Student Engagement?

10.06.09 By Kati Delahanty

Imagine trying to engage thirty 16, 17, 18, and 19-year-olds (whom you don’t know) at noon on the last day of summer.

Let me back up. We (Adina and I) are teaching in a new alternative-ed small learning community at Charlestown High School (CHS) this year called Diploma Plus. It’s an incredibly necessary opportunity for the over-aged and under-credited students at CHS.

So, in an attempt to inform our potential students about the philosophy of our program and to start building community, our team decided to have the students join us for an orientation on one of the last days of summer.

Many showed up—some with friends, others with family members, and each with a very real fear that this year, too, will greet them with low expectations and constant reminders of their chronic failure.

As luck would have it, the infocus machine was on the fritz, and we needed to buy some time until we could get the introductory video on Diploma Plus and competency-based grading up and running.

I decided that an icebreaker would save the day—as icebreakers often do.

First, though, I tried out the trusty raised-hand attention signal (God bless you, BTR!), but it turns out that not everyone knows to stop talking when a strange woman (probably a teacher) shoots her hand confidently in the air. They quieted down soon enough, so I suggested we “play a game.” I told the students that they could ask me 7 (because 10 is too many?) APPROPRIATE yes-or-no questions. Usually when I play this game with new students, they ask questions like Do you like to cook? Do you have kids? Do you want kids? Do you drive a car?

Not this group…

Have you ever given a student a bad grade because you didn’t like him?
Have YOU ever been late to school?
Are you only giving these answers because the headmaster is here?

Wow. Adina’s turn!

I knew instantly that these students were not only brilliant but brave.

At first it broke my heart that they used their questions to tempt out hypocrisy and to size-up our beliefs about teaching. But it also left me feeling empowered. These students know what they deserve, and I trust that they are going to advocate for themselves and their learning this year.

I’m proud to be a part of this change. I’m honored to be working alongside my mentor and dear friend for a fourth year. And I’m thrilled to learn from and with Ms. Crocker—a patient, fresh, and innovative new educator. But mostly, I can’t wait to learn from the 60 new teachers who have made it clear, since day one, that they are not afraid to use their voices and to be the main characters in their own stories.