Oct. 22, 2020 -- Research by Harvard’s Dr. Stacy Scott has shown that one of the key factors to student achievement is “coming to a school where they feel heard and cared for, while being challenged academically to do their best.” Feeling engaged and connected to school often drops off during the middle school years, as children transition out of the elementary buildings they've been in for so long and as participation in optional school events can become “uncool.”
The Building Leadership Team at Roxboro Middle School is hoping to “get kids to really love coming to school again,” according to AVID teacher Lia Radke. And one way they’re encouraging that is through the new Rox In Action class.
RIA is a 9th period class that every student in the building is enrolled in, designed to connect students to a trusted adult and build longstanding relationships between children and their peers as they explore themselves, their community, and their futures. “We wanted to have a place where kids can call home,” said Ms. Radke, a BLT member.
Combining the learning principals of both the highly successful AVID program with the school’s International Baccalaureate learning attributes provides the best of both worlds, according to Melissa Garcar, the building’s IB Coordinator. “This is an amazing opportunity to get our teachers to use IB and AVID as one,” she said. These approaches include communication, self-management, critical thinking, social interaction, and research and organizational skills.
Each learning approach is aligned to a weekly schedule followed by every RIA class in the building. “We wanted teachers to have autonomy,” said Title I Lead teacher Anna Gregory, “but we didn't want them to be nervous about teaching a new course or add more work to their plate.” Teachers engaged in active professional development sessions where they brainstormed what they wanted a ‘Rox Scholar’ to embody.
Mindful Mondays start the week, where students learn about grit and a growth mindset and explore breathing techniques, yoga, or calming music. They engage in Socratic seminars and debates about current events or controversial issues on Talking Tuesdays, or they may enjoy a guest speaker. Rox Reflects on Wednesdays give students an opportunity to monitor their academic progress, checking their status on Infinite Campus, finishing up missing work, or conferencing with their teacher.
Thursdays are dedicated to learning about post-secondary options, including researching colleges and careers, with a particular focus on entrepreneurship. During the pandemic, classes will explore both college campuses and workplaces via virtual field trips. Building principal Rachael Coleman welcomes parents and community members to join classes as guest speakers to talk about their college or career pathway, especially in less well known industries.
According to Rachel Samuel of Read to Lead, “Introducing students in middle school to a wide variety of career options is an excellent way of providing them with the agency in making decisions about careers. For example, research shows that students who do not express STEM-related aspirations at age 10 are unlikely to develop them by the age of 14, giving further credence to the belief that career exposure in middle school has a significant impact on influencing students’ future career choices and pursuits.”
Ms. Coleman welcomes emails to
r_coleman @chuh.org from anyone interested in participating in a Rox In Action class.
And then there are Fun Fridays, an opportunity for socializing, games, friendly competitions, talents shows, and the like. “The whole purpose is about building relationships. We want children to be happy and love school,” said Ms. Garcar. They also wanted children to get to know students who aren’t normally in their academic classes and were very intentional in creating diverse and balanced RIA rosters.
After months of planning for in-person Rox In Action, the Building Leadership team had to revise their plans for a remote environment. But they’ve still found ways to engage kids in fun activities, especially the Friday afternoon scavenger hunts. Teachers have carefully created lists of items that all students would be able to find in their homes, including a facemask, old shoes or paper coupons. “Ninth period Friday the best part of my week,” said 8th grade social studies teacher Zakiyyah Bergen. Her students would agree.