January 26, 2012
I want to take some time to highlight one of SAA's most dedicated teachers. Lisa Pang, one of our one-two classroom teachers, has been with SAA for eight years. In my three years here, she has been in three different classrooms, moving all her things each summer with enthusiasm. She will be moving once again this summer when we complete the construction project adding an additional classroom, making room for our second 8th grade homeroom. I've promised that this will be her last move.
I'm often asked if we have a nurse on staff here at SAA, and the answer is no. While we'd love to have such a person, fortunately 99.9% of the time there would be nothing for them to do. If there is a medical emergency, the paramedics are less than five minutes away. But with our growing population, it became apparent that we needed someone who was trained to take care of those situations that may arise in the normal course of the day. Therefore, we asked for volunteers from the staff who would be willing to take an EMT course, at the school's expense. This is a 14 week course, meeting one night a week and 14 full Saturdays. It also involves time with the emergency responding team, and a series of exams. As you can tell, this is big commitment.
Lisa Pang volunteered to take the course, and I’m delighted to report that she completed the course and just took her final exam. So SAA now has a certified EMT on site from 8:00 am until 4:00 each day. It’s important to note that Lisa drives from Elgin each day, and is usually the first or second teacher in the building. She also is enrolled in our new MA in Gifted Education program through Northeastern.
Throughout all this time, she has maintained a high degree of enthusiasm for her students, colleagues, and families. She always has a smile on her face, and is a constant positive role model for everyone here.
It's been advertised that tomorrow's FSA meeting will focus on "discipline." I'm not a real fan of that word, so I'd like to change it to "expectations." On my desk right now sit ten (10) scholarly works on classroom management, eight with "discipline" in the title. All focus on public schools, and the inherent problems involved with dealing with large class sizes and a diverse population. Here at SAA we have a unique setting, where the majority of our students are highly gifted, and have learning styles that are different than those found at other schools.
The discussion tomorrow, which I know will be stimulating and collegial, will focus on behavior patterns found in gifted students, and how SAA deals with the challenge of keeping our students on task while nurturing their gifts.
We pride ourselves on treating each child as an individual, meeting their needs as best as we can. This is why we keep our class sizes relatively small, and why we have a learning services department. In classroom management, as with our approach to education, one size does not fit all. There is no set definition describing a well-behaved student or classroom. What works in one situation fails in another. What is considered inappropriate in one situation is encouraged in another.
Ms. Davey, Ms. Terranova, and I will be on hand to describe how we handle behavior situations at our school. We will discuss the difference between what is part of a gifted child's personality, and what is, simply put, "naughty" behavior. Our children are gifted, but they are still children, with young, developing minds, and who often make poor decisions.
Finally, our Science Olympiad team is traveling to Lisle for their first invitational of the season. They have been practicing long and hard, and we all wish them good luck.
Regards,
Mr. Mikolyzk
Head of School