Brockbank Junior High – Magna
1. Can you tell me what team teaching looks like in a middle or junior high school?
My school uses teams of teachers who teach the 4 Core subjects, English, Math, Science and History who collaborate once a week, lesson plan and discuss student progress together. Each of these teachers also shares the same students. 7th grade attends their core classes in the mornings, 8th grade attends their core classes in the afternoon. The Elective teachers are not part of a teaching team.
The teachers are able to make the choice whether to put the students into ability tracks if they so choose. It isn’t my favorite way of doing things, but they do have that option. The teams are in charge of 100 kids and it is the TEACHERS who divide up the kids schedules and are also the ones who make changes to the kids’ schedules. For example, if Tim has a problem with his Math teacher, then the Core team meets with the parents. If there has to be a change, the teachers decide when the student will take certain classes. If a student doesn’t want to be in a particular teacher’s class, then the student is not only removed from one class, but from the entire team of core teachers.
Teams set up this way are a huge support for new teachers. If there is a problem, it isn’t just the new teacher and parents; it is the whole core team of 4 teachers. This is great backup for the new teacher.
2. How much emphasis is placed on Student centered teaching?
There has been a huge movement to incorporate the student’s background and knowledge into our classrooms. I work with my teachers through teacher development programs to teach these concepts. They also learn in their PLC’s and I send the teachers to a state-wide conference to improve their teaching. It is a constant process.
3. How do the PLC’s work within your school? Some do them according to subject, what does your school do?
Our PLC’s are done on early release Fridays and are usually done within the core teams. Once or twice a month, we have an extended PLC meeting for all of the teachers. In those meetings, I expect each of my teachers to be an “expert” at Management, Teaching and Learning or Learning Supports. Then, we have each teacher or team, teach the rest of us.
4. Do many of your teachers teach around certain themes?
I require 1 integrated thematic unit be taught by my teachers at least once per quarter that is cross-curricular. Plus, with the new core, writing has to be taught in every class. Not just English.
5. Are the students in your school separated according to grade level? Lunches, lockers etc?
Oh, I wish our school was built with the different halls. This school is so old, that we can’t facilitate completely different spaces for each grade. However, the 7th and 8th grade students have lockers in the same space, but 9th graders lockers are located in a separate building, our new Science building.
For lunches, the 7th grade and half of the 9th grade have first lunch and then the 8th grade and the other half of the 9th grade have second lunch. The 9th graders don’t really pick on the younger kids.
6. What type of advisory groups does your school utilize?
We have advisory periods and teams who help kids who need remediation, homework help or just more learning time. Oh, that is for 7th and 8th grade. For 9th grade, the advisory times are coordinated through the Elective teams, that way; it doesn’t interfere with their Core classes.
7. What seems to be the most effective way to discipline your students?
The biggest disciplining that goes on in my school is done in the Core teams. However, we also do lunch detentions. We don’t do after school detentions. There are phones in every classroom as well. It is good because then the teachers can have the students call their parents to tell them that they didn’t do their homework or were unprepared. Something like that.
We also do overnight suspensions. The suspension starts at 2:45, after school ends, and then the parents are required to bring the student in and have a meeting to get the student back in school. By doing it this way, the student doesn’t miss school (something they might want to do) and it forces a meeting with a parent or guardian. Sometimes that is hard to accomplish otherwise. If the parents show up for the meeting, then the student is off suspension.
For serious stuff like guns or drugs or fighting, then I follow the Granite School District policies.
8. What types of extracurricular activities are offered?
All the normal ones. Basketball, soccer, volleyball, etc. We also have a Youth City Services center here where the students do 30 minutes of homework time and then the rest of the time is attending enrichment classes of some kind. Every Wednesday they go on a field trip. For the Youth City thing, we never turn anyone away if they can’t pay.
We also have student government leaders, cheerleaders for the 8th and 9th grades and at Thanksgiving and Christmas, we have a Community of Caring that does food drives and Holiday service projects.
9. Does your school use some type of reward system?
Yes. We use what is called a “token economy.” Kids can earn tokens for all kinds of good behavior and then during lunches, they can purchase stuff in our school store, like pencils and school supplies, t-shirts and at Christmas time, the kids can save up their tokens for little gifts.
We also offer a Renaissance group that kids can take part in also as a reward. With that group, depending on GPA or improvement, kids can earn free tardy tickets or free homework passes.
10. What kind of relationships seems to help the kids while at school?
The #1 factor to keep a child engaged in school is 1 caring adult. Kids don’t remember the classes they took at this age, but they do remember specific teachers who helped them feel cared for.
11. What are some ways that you feel teachers can show that they care about their students?
At this age, kids can still be influenced by adults around them. It is really important that you meet them at the door as they come into class. Also, check on their grades often to let them know how they are doing. If they are absent, acknowledge that they were gone and ask where they were. Make positive phone calls home. Send a good note home at least once a year. All of these things don’t take much time, but they make a huge difference.
12. With regard to parents, are there any differences of parent involvement depending on social and economic situations of the families?
Yes and no. Lower income parents want the same things for their kids as higher income parents. They are just as involved, but sometimes don’t know what involvement looks like. Lower income and especially immigrant parents really value educators and school leaders, much more than some of the higher income white majority parents who believe because they went to college, they know about education. We are trained professionals, but for some reason, educated parents sometimes forget that.
13. Do most of the kids generally get along?
Yes. But the schools are not without challenges. One of the biggest challenges we face here in Magna is the ethnicity barrier. The Latino kids seem to segregate themselves from the rest of the students. They become a culture within a culture. We have really worked on overcoming that in our school. It is really tough.
How have you stemmed the tide of voluntary segregation?
We don’t let any of the kids play the race card. We respect the kids and they in turn respect each other. We model appropriate behavior. Kids notice. The kids know we like them and they act like they are liked. It makes a huge difference.
14. What are some things that stand out about middle school aged kids that new teachers should know?
These kids want to be adults but are still kids. Never get into a power struggle with a teenager. Give them choices. Let them think that they are in charge. Remember, you can still be an influence. It isn’t too late yet. Build on their background knowledge. They have so much to offer.
