“When we think about learning, we typically focus on getting information into students’ heads. What if, instead, we focus on getting information out of students’ heads?”
-Pooja Agarwal, Henry Roediger, Mark McDaniel, & Kathleen McDermott
No matter the grade or department, I was consistently impressed by the high-level discourses taking place in each of our inquiry groups. The Problems of Practice 102 generated were thoughtful, meaningful for students, and perhaps most importantly, seemingly impossible to solve. Some may argue that thinking and talking about complex issues that do not have pre-packaged solutions—is a poor use of time. I believe in the contrary: Inquiry focused on authentic and complex problems of practice give us the space to engage in discussion, think critically, take risk, and to self-reflect. In short, it lets us learn.
Much like the children we teach, we are more intellectually engaged in rigorous learning driven by real needs and requiring real thinking. I don’t know what will happen at the end of each inquiry cycle; some teams may succeed in bringing about transformative change, and while some may fail. The only thing I’m certain of is that at the end of each cycle we will have engaged in deep thinking and reflection about our practices, and we’re better learners, and thus teachers, for it.
Weekly Highlights:
In schools, some achievements are very public while others may largely go unnoticed. Ms. Bagni’s wok may be of the latter category. Meeting one deadline after the next to submit documents to the DOE for compliance purposes, Ms. Bagni has done an incredible job balancing incredible amounts of paperwork, learning to work in a co-teaching setting, and leading her team as the ENL coordinator. Thank you, Josephine.
Ms. Gaffan’s leadership in her work with student council has, on the other hand, been very noticeable. Student council has taken up the morning annoucement duties and it’s so much better to hear students speak than have their principal grumble in the morning. Additionally, student council has been active during Parent Teacher Conferences talking to parents, giving directions, and even providing interpretation services.
Ms. Gonzalez was able to secure a position at District 79 and today is her last day. My work in D79 serving high-needs students has been one of the highlights of my life, and I hope you will find the experience equally rewarding. Good luck, Massiel!
Things You Need to Know:
Assault Near 102: One member of our families was assaulted near Grand Ave. and Van Horn st. while on his way to pick up his grand child from the school audition after school. The suspect is still at large and I have been contacted by both the victim’s family as well as the police. There may be reporters visiting the school in the coming days and I ask that you respect the privacy of our students and to say “no comment” when questioned by reporters. I will update everyone as things develop.
Lunch forms: We need to collect all lunch forms. The office will be informing you later this week the students in your class who has yet to submit lunch forms and please remind the parents to do so if you see them in person. Our Title I status depend on the number of families qualifying for free/reduced-price lunches, and this matters a great deal. Take a look at the amount of Title I funds allocated in 2015 to nearby schools within the district:
24Q049: #31,841
24Q113: $7,581
24Q128: $758
24Q102: $694,420
Yes, it’s not a typo. If it seems like 102 has a bigger treasure chest than other buildings it’s not because we have a magician working in our budgeting department. It’s because our families need support—let’s get it for them.
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