On November 10th Mission Generation celebrated the launching of their school program into the United States at Santa Fe South Elementary in Oklahoma City. Rocky and Joske Malloy did a presentation on their school program at Santa Fe Elementary and this is what the Instructional Coach at the school had to say.
Jennifer Lamb wrote:
“Thank you for your presentation this afternoon. I was intrigued at the idea of bringing in a structured character development curriculum to our school and had some very specific expectations, based on my experience with some other programs, and you exceeded them by far. So many times “character development” is centered on, or motivated by, classroom management. Your program seems to focus more on helping students discover who they are, not who others want them to be.
A couple of feedback notes on the principles presented:
- The “creating a blueprint” idea of purpose is powerful. I know you said you never mention the principles explicitly in the curriculum, but I hope this is an exception. Not only do I think it is a perfect way to explain the principle but I also believe you could make it a central concept. You can look at all the principles in relation to this blueprint. It could become part of the everyday language, from 6th grade up, in all areas, asking the child, ‘How does that decision effect the blueprint you have created/want to create?”
- You brought up “push back” from the parents. These are lessons they should, but many aren’t, learning at home. In homes where this is being taught, involved parents are going to do what it takes to make sure what we are teaching them isn’t undermining what they are teaching them at home. This is a good thing. I love the idea of your parent academies to show them what and how these topics are being handled in the curriculum. It brings them a level of peace, but also equips them with tools to help their child at home. How many times do we here from parents, “I don’t know what else to do.” They are asking for help from the school. This will be an amazing resource for them too.
You asked for feedback on how to make the presentation better.
First, you have nothing to be nervous about when it comes to the language differences. Nothing seemed to be lost in the translation. Even times you asked for the “right words” were learning experiences. It made us consider more deeply what you were saying and rephrasing for ourselves (a proven powerful teaching strategy) but disguised as helping you.
Ok, this is where you may not have wanted to ask this of an instructional coach, we tend to be looking at details that may not be as important to others. Please don’t feel you need to change anything based on these comments.
1.The statistics that you mentioned about the impact of your program needs a slide in the presentation. While the numbers you mentioned are impressive, most people react to the visual many times over just the auditory delivery alone. If they can see it while you say it, it will have more power. Plus, they will be able to see it when they ask themselves “did I hear that right?
2. You asked the question early on, “Are you happy about were education is today?” I think I understand what you were trying to ask, but it may be helpful to be more specific, such as:
Are students prepared for life when they graduate school? Are they completely prepared for the next level (elementary to middle school, middle school to high school)? If not, what is missing? Is the curriculum we teach today teaching everything a student needs to be successful?
3. I might suggest, when introducing purpose, you start with the idea of the blueprint and that everyone has a purpose. The gum illustration was good, but seemed to take away from the idea, or take a detour for a minute. Once the “everyone has a purpose” idea is established, you could more easily make the transition to: not only does everyone have a purpose, but everything has a purpose too, and then go into the gum illustration. However, once I see the lesson plans in action, this may be a complete misconception on my part.
4. I didn’t see anything that I would delete completely, I think the core idea that you can not change the quality of the fruit (student’s choices) by taking them out of the picture completely is an essential one. The illustration of the tree is vivid. We need to see what the tree is not getting, or getting too much of, that is causing the issues and address those in order for there to be real change in the choices a student makes. As the students get older, I can see them finding ways to help each other get what they need, merging well with the restorative justice circles.
In the end, just as we tell the students they can’t learn if they are not here, we can not reach them if we send them away.
5. I am very excited. One last suggestion may be to have a short lesson that you actually work with the teachers embedded in this principles presentation. You are planning to do a comprehensive study of the lesson when you come back, and I am excited to participate in that. However, even though it would have taken a little more time, I think it would have been good to have a mini lesson to help bridge between the philosophy and the practical application.
I look forward to our next training. “
Respectfully,
Jennifer Lamb
Instructional Coach
Santa Fe South Middle School
