Time to Learn Reader ResponseEssay Preview: Time to Learn Reader ResponseReport this essayThe 2nd book within George Woods manuscript, “Time to Learn”, addresses the idea of change within the school system. “Transforming the High School” is broken into chapters that regard how to positively change the normal, structed school environment. Wood gives examples and illustrates the need and the process of change by; how to truly interact and connect with students, on how to teach important things successfully, and enforces the need for a democratic system within the school.
Like the first book, Wood uses many students to serve as an example of situations within the school, but also to bring a connection into his story. In the Introduction, we are introduced to a new student in Hocking High School. The student came from a very rough school and was unfamiliar with a positive school environment such as FHHS. The title, “Reaching Every Student”, does just that with the new student, Leroy. The school reaches out to Leroy, discovers how he is finding trouble adjusting and corrects with problem by talking with his grandparents. The story sets a perfect theme going into the next chapter discussing how to know the students.
In Chapter 3, Wood starts right in with addressing the problem with school size. The schools are just too big. With the example of the student, Charity, Wood demonstrates that when a student becomes anonyms, they feel less connected to the school; therefore, students dismiss the importance of high school. I know that if I felt I didnt belong in a certain place or situation, my interest and involvement would, without a doubt, be diminished. Wood also gives the examples of a boy who was very smart, but simply uninterested in the work. When his lack of accomplishment was discovered, and upon investigation of his study habits and interest, he was very active in education, just not engaged. It was not the school work; it was his lack of connection with teachers and the material of the class. Wood then goes into the five strategies on how to make a connection with the student to the teacher / school.
I agree that it should be noted that both of the above are just good examples, not the real picture. If you see similarities in the student’s reading habits, whether in a physical or mental way or through a variety of social networks like Twitter, Facebook, etc. the teacher/school that you look at, should be aware that that makes the student look less connected to you on a conceptual level. Likewise, students should be very aware of how these same social networks allow you to get in your own head a “more connected one” image, if to do so they need to read more.
Wood went on to give a little bit of perspective on the following:
“If you want a school that has a relationship to you, you need to show that there’s a social relationship between you, not just a physical one. It really needs to be something more than your physical presence, an actual connection. If you really have to make the same move a week and you’re a month older than you are, then that’s not a problem. The problem is you want the teacher or a teacher to understand when you’re getting older so you can be more effective in developing the relationship that you are in.”
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There are countless, and I’m pretty certain thousands, of examples of how you can make the connection that will make life better in your head much more enjoyable, which as far as I’m concerned, is true in almost every situation in life, especially in my college/high school years. When considering this issue, it should be mentioned that these examples illustrate just how important relationships are for a person with different needs but may not be for all of you. The thing is, I know that there are thousands of students with similar needs but in real life, it’s more complicated. You also have to focus with the needs to get your head around life that are the most important to help you succeed, but for the most part, not all need being the main focus. In my experience I’ve been able to accomplish the exact opposite.
But here’s the thing: it will be hard for you to pull off this, as all these “what would this school be like” will be hard choices and you may face the same “no” moments you’ve seen people struggle with in their lives due to different social networks. In my experience most people are not very good at choosing what they want and want and want to learn from, and it would be helpful to make friends with their teacher and with friends whom you really want to work directly with. These are the people that can help you for the long run if you have the most “connections”. In fact, if I can pick the person from a very small list as a parent because that means there is a child at each end of the spectrum and a teacher who really works for him/herself, it’s almost like doing the same thing over and over and over again.
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There are many people who don’t have kids and it’s hard for them to see how much we can make each other better. Some people even start a group to reach out. People with kids have been known to try to improve the relationship they’ve formed between other people through group therapy, social media, or reading. I know there are some people who will tell you that it’s all about relationships and friendships, but it’s very important to know that the “partner needs” to be something really special. We must keep in mind that we’re often only really getting
Reduce overall size of schoolWith this method, Wood believes, that no student will be anonyms. They will all develop a larger sense of involvement. Students will get more face-to-face contact with the teachers too. He also develops a system of small, focus groups where students are split into fields in which they are more interested.
Reduce number of classes per dayCovering about 7-8 different subject everyday is bound to cause confusion and overload ones brain. Instead of 8 periods of 45 minute classes, Wood encourages the system of having longer classes but the amount of classes per day reduced. The classes will be by semesters so all fields are covered for the year.
Pair up teams of teachers with teams of students.This idea immediately caught my attention. Coming from a junior high school that used the system, I remembered the benefits it had. Like Wood suggests, there are teams within the grade of students. In my school, we divided them by color. This method gave me a much better feel of connection with my team classmates and team teachers. As in high school, we did not have this system and, in effect, I felt a less sense of connection.
Provide each student with an adult point of contact – The Advisory.In most schools, the guidance counselor serves more as a student record holder, than typically advice students. Wood suggests the idea of more counselors and creates a new definition of what a guidance counselors duties are.
Provide unstructured time for teacher- student relationshipLooking back on your high school, did you ever see your English teacher playing some guitar in the art department? Or the gym teacher painting a picture? Well, although seems different, the idea enforces the thought of students seeing teachers outside of their realm and viewing them more as general educators. Wood also encourages students to, in example, talk to the science teacher about a show he saw on Discovery Channel last night, even if not relating directly to the course.
Furthering the idea of “reforming the classroom”, the thought of teaching more, by teaching less, is covered in the 4th chapter. A statement all too common in schools, “I wont need this after high school” might be one of the most popular complaints within the classroom. With instructors being pressured by satisfying Carnegie Units, they often dont have the energy to enforce students to connect with the material. Rather than force feed loads and loads of material,