Health & Fitness
Youth from Darien, New Canaan, Norwalk and Stamford express their views on education reform
Guest post by Dod March, Youth Programs Manager, Stepping Stones Museum for Children, on his observations of the Youth Forum series on education reform
By Dod March, Youth Programs Manager, Stepping Stones Museum for Children
On April 26, 2012, I attended the second in a series of Youth Forums presented by The Carver Foundation of Norwalk at Brien McMahon High School, located in Norwalk. Being raised in an educator’s family, then training to be an educator, and subsequently joining the Education Department of Stepping Stones Museum for Children in the capacity of Youth Programs Manager, I have a natural interest in what youth have to say about their education.
Gathered from various nearby towns and from varying backgrounds came six freshmen (Daniela Arbeleaz, Tyron Bullock, and Kaitlin Scott of Norwalk, Venise Louis of Stamford, and Jack Feeley and Zoe Calahan of Darien), two sophomores (Will Cuoco and Abby Herman of New Canaan), and one senior (Meschac Casimir of Stamford). Led by moderator Maggie Gordon, the education reporter at the Stamford Advocate, the panel answered a wide variety of questions that got right to the heart of the matter: what it means to be a student in 2012. It was a simple premise on paper that elicited an incredibly mature set of responses from the young panel.
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“What is it like to be a student these days?”
The panel was posed a series of questions about stereotypes: What kinds of stereotypes exist? Do you contribute to them? What do you observe?
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In response, the panelists demonstrated an activity from their LEAP sessions, answering the question, “What is the stereotype about you that you like the least?” Many of the answers addressed location, such as Darien or New Canaan being seen as “more privileged and entitled” than Stamford or Norwalk. Skin color and school class load (honors/AP courses) also factored into the discussion.
The panelists stated they observed various stereotypes every day, in school and among peers, even from adults in their lives (teachers, parents, etc.).
“Is there anyone who motivates you to be better?”
Families and mentors scored big with motivation, cited as being the main source of positive motivation for the panelists.
Venise, the freshman from Stamford, counted her “haters” among those who motivate her, as she sets out to prove them wrong.
The students noted that friends can hold a person back if they like to drag others down to their level or if they have a toxic lack of ambition. Students suggested hanging out with friends who help motivate in a positive way, as that can be infectious in a good way. Jack, the freshman from Darien, said it comes down to “what you want, not what your friends want.”
“How are you able to do well in school, and if you’re struggling, how do you deal with that?”
The panelists overwhelmingly agreed that having a strong support system involving parents and educators is the main factor in helping them succeed in school.
Students enjoy interesting subjects, and those who spoke admitted to having certain subjects they didn’t like (author’s note: I can relate to this as I hated math in high school, and it was partly due to having weak teachers – I ended up loving it in college). Teachers that make the subjects interesting and relate it well to students often make success easier.
Lack of motivation is a big factor in students struggling in school, or in a specific class. The panel then indicated that learning study skills would help many students gain ground in subjects with which they have a problem, possibly erasing the lack of motivation.
“How do teachers keep you engaged?”
According to the panelists, structure helps keep students moving forward by knowing exactly what is expected of them, whereas a teacher who is “all over the place” makes it hard to focus. Teachers who are enthusiastic and have a passion for what they do spread that energy to students, creating a positive domino effect.
Students have a variety of learning styles (see Howard Gardner’s Theory of Multiple Intelligences), and teachers who can adapt to those styles are most engaging.
“What do teachers do that cause you to ‘zone out’?”
A negative attitude can reflect just as much off the students as a positive one. A teacher that enters a class with an “attitude” will get just as much (if not more) of an attitude from the students.
Monotony doesn’t help. Kaitlin, one of the freshman from Norwalk, said her ROTC teacher is “so boring” because he “says the same thing over and over, every day.” In contrast, Jack indicated his science teacher had the hardest class, but it was one that everyone looked forward to attending because the teacher made it interesting.
Teachers could adhere to a balance of strict and loose in the classroom. Structure, but also a sense of humor, is appreciated. Teachers should also care about the students and make an effort to motivate. Students can perceive when a teacher has “given up” (which goes back to how attitudes can be reflected from teacher onto student and back again). The panelists all agreed that teachers and administrators should establish positive relationships and be visible. This, they say, can demonstrate that those in charge of the students’ educations care about the paths those in their school take.
“If you were principals, how would you run a school?”
The panelists were very enthusiastic about answering this question, providing answers such as:
Have a lot of interaction with the students and show caring about the student body.
Influence and motivate teachers to be the best and also to care about the students they teach.
Be outgoing and fun, and let students see a “lighter side.” Jack presented an example of his principal not only participating in, but winning, a dance contest inspired by “Dancing With The Stars” held at the school.
Create unity with the community, showing that the school cares about its place in the community, and vice versa.
Be visible and visit classrooms, make oneself available to talk with students.
“Why do some students take their education for granted?”
Once again, there was a reference to “reflection,” as it was noted that students taking education for granted could be a reflection of the teacher’s attitude. If the student feels the teacher doesn’t care, why should he/she?
Will, one of the sophomores from New Canaan, felt education “wasn’t as stressed in lower grades” and that he felt somewhat unprepared for the rigors of middle and especially high school.
Some panelists felt some students have a lack of a support system. If no one is there to help, the student will flounder.
Zoe, a freshman from Darien, indicated that students need to realize there is a balance at school of both social and educational factors. The social “temptations” are abound in schools, and a good student will know how to balance social and educational factors.
“Do you look forward to/dread going to school/specific class?”
A bad attitude (student or teacher) can de-motivate a student. Kaitlin expressed that her art teacher “constantly puts [her] down” and she feels like she can’t be “good enough” in the class; therefore, she hates the class.
Personal preference for a subject, or against it, can be a motivating factor. Subjects a student enjoys are easy to look forward to, whereas subjects they don’t like or fear are dreaded. Personal feelings can also contribute. Teenagers often just want to “stay in bed” rather than get up early.
Sometimes all of the homework and extra work involved is “hard work,” and there are times a student just doesn’t want to face it.
“Who or what pushes you away from your goals?”
The panelists overwhelmingly found negative people, and people who offer nothing but “cut-down” remarks, to be the type that pushes one away from one’s goals.
Experiencing failure makes it difficult to come back to the previous level, they said. Some students take a failure at a project personally. Failure, among other stimuli, creates feelings of fear and doubt from within, or a sense of being afraid to try.
“When others set goals for you.” This was explained by Will as a person having one dream of their future, but others (parents, teachers, friends, etc.) saying that person should have a dream that fits their vision instead.
“Does nutrition factor in to your day/life?”
They’re still growing, so if students are hungry, they can’t focus. They’re more concerned about getting rid of the hungry feeling than on their schoolwork. Good school meals would help. The students would feel that the school cared about their tastes and nutrition. They also felt that eating healthy food as a kid will influence their diet as they grow older.
Daniela, another freshman from Norwalk, related that one of her morning teachers always has a ready stock of nutritional snacks so that students who either missed breakfast or are still hungry can stave off the hunger for a little while longer and concentrate on their schoolwork.
The panelists felt that schools should invest in food that was filling and affordable. Venise indicated that her school offers small sandwiches for “too much money.” She said kids would have to spend a lot to get a normal-sized lunch.
“Do teachers give individual feedback?”
Students enjoy individual feedback from teachers so that they can understand when they’re doing well and when they need improvement. If they need improvement, they welcome the chance to know how to improve. The panel wished to see a grading system that not only provided the letter grade, but specific comments that guided them to improving on grades or to staying the course if the grade is excellent. One-on-one conferences would make the students feel as if the teacher had a personal stake in seeing them succeed, thereby making them feel motivated.
“Have you thought about being a teacher? And how do you learn from failure?”
Zoe said she’s still not sure what she would like to be, but that being a teacher would be “really cool.”
To learn from failure, panelists said kids should take responsibility and not blame others for failures. They said to find out what mistakes were made and correct them the next time around.
“What kind of a factor is discipline?”
Everyone said that discipline is a big deal in their households, but they can see where a lack of discipline at home can lead to students acting out in school.
The panelists said there should be a correlation between school and home, that discipline should be spread across both areas, and that students, educators and parents should work together to ensure consistent discipline across the board.
Personally, I take away a great deal from youth forums, as they give youth a chance to voice their opinions that may improve their educational lives. The panelists at this forum, as with the previous Mind The Gap event, carried themselves with a maturity, intelligence, and awareness beyond their years. Many of them still have a great deal of schooling to go, yet are very knowledgeable about what they want out of an educational system.
Certainly, any adults in attendance, especially the “adult listening panel” which provided some of the questions during the forum, would be wise to take into account the thoughts and opinions of the youth who served on the main panel. That deeper understanding between the parties – with the addition of parents and guardians – will only provide a richer, deeper educational experience for all involved.