“There is so much more to education than just classroom instruction. Schools should be using both a proactive and reactive approach to connecting with disconnected students and working on the whole child.” Peter D. Albany, NY
The time finally arrives for both teachers and students to be back in class. This is a time of promise when students are full of great intentions. Everyone hopes to get the top marks, never to miss classes, and to make sure all assignments are done and on time. What do we do as teachers and students when schools re-open in September? A lot! We need to plan ahead, give ourselves deadlines with the goals we set, get started and review our performances/goals for successes and failures making amends where necessary from time to time. Founded in 1943, the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (ASCD) calls on parents, educators, policymakers, and communities to join forces to ensure our children become productive, engaged citizens. As an educator and a member of ASCD, I bring to readers a few words of advice from the Association as the school year begins.
Advice from ASCD:
The Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (ASCD) proposes a broader definition of achievement and accountability that promotes the development of children who are healthy, safe, engaged, supported, and challenged. It asks policymakers to ensure conditions that support comprehensive approaches to learning — for engaging the whole child. It asks that communities look at the whole picture and make sure that:
• Each student enters school healthy and learns about and practices a healthy lifestyle.
• Each student learns in an intellectually challenging environment that is physically and emotionally safe for students and adults.
• Each student is actively engaged in learning and is connected to the school and broader community.
• Each student has access to personalized learning and is supported by qualified, caring adults.
• Each graduate is challenged by a well-balanced curriculum and is prepared for success in college or further study and for employment in a global environment.
ASCD is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization that represents 175,000 educators from more than 135 countries and 58 affiliates who advocate sound policies and share best practices to achieve the success of each learner.
So what do we have to do as students and teachers back at school? Mine is just a contribution to the broader discussion.
As Students:
There is a Ghanaian adage that says, “no one drinks a medicine for a sick person.” The Brookview Middle School in Toronto carries the following words as its motto: “Success Has ‘U’ in It.” Oh, how true! Students must know and understand that they go to school to learn. Though teachers are there to help them learn, much of how they succeed as learners depends on them.
The long vacation often causes students to forget most of what they have learned the previous year and since the early days of the new school year are used to revise stuff learned at the previous grade level students ought to take such days seriously. There should not be playing of truancy.
Parents buy a lot of school supplies for students at the start of the academic year. Students must respect and take good care of such supplies. In Ghana for example, students in boarding houses often lose their items to petty thefts. I remember last my son at SSS lost a brand new organizer I sent to him from Canada. My boy could have been more careful than he did with his organizer.
Also, students are back at school. They should therefore cut the time they spend playing or watching television late into the night. Many students are late to school in the mornings because they don’t go to bed early. Punctuality, timely completion of homework and positive attitude toward studies are obvious hallmarks of success at school and all students ought to chalk them! For safety sake, university and college students who rent rooms outside their school premises must ensure that such rooms are equipped with smoke alarms, carbon dioxide detectors and fire extinguishers. When there is fire alarm in schools or dormitories students must get out of the place immediately. They should not wait to investigate the fire alarm. Just get out of the place! Also, students must not go to school with any prohibited items such as knives, fire crackers and toy or real guns in their back packs. They endanger the safety of the school when they send such items to school no matter their good intentions, and therefore become culpable.
As Teachers:
Teaching is a profession and those who enter it must demonstrate professionalism in the duties. It is the duty of every teacher to prepare for the school year. It therefore incumbent upon every teacher to go through the curriculum he/she will be teaching for the school year and plan the syllabus for the year or at least the term before the students return to school. This will help the teacher to identify the resources and materials that will be needed in the classroom for the teaching and learning process. Such teacher preparation ensures smooth classroom work for the school year provided class management is professionally handled by the teacher.
It is also important for the teacher to set classroom rules with students and see to their enforcement throughout the school year. Teachers are also obliged to support the school administration in school discipline from the word go! I personally believe in preventive discipline and admire the teacher who employs such administrative tool.
Team work with fellow teachers as well as parents is what I advocate for every teacher at the beginning of the school year. The teacher must introduce him/herself to the parents of his/her students as early as possible. Call home and talk to the parents of your students. Seek the support of parents to make sure your students succeed. Co-operation of parents in the teacher’s work is very necessary and the earlier it is sought the better!
Parents Take Note:
Some parents even fail to supply their children with basic back to school materials such as pencils, pens, erasers and exercise books and still expect their child to do well at school! Parents who can must help their children to do their homework from school. Set aside a common study time at home for studying, reading and quiet activities. The experts would say, “Do your best to avoid arguments during that time, and encourage your children not to cram in homework just before bedtime.” As parents we must show concern for our children’s education as they are back at school and help keep them in school till a successful completion. Just play your part!
Let’s have a nice and peaceful school year wherever we are.
Views expressed by the author(s) do not necessarily reflect those of GhanaHomePage.
