I guess if failure was not an option, there should be protocols in place for students that are not performing to task. Being required to stay afterschool to do their work with the teacher if they are not passing a class, for example. I wonder what success the after school program has had in increased student success? I wonder, too, how failure is not an option when there are two parties involved and one simply does not want to work - when the reality is that failure is an option - a choice that the student makes whenever they don't do their work. I don't think we have many students who are failing due to poor skills, it is the students who simply don't do anything that we struggle with. Do I think my 8th grade AIS kids would do more work if there were different assignments, more time? No. They do perform better when I sit, literally, right next to them and walk them through every step and every sentence and every problem. But what is truly achieved at that point? Have they done the task? Yes - but have they learned the character building skills and independence that HS and life require? I don't think so.

A far as the books go, perhaps as a department we need to realign - 9th and 10th should be more global literature: Siddhartha, The Kite Runner, The Good Earth, et cetera, plus a greater focus on non-fiction components. But then we need to consider where Shakepeare fits in to the scheme of things. Do we need to spend 5-6 weeks on 16th century Verona, Cyprus, Scotland, et cetera 2 or 3 times in a kid's career if we are concerned with historical alignment?

If we structure our curriculums around the concepts of revolutions, tyrany, imperialism, religion, and the like, even bringing a greater focus on visual literacy and utilizing some historically relevant films as support, it may satisfy all of our needs and be advantageous for us all.

May Department Meeting

One of the agenda items that we were not able to cover last night has to do with our commitment to every child's success.  At our chairpersons' meeting, Diane submitted the challenge as to what our school could look like if failure was not an option.  Had we had time to meet yesterday, we would have discussed our ideas.  Stacy and I are appealing to you, asking that you use this blog to voice your ideas and to collaborate with peers.  We can then share our findings with Diane.

Another item concerned monies for books.  Diane suggested that, although we don't order texts, we do put money away through 2012 to assure that, as the ELA standards change and, perhaps, we become more collaborative with Social Studies, we have the opportunity to purchase novels,etc.  Please think about what you might want.

Lastly, please check your mailboxes for information on RAFT, a writing and thinking assessment tool that  I presented at the chairpersons' meeting as part of our literacy initiative.  If you have any questions about this strategy or would like assistance developing any RAFTs of your own, please don't hesitate to ask.  Scott also attended the session with Bev Dryer, sponsored by the Teachers Center, and I know that Karli has been using this format in her classes.  It is really informative, and the students seem to enjoy it.  I will also have copies of the handout that Stacy gave to me at yesterday's SAS presentation.