Creating a Positive Culture

                When it comes to improving the culture in the classroom my school district has done a good job in a couple areas. One of the min focuses, which has worked in my mind, is actually our discipline system.  Students are given a set number of points, which they can “earn” before the consequences are given out.  The scale is the same for every student and the administration does a great job of giving out points on a consistent and fair basis.  It may seem odd to choose a discipline system as something which improves the culture of a school, but I truly believe having a system in place in which all students know they will be held to the same standard is very important.  I have worked in other schools when they did not have a system in place for consistent consequences for the actions of students and no one knows what to expect when a student is sent to the office for issues in the classroom. 

                The great thing about a set discipline standard is everyone knows the consequences beforehand and students know what to expect.  This helps to create a positive culture where students understand expectations of behavior and can rely on the system to punish students fairly who continuously break the rules.  Just like in the classroom, when students understand what is expected of them they are better able to manage their day and can better handle situations as they arise.  This ability leads to students who look forward to coming to school and can enjoy an atmosphere free from distraction.  There is really nothing I would change about the way our administration enforces this policy, they do an overall great job with it.  I hope it continues to help build a positive culture for years to come. 

                As with all schools there are things I wish were done a little bit differently.  Over the past couple of years, we have tried to institute a character education program within the building.  The program focuses on trying to give students a better idea of what it means to be an all-around good person in society.  I know many schools have been pushing these programs over for a while now, and I genuinely believe they serve a good purpose.  The issue I have is within our school we have not done an adequate job bringing the information to students.  In the current set up one teacher is responsible for giving one lesson to each grade level over the course of four weeks.  This process then repeats itself over the course of the semester.  While I like the idea, the execution leaves kids with a sense of dread when they have to take the time out of their seminar to go to the class.  It also puts a lot of pressure on the teacher responsible for the lessons to come up with new and engaging ideas on a regular basis for students who do not really want to be there. 

                I do think the idea of trying to make kids into more well-rounded citizens is a great idea, we as a school should be engaging in the activity across the board.  Leaving the responsibility to one teacher is both unfair and unrealistic.  As a district, we need to come up with a policy, which is taught in every seminar to all grade levels on a consistent basis.  This allows students to know and learn from teachers they are familiar with and they are better able to understand what is expected of them during the class period.  I think this change would have a big impact on improving the culture in the school and allow teachers to have more control over the students in their rooms.

                Finally, I would like to see a more well-rounded policy which addresses rewarding students with praise for things they do well.  In our school, we do a great job of honoring athletes and students who excel in academics, which is wonderful, but I would like to see students be recognized for things they do in the community and on their own time.  We have many students who apply themselves to different tasks, which are not at all school related, and I want to give them praise for the things they do in those arenas.  I believe this will help to get students into the mindset of working on goals outside of the school day, which could positively affect things such as a flipped classroom.  Although the flipped classroom is school related, I think by cultivating a culture in which work outside of school is rewarded, we can help to motivate kids into doing the work needed outside the classroom for a blended learning environment to be successful.