Learning From The Field

Please consider contributing to this regular column on the Learning Forward Colorado website. Send your essays about learning and professional learning to Joan Watson at watsonj2@comcast.net.

School Culture: Setting the Stage for a Successful Year
"Home Sweet Home to Me"
by Joan Watson

I'm chatting with two lovely eighth grade ladies about their school.

They tell me "We love our school; it is the best!"
"Perhaps it is because of the fabulous students."
They counter, "It's mostly due to our teachers. They are fun! They really like kids."
"Okay, they are fun, but are you learning?"
"We are learning a lot everyday."
"Well, what about how kids get along with each other?"
"We have disagreements, but we have learned how to work them out in a professional manner."

Honestly, I didn't make up these words. Out of the mouths of babes...

This scenario took place during a recent visit to Rocky Top Middle School, home of the Grizzlies, in the Adams 12 Five Star School District. I had the same dialogue several times throughout my visit with essentially the same results - maybe not quite so erudite in wording, but the sentiment was shared. Curious about how a middle school starts the year in a manner to establish community and a feeling of safety, I visited with Chelsea Behanna, Principal at Rocky Top. From among the myriad best practices in place at Rocky Top, I want to share the culture and climate measures that could be replicated in any school, some of them seemingly small gestures that have had palpable results.

The theme at Rocky Top this year is "Home Sweet Home to Me." Uniting activities occur throughout the year celebrating the theme, and the message is clearly felt throughout the school in the demeanor of the students and staff. From the Main Office personnel through the new sixth graders, whose science teacher is quick to tell them how smart they are and what scientists they are, a feeling of connectedness warms the heart and permeates everyone's behavior. This school is a "sweet home."

Creating this environment hasn't just happened magically nor is it sustained without nurture. Intentional steps are taken with each grade level and individual students to ensure that not just tolerance, but inclusivity is the standard for the way everyone interacts with each other.

Sixth graders are given the language to understand what bullying is and what it is not. Through writer's workshop mini-lessons conducted by the school counselors in language arts classes, students write about issues surrounding friendship and the difficulty of leaving their elementary schools to establish their places in this seemingly huge middle school which combines students from five elementary schools. Teachers and counselors use writing as a tool to identify students who are truly in distress, which allows them to become proactive in offering understanding and support.

Seventh grade students receive counselor support that is somewhat differentiated for boys and girls and how they behave around friendship. Chelsea explained that counselors use an eight person raft metaphor. For boys, if they join the raft, they need to be ready for the possible raunchy behavior that may come their way because that is how boys tease and interact. The girls often act as if when a new person takes a seat in the raft, another person has to be thrown overboard. The girls are encouraged to consider that maybe room can be found in the boat without sacrificing anyone. There is always room in your friendship boat.

Eighth graders need to be reminded of dress code and any new school rules, but, generally, they get it. They know what is expected of a Rocky Top student. For the most part, they have internalized high expectations for behavior, know what that behavior looks like, and believe that they are capable of meeting these expectations. When an infraction occurs, the staff uses it as a teachable moment about how to handle the situation more successfully. Students are not just given a consequence without exploring the behavioral changes that could lead to better decisions in the future.

Go to the Rocky Top website and see the "Bully Button" prominently displayed. This safe, non-threatening way for anyone to report bullying allows administrators, counselors, and the School Resource Officer (SRO) to sort through what can be resolved through peer mediation and what requires further investigation and intervention. The Bear Trap Team, a group of teachers who began questioning what could be done for struggling students even before Response to Intervention (RtI) became an educational mandate, conduct their own professional learning by attending workshops and conducting book studies on texts like Clock Watchers (Quate & McDermott, 2009). They are assigned to core teams to make sure that all students are "trapped," eliminating the ability to fall through the proverbial cracks, and receive the attention they need to realize success in school. Chelsea stated that at Rocky Top, with all the strategies in place, staff connects in some significant way with every student every day.

Any of us who have worked as substitute teachers know that different experiences can be had in different buildings, based on the culture of the school. At Rocky Top, the office manager sends an all staff email at the beginning of the day stating who is subbing for whom. The expectation is that Rocky Top staff will lend a helpful hand to substitutes in the building. Further, an administrator briefly visits the classroom in which each substitute starts the day to communicate a message of support. The loud and clear message to students is that this person is a respected teacher from whom they will learn and for whom they will behave according to the Rocky Top standards.

Many wise educators have written extensively about the importance of school culture to student achievement. Appreciation for the good work that staff members do everyday is essential to a positive climate. Small note pads with the school theme printed on the top were distributed to staff at the beginning of the year. The first three pages were filled with personalized messages from the administrative team to each staff member. The expectation was that the remaining pages would be used for messages of appreciation to each other throughout the year. Two weeks into the school year, messages are posted here and there throughout the building. The impact of a simple note of thanks or recognition or appreciation can never be over-estimated.

While there are schools in which some staff members resist lunch and hall duties, this is not the case at Rocky Top. Rocky Top counselors elected to be present in all lunches at the beginning of the school year, looking for students who were struggling with integration into the Rocky Top school community. They looked for loners, for possible bullies, for students who evidenced eating disorders, anyone seeming to feel uncomfortable or unconnected to their school. This proactive stance with the goal of giving all students a positive start to the school year is invaluable for middle-schoolers in a complex, mine-filled stage of life.

School culture is created by the leadership of a building. Chelsea Behanna is an incredibly energetic, positive force for an atmosphere of inclusion, light, and acceptance, but she has not relied solely on her whirlwind energy as the drive behind the positive culture at Rocky Top Middle School. She has had the wisdom to nurture her instructional leaders and other leadership teams in her school to care about their students and each other. Her staff plays games together, supports each other in tough personal times, and celebrates each other successes, large and small.

I surmise that the Rocky Top culture contributes to student learning every bit as much as the adopted math program or how the electives are scheduled. Taking the time to teach students about problem-solving, giving them the vocabulary to use in difficult situations, and clarifying what behaviors are expected within the academic program works to create a calm, but spirited, inclusive atmosphere conducive to teaching and learning. Perhaps these strategies are not brand new, but implemented together with the consistent support of the entire staff, they create an undeniable climate and culture of "Home Sweet Home to Me," a home where middle school students want to be. (www.rockytop.adams12.org)