The First Two Weeks of School: A Valuable Transition
The 2021-2022 school year has begun, and as with every year, our students come in to a two-week alternative schedule to prepare them for the year ahead. Here’s why:
Have you ever had that Sunday morning church experience where you’re rushing to get the kids out the door? Everybody fed, check! Everybody dressed, check! Kids to their Sunday school rooms. Quick restroom stop. When you finally sit down in the pew, you can breathe a sigh of relief. Even though you are a few minutes late, you’re here and it’s time to settle in. As the music begins you take a deep breath and calm your mind by moving through the mental checklist: Yes, you turned the stove off at home. Yes, you packed the diaper bag, yes you locked your car in the parking lot… and you begin to mentally transition to focusing on this time with the Lord ahead of you.
This reality of transition is one that we acknowledge and accommodate for at the start of every school year. It’s our “two-week alternative schedule” where we acclimate, assess and settle the students in for the new year of learning.
Maybe you’ve heard your student say something like, “Well, we haven’t started our real schedule yet…” They’re not wrong! But although they have not begun their academic schedules, they have most definitely begun their school year.
High school students begin the school year meeting new classmates with opportunities to reflect on their summer where many of them participated in national and international mission opportunities.
Acclimation, assessment and “settling in”. Developed by Founder Gregg Garner, this is the simple way to understand what happens during our first 2 weeks of the school year.
During their first few days back on campus, students are acclimated back into the school setting by reconnecting with peers, getting to know their teachers, and reviewing school routines and behavior expectations. At the elementary level this looks like remembering how to line up, how to move through meal service times, when they can use the restrooms, and what activities are appropriate for indoor recess. Before we begin administering any demerits or incentives, students simply get these few days to adjust into being back at school.
Assessments come next, which do include academic assessments but also social and emotional. Through review exercises and games, teachers gauge how much their students remember, while also evaluating the demographics and personality of their new class. Is it a 2:1 ratio of girls to boys? Might need to adjust the sport through which Jr. High students will learn Game Strategies. Is it a class full of kinesthetic learners? Need to buy some more manipulatives for math class. Does this group of developing readers need to be on their feet for Language Arts courses? How about a readers’ theatre? Assessments provide teachers the data they need to teach students, not just classes.
Finally, during the last few days of our alternative schedule, students settle in for the upcoming year. For 7th graders this looks like the reminder that, although they will now be receiving a number grade on every assignment, they are not their grade. They are more than a number. And school is the safest place to be wrong, to make mistakes and to grow. For our Juniors and Seniors, this looks like several blocks of research, reflection and discussion with teachers to decide on senior projects, internship placements and directed studies.
So next time your student mentions that they haven’t started ‘regular school yet’, you’ll know what they mean! And you can follow up with questions like, “Tell me about your new teacher!” “What’s something you’re excited for/nervous about in this upcoming year?” Or even, “Remember to get to bed early tonight because your body is adjusting to the school year.” Here’s to being ready for a wonderful year of learning!
Elementary students use team-building exercises and games to develop their class dynamic and healthy interactions with one another.
Take the Lid Off - No Grade Levels!
Elementary teacher, Ms. Vagatai, expounds on the Academy’s approach to grade levels, student progression and the future of education!
Written by elementary teacher, Ms. Leafa Vagatai
“We don’t have grade levels in our school!” My sharp response to my students when I overhear them describing themselves as “second graders” (1).
I proceed to explain to them that our school is fluid because we create classes, activities, and content to meet their individual needs as they continue to grow.
Elementary students often complete assignments and projects with a partner or small group. Developing the ability to cooperate, share, and acknowledge one another’s abilities are skills gained at this age level.
“Everyone grows at a different pace in different disciplines and not everyone's the same. Instead of forcing everyone to be the same, we adjust ourselves.”
Cue the critic…
“C’mon, it’s all just semantics right? You’re a second grade teacher!”
No, I’m not and a comment like that is only indicative of a misunderstanding of the philosophy of the Academy and also what the goal of education should be: to holistically educate children, not manufacture them. Not only is this the future of education, but it is what’s desperately needed in education right now.
When the pandemic of Covid-19 hit, schools across the globe shut down and the concern for educators and administrators has been what to do about the inevitable learning gap (2). Remediation has always been a hot topic within education, but now it’s everyone’s problem as students are missing months, and soon to be years, of education on a global scale.
The fluidity offered between levels for students opens up opportunities for some students to be challenged to a greater extent while others gain the needed support in another level. Seeing students thrive in their level placement is a goal of our teachers!
Studies throughout the years have shown the impact that the disruption of school has on children for years to come. One article published by RISE program explained that even when Pakistani students were able to return 3 months after an earthquake in 2005, 4 years later were still 1.5 years behind in schooling, identifying a major contributor to that gap being an inflexible and unadaptable pedagogical practice (3).
So, what’s the solution to the impending learning chasm? It’s what we’ve been doing from the beginning of the Academy for G.O.D.; fluidity in curriculum and an individualized approach to a child’s education. Meeting children where they’re at and helping them to move forward. Remedial or not, this is education.