First choice schools
What is it like to learn here?
I was visiting a school the other day and I asked a few members of the staff, "So why should I send my daughter to this school?" After a brief pause, they all started to chime in with various items like, "We are focused on academics," "We work hard on safety," and then the principal returned with a brochure. While all of the things they mentioned were good and important (and the kinds of answers I get in most schools), I never really heard anything compelling – something that I could really see was different from other schools. I could not find something that would really connect my daughter to this particular site more than any other. There was one thing, but it was not for all kids, and I was not sure she would actually like it. Bottom line – the one "niche" mentioned would not impact her learning on a daily basis. This led me to my other favorite question, "What is it like to learn here?" Usually this question draws the most silence from well-meaning staff members. That is, unless I happen to be in a magnet school.
In a magnet school, they (for the most part) can immediately answer this question and I usually have a good idea if the school would or would not be a great choice for my daughter. You see, in the average, "good" school (like the ones most of us attended) the learning experience is sort of like potluck – you never know what you are going to find classroom to classroom. Teacher A (who is an excellent teacher) may use a very traditional or "back to basics" approach to teaching. The next year Teacher B (an equally excellent teacher) may prefer a progressive, project-based thematic approach. It is usually left up to the children to adjust – to figure it out. I am sure you can remember teachers you just loved and others that other students loved that you did not. They were both likely good or even great teachers, but different ways of learning appeal to different children. When you have a child that thrives in a traditional classroom paired with a traditional teacher it creates the amazing synergy possible through "First Choice" – first choice for staff and first choice for students.
The concept of "First Choice" recognizes that there are many ways to teach and there are many ways to learn, and all of them can ultimately lead to the same excellent outcomes. Since we are working with living beings in a living system (more like leaves on a tree than cars in a Ford factory), it is logical for us to consider the multiple pathways to learning that only a large system can provide. To be more specific, it is in the best interest of our students, our families, our staff, and our community to fully explore, propose, and implement a focus/magnet/way of learning at our school – to be able to enthusiastically answer the question, "What is it like to learn here?"
Many of the most successful schools in our state and our country have engaged in this work. They have collaborated with their communities, explored the types of successful learning opportunities that are available, written proposals (usually in the form of a 5-year plan), and implemented a focus/magnet/way of learning to best serve and support students and staff. Here in our district, Ochoa Elementary School is at the beginning of this process. They have submitted a proposal in support of being a Reggio Emilia school. Several other schools are exploring everything from OMA Gold, International Baccalaureate and Artful Learning to Traditional and International School philosophies. We are committed to providing support to schools as they work through this process of answering the question, "What is it like to learn here?"