- Family culture
- School culture
- Neighborhood culture
While schools have a limited role in directly determining the family or neighborhood culture of students, they can have an immediate means of altering the school culture in a meaningful way. Educators can make schools monuments to learning by making them inviting and pleasant places for students and their families.
After you have viewed the Chapter 2 video and read Chapter 2 of the Berger book, please comment on the prompts below. Also, please comment on the responses of two other participants.
- What barriers are present in your school or classroom culture that would prevent you from implementing a Ron Berger type program?
- How can we work together to overcome those barriers?
I cannot get the video to play, is anyone else having problems?
ReplyDeleteThe problem with the video should be fixed. Sorry for the inconvenience.
ReplyDeleteMy post for chapter two was accidentally posted to chapter one.
ReplyDeleteThe barrier that is present in our school is our parent and community support. The staff could do several things to overcome this barrier by getting parents involved in the students' education. Parent nights that include student exhibits, days where parents and the community are invited to attend school with the students so they can participate in activities and lessons with the children or field trips could be used to help overcome the barrier. Making the school environment welcoming and displaying student's work and projects could help as well.
ReplyDeleteYou are right Danielle if we can only break through the barrier with the parents then we will be able to change our students attitudes. I think our community will back us if we can showcase all the good things we are doing.
DeleteI agree Danielle you bring up some excellent ways to involve parents that would help break barriers between family and our school community.
DeleteI think these ideas would be a great way to get parents involved in the education of their children. I especially like the ideas about family night to exhibit student work and family field trips.
DeleteDanielle,
DeleteI think that this is a big barrier that we have been fighting for years and it sseems to only get worse. Hopefully we can make good progress this year and increase our participation.
Danielle,
DeleteYou have a wonderful plan to involve our community with our school. Yeah!!!!
I agree with you Danielle and think your ideas are very good.
DeleteA barrier present in our school is gaining the support of parents, families, and the neighborhood in setting high standards and working for excellence. I believe we can overcome this barrier by involving families and the community in school projects, displaying student work at school functions, exhibiting student work for the community, and tours of the school that center on works of excellence done by the students. I feel these activities will instill a sense of pride in the excellent work that our students are doing. When a community is proud of its school and values success it gives students a reason to strive for excellence.
ReplyDeletePaula you are exactly right, some of the parents at our school do not believe that school is important. I don't think they have high standards for their children and don't believe that success is important. I believe that this is because we are raising 3rd generation "welfare" students. We have to change this way of thinking, our students have to know that they can do more and be better and more successful than their parents.
DeletePaula,
DeleteI agree with you. We need to find ways involve our parents and community to help overcome our school barrier. Displaying works of excellence is a great idea!
Paula, It seems the only way that we can get parent involvement at school is to offer food, prizes and the ability to take the kids home early! This is not why they should come to school to want to be involved in their child's life!
DeleteI argee, Displaying works of excellence is a great idea! Parents always like to see students work displayed in classrooms and hall ways.
DeleteI agree if we can instill some pride for our school into the parents things will start to change.
DeletePaula,
DeleteI agree, Parents will repond well to children's work displays!
I agree. Parents do respond to children's work and performances.
DeleteI totally understand this chapter. I have always thought that the culture of the school plays a major role in our students attitude about school but I also believe that home life plays an equally part of that attitude. Being a new principal I have tried very hard this year to build some community involvement as well as working with parents. I think that our school has a number of parents who did not have a good school experience and so they project that attitude to their children. I would love to think that eventually everyone will realize that "the test" is not everything. I want students in my building to love to come to school and I want parents to know that when their children are at school they are loved and safe. The bottom line is breaking the barriers with parents and community.
ReplyDeleteSounds like you are a fantastic lady to work for. :)
DeleteI agree with you Debbie. I want the students to love to come to school, to love learning. Getting the child excited about a project would bring out those parents.
DeleteI think the barriers that we face in our school start at home. There is no longer a normal home life for most students. Many students are not getting their basic needs met at home. Some are being raised by grandparents or they are in foster care. Several kids are living with one or both parents who are addicted to drugs or alcohol. I think there is no connection/communication between family and school and community.
ReplyDeleteHow can we overcome these barriers? Create a school culture where students are comfortable and safe, where there attitudes are positive and students take risks and are not ashamed to take pride in their work. Students need to feel supported and feel involved in a school community. These things will help us overcome barriers.
Kelley you are so right and even though you are a new teacher in our building that is problem in all our schools. We have so many students in our school that are being raised by grandparents or have parents that are in jail or have just given up on life and on their kids. It is sad!!! We will work very hard to overcome some of these barriers this year and try to help our students as well as build a school community.
DeleteExcellent response, Kelley. Today's school children have so many distractions that compete with their education. Getting our students ignited about their learning will help overcome the barriers. If they get the "learning is fun" fever, it becomes contagious.
DeleteKelley,
ReplyDeleteOur students face difficult lives at home. We do need to create a school environment where our students feel safe, comfortable and a place where they feel like they can excel. They need to feel supported by teachers, staff, parents and the community.
I think that we need to continue to work to make sure that students have a support team in place. The more support that we give, the more dedication and success I think our students will feel.
DeleteI believe the barriers present in our school involve the family culture and the community culture. As a Pre-K teacher, I try hard to get the parents involved by inviting and welcoming them into my classroom. I invite parents to volunteer to help work on various projects and activities throughout the year.
ReplyDeleteI believe we have to work with the families and the community to help them see that they are welcome in the school and we value their help.
I totally agree, parents and grandparents can be such a great resource to our students.
DeleteI agree with you. Many students are not getting the educational support that they need from home. I think creating a school environment in which the students feel safe and comfortable in taking risks and being proud of their work helps the students feel supported.
ReplyDeleteI believe that the barriers at home contribute to the students success. Just from last year I had 18 students, more than half of the students were raised by their grandparents, a quarter of those were raised by a single parent. This ratio just seems to hender their process too. I had one student who says "My mom can't count money either!" When we conform a great family culture with our parents, then everything else will fall in place. We have to get our parents excited about their students learning then we have overcome the barriers and started our "spiral"!!!!
ReplyDeleteWe have to invite families as well as community members to our schools to show the positive things that are happening.
ReplyDeleteWe need to work on family activities such as Family Dinner Night, Open House activities throughout the year (etc.). The students projects should also be displayed throughout the school.
Lisa, you are so right. Working on the positive things will also help the students and the families to feel success and pride in what we are doing in education.
DeleteGreat ideas Lisa. Too much people dwell on the negativity of schools. We need to promote positive things to make people forget about the negative.
DeleteLol.... That should read too many people...... Not too much
DeleteWOW Paula I love your ideas. I am putting you in charge of Family Dinner Night at Buffalo. You are so right though, we really do need to get them all involved and parents or/and grandparents like nothing better than coming to eat and see their children doing something. We just have to strive to make it worth it for them and show the excellent work that their children are doing. We need to highlight all the important positive things about our school.
DeleteGood ideas :). There are a lot of parents out there who would very much enjoy being able to attend functions such as the ones you are describing.
DeleteThe problems that I feel are present in our community is the home connection. Being able to get the parents on board poses a problem for us. In our area we have so many grandparents that are raising the children and the parents are not involved. A lot of times the grandparents are not physically able to do what is necessary and say that they are doing the best they can. This makes it hard for us to instill in the children the belief that they can succeed
ReplyDeleteI agree. Grandparents may not be physically, mentally nor emotionally able to raise grandchildren. If they have homework or a project to do at home, grandparents usually can't help them because they don't know how to do the homework/project.
DeleteYou are right Teresa we do have many grandparents who are not able to do anymore than they are already doing while parents sit home and do nothing. We need to really hard this year to build a better school connection with our families. We want our kids to know they "can do it" and they can be better. You and Lisa have a good opportunity being in kindergarten to get those parents on board.
DeleteYou are so right Bridgett. We need to try to get our parents to change their attitude about school so they can get involved in their students lives. We do have many grandparents who are raising their grandchildren and even some who are raising great grandchildren. I think these barriers can be overcome if we work hard and work together.
ReplyDeleteI believe it can happen with all of us working hard for that goal!
DeleteThe barriers that are present in our school are the same as you hear about in all geographic regions. Some families do not deem higher education as needed for a successful life. Their role models hold jobs mostly related to coal industry in one way or another, which generally does not require a formal education.
ReplyDeleteAlso, when children come to our school, they often bring a history with them. This includes any community history and family history. In other words, being a small community everyone knows everyone's business.
We can over come these barriers by, recognize differences and celebrate diversities, as we get to know the whole child.
Liz you are so right...our small community has a history of everyone knowing everything about your family but in a crisis living in a small town can be a blessing...small town folks stick together and are always there for you..we just need to instill in our children that they deserve more than their parents ever had and that they matter!!!
DeleteThere are high standards often set by educators for behavior, responsibility, and quality of work only to name a few. However, high standards cannot be enforced only by the classroom teacher and the school. It does take a village to raise a child and that means that we need everyone to be involved. So much emphasis is placed on testing, common core standards, strategies, mandates, etc., that we find it difficult to implement a supportive culture that can produce the type of end product that Mr. Berger discusses. It is important for us to find a way to develop a long term commitment to excellence that involves everyone being on board in order to get an end product that we can be proud of.
ReplyDeleteIn order to work together to overcome these barriers, we have to build a relationship with students, the community, and the family. A positive climate with everyone working toward the same goal is needed to make sure that a successful plan is in place to meet the expectations that have been set.
I agree Denise, relationship with students, parents, and staff is very important to bring together. Then a positive climate and the same vision for excellence will be a success!
DeleteThere are many barriers that we face as teachers. One of the biggest ones I feel is our student's home life. Many are being raised by their grandparents, are in foster care because of drug problems, or split families. These usually results in lower expectations for the children. If students don't have high expectations from home, how can we expect them to be motivated to do their best at school? I feel expectation and motivation go hand in hand.
ReplyDeleteI think there are ways we can work together to overcome the barriers. If we care for our students and show them respect that maybe they don't get from home, and help them feel appreciated are ways to overcome these obstacles. Another way would be to have students perform or show off what they have learned in front of parents, teachers or even other classrooms in the school.
The barries to overcome are developing family, school, and neighborhood cultures. These must be connected in a child's life for excellence. Doing this is definitely a challenge for us.
ReplyDeleteRon's real world projects will create a learning experience that everyone will be excited about developing.
I believe it's important to remember that teaching students to embrace ethic of excellence. I see this positive effort will be great for schools, families and neighborhoods cultures. We will learn, change, and grow together.
Reading this book makes me very excited about the future and all positive things! We will be able to do and accomplish.
I agree with everyone that parent support is important. I think another barrier that schools face is how to implement a school like the one in the book. How do I break the barrier of "the schedule", the need for a certain number of grades, and the need to assess everything. As educators try to create a school like this one, everyone must have a clear focus, support, and the ability to talk openly like the teachers did in the chapter. We must find positive ways to disagree and come to a compromise to benefit the entire school not just one grade level. Regardless of the situation, we must show parents and the community what we are doing. I think this does not mean sending graded papers home as a representation of the work. In a school like the one in the book, students are in control of their learning. Teachers are facilitators and support. Children are aware of their strengths and weaknesses. They own their challenges and learn techniques to overcome. This is a different way of thinking that is not represented using a portfolio that the teacher creates. The barrier of development, communication, and student evaluation is a concern for most teachers trying to change their way of thinking.
ReplyDeleteIn this chapter, Mr. Berger makes an outstanding point that positive peer, teacher, adminstration, family, and community support are necessary parts of creating a culture of excellence.
ReplyDeleteMakes perfect sense to me. I can’t handle negativity of any kind. I like to surround myself with positive thoughts, positive people, positive EVERYTHING.... because positive surroundings bring positive results.
I’m brand new to West Chapmanville Grade (pretty new in general), so I am not familiar enough with the atmosphere to be able to answer the first question adequately. However, I am not new to the community. I have lived in Chapmanville my entire life. I think the biggest barrier is that teachers don’t have the same support system in my community that Mr. Berger speaks of in his community.
I think giving parents fun outlets to be able to involve themselves in their child’s school life is the right step to improving relationships within the community & school. A lot of the ideas spoken of here are pretty excellent!
ALSO.... I love this quote:
“To reach excellence in education you need to start with some inspiration and excitement.”
My philosophy exactly, Mr. Berger :).
Erica, I also feel that we do not have the same support system in our community as Mr. Berger has. We definitely have parents who value education and hold high standards for their children, but many do not. We have parents who would pitch in and help if asked, but probably not a lot who would give as much time and labor as his school's parents. I think if, like you said, we work to involve parents in fun activities at school we can improve relationships. Parents and community members who feel welcomed and valued are liable to be great supporters.
DeleteOne of the biggest barriers we face in Chapmanville is putting academics in the forefront. For anyone that has visited our town knows of the many ball fields we have within the town limits. I am not speaking against athletics; it has its place in a child's education. When a child comes to school saying, "I couldn't do my homework because I had a ball game," a change in priorities is needed.
ReplyDeleteAs mentioned in a previous post, drugs are also a big barrier. Meth has taken a great toll on our town; it's heartbreaking. But even with these barriers, if the students fall in love with what they are learning, the barriers can be overcome. To borrow a line from a song, "It only takes a spark to get a fire going."
You are right, Robin; a change in priorities is needed in many cases. It always baffles me when parents are seemingly unconcerned with the fact that their child is majorly struggling in school and do not help them academically, yet parents and children are on the ball field every chance possible, often late into the night. We need to help parents value academic success as well.
DeleteRobin, you are right....I go around singing that song all the time... I didn't realize anyone else knew it.....I learned that song when I was growing up......could be our theme song....We have also had children to come and tell us they were at the ballfield to late to do homework .... Priorities definitely need to change and I think that it is up to us to get that started if we want to see it happen.
DeleteI think one of our most difficult barriers is the family culture. Some of our students come from homes that don't value education and therefore take no interest in helping their children succeed. The adults in these homes sometimes have the attitudes that we as teachers are supposed to take care of all academic matters and therefore none of the responsibility falls on them. Parents (not all, of course) don't want to be bothered with helping their children with homework, studying information, listening to their children read, or even reading to them.
ReplyDeleteI also feel that we have parents who want their children to succeed, but for various reasons do not know how to help. I think we need more outreach for parents; we can try to teach them that they are an integral part of their children's success and can show them ways to support their children's learning. Some ways we can do this are through parent meetings/trainings and parent/child/family workshops and events like literacy or math fun nights.