As I reflect upon my recent reading of the newest This We Believe, the advocacy section struck a chord in me. One of the aspects of middle level education that I have noticed several times that is missing from our building is that of an advisory program. Our guidance counselor has always stressed the importance of all children in our school truly connecting with at least one adult and I thought of that as I read page 35 (especially since it basic restates that same sentiment). I believe that with our initiative laden school, adding another layer like advisory groups may be too much for some to handle, but what an important aspect we are missing! So, how can we get the program started where we have buy in? I would like to think just because it is good for kids would be enough but the overwhelmed feeling of staff would probably only become more pronounced and I am not sure how to handle that.
On page 35 of This We Believe there is mention of maintaining professional development to help be successful in the role of an advisor and I wonder if that is enough of a promise to promote the change in our school. My initial thought is no but I wonder if there are some schools out there where people who are not interested in the advisory program have to become involved. I know some of you who are in class with me have advisory programs in your school so I would love to hear more about what you do. Thanks!
My guess is it's no easy task. We have a principal very committed to our advisory program, but there are still some teachers who are opposed to the amount of time we spend in it over the course of a week. We have it everyday from 8:00-8:25. Two days a week our group walks or exercises and one day a week we SSR. So really, only 2 days a week are left for the "curriculum". This curriculum looks at goal setting, manors, community service, etc. I obviously wasn't there when our school started this program, but I do know it was started by a dedicated/passionate group of teachers at MLEI one summer (before our current principal was even there). Good luck!
ReplyDeleteHey Lee,
ReplyDeleteWe just started an advisory this year. It was interesting when you noted that it is the one key piece of a middle school that your school seemed to be missing because that was really where our administration started in the push for an advisory. The advisory at our school was sort of one of my projects and our assistant principal and two other teachers and I have worked to create and implement the program this year. We used Maranacock Community Middle School and Warsaw as our "exemplary schools" and they were really helpful. Both schools spent A LOT of time creating their program. Warsaw at MLEI and based on the FISH philosophy and Maranacock over a year or so based on Brown University's "The Power of Advisories". We spent, well, not as much time. The biggest piece we had going for us was a dedication to create a place for advisories in the schedule and to make a push for every teacher, support staff member, and administrator (basically all adults but secretaries, ed techs, and custodial staff, and food service staff) to have an advisory. I have to say, even though I was one of the creators and am working to make it happen, I was skeptical of how we implemented it. But, thus far, it's been pretty good. The key has been a couple of things that Maranacock did: 1. Pay the people designing and supporting the program. We used summer work funds and got a pretty good payment for our work. 2. Have it super well planned out and organized well in advance of the day and easy for teachers to use. This is the only initiative added in the last few years that people are tolerating and even generally positive about because it makes sense and is organized.
I'll keep you updated on how we're doing but, so far, so good.
Interesting. The language in TWB has changed from advisory to advocacy. Ideally, a school would not have to have a separate advisory program or time, but in reality, it is difficult for schools to do anything but.
ReplyDeleteThe idea of advocacy is that it is a larger culture in the school where everyone understands AND takes responsibility for every student...paying attention to the needs of each and every person. In reality, it could be team centered where students and teachers should have a close relationship already. In that case, do we need a separate advisory program?
Warsaw MS brought advisory back after shelving a previous iteration from years earlier...but it was intentional and explicit the second time around. Sounds like Sarah's situation is the same now and that is good.
Lee...BTW, I like the new look of your blog!! Ed
ReplyDeleteFor all MATH aficianados...
ReplyDeleteTake a look at the article in the Weblogg-ed blog by Will Richardson that is listed under "Blogs Ed Follows" on my home blog page. Go to "Ideas Wanted: Basketball Math".