Laurie's Final Reflection

I loved the sense of community that was built during the WtS retreats. A friend asked me yesterday if I was going to camp. Upon reflection these retreats did become that - a place to reconnect with each other and participate in a project that highlights the best ways students can learn.

 

It has been a gift to spend time with students and teachers who care passionately about education. During what has been a difficult year at my school, these periodic meetings reminded me about the possibilities inherent in teaching and learning.
 

I am still amazed by our meeting in October (Halloween!) when students presented their passions to the cohort. I remember thinking how fortunate our world is to have these particular people beginning to use their voices and talents. Later in that evening I was equally impressed when students did the hard work of selecting a unifying theme for their newly developed groups. It took a certain grace to let go of their individual passions and to find commonality for the next phase of this project.

The most challenging part of WtS for me was trying to communicate and motivate members of our DCF group. I struggled knowing how much to encourage or hassle our students; I felt a little at a loss because these were more independent learners than what I am used to as a middle school teacher. 

Additionally, I had the harebrained idea of doing a WtS inspired project with my own students and with a literacy class at my school. I think this split my attention and made me feel somewhat isolated. I wonder how the year would have gone if I had brought some of my own students and simply done the course as is.

Next year promises to be challenging for both professional and personal reasons. Because of this I don't feel I can be part of the team next year. I would like to keep the door open for coming back another year and at that time work specifically on engaging middle school learners and teachers in this work.

A continuing question I have is how to increase the diversity of the cohort. In the very short time remaining this school year I don't know how it could be addressed this year; is there a possibility there could be a recruitment push to Burlington High School and Winooski High School over the summer and first weeks of school? 

Colleen - May 7, 2016

So we are wrapping up our 2015-2016 What's the Story? I cannot believe how far this course has come in just a year.

This  year some highlights have been...
     1. Last night. The viewing of each group's documentary was absolutely amazing. A celebration. 'Nuff said.

   2. Last night when Adrienne said, "as terrifying and intimidating as they were, I loved doing the interviews...it was a novel way for me to conduct research." What a huge transformation for her. So exciting to see and hear.

  3.  Late night conversations with my colleagues. This experience has allowed me to connect with teachers outside my school, and this has been so important to my growth as an educator.

Some challenges...

   1. As I alluded to in my "I am the one who..." writing prompt, it is difficult for me to teach students who I do not see on a regular basis. Human interaction is hugely important to building relationships, and I've struggled to form teacher-student relationships with students I do not see daily.

  2. A lot of chefs in the kitchen. There are a lot of talented and passionate teachers in this program. Often, this is a great thing and makes our work better. Sometimes, it feels like too many chefs in the kitchen. But that's okay. Just like our students have had to learn how to work in a group, so have I.

Next year...I hope some Mt. Abe students will be involved. If so, I hopefully can be an in-building contact person for those students.

Thank you all for a great year. I think we all know where we can grow and change, and we've been lucky enough to experience some huge successes. Cheers!

Bob's Final Reflection

1. As I voiced around the fire last night, probably my favorite thing about being part of the What's the Story team is that it offers a connection to something greater than the typical scenario of one teacher in one classroom. It's refreshing to work with teachers and students from outside my own building, and that collaboration provides a broader perspective on the state of education in Vermont. And of course, there are the students. In many ways, these young people are the cream of the crop: they're independent, intelligent, motivated, and determined. Witnessing their enthusiasm and watching them adapt and grow over the course of the year has been a uniquely rewarding experience.

2. At the same fire I mentioned above, Bill gave students the floor to voice their opinions about how WtS might be improved next year. One of my own middle schoolers, Lydia, contributed her thoughts. Listening to her articulate comments reminded me of how far she's come this year, to the point where she's holding her own with high school juniors and seniors. Lydia herself is aware of the progress she's made, and has, during the course, reflected on how she's developed as a writer and thinker.

3. Probably one of the biggest challenges for me this year came as a result of not realizing at the outset how much of the course would be designed as we went; however, now that we've charted that territory, I suspect next year will be easier to navigate. Also, it was at times difficult to balance the responsibilities of WtS with the demands of my day job. There were periods of stress and mental exhaustion, but as a teacher, that comes with the territory!

4. I'm committed to a second year of participation in WtS. I'd like to:

• recruit more students,
• introduce the program to South Burlington High School,
• continue to work with students as a mentor,
• continue to host students at FHTMS (or any other location deemed suitable) for small group sessions,
• take on more whole-group facilitation responsibilities as needed, and
• remain flexible to help out in whatever ways might benefit the program.

5. Unfortunately, I'll be out of state nearly the entire summer. From mid-June to the start of August I'll be in Santa Fe for my second year of Bread Loaf, and for a week or two after that I'll be in Connecticut visiting family. Still, I'll do my best to keep in touch via email and contribute to WtS in such ways as I can.

Final Reflection of the WTS 2015 - 2016 Team Experience

Hello Team,

Writing this while watching our learners settle into their final breakfast together here in Starksboro at the Common Ground Center. We had a wonderful afternoon / evening yesterday. Today we'll continue to invite our learners to reflect on their learning; we'll also ask them to provide more feedback about their experience and how we can refine WTS to make it even better next year. We'd also like to ask you to post a final reflection for this year that responds to these prompts.

1. When you look back over this year’s experience, what are 2 - 3 of your favorite things about being part of the WtS Team?

2. Please describe one or two specific anecdotes that convey your best experiences with this year’s WtS learners.  

3. What are 2 - 3 challenges / irritations of being part of the WtS Team this year?

3. As we head into this summer, we’ll be looking to make an even stronger WtS Team, and we’re interested in learning whether, and to what degree, you’d like to continue with the team. In this upcoming round, we’ll have more flexibility this year to create a variety of ways for individuals--Bread Loafers and non Bread Loafers--to join our team and serve our learners. Would you like to remain on our team, and if so, please describe bullet / list the way(s) you’d like to contribute to our team?

4. If you’d like to continue with our team, will you be around this summer and/or able to contribute to the refining / re-designing?

5. Finally, please share any lingering ideas / questions about this year’s and/or next year’s experience being a member of the WtS Team.

Kate's March Pause for the Cause

• Overall, how did today go, and what was the vibe by the time the session ended?
• What support / help do you and your students need from us?
• On April 2, we hope that each team can present their works in progress to receive peer feedback. What do you anticipate your team bringing?

The Act 77 Group is an excited and highly functioning group; on Saturday, they were eager to start working together right away. And they did, working predominantly on their own for the day.

They finished their final footage for the documentary--interviewing each other about Act 77/What's the Story. They reviewed Ella's draft of the website and Jacob's current construction of the documentary. Alexa also decided to write a letter that requests administrator's across the state show their documentary to their teachers as a way to foster dialogue about how schools are/will live up to Act 77's vision.

Each students designated their own individual plan, and I am confident they will seek support from us when they need it.

On the April 2nd date, I anticipate the group presenting an near final stage of their documentary, website, and letter to administrators.

Ben's March Pause for the Cause

Saturday was a good and productive day. It really helped that, after an hour of us tslking at them and having them read through the letters and KUDs, they got the opportunity to get messy, talk, get their hands dirty with working, and just be free. The Solsr group made a lot of progress. However, as indigo said, we need to make sure we keep this momentum going. I'm trying to get them to meet for at least an hour again sometime this week to build on their momentum. At this point, they're still not ready to tackle the other menu items, but we'll monitor that progress.

I don't think we need anything other than the time, space and freedom to work.

On April 2nd, I would expect that my group has a draft (probably a VERY rough draft) of their video.

Ben

Courtney's March Reflection

The Emergency Dispatching Group seems to have a fairly clear path forward.  Each member has taken ownership of one product, and there is one student doing most of the editing of the video.  I think the logistical reality that only one student can be the main video editor was causing a rift in this group, but the additional products seem to have allowed for all the students to take ownership over something meaningful, which is helping everyone feel that his/her work is valued, I think.  These additional products might actually be the glue that brings this group together in the end. 

I think this group will need support in two ways: They will need deadline reminders and we could continue to push them in a constructive way to see that their work is their very best.  I will work with one student in particular to make sure she understands the task before her. 

On April 2, our group will be ready to show a draft (maybe close to finished?) of their documentary.  They will also be able to show their website, which will house a variety of other products, which will most likely be in different stages of completion.