Curriculum II Final Project - IRLF



Curriculum II Final Project - IRLF

“Capturing Kids’ Hearts & Teen Leadership at Wayne Community High School”

By Mary Roberts

INVESTIGATE- When I first came to Wayne in the mid-1990s, the students were trying to run the school. Discipline issues and apathy were rampant. Students causing problems outranked the “good” students and frequently the “average” students aligned themselves with the disruptive problem students. I was told by the high achieving students that they were fearful to speak out against the others although they were annoyed by the disruptions in class. Administration was lax and gave sporadic preferential treatment to some of the problematic students. A huge scandal occurred through the superintendent’s office enhancing the already volatile lack of respect for adult authority. This school district was in chaos!

Eventually we acquired new administrators. Student discipline and the academic performance began to improve. The district settled into a more normal, Midwestern school with average behavior and average achieving students. But we could always do better!

In 2002 the superintendent at that time attended a national conference. He returned telling about an inspirational speaker he had met named Flip Flippen who had created a program in association with Monty Roberts, the Horse Whisperer. The superintendent was determined that our staff should go to Texas for “Capturing Kids’ Hearts” (CKH) training so that we could begin implementing this program district-wide. He selected a group of six of our most cynical staff members, including the high school principal, to first receive training. These staff members returned claiming the program was life-altering and that there was a definite need for it in our school. Over the next two years every member of our district attended CKH training and we continue to send new staff when hired.

REFLECT- When I first heard about Capturing Kids’ Hearts I was skeptical. I thought the premise would be another “touchy-feely” type of program which would eventually be abandoned like so many other educational programs that claim to “cure all ills” in schools. Think about it, some guy with the nickname “Flip”, was going to seriously convince me of the need to take a program he developed? When I was in sales earlier in my life I had attended several Zig Zigler motivational lectures and I surmised that Flip probably brought the same type of program. I resisted going to the training when first asked to travel to Texas. I eventually attended at an in-state three day workshop when the Flippen Group began sending their facilitators to southern Iowa due to CKHs popularity in our district and neighboring schools.

One of the premises of CKH is to meet and greet our students at our classroom door for each class- everyday, shake their hand, and help them to feel welcome. Why spread germs faster in the cold and flu season? Originally it seemed ridiculous and most likely unhealthy. I went to training, learned more about the CKH philosophy, and I realized that I could relate to its basic premise of building relationships with my students. When the trainers reminded me that some of our students possibly have not been touched in a positive manner or perhaps verbally affirmed by an adult each day, I decided to put my fears to rest and fully participate in the actions of CKH when I returned to school. Because several of the other teachers were already meeting and greeting, sharing good things, creating social contracts, and other CKH activities, my students were generally accustomed to the changes I adopted. Capturing Kids’ Hearts has become ingrained in our school district.

Our staff and our children try to do our best to build relationships with each other. Conflict can still arise occasionally, however it is usually resolved with less tension and less disruption than the past experiences. Our students know that we care about them and the choices they make in their lives.

Our former principal was an excellent and positive influence for the changes made in our district as he:

• modeled the CKH principles,

• held the staff accountable to use the principles and report results weekly,

• held the students accountable for their actions, attitudes, and choices,

• he monitored the changes made with student behaviors annually, and

• he reported these results were to the staff and community via annual reports.

I have been proud of the progress that has taken place within my school district. Our students responded almost immediately to the changes we adopted and our discipline data and assessment data has proved year after year that the implementation of CKH has made a significant positive influence in our district.

LEVERAGE- The basic premise of Capturing Kids’ Hearts is “Before you get to a child’s mind, you must first have their heart”. Our school has a strategic implementation plan which provides a framework of the responsibilities and behaviors to be modeled by administrators and teachers for incorporating CKH. This plan includes several opportunities for communication with parents and the community. CKH was incorporated into our School Improvement Plan several years ago and is an integral part of Mission statement.

Students learn that they alone are personally responsible for their thoughts, their attitudes, and their actions. If students are not doing an appropriate action or behavior the teacher will ask four questions:

• What are you doing?

• What are you supposed to be doing?

• Are you doing it?

• What will it take for you to start doing what you are supposed to be doing?

and, if necessary, a fifth question –

• What will happen if this occurs again?

After bonding for a week or more the students and the teacher develop a social contract for each class outlining the expectations each has for the other and usually focusing on the following:

• How do we treat each other?

• How do we treat the teacher?

• How do we want to be treated by the teacher?

• What happens if someone breaks the social contract?

Due to the efforts of staff and students utilizing CKH, our Behavior Reports have dramatically altered as found on the following chart:

|School Year |2003-04 |2004-05 |2005-06 |2006-07 | |

|Student Referrals |39 |32 |33 |46 | |

|# Placed on a Step | | | | | |

|# Incidents |85 |58 |51 |68 | |

|Resulting in a Step | | | | | |

|Class Removals |40 |35 |19 |32 | |

|Students Suspended |20 |15 |15 |NA | |

|Total Suspensions |35 |21 |21 |40 | |

|% of Student Body |NA |4% (8 of 203) | 3% (6 of 205) |NA* | |

|% of Referrals |50% |50% |70% |NA* | |

|% of Suspensions |71% |71% |52% |NA* | |

|% of Choice-outs |51% |51% |42% |NA* | |

*23 of 46 students had only 1 referral, 10 students accounted for 25 steps, 3 students accounted for 11 steps, 12 students and 20 steps were from freshman or new students.

Our former principal once mentioned his annual behavioral data at a conference meeting. Another administrator that works about 25 miles from our district exclaimed that the numbers mentioned was what he saw for behavioral issues in a week!

Teen Leadership classes were developed into the curriculum at the junior high and high school levels. These elective classes further explored CKH personal leadership qualities and included classroom self-management and community service projects. The class provided an opportunity for students to explore their true personal potential through character education, leadership skills, personal responsibility, principle-based decision-making, social skills, communication skills, goal-setting, and much more.

FRAME- Our district is committed to the philosophy of Capturing Kids’ Hearts. All teachers, administrative staff, and a majority of support staff have been trained and are expected to use the techniques and ideas conveyed in the training. We have witnessed tremendous results with the implementation of this program. We want to continue to develop and grow in our role of “growing kids”. I highly recommend that our district continue to utilize the CKH philosophy and techniques which has become imbedded into our daily activities and expectations. The superintendent that brought the initiative to Wayne and the high school principal who was such an excellent change agent are no longer working in our district. The strong ties, while still together, are beginning to show signs of loosening due to less involvement and modeling by the new administration. I recommend that next school year our district refreshes their commitment to CKH by revisiting the basic principles of the program, practicing them daily with our students, staff, parents, and community and continue to reflect about what occurred weekly.

We need to hold our administrators accountable for their modeling of these concepts as well through daily/weekly emails, meeting and greeting, celebrating “good things”, requiring and responding to weekly reflections from staff, holding students accountable for their choices, and inquire what they could being doing for their staff.

The Teen Leadership course is no longer available at the junior high level due to scheduling conflicts with homeroom, study hall, band, and choir. Several students have expressed an interest in participating in the program which focuses on volunteering and community service. The course did continue at the high school level this year but because the teacher’s job has been cut, the future of the course will be abandoned next year. As I spoke to the students taking the course this year, many expressed disappointment that the Teen Leadership course won’t continue. If students can easily see the value of a course and program, obviously it should be valid and reasonable to find a way for that program to continue.

The Capturing Kids’ Hearts initiative communicates a vision for our building/district that includes building appropriate relationships among students and adults. This relationship fosters respect, caring, self-regulation, and accountability. This vision aligns with the mission of Wayne Community to give students the skills needed to be successful beyond the structure of our school system. CKH has proven its effectiveness in our school district. I believe that it has yet more to offer to the future of our students and our district. I recommend that we revive Teen Leadership at the junior and senior high and to continue to responsibly utilize the CKH training in order to meet the needs of our students.

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