| 1. | 2/5/2008 2:08:00 PM | Our demographics are changing, let's make sure our staff demographics change too. |
| 2. | 2/5/2008 2:29:00 PM | I feel that providing guidance instruction in the classroom to students is extremely important in developing a respectful learning community. Although we’re recognizing the need for such instruction, teachers feel that it is hard to fit into their schedules. I try to incorporate social skills and guidance topics into my reading curriculum for students with special education needs, as well as do a 30-minute guidance instruction 3/10 days. I can understand how general education staff feels overwhelmed with curriculum and perhaps we need to explore some writing or reading curriculum that has a guidance message to it. |
| 3. | 2/5/2008 4:58:00 PM | With this in mind, should we really have cut elementary guidance services so drastically? |
| 4. | 2/5/2008 6:21:00 PM | It's hard to build a learning community when we have a very full and expanding curriculum and assessment requirements. Where's the time? Also, what has happened to the class size guidelines? |
| 5. | 2/5/2008 6:53:00 PM | Yes, but lets focus on the diversity within our community of learners |
| 6. | 2/5/2008 7:02:00 PM | Hire minority teachers when possible. |
| 7. | 2/5/2008 9:28:00 PM | We need to address this more...meeting the needs of all of our students and their families...no matter what type of family it is. We also need respect learning communities in the classroom! Research shows that activities like the Morning Meeting or TRIBES...including guidance counselors in the classroom increases classroom cohesiveness and respect. We are seeing huge issues in these areas in our buildings because we have been told there is not time to include that in our day! This is not respecting what our students need! Academics will never increase...proficency will not increase if there is a classroom where students do not feel like they are connected to each other and their teacher...and their building. Respect of each other...a learning community must come first in the classroom...respect of how we learn differently needs to happen before any academic area or differentiation program. Teachers must be heard and understood on this topic! |
| 8. | 2/5/2008 11:03:00 PM | Roger Goppelt helped a lot with this when he was in the classrooms. I feel our students are beoming more violent and less sensitive. |
| 9. | 2/6/2008 3:07:00 AM | Additional counseling support is essential for this to occur. Again, our students have many needs outside of academics. In order for such a community to exist, they need support. As their general education teacher, I do not have the time or training to play this role more than I am currently doing. I still observe students needing more. |
| 10. | 2/6/2008 3:05:00 AM | Recognize that some schools, such as Luther have a very diverse population. ELL's, special ed. kids, and some lower income kids require a lot more time and effort. Understand that smaller class sizes might be necessary to meet the needs of our diverse population. |
| 11. | 2/7/2008 5:36:00 PM | I firmly believe in building classroom community. There is not a lot of time to include this into our already busy schedule. I also feel that there are many student emotional needs that the grade level teachers cannot help the students out as much as they need. Throughout the years the students are coming with more and more social/emotional/special needs and they need more help and support from a regular guidance teacher that can give the attention that they need and deserve to receive. If there are emotional problems happening in a student's life whether it be with friends at recess or outside of the school day, it is going to affect that students ability to learn. The students need and deserve to have a person to talk to one-on-one without the other classmates around to hear the conversation. |
| 12. | 2/7/2008 9:39:00 PM | I don't think diversity is addressed enough with our students. Diversity is more than just celebrating a holiday or special day or month. Diversity needs to be seen in everything we do! |