As is stated in my previous check in, I am going to further investigate the idea of “community” and “value”. Surveying 16 of my seniors will help provide statistics as to what students prefer in terms of praise or recognition for a job well done. While the information which was submitted by the students in November was anonymous, I hope that meeting with my 16 seniors will provide clarification. I want to discuss in detail, their thoughts, beliefs and understandings of the Student Voice, which will provide me with a better idea as to how I can increase the data percentages.
HSHMC has a pillar which states Welcome, which encourages a positive school environment. In my opinion, the goal is that all students in the school community feel that they can freely express themselves. Moreover, all students have a positive connection with a staff member which they feel comfortable talking about their lives, positive and negative. The Student Voice data supports that HSHMC is a very warm and loving school which is echoed by the above average statistics found in the Heroes section of the Student Voice. 87% of students state that they have a teacher who is a positive role model and 70% of students say that if they have a problem the have a teacher that they can speak with regarding the issue. Then why is the data showing that a students don’t feel valued at school?
When considering the identification of root causes, there is a need for clarification for the words “community” and “value.” I believe that the words “community” and “value” have various meanings, depending on a student's experiences and how they were raised. I want to further investigate, the students interpretation of the words value and community. The root causes require further investigation, you can't look at the raw data and take it at face value. In order to truly understand, it is essential to dig deeper, become a data detective.
Regarding the identification of Student Demographics, HSHMC has a high percentage of ESL learners. In most cases, these students come from more impoverished areas of San Diego. These are important to note, as these students may have a different interpretation of the meaning of value and community.
My goal is for my target group to help offer ideas to solve the idea of student belonging or value! How can HSHMC increase student value and belonging within our community? It could be as simple as adding a new school club or maybe writing or connecting with a student's parents. I just want to know what makes a student feel more valued in a school community?
Objective 1: Implement an increase in student recognition within my Sophomore Fire Technology class. I will use the seniors to provide the information, as to how they would like to be praised. Over the course of the semester, I will use the various ideas that my seniors propose.
Objective 2: I will log what students were recognized and in what particular way. At the end of the semester, I will survey the students again and see if the results have changed. If I perform this correctly, the data should show that the students feel more valued. In addition, the increase in value should increase their belonging within HSHMC community, as the are being recognized for their achievements, in or outside of the classroom.