1. What role does school play in building students’ agency and identity?
I truly believe that my school works very hard in order to build students’ agency and identity. We are a 7 habits school and we empower our students with the 7 habits in order for them to take charge of their learning. Teachers are encouraged to use the 7 habits language as much as possible in order to help students become more familiar with the habits and also to perpetuate the school culture.
We facilitate a variety of leadership opportunities for our students. One example of this is our student ambassador program. Our school is a host to a variety on a regular basis. When these visitors come to our school they are divided into small groups. Each group is assigned a student ambassador who takes them around the school and explains what they are experiencing. These students are so important to the success of each visit because we are an immersion school. Often, our visitors only speak English and are not able to fully understand what they are hearing or reading on our walls. These student ambassadors not only guide them but also help translate for them.
Our school also has a variety of jobs that students can interview for and try to acquire. Some of the jobs are for helping around the school and others are more impactful as the student ambassador job is. We also have a student council. Students run for office and are voted into each position by their peers.
2. How aware are you and your colleagues of the impact our choice of words have on developing students’ agency and identity? Can you give examples?
Because we are a 7 habits school our staff is very aware of the use of choice words in our classrooms. We try to lead by example and model the use of the 7 habits when appropriate. We practice habit 5 - Seek first to understand then to be understood. Our goal is to spark the desire to lead in every one of our students.
3. What would you do, if anything, to make using choice words a more conscious and accountable school wide practice if you were the school leader?
I would give a presentation on their importance of using choice word with your students. One area where I know I can improve and I would like to encourage others to work on is authentic compliments and praising. I would like to encourage other teachers to count how many times in a day they praise their students. I like the idea of video taping a lesson in order to collect data. But teachers are not always eager to allow someone to videotape them. I would model what authentic praise looks like and I would send email reminders out to teachers encouraging them to compliment and praise.
4. What could you do, if anything, to make the use of choice words a more conscious and accountable personal practice as well as one embraced by others on your site? Are those things within your sphere of influence?
I can try to be more conscious of how I talk to my students when I want to change an undesirable behavior. Here are some strategies that I will adopt starting tomorrow. I will….
5. Commit to 5 things you are willing to do this semester that will make your school choose words wisely?
I will...
I truly believe that my school works very hard in order to build students’ agency and identity. We are a 7 habits school and we empower our students with the 7 habits in order for them to take charge of their learning. Teachers are encouraged to use the 7 habits language as much as possible in order to help students become more familiar with the habits and also to perpetuate the school culture.
We facilitate a variety of leadership opportunities for our students. One example of this is our student ambassador program. Our school is a host to a variety on a regular basis. When these visitors come to our school they are divided into small groups. Each group is assigned a student ambassador who takes them around the school and explains what they are experiencing. These students are so important to the success of each visit because we are an immersion school. Often, our visitors only speak English and are not able to fully understand what they are hearing or reading on our walls. These student ambassadors not only guide them but also help translate for them.
Our school also has a variety of jobs that students can interview for and try to acquire. Some of the jobs are for helping around the school and others are more impactful as the student ambassador job is. We also have a student council. Students run for office and are voted into each position by their peers.
2. How aware are you and your colleagues of the impact our choice of words have on developing students’ agency and identity? Can you give examples?
Because we are a 7 habits school our staff is very aware of the use of choice words in our classrooms. We try to lead by example and model the use of the 7 habits when appropriate. We practice habit 5 - Seek first to understand then to be understood. Our goal is to spark the desire to lead in every one of our students.
3. What would you do, if anything, to make using choice words a more conscious and accountable school wide practice if you were the school leader?
I would give a presentation on their importance of using choice word with your students. One area where I know I can improve and I would like to encourage others to work on is authentic compliments and praising. I would like to encourage other teachers to count how many times in a day they praise their students. I like the idea of video taping a lesson in order to collect data. But teachers are not always eager to allow someone to videotape them. I would model what authentic praise looks like and I would send email reminders out to teachers encouraging them to compliment and praise.
4. What could you do, if anything, to make the use of choice words a more conscious and accountable personal practice as well as one embraced by others on your site? Are those things within your sphere of influence?
I can try to be more conscious of how I talk to my students when I want to change an undesirable behavior. Here are some strategies that I will adopt starting tomorrow. I will….
- take a deep breath before I start conversations with my students
- allow proper wait time when asking them to respond
- allow them to respond without interruptions
- look at them in the eyes
- ask them to stand close to me
- speak in a low voice
- repeat their response before I make any comments
5. Commit to 5 things you are willing to do this semester that will make your school choose words wisely?
I will...
- share information about choice words with my principal
- plan on presenting a mini lesson on implementing choice words in the classroom
- ask for permission to present at our next staff meeting
- lead by example and share my experiences with choice words with others in order to encourage them to implement them
- ask teachers to sign a poster where they are committing to implementing choice words in their own classrooms