Homeroom Structure by Jes O'Kelley https://padlet.com/jokelley/ekfxk56o5skj Use this space to reflect on successes in SY1617 and areas for growth in SY1718. en-us 2017-02-09 19:48:41 UTC 2017-03-15 17:46:15 UTC hello@padlet.com https://padlet-assets.s3.amazonaws.com/icons/Folder.png I just feel like my HR students are really being overlooked by me. I wish I had more time to reach out to my students besides the WWU https://padlet.com/jokelley/ekfxk56o5skj/wish/153160786 2017-02-10 19:22:05 UTC https://padlet.com/jokelley/ekfxk56o5skj/wish/153160786 I would like to know what students and parents think of WWU. Is this valuable time to them? Anecdotally, attendance is low. I wonder if a better use of this time could be dedicated to calling 5-7 HR kids a week - especially the ones who are doing well! They almost never get the same level of attention our struggling students do which is a shame. https://padlet.com/jokelley/ekfxk56o5skj/wish/153166233 2017-02-10 19:41:10 UTC https://padlet.com/jokelley/ekfxk56o5skj/wish/153166233 I like that 9th grade academy does their own thing for WWU, but I feel like a uniform PPT that the entire school uses each week is good. I believe at least 1/2 of the WWU time should be reserved for socialization with the students-- they want to get to know their peers. WWU is a great opportunity for that. We could give them discussion topics or simply let them talk to each other. Keep the announcement time short & let them talk. https://padlet.com/jokelley/ekfxk56o5skj/wish/153236386 2017-02-11 19:46:34 UTC https://padlet.com/jokelley/ekfxk56o5skj/wish/153236386 . Now, that there is a uniform PPT for HR grades 10-12 I think this has helped with uniformity but attendance is still low. https://padlet.com/jokelley/ekfxk56o5skj/wish/153526778 2017-02-13 18:40:41 UTC https://padlet.com/jokelley/ekfxk56o5skj/wish/153526778 jokelley https://padlet.com/jokelley/ekfxk56o5skj/wish/153532102 I wish that HR was more relational and less compliance/ task oriented. HR is a burden and not an opportunity to connect with kids.]]> 2017-02-13 18:54:49 UTC https://padlet.com/jokelley/ekfxk56o5skj/wish/153532102 I don't think my students log in to the OHS for HR because there isn't a grade attached to the course so they don't find it worthwhile. jcruse2 https://padlet.com/jokelley/ekfxk56o5skj/wish/153564233 2017-02-13 20:26:56 UTC https://padlet.com/jokelley/ekfxk56o5skj/wish/153564233 WWU really doesn't serve much purpose. Last year we were allowed to create our own, & those who came enjoyed the games & getting to know each other. This year, it's basically announcements that could be sent another way. https://padlet.com/jokelley/ekfxk56o5skj/wish/153680047 2017-02-14 12:18:51 UTC https://padlet.com/jokelley/ekfxk56o5skj/wish/153680047 WWU should not be a required live CC. Just do announcement or BBC call/text to give them the link to access everything (that are in WWU). (If there is still WWU, then let it be Students' Time. Let students chat/play games/ socializing) https://padlet.com/jokelley/ekfxk56o5skj/wish/153701915 2017-02-14 13:51:10 UTC https://padlet.com/jokelley/ekfxk56o5skj/wish/153701915 The WWU seems like it could be something that advisors/counselors host instead of content teachers. Teachers and students are already loaded with a ton of other CC sessions so to make it required is a bit much. https://padlet.com/jokelley/ekfxk56o5skj/wish/153706828 2017-02-14 14:03:32 UTC https://padlet.com/jokelley/ekfxk56o5skj/wish/153706828 chall_gca https://padlet.com/jokelley/ekfxk56o5skj/wish/153707219 I feel that I do not have the time needed to spend on contacting HR students because I have so many classes. I think teachers with more than one prep should have a smaller HR or no HR duties. There are other teachers in other departments that teach fewer times a week than math. Maybe, they can take a few HR students from us to help out. ]]> 2017-02-14 14:04:14 UTC https://padlet.com/jokelley/ekfxk56o5skj/wish/153707219 Please let teachers keep the same homeroom students they have this year for next year - if the point of HR is to establish relationships, we need to keep students and teachers together for longer than 1 year!! https://padlet.com/jokelley/ekfxk56o5skj/wish/153713803 2017-02-14 14:17:26 UTC https://padlet.com/jokelley/ekfxk56o5skj/wish/153713803 I think 9th grade academy should be something a teacher chooses to participate in - not all teachers are into the rainbows and butterflies stuff they do in NGA https://padlet.com/jokelley/ekfxk56o5skj/wish/153717116 2017-02-14 14:24:24 UTC https://padlet.com/jokelley/ekfxk56o5skj/wish/153717116 Teachers that have two preps or teach math should not have a homeroom. These teachers have more required time for content and their homeroom students get neglected https://padlet.com/jokelley/ekfxk56o5skj/wish/153720802 2017-02-14 14:32:26 UTC https://padlet.com/jokelley/ekfxk56o5skj/wish/153720802 I feel like a better use of FAST team is in a homeroom capacity. Then all students would have an advocate. Also the FAST team would be able to get all of their students on track and feel more success. Now they get a student on track and they just receive more struggling students. FAST members could have 100-150 students that they coach to success. Awards could be given to those that had 80% or higher of students on track. Those 150 kids could possible be in the same grade and share some content teachers. FAST and Content could work together. I think this would really benefit students. https://padlet.com/jokelley/ekfxk56o5skj/wish/153721593 2017-02-14 14:34:19 UTC https://padlet.com/jokelley/ekfxk56o5skj/wish/153721593 HR teachers should keep the same students. WWU should not be a required live CC. T https://padlet.com/jokelley/ekfxk56o5skj/wish/153721626 2017-02-14 14:34:23 UTC https://padlet.com/jokelley/ekfxk56o5skj/wish/153721626 The task with all the different trackers are way too time consuming for teachers. FAST team should handle the trackers https://padlet.com/jokelley/ekfxk56o5skj/wish/153721978 2017-02-14 14:35:09 UTC https://padlet.com/jokelley/ekfxk56o5skj/wish/153721978 Content teachers need to focus on their content - being able to call those students and keep in touch with them - HR duties are so time consuming -we do not have time to check on our content. So we really aren't able to do a good job with either group. WWU is a waste of time when you look at the number of students that attend - even with the help of someone making PPTs- very few attend and it is mostly the same announcements each week. Student have some many places to go for announcements, they get overwhelmed. We end up sending emails over and over to the same students for attendance - etc - why not somehow have their attendance loaded automatically when they log into their course - or a daily requirement before they can access anything else. https://padlet.com/jokelley/ekfxk56o5skj/wish/153776668 2017-02-14 16:37:46 UTC https://padlet.com/jokelley/ekfxk56o5skj/wish/153776668 I think WWU could just be a recording sent out each week with announcements or made into a newsletter. 5 teachers sitting in a room with very few kids is not an good use of anyone's time. https://padlet.com/jokelley/ekfxk56o5skj/wish/153781998 2017-02-14 16:50:50 UTC https://padlet.com/jokelley/ekfxk56o5skj/wish/153781998 https://padlet.com/jokelley/ekfxk56o5skj/wish/153794801 Withdrawals are too time consuming. Having to track down parents to send emails on top of the load of work we already have take up too much time. Trying to get a withdrawal processed can take up to three days with all the hoops to jump through. I would like to see one person handle withdrawals not have 3 (HR teacher, Lisa Oliver and sometimes a FAST) people involved in the process.

]]> 2017-02-14 17:20:10 UTC https://padlet.com/jokelley/ekfxk56o5skj/wish/153794801 As much as we'd like to still call ourselves a "homeroom model" school, that simply isn't the case anymore. While HR teachers can act as a great first point of contact, particularly at the beginning of each semester, we have really shifted our focus to content and increasing rigor there. The expectations are for us to provide much more data and proof of monitoring for content students, and our evaluation documents support this shift. Because of this, things like the WWU Live have become obsolete. I know that homeroom itself isn't going anywhere, so looping homerooms definitely help a ton - let's keep those if possible! https://padlet.com/jokelley/ekfxk56o5skj/wish/153859128 2017-02-14 20:09:34 UTC https://padlet.com/jokelley/ekfxk56o5skj/wish/153859128 https://padlet.com/jokelley/ekfxk56o5skj/wish/153859329 When homeroom teachers call about content work that is not completed. They are asked questions they can not answer.]]> 2017-02-14 20:10:19 UTC https://padlet.com/jokelley/ekfxk56o5skj/wish/153859329 Homeroom in this venue is not practical; clerical duties should be handled by a clerk & not a teacher who should be giving focus to content. This is especially true when you don't even teach your homeroom students! https://padlet.com/jokelley/ekfxk56o5skj/wish/159146914 2017-03-09 22:22:05 UTC https://padlet.com/jokelley/ekfxk56o5skj/wish/159146914 https://padlet.com/jokelley/ekfxk56o5skj/wish/159157495 Since we're shifting to brick & mortar style with our synchronous sessions, there just isn't time for content teachers to manage the homeroom expectations. If all the tasks must continue, the duties need to shift to the FAST team. If they start with the kids from the beginning, they'll have much more success with them overall. Plus, the students will only receive communication from one person & they'll be more familiar to them.]]> 2017-03-10 00:08:40 UTC https://padlet.com/jokelley/ekfxk56o5skj/wish/159157495 https://padlet.com/jokelley/ekfxk56o5skj/wish/159175940 I understand the reasoning for all our HR duties, but I also know that all content teachers are prioritizing content kids. If I have to choose between calling content kids and calling HR kids, I choose content kids. I'm responsible for them in my class. The kids in my HR who are struggling have an advisor/FASL and the others are doing well on their own. The result of this is I never really get the chance to build relationships with my HR students and I only talk to some of them when I'm withdrawing them. It would be nice if the FAST took over HR duties since they honestly already do most of it. We would just be adding the successful kids to their workload. I think it would be so good for our families to make this change.]]> 2017-03-10 03:36:50 UTC https://padlet.com/jokelley/ekfxk56o5skj/wish/159175940 https://padlet.com/jokelley/ekfxk56o5skj/wish/159250646 I don't understand the purpose of content teachers having homeroom students to be responsible for as well. I agree with other suggestions that the FAST team should take on the role of HR teachers during the school year.]]> 2017-03-10 13:11:48 UTC https://padlet.com/jokelley/ekfxk56o5skj/wish/159250646 https://padlet.com/jokelley/ekfxk56o5skj/wish/159268160 WWU should definitely just be a standard recording that is completed by GCA front office- just like morning announcements at a BAM school. Office staff or even student council members could be responsible for creating a weekly WWU announcement ppt & recording with "guest" appearances by GCA administration/ counselors when needed for special announcements. That recording can then be sent out to the whole school or even better just placed in one central location for them to access. A HR model is not needed in the virtual environment. Students have counselors and advisers and FAST team that they can use for help. Students should get accustomed to going to their counselors for help with transcripts and class placement just like they do in BAM. I love the idea of having the attendance required before they can log in to anything else. Students who do not have logged attendance for the previous day when they log in can have their account locked so they can not access classes. This will ensure the LC will get in to the HABIT of updating attendance no later than every night so the students can work the next day. We've trained many of the parents to wait for the HR teacher to email or call with reminders before they update attendance. They are not holding up their end of the responsibility. Updating attendance daily is a requirement for them to attend this charter school. We've got to start actually holding our parents accountable. ]]> 2017-03-10 14:12:00 UTC https://padlet.com/jokelley/ekfxk56o5skj/wish/159268160 hailey_hillsman https://padlet.com/jokelley/ekfxk56o5skj/wish/159313878 Thank you Jes for saying what we're all thinking. If I'm focusing on my content kids, I feel like I'm slacking on my HR kids. If I'm focusing on HR, I'm slacking on content. It is HARD to find a successful balance. I have literally been using some learner conferences to get HR kids back on track, and that should not be the case.]]> 2017-03-10 16:21:53 UTC https://padlet.com/jokelley/ekfxk56o5skj/wish/159313878 https://padlet.com/jokelley/ekfxk56o5skj/wish/160275130 I can be a great and fantastic homeroom teacher or I can be a fabulous fantastic fully effective content teacher. I can't do both.]]> 2017-03-15 15:03:25 UTC https://padlet.com/jokelley/ekfxk56o5skj/wish/160275130 https://padlet.com/jokelley/ekfxk56o5skj/wish/160330516 It's a struggle to find balance as a content teacher and homeroom teacher. I think content teachers should focus on content and FAST takeover the homerooms.

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