In this particular class, I learned a lot about how the school functions with other educational stakeholders. During this time, I had frequent conversations with some of the administrators to discuss how we dealt with certain issues. In the first week, I wanted to get some information on our PTA and how important they are to our district. I found out through research that some of the schools PTA programs are stronger than others and sometime this can lead to a perception of power. I think this particular assignment was good because it allowed me to gain an understanding of how political an organization like to PTA can be within a school district. I also researched a school program that allows students to become involved with their community. This program connects students with business people in the community. “School, family, and community partnerships in high schools have been associated with increased learning opportunities for students and community development.” (Durkin, 1998) I believe out of all of the many school related programs that we offer, this was one of the best. I went to visit the teacher/sponsor of this class and the students are really in tune with what is going on in the community and how it affects them. At the time, the students were working on a flyer to promote school and community awareness of exercise. I felt this was not only a school and community issue, but also a national issue. This class offered many insightful points about the community that I never considered.
Much of the information covered in this class I felt was common sense. I already knew about the importance of a positive school culture and the impact it can have on all educational stakeholders. From experience, I had an idea about how difficult it can be to get parents involved with the school. Usually the parents you see are from the students who are doing fairly well. You hardly ever see or hear from the parents of problem students. I’ve had some training on dealing with students of different cultures and how some of the experiences could stem from lack of knowledge and previous experiences, not because they don’t want their child to do well. “No matter what race/ethnicity, culture, or income, most families have high aspirations and concerns for their children’s success.” (Boethel, Averett, Buttram, Donnelly , Jordan
Completing the assignments during this class was easy because the opportunities I had to engage in conversation with other educational stakeholders. I knew about many of our school programs but I didn’t know much about the program that involved our school and the community. I had a chance to find out about the relevant learning experiences our students are apart of. I also found it interesting how some PTA groups within our district can become too powerful and feel they have a major say so in school business. I learned a great deal with each assignment. I thought much of the information was common sense, personally. I’ve always known the importance of the relationship between school and community and how important it is to the school culture. It reminds me of the saying “it takes a village to raise a child”.
To complete the assignments during this class, I had to meet with many different people. It wasn’t as difficult because the schedules of everyone I met with were flexible. I usually emailed the questions prior to our meeting so they would have an idea of what I would be asking. Most of the time, they would have more information to add, which was very helpful. If I needed extra literature, they were more than willing to give it to me. Once I received all of my information from them, then I had to organize it. Since this class was occurring around the beginning of the school year, I had to restructure the time when I could work on my assignments. Because I had already completed a year of this program, I just implemented some of the time management strategies I used before.
Since I am a tactile/kinesthetic learner, this class offered many opportunities to engage in activities I enjoyed. Mainly, the opportunity to be active and engage in conversation with other educational stakeholders helped me. Since I began this class, there have been instances where I had to think outside the box to complete assignments, but this class allowed me to stay in my comfort zone. I feel I did well in completing my assignments and I enjoyed the process. Because of this class, I have made new friends in other areas besides my department.
For this class, I didn’t have an opportunity to communicate with my co-workers through any Web 2.0 tools. We communicated through email and face to face interviews. The communication with my classmates in the discussion forums was pretty good. Many of my classmates had experienced some of the same issues I have. It was good to get feedback from other classmates who could share an experience that could benefit me or my school. The classroom discussion really didn’t have any affect on my performance. If anything, it gave me a chance to discuss some issues I was experiencing. All of the feedback was positive, even from the people who didn’t work in an educational environment.
In the future, I know that I need to get better at any task that doesn’t involve movement. Task that are auditory, will b e an area of focus. Its not that I can’t do it, I just prefer to be interactive and engaged physically. There was nothing new that I learned about my learning at this point in the program. When the opportunity presents itself, I try to work on a weakness because I know it will help me in the long run.
In the past, my interaction on the discussion board has been good. In the beginning, it was probably the hardest part of the program. I actually dreaded that aspect of the program. At the time, I wasn’t a fan of communicating in that type of format. But as time has went on, I really enjoy it. I now know some of my classmates. We have shared strategies that have worked in our classrooms with each other. The interaction through the discussion board has influenced me to join other social networking sites that are geared toward my profession. I have gained valuable knowledge from teachers all across the country. As the landscape of technology changes, I know that collaboration will be an aspect that will be a must to continue.
I think one issue that will be important for me to investigate will be ways to bridge the gap between the school and the community. I work in a district where the student demographic does not represent the community. “Schools need connections to the community. The geographic area served by a school broadens in the middle grades. The school is often located at a greater distance from a student’s “home” community, middle-grade school attendance often draw students from several different communities.” (Rutherford & Billig, 1995) I think it will be important to get the community more involved in what is going on in the district. The school has many programs that are beneficial to kids of all walks of life and the kids are successful in those programs. My district has always been recognized by the community for its athletic achievements but I think now the community should become more aware of the academic successes of the district, which should also be a direct reflection of the community.
References
Boethel, M., Averett, A., Buttram, J., Donnelly, D., Jordan National Center ATX : Southwest Educational Development Laboratory. Retrieved February 1, 2012 , from: http://www.sedl.org/connections/resources/diversity-synthesis.pdf
Durkin, R. (1998). Islands of opportunity in america
Rutherford, B., Billig, S. H., (1995). Eight lessons of parent, family, and community involvement in the middle grades. Phi Delta Kappan, 77(1) 66
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