Heroic Schools...

For week 2 of EDC 533, Ed asked us to blog about the reading for our Curriculum 21 book.  I found many aspects of this weeks reading interesting and helpful.  As I have mentioned, curriculum work is new to me, so the more that I am looking into it and learning about it, the more I am beginning to enjoy it.  Most of the information for Chapter 4: New School Versions: Reinventing and Reuniting School Program Structures really sheds light on what techniques schools can use to update and help improve their curriculums.

I particularly felt that the section about Heroic School Schedules was the most interesting.  I work at a school that uses a 80 minute block schedule with 2 semesters a year.  We see the students every day for 80 minutes...I like our schedule and the opportunity to see a new crop of students at the mid year mark. When I first arrived at my school, we were having 8 periods a day at 45 minutes a piece.  Looking back, I am not sure how I managed to get anything done!  I can remember when we were having professional development focused on the schedule change so many teachers were up in arms.  The one thing that they knew was that they did NOT want to do a A/B schedule.  Also, some teachers felt that certain classes would have to be eliminated...and something had to be done with AP classes.  It all got figured out and it may not be perfect, but it works.

In reading the section one Heroic School Schedules, I have to say - It blows my mind!  I really like the concept of not having any boundaries in school.  You have the opportunity to do what you need to do and not have the restrictions traditional schools have on themselves.  One approach is known as the Met Center approach.  It was started by ground breaking work done by Dennis Littky, the Met Center sarted with six small public high schools in Rhode Island (Littky and Grabelle, 2004).  This approach offers a tailored curriculum for each learner.  Jacobs points out that the approach focuses on six major aspects:

* Learning in the Real World
*Advisory and Assessment
*Applied Academics and Assessment
*College Transition Program
*Health and Wellness
*Travel Opportunities

Looking at this approach just seems like common sense to me.  All of these major six concepts are very important to ensure the success of our students.  What blows my mind is...how come this is not what all curriculums are based on?!  Lets be honest, not all students are going to go onto to college.  Some students might go to a technical college or get a 2 year degree. Some students think they know already what they want to go to college for and then get there and change their minds many times.   The above approach is going to help all types of students succeed.  I look at what we do at my school and I can see how these concepts would fit right in...if we would allow them too.

I am personally passionate about the Learning the the Real World concept.  I often times do not feel that the high school experience really helps to get students ready for the real world.  I think that as a teacher, we hope that the lessons we are teaching will help students in the long run...but often times, I'm not sure we are teaching the right lessons.  We have tried to package everything up into a neat little box...in the real world, the box isn't always pretty.  By allowing students to go out into the world and work on internships and projects we are showing them what the real world is really like.  Late for your internship....you might lose it.  Late for school...an hour detention - which in most cases isn't really teaching anything.  If a student believes he/she interested in become a veterinarian, wouldn't it benefit that student to go to a vet. clinic and observe and work in some capacity at that clinic?  Lets say said student does this and realizes that being a Vet. is not something they are truly interested in...they haven't wasted any college time or money figuring that out...to me, that is a win-win situation!

I think that having this kind of curriculum for a school...particularly a high school, is a very heroic situation.  A school who choses to use this approach would really be going against the main stream ideas that are used all around the country.  You would really have to have an administration that was willing to back you up and teachers that were really invested in the lives and success of their teachers.  I hope that one day I might have the opportunity to work in this kind of school.