What do you want your child to be when she grows up? Most of us want our children to explore their talents, join activities with friends, be responsible and productive citizens, and have fun. We also, of course, want them to be prepared for their adult roles—including holding a job. However, many schools today focus on core subjects, such as math and reading. Instruction often revolves around drilling for test results. Many educators say that's not enough.
Several speakers at ASCD's conference shared their strategies for helping students explore multiple talents and become well-rounded individuals—in other words, strategies for supporting the whole child's learning.
Healthy and Wise
"Education is the great equalizer," said former Surgeon General David Satcher during the Opening General Session, noting that his teachers never gave up on him and thereby gave him a chance to become a doctor. But even when students have access to a good education, their learning can be hindered by health issues, Satcher said during his session, The Obesity Epidemic: What Is It Costing Schools?
Mental disorders are one of the major threats to health and learning, Satcher told the audience, explaining that 13.7 million children each year suffer from diagnosable mental illnesses. Because of the stigma that our society still attaches to mental health problems, many of those children go undiagnosed. "Unfortunately, many of those children end up in the juvenile justice system," he lamented.
When dealing with mental illness, educators should not underestimate the importance of physical activity, Satcher said. Physical activity, in fact, was part of the prescription he dispensed during his tenure as surgeon general of the United States.
To follow Satcher's Prescription for Health, you should
- Get moderate physical activity at least five days a week for 30 minutes each day.
- Avoid toxins—tobacco, illicit drugs, and abuse of alcohol.
- Eat at least five servings of fruits and vegetables a day.
- Practice responsible sexual behavior, choosing abstinence when appropriate.
Educators can and should help their students stay healthy, Satcher asserted. "Schools play a critical role in helping students and helping themselves by addressing physical activity and nutrition." Satcher pointed to the Action for Healthy Kids program as good teaming of health and education leaders who are working to make a difference. Unfortunately, "we often don't allow our findings to affect our practices or even our policies," he said, but we must try. "Not failure, but low aim is a sin," he said, "and I hope that we will never be guilty of low aim when it comes to our children."
Satcher
Empowering Students
As educators aim high, they'll find more students take the higher path when they feel empowered and understood. That's the message from a presentation focused on helping students make healthy decisions and take constructive action.
Too often, educators are competing with TV, which has a clear and consistent message: sex, drugs, and violence, said Stephen Sroka, a health education consultant. But teachers and students have the power to make a difference by doing the right thing, right now, Sroka insisted. Teachers need to step in when they see bullying or other inappropriate behavior, he said, because "what you permit, you promote."
Sroka is a dynamic speaker who knows the value of showing rather than telling. He let students from Saint John Neumann High School in Naples, Fla., speak for themselves at his session titled Student Voices from the Trenches—Are You Listening? Mark Anthony Rosa, a freshman, acknowledged that drugs, violence, and bullying distract students from their learning. What does he find engaging at school?—sports, music, and math, he said, adding that "happiness is scoring a goal or learning a new song on my guitar."
Sroka
Mark Anthony's sister, Daniella Rosa, noted how bullying at her old school had cast a shadow over her entire learning experience. Now a junior at Neumann, she said, "it is a whole different atmosphere." Daniella and her family found that one of the biggest problems with bullying is denial among teachers and parents.
Sroka asserted that adults need to break down the cycle of denial and fear and foster these protective factors for students:
- A family who will love them unconditionally.
- Friends who pull them up and not down.
- Faith and a moral compass—a sense of right and wrong.
Peer pressure from friends is a big issue, noted Neal Ashby, a junior. "Most kids say they don't care about being in the ‘in crowd,’ but they really do," he said. When they don't have access to enough activities, kids turn to drinking on the weekends. Unfortunately, alcohol and drug use are big problems for high school students, Neal said frankly, and they can lead to sexual promiscuity. Then, as kids strive to keep up with their peers' level of coolness, they get into trouble.
Another junior, Alex Masud, emphasized the importance of teachers and parents demanding that students take the right path. Educators can help students set priorities to be sure they get the most out of their education, he said. Alex noted that his parents have taught him that working and learning are important so that he knows about the world he lives in. "Education doesn't mean anything unless you know how to use it," he acknowledged.
Mark, Alex, Neal, and Daniella
Exercising Your Freedoms
Another presentation, Promoting Democratic Leadership with Elementary Students, focused on empowering students and helping them find their voice through the morning meeting and other activities at Nursery Road Elementary School in Columbia, S.C. Nursery Road's morning meeting strategy is derived from The Morning Meeting Book by Roxann Kriete, and the approach involves students greeting each other, sharing events and accomplishments, conducting group activities, and announcing news and information. The morning meeting helps build a sense of community in the classroom because it ensures that "every single person is acknowledged every day," noted kindergarten teacher Patty Law.
Law
Students conduct the meeting, and they form a self-governed group. The meeting gives students a voice and some decision-making opportunities, and Law found that, since the group's implementation, student behavior has improved. When students feel alienated, they tend to lash out, she said, and the meeting instead helps them feel connected and gives them practice speaking up.
Besides giving students a voice, Nursery Road is giving them a vote. The school offers consistent opportunities for students to vote on things like their favorite book, their choice for a family night movie, and their favorite cookie to be prepared in the cafeteria. The school also sponsors a voter registration drive for 18-year-old high school students. The drive involves representatives from each grade, kindergarten through 5th. The students take such pride in their work on the drive, noted Spanish teacher Bonnie Jean Avilez, and it's a positive experience for the high school students as well. One high school student noted in a videotape made during the voter registration drive, "We gained so much pride in this civic process. We really admire you guys for your maturity and your knowledge of the registration process."
Avilez and Kennerly
Many of these activities at Nursery Road have been supported by the First Amendment Schools program. ASCD and the First Amendment Center sponsor the program, which currently provides support to 15 schools. Nursery Road is finishing its third and final year as a grant recipient. Principal Mary Kennerly noted that the First Amendment is a big part of the school's culture. "Our students know the First Amendment like they know the Pledge of Allegiance," she said.
Molly McCloskey, ASCD's director for First Amendment Schools, said the program extends beyond students to the adults in the school community, helping them consider how to solve problems and disagree respectfully. Kennerly acknowledged that the adjustment is not always smooth. "The first time I got a petition from the faculty, that was a challenge." Learning from the experience, her staff formed a solutions team to deal with these types of problems in the future.
As a staff, be prepared to discuss new ways of responding to students, McCloskey advised. "When you give kids a chance to voice an opinion, it might be different from yours. What do you do then?"