- Leadership Meeting 7:30
AVID
Here are some resources relating to the areas we looked at on Wednesday in Academic Seminar
Focused Note-takingPraise
“Research shows that meaningful praise can measurably boost motivation and performance and can improve your brain’s ability to remember and repeat new skills,” says writer/artist Micaela Marini Higgs in this New York Times article. But there’s a strong tendency for people to dwell on mistakes and failures and downplay compliments. Higgs suggests that this trait has evolutionary roots, since being a negative worrywart would have helped early humans survive in harsh and dangerous surroundings.
Compounding the hard-wired tendency to look for problems, says Higgs, is social pressure not to seem like a braggart – which leads people to explain away accomplishments and not fully own their skills and talents. This is not a good idea, since compliments can be a rich source of feedback and affirmation. It’s wise to acknowledge praise by saying, “Thank you, I’m glad you said that,” or “I appreciate your noticing, thank you for letting me know,” and maybe asking a follow-up question to get more specifics.
Whether or not we receive praise from others, it’s also helpful to “compliment yourself” by jotting a list of concrete accomplishments every day – even something as small as reaching out to a friend – and talking about them with loved ones on a regular basis. This helps with self-efficacy, and also prepares us for professional situations where we’re asked to list our strengths and might otherwise come up blank. For people who, researchers have found, don’t get as much acknowledgement in the workplace – women, and especially women of color – this is especially important.
A Student’s View of Good Teaching
In this Journal of Adolescent and Adult Literacy article, Katherine Frankel (Wheelock College/Boston University) and first-year college student Myiesha Robateau suggest six things literacy teachers might consider as they work with secondary students:
• Learn from the kids. “Literacy teaching and learning are reciprocal and fluid processes,” say Frankel and Robateau. “In other words, there should be many opportunities for students to be the teachers and for teachers to be the students.” This might involve teachers reading books outside their comfort zone – for example, the Black Panther graphic novel series.
• Nurture relationships. Relationship-building ranges from simple greetings in the hallway to teachers talking about their own school experiences. “When teachers and students genuinely care about and respect each other,” say the authors, “they are willing to listen to what the other is saying and learn from each other, even (and especially) in cases of disagreement.”
• Accept that not all students will be engaged 100 percent of the time. The reality is that sometimes students’ minds are elsewhere, or they wish they were far away. “We do not make this point to suggest that distractions are a bad thing,” say Frankel and Robateau. “Rather, our point is that they are a human thing.”
• Be flexible and persistent. Good literacy teachers ask students to experience new ideas, new genres, and new identities, and sometimes students aren’t ready. At those moments, the teacher needs to be ready to try something different and not give up – for example, having students abandon a book and hunt for one that will capture their interest and imagination.
• Provide outlets for individuality and originality. What comes easily to the teacher and some students might not click with others. Frankel and Robateau suggest giving students creative options – for example, writing fanfiction, alternative beginnings and endings to books, or reimagining scenes.
• Understand that reading is emotional as well as intellectual. Teachers should use texts to get students connecting to their emotions and opinions, say the authors: “Reading is personal. It’s about passion. At its best, reading involves learning more about who you are and how you think.”
South Meadows Middle School
Email: mendezm@hsd.k12.or.us
Website: http://schools.hsd.k12.or.us/southmeadows
Location: 4690 Southeast Davis Road, Hillsboro, OR, United States
Phone: 503-844-1220
Facebook: facebook.com/SouthMeadowsMiddleSchool