FROM "POWS" TO "WOWS"

FINDING JOY IN LEARNING IN TODAY’S WORLD

By Caitlin Jones, Middle School English

As a coach, I talk to my golf and softball teams about turning “pows” into “wows”. “Pows” can be areas of improvement or low moments in a golf round or game. I challenge them to reflect on the “pows” and how to change them into “wows”. Before a “pow” can change into a “wow” there has to be a mindset shift. This shift causes you to reevaluate your game plan, make changes, and improve. Through this process, you discover that on the other side you are stronger and more equipped. As the Middle School began preparing for an unprecedented school year, we knew there would be some “pows” along the way just because of changes that had to be made for the safety of our school community.

Over the past two years, the Middle School has striven to develop a classroom environment that is student-centered. An environment that places the student at the center of the learning, where the student is the producer and the teacher is the facilitator. Through this focus on student engagement, the Middle School has found a new joy in learning.

A joy that has deepened teacher-student relationships and turned the classroom inside out. As I tell my teams, “When the momentum shifts to the other team, our team loses ground.” We did not want to lose the momentum that had begun in Middle School.

Going back to the fundamentals of structuring an effective lesson, we reflected on where to start. We began with writing essential questions to match our standards that would help us maximize and structure the learning time in the classroom. Recognizing this we knew we had to tweek old strategies and find new creative ones to ensure that we continued to foster collaboration, communication, and creative thinking. It was important to us that the joy of learning remained at the forefront of the school year.

As you walk the hallways of the Middle School you will find that social distancing and masks have not stopped students from engaging in learning opportunities, such as solving ratio problems in math with fruit loops, having hearty Harkness discussions, collaborating on group projects, dissecting sheep brains, and future meteorologists giving the daily weather report.

Moving the classroom outdoors has given students the space to work together and move. This also has opened the door for virtual students to join the learning on campus which is always met with smiles and laughs from the students. Chalk has been a handy tool this year. Math has used it to work problems on the sidewalk. Language Arts used chalk to demonstrate the theme and characters of their book club books in murals in the parking spaces. Science labs have been brought to life outside too. Fifth-grade students practiced the steps of the scientific method by exploding sodas, leaving the parking lot sticky for days. The sixth graders prepared chemical and physical reaction labs in teams, then demonstrated them in real-time outdoors for their peers.

This has been a year of firsts. Our wonderful technology team worked so hard to equip each middle school student with a personal Chromebook. We are so thankful for this tool in our classrooms. To prepare the students for this new responsibility of their own school device, we had a snow day! We transformed the Middle School into a winter wonderland, got cozy in our “Zoom attire” (school uniform on top and comfort on the bottom), and had our own virtual day at school. The students learned how to Zoom, and how to be professional on camera and through email.

Changes in schedule and routine can sometimes create new, unexpected opportunities. We were disappointed about not being able to worship together in Warrior Hall, but the format change of chapel and moving lunch to the classroom have created intentional opportunities for conversation between students and teachers. Although teachers were initially concerned that the masks and social distance would hinder getting to know the students, teachers actually feel a stronger connection because of the increased opportunities for building community. While changes were made mid-year to the advisory period last year, the renamed and rebranded advisory time now called Compass (Community, Others, Myself, Planning, Academics, Spiritual, Support) serves as a model for developing deep relationships between students and teachers.

Though the 2020-2021 school year was met with many challenges and with no road map, the Middle School’s dedication to high engagement and finding joy in learning has remained the number one priority. The “More Than Conquerors” theme this year has resonated with me as I think about turning “pows” into “wows” and conquering the unknown. Because of these challenges, I have become a stronger teacher. Even when the dust settles and the current safety restrictions are no longer required, my mindset on teaching and learning (in the words of Elphaba from Wicked) has been “changed for good.”