The sesquipenultimate school day

(Note: In music, the ultimate note in a composition is the final note. The penultimate note is the one before it, hence the sesquipenultimate note is the one before that. According to NPR, anyway.)

Friday, June 26. Clearly the last week of school. In contrast to the previous week, there were no flashcards or study sheets or students anxiously reviewing or clutching final projects. As I entered the school this week, they were all chatting and fingering digital cameras. Throughout the school day, I could feel the energy. Several times, the library assistant was called to help out in ISS. Apparently it was full of students unable to contain their enthusiasm for the end of the school year.

I actually remembered my check list this visit and began making more conscious observations outside the media center. The offloading of students in the morning is an exercise in highly organized chaos. As I mentioned, the school is in the middle of an industrial park. The early school bell probably helps avoid much of the morning traffice, but it is still a very busy area. The busses are incredibly efficient, discharging volumes of happy, excited kids in a very few minutes. However, the parade of cars offloading one or two students seemed endless (especially at the end of the day when a tired intern is trying to get through the line to the exit). Fortunately, busses are on one side of the building, the parents are on the other. The two parking areas do not appear to connect so bus and car interaction is limited.While the lines of cars and busses were neat and orderly, the noisy gaggle of students assembling near the entrance was anything but. When the doors opened, students streamed into the foyer. Walking among them felt like being pulled along by the tide.

The office is immediately inside the main entrance and to the right. Visitors are greeted by a colorful computer screen asking for their name and the purpose of their visit. They are rewarded with a bright yellow sticker printed with their name and destination This particular morning, the receptionist was out and the school's book keeper was trying to manage visitors, the phone, and students anxious to correct their attendance records. To the left, an infirmary provides needed first aid supplies and is periodically visited by a nurse who rotates between several local schools. Beyond the desk, a hall curves towards the mailroom with offices for the principal and other administrative staff members. On Fridays, the principal and many of the teachers and staff members wear bright red T-shirts bearing the LRMS Lightening mascot. This Friday, the office is particularly busy as students and parents try to clear up end-of-year details.

When I got to the media center, sporting my bright yellow badge, Diane was still on the hunt for individuals who hadn't turned in their library books. This was her last opportunity (or the last day she was making an attempt this school year). The list was substantially shorter than last week and she did nab a few more while scouring the halls and visiting homerooms, clipboard and marking pen in hand. However, as soon as that job was done, she had me accompany her to one of the special education labs where we were to assist the instuctor with her students. The students had been writing a journal all year. Their final assignment was to put their favorite selection from each month into a PowerPoint presentation. Diane and I brought microphones from the library's AV collection so students could record their final statements--what was the most valuable lesson they had learned that year--into their PowerPoints. The teacher was collecting their presentations on a disk for herself and giving each student a disk with their own journal on it. She'd made a CD label for each disk with a great picture of the class as a gift back to them.

The other big job that day was helping faculty members get all their files off their laptops. The school was migrating to a Microsoft server from their current Novell system. All the laptops had to be wiped clean and the new software installed. A team was coming in Monday to make the migration. All the laptops had to be emptied of personal files and collected by the end of the day. Some instructors were having trouble removing their files. One of the resource teachers came by the classroom and saw Diane and asked for help. As Diane was busy with the students, I assisted with the laptop. It was a great chance to chat with her about services for special needs students.

I have a 29 year old stepson who was born at aound 25 weeks. He is a happy, successful young man now, but with all his developmental delays and associated hardships, school was a nightmare for him. As his dad and I were the custodial parents, it fell to us to negotiate for the special services he needed and deserved. Our experience was that each profession we consulted had their own perspectives and success stories to back them up. And often they were in conflict. Classroom teachers wanted to retain such kids and press them for more "reinforcement" through added homework. The doctors wanted to medicate. Other specialists wanted self-contained classrooms or hours of resource time with no meds and a reduced class load. But schools may be limited as to the number of resource staff, self-contained classrooms, or resource slots available. While the state mandates that each child is entitled to an IEP, figuring out what is needed, getting everyone involved on board and then finding the time and resources to deliver the services can be daunting for families. So while we were waiting for the teacher's files to transfer, I was full of questions about how students like my stepson would be handled at Lufkin.

I was told that this school did not have "self-contained classrooms" like the one I observed in Randleman or as had been proposed for my stepson. Special needs students were taught in small groups in computer labs like the one we were in. It was still called "resource" and there was a resource teacher for each grade. They typically met for four hours a day. I was working with the 8th grade resource teacher who loved her job and made a career change specifically to have the chance to do it.

Diane and Sandra and myself made several more excursions out to make sure everyone had turned in laptops and had no problems retaining files. The rest of the day was spent shelving books--or trying to. A major shelf shifting was in order. Many shelves were so full, all I could do was lay books sideways on top of those shelved. I was assured that by the time I returned on July 10 (July 3 is a holiday), there would be plenty of room on the shelves again and the volunteers would manage the straightening up they required. My final excursion was to the staff lounge to see what was happening there.

This building had been a pharma manufacturing facility, remember? The lounge was lovely--spacious, with a nice kitchen, gorgous second floor view, and lots of vending machines. It was also empty. And it had been empty the last time I visited. I quizzed Sandra who said that not only was it really cold up there, but most folks ate lunch in small groups in their workrooms like we did in the library. She wasn't sure it was ever used much unless the PTA brought in a teacher appreciation lunch. Oh well, no hot gossip to be found there!

Monday and Tuesday are the last two days of school. Wednesday and Thursday are teacher work days. The following Monday is a workday and orientation for new students. And it all starts over again Tuesday, July 7. I'll be there again on the 10th, curious to see the school year from the other end.

LRMS-TV

Friday, June 19. Next week is the last full week of school for this school year. As I walked in the building, I passed students helping each other remember test facts with flash cards, pouring over review sheets, and clutching final projects.


When I got to the media center, I learned it was also the last day of broadcast for LRMS-TV, a daily news show that broadcasts from the media center each morning. Sandra said she's chosen to stop broadcasting at the beginning of the final week in part because there is so little news, and in part because the students are so rambunctious. They certainly were this morning. I arrived as they were rehersing their farewell to their fans and there was much silliness. As I entered the door, I was informed that I would work the teleprompter so they all could be in the final sign off.

The teleprompter was fun. I just had to hit the space bar to start and stop it according to the pace of the reader. Throughout the school year, there are four news crews of 8 students each--two from each track. Since one track is always out, there are six students at a time working on the broadcast. After the morning news show, the day's messages appear in a scrolling PowerPoint throughout the rest of the day. Sandra says she has a stock of 100 PowerPoint backgrounds to draw from to make the scrollling announcements interesting. Each student received a certificate of appreciation from Sandra, but it was evident they got a taste of celebrity status from their peers as well.


Another sign of the school year's demise was the list of overdue library books to be distributed to each homeroom. The library's collection includes about 15,000 copies representing about 12,000 titles. They also carry 11 student periodicals and 4 professional publications for staff. I learned in studying for the praxis that the accreditation folks recommend including money in the budget to replace about 5% of the collection each year due to loss or damage. The number of missing books at Lufkin was substantially below that. They have a new ILS that does a much better job of tracking books than their previous system. And it is now integrated county-wide. Which means that lost books follow a student from school to school until the fines are resolved. Dianne told me they'd had a student at the high school who couldn't buy a prom ticket until he came and cleared his middle school library record. Bet he had fun explaining that to his date! They do give some students the option of working in the library to pay off their fines if the fines are a hardship. I liked that idea. They don't have student volunteers like Maddie does and I like the idea of students working in the library. Mostly I like the idea of students getting hands-on experiences anywhere they can as a balance to their mostly academic pursuits. But that's another post.


In addition to the new ILS, the librarians also start well before the end of the school year tracking the missing books. Sandra and I went to each home room with the missing books lists and she knew the students well enough to speak to a number of them personally. During the day, Dianne would dash out into the hallways during passing period with a cardboard box asking students for library books while they were rummaging in their lockers. Each trip netted a few.


I'll be interested to see how they've whittled the number down when I go out there next Friday. Then there's the July 4th holiday week, and a new school year begins July 7--for Tracks 1, 2, and 3, that is. Track 4 starts July 27. I'll keep you posted.

Lufkin Middle School

6/5/01 I almost didn't find Lufkin Middle School. It is in the middle of an industrial park. Which surprised me until I learned that it was a renovated pharmaceutical manufacturing facility. Which explains this impressive smoked glass entrance. It is probably the most attractive school I have ever been in. Apparently the county experimented with the cost of renovations vs building new buildings. My two gracious hostesses, Diane and Sandra, could not tell me what the county determined by its experiment, but the school is lovely.

We actually did talk a lot about media center issues, and will do so again on subsequent visits, but taking in this impressive facility was a big part of my first visit and a good place to begin the record of my visits there.

One of the things I particularly liked were the broad, expansive hallways. There is something oppressive about low ceilings and narrow halls with dully painted cinderblock. The whole building has a light, airy feel. This is the entrance to the media center.

This stunning piece of artwork is leftover from the building's previous owners. There is a plaque describing its imagery with relation to the corporation's vision. After the building became a school, resident artists created work along with students to decorate other areas of the building.

This is a mural painted on the walls to resemble a mosaic created under the direction of a resident artist. It is directly across from the media center entrance.

But, of course, it is not the building that makes the school. However, having the funds to create an attractive, exciting learning environment does have an affect on student and faculty moral. They are certainly off to a good start here.

Praxis 0310

I took the praxis this morning. The School Library praxis. Maddie took it a month or so ago and had a nightmare. Her knees bother her. The test location was moved--uphill and upstairs and with no warning or sign posted at the stated exam site. The parking was in the hinterlands. She got lost going back to her car. Folks are supposed to report at 7:30a and start testing at 8:00. Her test was substantially delayed. All in all, it was a long, grim morning. Good news is, she passed. But of course, she didn't know that for a month. All she knew then was that it had been a very rough morning.

I took Friday off work to rest and catch my breath. This is the second week of working four 10-hour days. Last Friday, I spent at Lufkin Middle School--the subject of my next post. It was a lovely day, but a hellacious week. One of my co-workers observed that there was no time to unwind in the evenings and she was sleeping poorly. Me, too, in spades. So I took Friday off. I puttered and reviewed my notecards. I tucked myself in at a decent hour and was just drifting off. My kids are volunteering at a local church camp. At 11:15p, my daughter called to wish me luck. I was so startled by the phone (but deeply touched by the gesture, Jessie) that I couldn't get back to sleep. At 5a I was up to be in Durham by 7:30a. Educational Testing Service, despite getting my credit card number and billing address correct to the tune of $150, could not give a correct address for the building where the test was being given. After a couple of wrong turns on the way, I discovered that the test site was three blocks from the address given and parking was at a premium. Afraid of being late, I ditched the car in a reserved spot and dashed to the building.

This was not the test site that Maddie had used. I was on the campus of NC Central and they were wonderfully organized. There was a greeter to answer questions, rooms were clearly marked, and our proctors were on top of things and got us started on time. Maddie had loaned me her copy of the state IMPACT guidelines and I'd read Information Power for class this term. And I'd bought a couple of review books, so I felt well prepared. What I was not prepared for was how much age and sleeplessness had affected my ability to concentrate during testing.

I've been an online student since 2000, but evaluation has been through either papers and projects, or open book exams. I haven't taken a timed standardized test in YEARS (one reason I chose ECU was that they would not require the GRE again since I already had a masters!). Years. It's a 120 question, two hour test. About question 45 I began to wonder if I'd make it through. The questions were complex and subtle and I was having trouble taking all the details in and remembering why they mattered. And then I discovered that my #2 pencils were SO old (who uses these anymore?!) that the erasers were hard and wouldn't erase. But I got done with 10 minutes to spare so I checked my bubbles, thanked Godde it was over, and began savoring the idea of lunch and a nap. Then I remembered the car.

I'm taking the fact that it was there and unticketed as an omen. And lunch and the nap were as good as I'd imagined. We'll hope for the scores . . .

The Technology Native Crosses the Stage

Photos courtesy of Duane Hall who joined us that evening. Jessie graduated from the Middle College High School at GTCC on May 21. She graduated with honors and 24 other seniors from a very special program. All the students that started the program in her class completed it. 100%. The program is for at-risk kids. They are all going on to school after graduation (all- 100%) and between them have garnered well over $300,000 in scholarships. I didn't know much about the program when I enrolled her in the middle of her sophomore year. I did know that the school she was in had a high drop-out rate, a very low percentage of students going on to college, and the attitude that if she wasn't disruptive, she didn't need help. She has some learning differences, but she's bright and she lays low in class. Nobody cared (except for a new, young, enthusiastic guidance counselor who could not get the teachers to rally behind her). At GTCC, they cared. The theory was that having small classes in the atmosphere of a college campus would inspire students to achieve more. This was an experiment by the Guilford County Schools. The teachers were hand-picked. I was working in Greensboro when I moved her and paid out of county tuition--a modest expense for the tremendous results they achieved. It is just a blessing they had an opening for her at that time. She is going on to Guilford College with nearly half her tuition covered in scholarships and her first year of college credits behind her.

I didn't expect to cry so much. Of course, there was lots of hub bub beforehand while gowns were donned and pictures taken. Then the solemn procession in to Pomp and Circumstance. The heavily gowned officials on the stage and valedectorian all made the required speeches, "Wah wa wah wa wah . . . you are the future . . .wah wa wah . . . you will never forget your friends here . . . wah wa wah . . . follow your dreams . . ." Pretty standard stuff, but I cried anyway. We were cautioned early on to be respectful and not catcall or cheer, but as each name was read, the response got louder. For many families, this was a real first. The valedictorian went through school as a single mom. Each young person had their story and their families were there as witness to their success.

Afterwards, we (miraculously) all found each other in the lobby. There were hugs and more pictures and a few more tears. And cake and ice cream back at the house. And a return to ALMOST normal.