The tension between the written and unwritten curriculum

Dr. Stringfellow and I were invited by social studies teacher, Roe Colao, to come and discuss our philosophies on education with her Public Issues class. The class had forwarded us a list 17 questions they had gleaned following a text-based discussion from an article by David Orr. The class asked us to respond to thought-provoking quotes such as, “it is not education, but education of a certain kind, that will save you.” and “much of the current debate about educational standards and reforms is driven by the belief that we must prepare the young only to compete effectively in the global economy”, and “indoor classes create the illusion that learning only occurs inside four walls, isolated from what students call, without apparent irony, the ‘real world.’” I think the discussion went pretty well and I’m sure it was a welcome respite for Dr. Stringfellow from the world of budget in which she is embroiled. The discussion re-affirmed for me the disconnect we have in public schools between what we say we believe and the embedded limitations of the institutional structures we work within in high schools. I have been struggling with that tension recently as the juniors prepare for their SKPades production this weekend.

For those of you who are unfamiliar, SKPades is an annual event at SKHS where the junior class creates a variety show, spoofing life at SKHS, poking fun at students (mostly seniors), administrators, teachers and school initiatives. There are skits, dance routines and video clips, all written, produced and acted by that year’s junior class. The material is topical to SKHS and borrows heavily from current fads and trends, for instance popular movies and TV shows. Much of the class participates, and for many, it is the highlight of their high school experience. Friendships are created and deepened as part of the process. Students who were never leaders in their class become leaders as writers, actors and videographers. The event is also a major moneymaker for the class and the success of the event provides momentum for junior prom and their senior year. As they get closer to show time, the time commitment moves from after-school meetings to extended rehearsal sessions where kids are working until 10 or 11 at night. For many juniors, they are torn in multiple directions during the run-up to SKPades. Homework and other after school activities take a back seat. SKPades is intentionally scheduled in between the winter and spring sports seasons but practice has started and coaches must make accommodations for juniors; athletes miss practices and scrimmages. Most teachers of juniors delay or scale back any major assessments which would require more intensive studying, recognizing the priorities of the juniors. The two faculty advisors of SKPades, despite providing plenty of time for students to write and produce skits (beginning the process months in advance), want to produce a show which is polished and entertaining, which requires intensive time commitment, especially the two weeks leading up to opening night.

There is no question SKPades is a unique community-building event but when I hear a student say to a teacher, “you can’t expect me to get that work done, I’m here at school until 10:00 working on SKPades,” it reinforces that tension between the idea of building community that I discussed with the Public Issues students and the concurrent vision we have here to improve student achievement. How can we honor and make time for such major events without compromising the expectation that students need to be in class, learning what we are expected to teach kids? Is it fair to have a schedule where the two ideals are almost mutally exclusive? In talking to some seniors today, they told me it was very difficult a year ago at this time to focus in class because of the excitement/anticipation/requirements of SKPades. There are skills and experiences that SKPades provides which are hard to find in any academic class; SKPades is that “education of a certain kind” that Mr.Orr talks about in his article. Can we justify the experience if it means that other types of learning cease? It is my job as a principal, to try to answer those questions that were posed by Roe’s class, in a way that we create opportunities for kids to have those experiences that are part of the unwritten curriculum while having fidelity to our school’s – and our state’s – mission of increasing student achievement through the articulated curriculum. Both are valuable but can they effectively coexist together within our present, inflexible institutional structure?

Toby Gibbons

There are many excellent educators at South Kingstown High School. The best of those establish relationships with students both in and out of the classroom. They are sought out by the athletes and the thespians, by the disenfranchised and the kids involved in countless activities. Toby Gibbons is one such teacher. This is Toby’s fourth year at South Kingstown High School. Before landing in SK, he taught both in public and private settings. His multiple experiences have shaped his classroom persona and his decision to make SKHS a part of his life once the school day ends. I am especially impressed with Toby’s presence in the classroom and his ability to sense when to push students and when to provide them support. His willingness to enthusiastically teach the content and skills, but still hold enough distance for his students to consider him a teacher and not a comrade is impressive. Math is one of those subjects where some of us – not just kids – make up their mind that they can or can’t do it before they even try. Toby is not afraid to put the curriculum on hold to make sure that everyone understands a previously taught concept moving forward. I was observing one of his classes last year when he essentially stopped the lesson he was facilitating to review a piece of a test where many students had struggled a few days earlier; you could see the relief on the kids’ faces. Toby has coached soccer and softball at the middle school, and is the head coach of the varsity hockey team at the high school (play-offs begin tonight vs. St. Rays!). A hallmark of Toby’s teams is that they get better as the year goes on. As in his classroom, he understands that “getting it” may take a while but the benefits will be there in the end if he is patient and provides clear, consistent expectations. Toby regularly attends other SKHS events with his kids in tow. He clearly enjoys seeing kids excel in his classroom and on other stages. Toby is one of our ninth grade house teachers this year. I can’t think of a better teacher for freshmen to have: he is a teacher of students as much as he is a teacher of math.

Our Head Custodian

Three years ago, South Kingstown High School was visited by a group of educators as part of a SALT (School Accountability for Learning and Teaching) visit. While the majority of the commendations and recommendations focused on what happens in the classroom, the SALT team couldn’t help noticing the condition of the building. In their recommendations, they state, “This school building no longer promotes or reflects a positive school culture. The school is noticeably dirty and poorly maintained—halls, cafeteria, classrooms, gymnasium, quads, and restrooms. Students report that the restrooms “are disgusting” and that they refuse to use them. Graffiti is a widespread and demoralizing problem for students and adults alike. Broken and/or insufficient furniture, shades, windows, and doors are commonplace.” It was the only non-teaching and learning comment to appear in the report. If the SALT team was to return, they would not come to such a conclusion. The district has provided some additional resources and re-structured how custodians are supervised. There has been some turnover with our custodians but the most important factor in providing a cleaner school has been the work of our head custodian, Carol Leahy. Carol has served as our head custodian for over a year now. She has established higher expectations regarding cleanliness and professionalism for all of the custodians. She is responsive to any emergencies we have and is pro-active around other facilities issues. The cafeteria, which was a dump five years ago, is significantly cleaner. Carol has advocated for and facilitated long-term projects such as re-painting all of the bathrooms; four have been re-painted in the past year. She has lobbied for and received better equipment for the school. She has developed an esprit de corps amongst her staff and worked well with me and her district supervisors. She goes about her job professionally and cheerfully. On a weekly basis, I would hear complaints about the condition of the cafeteria, gym and bathrooms; I rarely hear those concerns any more. Sometimes the importance of a position can’t be measured until someone steps in and makes a difference. That is the case with Carol Leahy.