In your own words, describe "School Climate".

         -School Climate is the standard of how students experience school in their everyday lives. The school climate is made by the actions and behaviors of the students, parents, and faculty, which dictate the common occurrences, grades, and teaching and learning effectiveness. An example would be my high school’s football games. Every one, home and away, is packed with our fans, students, teachers, parents, etc.… we mention it several times throughout the week and have two pep rallies. It is a positive thing to us and everyone loves going.

 

 

In your own words, describe "School Culture".

         -School Culture is sort of the “unwritten rules” of that particular school. It is how the school member feel collectively. Because of the school climate, a praise or a stigma can be set on a day or certain activity which is school culture. In most American high schools, there is a hatred of Mondays because it is the start of and school week; And Fridays are loved, because it is the beginning of the weekend. This was not true for my high school, because our school culture was different. It may have been done on purpose, but we always had a really special lunch on Mondays, so everyone loved Mondays. It was Wednesdays that everyone hated. We would start off the day with a two-hour chapel that was incredibly boring. So it was our school culture to bring pillows for the hard bleachers on Wednesdays.

 

Describe the four (4) dimensions of School Climate.

         -Safety- “Referring to the physical and emotional safety of students and the rules and procedures in place to ensure student safety.” The importance of safety in school is that if I student does not feel safe in their environment; they cannot perform well. A student cannot succeed if they are constantly having to “Watch their back.”

         -Relationships- “Students social support from educators and parents, the level of respect students has for others, school and community engaged, and the student and parental leadership.” When a student has friends and feels accepted, they will be a confident student, who is more likely to participate in class because they feel comfortable.

         -Teaching and Learning- “a positive and professional student-teacher-school relationship, social and emotional skills training, civic education, and positive support for learning.” One of my favorite quotes by Theodore Roosevelt is “They don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.” This is very true. A teacher has to show that they care about the students and material, because if they don’t, the students wont either.

         Institutional Environment- “the physical environment of the school.” Because if I school is placed in an unsuitable place, it can effect learning a lot. If a school is built in the middle of a busy city, the traffic noise may disrupt the school causing a permanent distraction.

 

The "Whole Child" initiative seems to be interwoven with School Climate. Describe the "Whole Child" approach towards education.

         -Our current educational system focuses solely on the academics of learning in school. The “Whole Child” initiative proposes that instead of ONLY teaching children about practical knowledge, we also teach them about themselves and why they are special. Could you imagine the more self-confident students the teachers and parents would be creating? With more self-assurance, children will feel they can accomplish anything. And the Whole Child initiative is not just for self-esteem purposes. They need supportive environments that nurture their social, emotional, physical, ethical, civic, creative, and cognitive development. Thereby, educating the whole child; making their passion for learning bigger and not JUST their brain.

 

Regarding the video for this lesson, would a positive school climate and whole child approach save this school? Describe.

         - Yes, I believe that a positive school climate and the Whole Child initiative would greatly change the school for the better; however, I do not see how anything could make this school worse. First, the school must apply the Whole Child concept. With only teaching the academic necessities, the school is setting themselves up for failure. Before a child is force fed information, it is significant to mention why it needs to be learned. This video states that 40% of their students come from areas of poverty; well, with poverty, but not necessarily all the time, comes non-active parents, who may not be around to explain to their child the importance of school and a decent education. With this being a factor, the student sees school as an annoyance and will more than likely not do well or even try. So a child needs to be taught why they are learning and the outcome of learning, like going to college and getting a good job to provide for their families. The reason why this school is filled with so many “ill-tempered” students is because most of them do not believe they can get into college, which brings them to ask themselves “What’s the point of school, if it’s not taking me anywhere?” This is why so many altercations break out; the students, who are not participating in classes, are simply, bored.

Second, after the students know why they are there, it is then the positive school climate can be implemented. Now that the students are aware of the importance and outcomes of school, they can see their potential abilities. This could start a chain reaction. The students are now trying in class; the teachers, then, begin to set their standards a lot higher. Sense the school climate is based on the actions of mostly the students, it could be something as small as a freshman seeing a senior with good grades get a scholarship for college. This inspires said freshman to begin caring more about his grades. He begins to study more which involves his friends too. After hearing that this senior, now freshman in college, was able to move out of his parent’s home and into a dorm of his own with the scholarship money, the other high school want this as well. Studying and making good grades is not “lame” anymore. And it’s something as simple as that, that can completely turn the school around.

 

 List and describe some of the positive outcomes associated with a positive school climate and educating the whole child.

         -School Pride- students who love their school also want it to succeed. By cheering on the sports teams, more students have common ground to share with each other.

         -Higher grades- with a more positive environment, student will attend school more often and have more chances to complete school work.

         -Self-confidence- a student who feels comfortable in the school will also feel confident enough to participate in the class room.

 

 

What can schools do to develop a positive school climate? Describe.

         -well a positive school climate can be obtained in many ways. A lot high school students can be reached through their stomachs. Just like my school did, having a special lunch on Mondays which made us want to come to school. This is not the only way though. Keeping the students interested in class and making it also fun with more than likely strengthen their positive outlook on school. Just like Strawberry Mansion, a school with a negative school climate is usually caused by bored students who do not pay attention in class because they think it is pointless and no one has told them otherwise.

 

What can YOU do, as a teacher, to help develop a positive school climate? Describe.

         -A positive school climate can be maintained by having students with school pride and appreciation for their teachers. As a teacher, you are the star of the show. The students show up to listen to you, so provide them with information that is beneficial to them and the school. First, school pride is essential for a positive climate. It has been proven that sports and other school activities bring students together. So anytime I can attend a school event, I will. And I would also mention it in class. The more students get together, the more they will realize they have in common; and what better way to show school pride than cheering for your sports teams? Second, students need to respect their teachers; And this is not solely based on their own opinion. Last semester, I was so upset that I has to take a certain class. I never did well at this subject, and it would often frustrate me. Fortunately, I had an amazing professor who made it interesting. I never missed a class. While education is a main part of the schooling process, it would not hurt to make sure my students are having fun as well.

 

Summary:

This lesson really got me thinking about the other responsibilities I may have as a teacher. It not just about giving students the information and expecting them to retain it, but also being concerned about their outlook on education. Do they know why they are learning this? Why it is important? Why they are even here? And your action in school can affect theirs. If you show up late and act like you do not care, they will not either. It will be our job to equip the worlds next leaders with the tools they need to be successful.