Who Would Have Thought?

Reading: Shifting the Paradigm from Deficit Oriented Schools to Asset Based Models: Why Leaders Need to Promote an Asset Orientation in our Schools

Authors: Renkly & Bertolini

Talking Points:

(1) To start, "Encouraging faculty creativity to foster students’ assets and work proactively is a first step in shifting this paradigm. Asset focused expectations must be modeled with faculty and staff by identifying their assets to determine how they can contribute to the school and community."(p.24) I felt this was spot on in the documentary we watched in class, Precious Knowledge. The teachers had a filled, colorful classroom with personal photos, pictures of leaders and focused on what the students could achieve. The students were gaining more strengths, competencies and interests in school just by having the teachers present in an alternative manner. The students were becoming more confident and invested in their learning. Teachers have a huge impact on a students view on a class. I have students who can receive a low D in one class because "I don't like what I'm learning and don't like the learning style" and an A in the other because "My teacher asks us what we want to write or read about and makes it entertaining". Keeping teenagers engaged in what their learning deserves its own award.

(2) Paraphrasing the top of page 25 we learn about external and internal assets, where external assets are provided by relationships formed with adults and the internal assets being formed for students to guide themselves. I found this to be incredibly important to this weeks reading since the readers are being informed that it will take a village to have successful students. They state the more assets students have its less likely students will exhibit risky behaviors. I've interviewed students for two years now and notice with Pawtucket we get lengthy discplinary records from students who attended Slater for middle school but are completely clean when they move into our target high school. One applicant stands out that I interviewed last month. On paper he seemed like he would create chaos being involved in our program from his 20 page discipline record from middle school (currently in 9th). When I got to speak with him I was interviewing a completely different person. He was calm, explained his issues, and he was lucky enough to have a caring mother to recognize his acting out and put him in Taekwondo. He had severe culture shock coming from another country, had teachers writing him up left and right, when he needed more guidance. I'm excited for him to start our program and meet more students and teachers who want to put in the time for him to express himself and find community.

(3) Later on that same page it states, "Scales et al. (2000) note that student time spent in youth programs is one of the most predictive elements to a child's thriving outcomes. Good youth programs are tied tightly with the community and provide students with access to caring adults, while also instilling the importance of leadership. helping others, and maintaining good health." After reading this week I do recognize that Upward Bound could be changed slightly, however, overall you can see the difference in students who make it through their first summer in the program. When students come to our program they are getting an almost personal guidance counselor. An adult who has more time to spend with them, helping them create their future. They have teachers, many who are alum of the program, willingly come to teach on Saturday mornings and in the Summer to get them more engaged. They find a community of students with the same goal of becoming the first to go to college. Many of these students may not have all these things in their own schools or at home. They start to branch out and join clubs and sports, volunteering with our program because they have people in their lives encouraging them. We have graduations and different awards nights to invite families to see what an impact our program has on them. We have "most improved" awards to shine light on those who did struggle in a subject and worked with their Tutor Counselors and teachers to power through. We have a One World Festival showcasing to families and the community what 60 students can learn in their language classes in 6 weeks followed by a fashion show. We have a few parents after every summer coming up to us saying how much their children have grown. My own mother included. I was a reserved child but from having the opportunity, guidance, and encouragement I completely came out of my shell. We are a great environment to support students and their families.

Argument - Renkly & Bertolini argue that by moving students into an asset based model from a deficit one, there are better outcomes expected through community involvement, engagement, and collaboration.

Connections - The Ted Talk was very insightful and the presenter, Sugata Mitra, was entertaining to watch. He said, "How come all the rich people are having these extraordinarily gifted children? What did the poor do wrong?" Its known that talent is everywhere but opportunity is not. As a society we would be lightyears ahead if we focused on the potential of every individual instead of having that overbearing need of unappreciated "essential workers" to push out. This connects in last weeks video referencing the "cogs" and just growing up to be another worker. By having this asset model with providing children with a computer and no other directions, students went out of their ways to find answers. Children's brains are sponges and can take in such information especially when they're in the "why" stage. All Mitra had to do was show up and have a student led learning process and now they were teaching him about DNA.  

Reflection - I enjoyed this weeks topic. I felt in the last few years how the Prussian model is holding students back from potential. Like I mentioned in my last post there has been a surge of montessori, language immersion, and CTE classes in the education system that don't align with the current model. I have a student who didn't feel challenged enough in her high school calculus class and sought out to take ACN courses in BOTH calculus and computer science. She is a brainiac but wouldn't have been able to reach these opportunities like receiving $225,000 in scholarship to attend WPI if she didn't have a strong support system both in our program, at school, and at home. Even with the amazing scholarship she is nervous about not having the money for the enrollment and housing deposit. She is still applying to every STEM and Women of Color opportunities along with our UB scholarship to get her to achieve her dreams.

P.S. Unrelated: This was my week to bring in snacks for Thursdays class and I'm upset because I specifically went to Costco to get nutella beignets for you all to try and the blizzard ruined it...anyways I didn't want them to go stale and they are really good heated in the microwave for 10 seconds...