Pedagogy

The Ron Clark Academy: Reigniting the Fire in my Heart!

/ Nancy Ann Creed / Leave a comment

To start, I want to express what a wonderful experience this has been. It has truly revitalized my passion for education and reignited a fire in my heart.

GO REVEUR  (That is my house and the best house!) 

First Impressions: Energy and Environment

Upon entering the school, we were greeted by an incredible sight: students lined the hallways, waving warmly and offering a heartfelt welcome. Their remarkable poise was immediately evident; they looked us directly in the eye with firm handshakes, contributing to an atmosphere electrified by the staff’s palpable energy. It is clearly an environment where emotional support for both students and staff is a top priority—a transformative experience that I believe every educator should have the opportunity to witness firsthand.

We eventually made our way into the “heart” of the school: a grand rotunda where a student band performed at the front. The physical appearance of the facility—a former warehouse in downtown Atlanta—is simply breathtaking. At the top of the rotunda, an innovative LED display featured dragons flying overhead, culminating in one massive dragon that seemed to watch over us. While I often found myself standing in awe of the school’s aesthetic, that beauty becomes secondary once you enter the classrooms. The high-quality instruction taking place within those walls is more than enough to impress on its own.

Unity Through the House System

A cornerstone of this environment is the House System, which serves as a powerful tool for building unity and a deep sense of belonging. At RCA, this system is themed around multicultural connections and core values:

  • Rêveur (Dreamers)
  • Amistad (Friendship)
  • Isibindi (Courage)
  • Altruismo (Giving)

Students wear uniforms that proudly incorporate their specific house colors into their polo shirts, a practice that fosters camaraderie and combats isolation. Implementing a similar system at our school would be a wonderful way to inject energy, excitement, and a renewed sense of purpose into our daily campus life.

The Pedagogy of Sacrifice

The most profound takeaway was witnessing their pedagogical brilliance firsthand; they are easily the most exceptional educators I have ever encountered. While the depth of their individual relationships with students is something that matures over time, the testimonies from the staff demonstrate a selfless level of dedication and time invested in every child.

Reflecting on a sentiment shared by Ron Clark, he noted that his success as a friend, son, and husband is intrinsically linked to his relentless pursuit of excellence as a teacher. This admission struck a deeply personal chord, prompting a period of intense introspection. I found myself questioning if I am prepared to potentially sacrifice aspects of my life as a mother and wife in the pursuit of becoming a “better” teacher, or if it is truly possible to achieve a sustainable balance.

While I am deeply inspired and have no desire to leave the classroom for an administrative role, Ron Clark’s reflections on the time sacrificed to reach this level of impact give me pause. This experience has given me a renewed vision for how I want my school to be, while also forcing me to consider the emotional toll such a commitment requires.

Strategic Discipline: The Board

Even the disciplinary practices at RCA are executed with strategic intent. For example, the practice of placing a student’s name on the board is designed to minimize disruption. The board is positioned at the very back of the room, often using a black whiteboard with subtle ink. This ensures the board is accessible to the teacher but remains discreet, preventing the public shaming often associated with traditional displays.

A key component is the “no-look” rule. If other students turn around to see whose name is being written, they must also put their own names on the board. Because the board is located behind the students, they would have to physically turn away from the lesson to see it. This strict requirement ensures the focus remains entirely on the instruction at the front of the room. By keeping the discipline “offline” and away from the primary line of sight, the teacher manages behavior effectively without allowing it to become a spectacle.

Check it out: https://www.ronclarkacademy.com

More Works by Nancy Ann Creed

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The Three Lenses: The Influence of Literacy Coaches and Observations 

/ Nancy Ann Creed / Leave a comment
man writing on a blackboard
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The Three Lenses: The Influence of Literacy Coaches and Observations 

When Literacy Coaches observe teachers, most of the time they use set rubrics to determine what the teacher needs to work on and what they are doing well. “Our analysis of the coaches’ discussion about their ratings on the rubrics led us to identify three lenses- or ways of looking- that influences their observations: the pedagogy lens, the responsiveness lens, and the relevancy lens,” Rodgers & Rodgers, (2007). What do these lenses mean and how do they affect our teaching and our ability to coach?  

Each time the Literacy Coach watches a lesson and observes how a teacher teaches; they think about how they would have taught that lesson. “Adrian conceptualized a mechanism called a pedagogical lens to help understand how the same teaching might be viewed and interpreted differently by different people (A. Rogers, 2002),” Rodgers & Rodgers, (2007). In other words, an English teacher may observe a teacher teaching a lesson on Shakespeare. The observer might have already taught a lesson like this and comes to the observation with their own ideas on how this subject should be taught.  

The observer is analyzing the lesson by seeing how they would have taught it.  

Another lens observers use is called the Responsiveness Lens. “When the coaches in our study discussed rationales for their ratings, they often referred to what we call the responsiveness of teaching as a factor in their analysis,” Rodgers & Rodgers, (2007). This means how well the teacher is responding to students. If the subject is too difficult, can the teacher adjust her lesson while teaching to help those students?  

One coach summed up the responsiveness lens nicely, ‘What you’re really looking for is, is she meeting the needs of those kids?” Sometimes the teacher must adjust the lesson to help students. What are the students getting from this lesson? Is the teacher matching what she is reaching to how her students are responding?  

When I started teaching Social Studies, I didn’t realize that some of the terms in the book that were known to most students, were not known to my particular group of students. I had to stop the lesson and go over some vocabulary that I thought was common knowledge.  

Finally, the last lens is called the relevancy lens. Are the students learning from what is being taught? “Their reflections on their retains also dealt with whether they thought students could profit form the teaching; this could only happen if what the teacher was teaching matched what students could use to learn,” Rodgers & Rodgers, (2007). The observer questions when teachers are teaching something that is “not meaningful or useful for students, and notes missed opportunities for learning,” Rodgers & Rodgers, (2007).  

 Literacy specialist must collaborate with others in their schools. “To be successful, literacy specialist must be able to work collaboratively and cooperatively with teachers, administrators, families and community agencies,” Bean and Goatley (2021). For example, just as I assumed when I started teaching Social Studies that my students should have already known certain vocabulary, Literacy Specialists come equipped with experiences from previous jobs and life experiences. They must also understand the different lens that they observe with and understand how to use those lenses to help teachers and others to becomes the best they can be.  

References 

Bean, R. M., Goatley, V.J. (2021).  The Literacy Specialist. Leadership and coaching for the classroom, school, and community.  4th ed (374 pgs) Guildford Press.  

Rodgers, A., & Rodgers, E. M. (2007). The Effective Literacy Coach: Using Inquiry to Support Teaching and Learning. Teachers College, Columbia University. 

https://books2read.com/u/m25Ygd