The most immediate impactful issue to address at Passages Middle School is student transition into our program. Currently, there is only a packet of forms which provide merely contact information and signed releases. I propose implementing a process which would from the outset define the goals and targets that we as a team (student, teacher, parent, home district) need to work towards for the students future educational needs.
I feel that the transition into our program is the key to the transition out of our program. If up front we know what are the most critical issues to work towards and get buy in from all of the stake holders, most importantly the student, there is a better chance for the student to transition back to their home school successfully.
During my short tenure I have felt at times that our program was being used as a warehouse for kids that have worn out their teachers, administrators and potentially the student themselves. While I appreciate the idea that a student might find success in a new environment, I think it wise to be more intentional about the process through which we identify goals and progress. I know that some of the students are with me for the duration. These students need the smaller class size, and consistent relationship with one teacher. However, I feel that if we are truly going to serve the best interests of even the students who are with us for the longterm we need to think about what needs to happen for that student to transition to high school.
Relationship to Alternative Education
Transition with a purpose fits into an overall alternative education program due to the emphasis on getting the student back on track so they are less likely to have problems in high school....
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...sive plan that makes a student's success the goal in a more meaningful way. I recently had a special education referral meeting for one of my students who was in the class before I arrived. I heard for the first time about some of his history. I heard about his issues at home. Every single tidbit of information would have and will be very important to me as I work to help this student learn to cope with some of his issues. However, most importantly we discussed goals to work on for his success and possible transition back to his home school. I have worked with this student for two months and now finally have agreed upon goals set with all of the important parties for the student's success present, including the student himself. How much more beneficial could the student's experience have been these last two months if we had in place transition with a purpose.
After being on the road for three years, I decided to check into returning to college at the University of Delaware and the University of Pennsylvania. Both universities informed me that I would have to retake my first two years that I had completed at Chattanooga State. I would have to commit for another four to six years of college. I did not have the time to do this. I wanted to be finished with my bachelor?s degree within two years if possible. So, later, when they realize that their choices are limited, their futures sealed or semi-gelled, they decide that school is where they need to be (Smith, 2001).
From the beginning of high school, students strap on their seatbelts and prepare for one of the most vigorous races of their lives – becoming successful. With the rare occurrence of a break, kids are expected to keep on driving as fast and as powerfully as they can in order to get into a “great” college, which would be followed by graduate school and then an actual job that would make a lot of money. In American society, common values include working hard, determination, and being so productive that free time is not even a question. However, this philosophy is taking a major toll on American college and high school students. For at least 40 years, America’s future has been steadily growing unmotivated, tired, and hopeless due to the overemphasis on performing well in school. This phenomenon is appropriately expounded in William Zinsser’s “College Pressures”, which takes a look at the top four sources of tension that cause these feelings of dejection and agitation. After reading this article, I came up with a few solutions to this national problem. It is time to switch the harsh, over-encouraging green light of education to a comfortable yellow one. In order to make this ideal transition, directors of education across the country need to primarily reduce the amount of out-of-class assignments, lighten the grading system, and incorporate days in the school year that allow students to express their thoughts about school and provide useful feedback.
Throughout the length of schooling, students go through various changes. In their first year of school, children are required to make the transition from being at home for the entire day to being in school for a number of hours a day. These transition periods happen many times through the schooling years, but the most drastic changes occur during the transition from high school to college, where students weather numerous lifestyle changes. While each individual student goes on their own journey, certain themes remain common between different students. Studies are done to look at these themes identifying the numerous differences and similarities.
...s goal by providing education, keeping in mind that information may need to be repeated, providing emotional support and access to continuous support, as well as using measurable tools to determine effectiveness of interventions.
Society puts too much pressure on high school students to attend a 4-year college right after graduation. Though this is an attainable goal for some, a great majority of students are not fully prepared for the demands of college. 4-year schools require an incredible amount of maturity and preparation, leaving very little room for mistakes. Schools often overlook this aspect because their main goal is to get as many students into 4-year college as possible. This is a great goal to have however they send students off to college who aren’t ready to be handle the difficult of their courses while being away from home. My senior year of high school, my family and I came to the conclusion that we were not going to be able to afford four-year college tuition. This upset me at first because I felt like all my hard work and good grades went to waste. I dreaded the thought of going to community college because my who...
Theresa M. Letrello & Dorothy D. Miles (2003) The Transition from Middle School to High School:
The students in our classrooms, both special education and general education classrooms, require individualized education to reach their full potential. Each child’s potential is different just as each child’s road to reach it is different. Our job as teachers is to be there for the student’s to help them reach their potential through their own unique way.
... challenge of behavioral obstacles that her students may face. As a school psychologist, it will be important and beneficial to have background in behavior modification to make sure my future students will feel comfortable and at ease during my time with them. Also, after many time with Mrs. F I have seen how to affectively managed my time and different ways to handle certain administrative situations that may arise.
...ce they begin to see those small changed and realize that they can indeed have a positive effect on how the students view school it will motivate everyone, both the students and the faculty, to keep trying to narrow that gap that exists with the graduation rates.
I am conscious that returning to school, will accompany stress and anxiety. However I am also aware that my decision may encourage others to overcome the fear of returning to school. I can help my peers or leaving behind the “old way of thinking and behaving” (Bais and Hayes, 2011, p.5). The strategies that help me in this transition as describe Spencer and Adam were to find a mentor who can provide support when needed and accept help from family members when in doubt or overwhelmed.
I cannot recall a more rewarding experience than helping facilitate a child’s education while enabling parent participation alike. These experiences have drawn me to my current position as an Educational Assistant where I am constantly interacting and establishing relationships with students, learning about their goals and aspirations. It is that same desire to empower our future students that has steered me towards a career as a school counselor. By enrolling in the Masters in counseling program, I aspire to develop methods and experience to become an effective, experienced, and adaptable school counselor that promotes self-awareness, allowing students to realize their full potential and impetus them towards a promising future. I want to learn skills that facilitate personal and career development, ensuring that our students grow accomplishing their goals and ambitions. To discover techniques that help students improve in all areas of academic achievement, establishing relationships with students and parents alike. By becoming a school counselor, I am determined to become an advocate for underserved youth. I aim to become an effective agent educational reform, providing support for students in the various institutions that may disempower
TRANSITION: Now that I have talk to you how it could affect you not completing your college degree. I am going to tell you about the economical value of a higher education.
The transition from high school to college is one of the most impactful experiences to take place in an individual’s life. From high school, a place of rules and regulations, to college, a place of independence and self-awareness, there is a noticeable difference in the atmosphere. In other words, college sets a tone of liberation for the student, not to say that there are no more rules or regulations anymore. A student’s success in college is determined by how much he or she puts into the experience as a whole. This type of success involves a number of skills such as time-management, setting goals, and prioritizing, to name a few. Along with these observations, the transition from high school to college is seen as a transition from childhood to adulthood, literally. As an adult, the real world setting starts to make it’s way into the college atmosphere, where the student is on his or her own and is responsible for his or her own actions. This is, by far, the most beneficial aspect of transitioning from high school to college, the real world experience.
My main vision encompassed providing administrators, teachers, students and parents with the resources necessary to achieve high levels of learning and academic performance. As one of the school leaders for a school with alternative setting, I believe that our over-aged and under-credited students can achieve and become prepared to enter in a post –secondary educational program
Today, we have made strides in improving our education system in our schools. Yet, we are facing similar problems and perhaps even worse when teachers are rushing their students through their curriculum without taking the time to encourage and support them to excel in their classes.