Journaling in Middle and High School is College Preparation
Q: Why are we required to spend so much energy writing?
A: “College Preparation.”
Lessons From Adult Education
A recent issue of Education Week contains an article by Josh Middleton, a former school superintendent, now director of Adult Education in Montana, where Adult Education programs are compared to the typical K-12 programs. There is much K-12 programs could learn from Adult Education programs. I compared the standards in Texas and came to the same conclusions. Adult education addresses student’s academic needs and deficits INDIVIDUALLY. K-12 programs compartmentalize students according to age. It tends to be “one size fits all”. K-12 students sit through a day’s lesson whether or not it is timely, mastered, or overwhelming. For years, educators have “talked” about an individual approach, but the general practice is still to teach to the middle, boring the upper level students and hoping the lower-performing students catch on. Adult education celebrates individual accomplishments of a goal. Upon reaching the goal, students go on to their next academic challenge until the work is done. In many K-12 classes, students who master the lesson ahead of others becomes the teacher’s helper or assigned “enrichment work” (busy work?) until the rest of the class catches on. At Willow Bend Academy, individual accomplishments are celebrated daily and monthly with certificates, merits and medals. Adult education finds success in small class sizes. Individual instruction requires small classes. Student learning should be personalized for each and every student. Most K-12 classes range from 20 to 25 students per teacher per class. At Willow Bend Academy, there are 8 students per teacher. Adult education focuses on the student’s goals. K-12 education tends to focus on the goals set by legislatures. At Willow Bend Academy, goal setting by the student is an integral part of the program. Not to be critical of public K-12 schools, a huge detriment to truly individualizing education lies in federal and state funding practices that require adherence to policies and procedures established by legislators. I am thankful for the opportunity to serve your students without the bureaucratic hamstrings and to address their needs and desires as individuals. ...
Read MoreThanksgiving and Christmas Projects Provide Opportunities for Service and Generosity
In November, our Lewisville students and staff participated in Operation Christmas Child, sponsored by Samaritan’s Purse International. Students brought their purchased donations to fill shoeboxes for their adopted children. Samaritan’s Purse and Operation Christmas Child demonstrates God’s love to hurting children in a tangible way, by partnering with churches worldwide to deliver gift- filled shoeboxes and the Good News of Jesus Christ. Thank you to the families who chose to fill your own shoebox for a needy child, filled with items for school supplies, hygiene products, and a small toy. On December 12th, 20 WBAL students and staff will spend the afternoon volunteering at the Samaritan’s Purse local distribution center preparing and packaging the donated Christmas Child shoeboxes from the DFW metroplex for shipment around the world. We still have a few spots open if you would like to join us for this very worthwhile community service project. Call our office to reserve your place. This month our National Honor Society students are also sponsoring a Holiday Food Drive. We will be collecting donations for a local metroplex food bank to provide Christmas dinner for at least six qualified needy families until Friday, December 13th. A list of items still needed is included with this mailing. Please consider donating to this worthwhile project. We believe it is important to encourage our students to “give back” to their community as part of our mission to enable them to Master Learning, Master...
Read MoreSignificant Learning
No significant learning can take place without a significant relationship. – James Conan The key words in this quote are “significant” and “significant”. It is certainly possible for some learning to take place without a significant relationship. However, in my experience, I can’t recall truly having an epiphany of learning while sitting in a lecture hall with a thousand others. But, when I had a personal relationship with the teacher, I knew that I was not just a face in the crowd, but was a real person. I still clearly remember the encouragement I received from my eleventh grade English teacher. On-line schools struggle with finding means to establish significant relationships between teachers and students. Email, text messages and even media such as Skype remain impersonal when compared to face to face interchange with a teacher who knows the student. Elementary school teachers in a self-contained classroom usually get to know their students in a very personal way. However, those in departmentalized situations such as the average middle and high school have far less opportunity. They typically see from 100 to 150 students each day. Willow Bend Academy enjoys an ideal situation for establishing significant relationships between students and teachers. Each teacher has a group of no more than eight students for a four hour period each day. Students feel emotionally safe with the faculty and staff at Willow Bend Academy because they realize that the relationships are highly significant and there is no fear of ridicule. When students have been asked on surveys what they like most about Willow Bend Academy, the typical answer involves the close relationships they have with teachers and the willingness of teachers to act as surrogate parent, counsellor and coach in addition to the basic role of teacher. Significant relationships between parents and teachers are also essential to the academic, social and emotional development of our students. We at Willow Bend Academy are not here to replace, but to complement parents in the role of raising our children to become significant in their future adult roles. Thank you for your willingness to work together with us in this...
Read MoreWillow Bend Academy – a little school that gives a lot.
Students at Willow Bend Academy are generous givers. Each month, they are involved in a different service project. During the first month of the 2013-2014 school year, students donated new and gently used coats to a local charity for distribution to needy families. The following month, the students supported the Lakota tribe of the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota. Non-perishable food, clothing, disposable diapers and various other items were collected for shipment to the reservation. Next, students brought “store bought” (long shelf life) cookies. Members of the Willow Bend Academy Chapter of National Honor Society placed nearly 12,000 cookies in sandwich bags and gave them to Soupmobile, a charity that provides lunches for the homeless in the Dallas area. Our current project is to support the Salvation Army Angel Tree program. Willow Bend Academy students have supported this cause for several years. Our students contribute money and merits (Merits are earned for academic work. Willow Bend Academy converts the merits to cash.) Students are further involved by shopping for the needed items and returning them to Salvation Army for gift wrapping and being delivered to the needy families to give to their children for Christmas. For Willow Bend Students and families to contribute $10,000 – $12,000 per year is typical. Throughout the school year, there will be monthly emphases on giving back to the community in meaningful...
Read MoreWhat do Parents Want?
An online survey of parents across the nation was conducted in 2012 by the Thomas B. Fordham Institute. The purpose of the survey was to determine what American parents want from our education system. There was consistent agreement that parents wanted their children to develop good study habits, self-discipline, critical thinking and strong communication skills. Our faculty at Willow Bend Academy fully agrees with the importance of the above traits. Our program is designed to instill good study habits by having students work independently to the extent they are able. Students are not expected to teach themselves everything, but neither are they totally dependent on teachers to tell them everything to do. Independent study requires self-discipline. As teachers and students establish goals together, the student must take a part in accomplishing them. The majority of students at Willow Bend Academy rise to the challenge and discipline themselves to meet- or exceed – daily and monthly goals. Those who exceed monthly goals receive additional rewards for their efforts. As faculty and staff, we continually strive to adjust the curriculum to engage students in critical thinking – not simply memorizing facts, but being able to apply their knowledge to given circumstances. Communication is vital to success whether it is in college or life in general. For this reason, our students spend a portion of each day in writing exercises. This in addition to the normal expectation that complete sentences and proper grammar be used in all curricular disciplines. The parent survey indicated that while college preparation is important, personal character ensures college success. While we rejoice when our graduates succeed in college, we also rejoice when our graduates pursue their interests in fields that do not necessarily require a bachelor’s degree. Graduates of Willow Bend Academy include successful military men and women, skilled workers, firefighters, emergency medical technicians, professional singers and dancers, and entrepreneurs. In every case, the characteristics of good study habits, self-discipline, critical thinking and strong communication skills have been foundational to their...
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