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Understanding the Past, Creating the Present, Imagining the Future
Understanding the Past, Creating the Present, Imagining the Future
“’I can’t do it. I don’t like that class; it’s boring. The teacher is super mean, no wonder I got a C!’
Those quotes are from a sixth-grade student of mine, who had difficulty transitioning to middle school academia.
This student would constantly blame others for his poor school performance. Every week, something or someone was to blame for his academic shortcomings. His parents were emailing his teachers daily to ask how they could help. Wishing to help his transition to middle school, his parents decided to enlist some outside help. They hired two educational therapists and two tutors, including myself. I would meet with him every Monday for an hour for the entirety of the school year.
You would think that with so many adults helping this kid, he would get his school work done, and then some. Unfortunately, he became adept at lying about assignments he completed. When his first progress report came out, he was failing almost every class. His parents discovered he was missing several assignments but doing well on tests. He is very intelligent and has great recall of facts. Understanding the curriculum was not the reason he was failing. His grades were only hurting because of incomplete homework.
After discovering this, I spent the beginning of each session talking with him about accountability. I gave him examples of students who are accountable for their learning. Accountable students are responsible for their actions, especially when they choose to lie. They do not blame others for their bad grades. When accountable students get a bad grade, they do not get upset with the teacher. Instead, they make an action plan with the teacher to improve their grade in that class. Improvements are always possible with a bit of hard work. You get the idea!
One day, after many weeks of dialogue and work about accountability, I got a call from his mother right before our tutoring session. She said they would be 15-20 minutes late that day because my student decided to stay after school and ask his math teacher a few questions he had! His mother continued to explain that she did not tell him to stay after; he made the decision himself. That decision was one of many he has made since then. I’m happy to report that he improved his grades that year and no longer lies about with which assignments he needs help.
As a tutor for students with learning difficulties, my students face challenges that make school difficult. However, it is my job to help them learn various strategies that will help them grow and become successful learners despite their learning difficulties. Teaching accountability allows students to be in charge of their own learning. They learn that they are responsible for their own success. Not just in school, but in their future adult lives!”
~Lindsey Mancillas, Founding Team Member
Accountability is one of the Six Pillars at Academy of the Renaissance
There are more initiatives and programs in education centered around curriculum and pedagogy than there are around teaching students to become more responsible and accountable for their education. That’s because it is much harder to influence a person than it is to change standards, curriculum, and exams. Teaching students accountability takes time and a lot of patience.
From the anecdote written by Lindsey, we see that her student didn’t start to understand accountability until “many weeks later.” Teaching students accountability requires dialogue. Students are required to talk about their actions, the consequences they faced for those actions, and what they can do in the future to not repeat those negative outcomes again. In addition, they need to see and understand models of what accountability looks like. These were very apparent in the story above.
Academy of the Renaissance believes that accountability applies to all levels of education.
As a non-profit public service organization, we will provide the transparency wherever and whenever possible. We will have continuing dialogue and discussion with all stakeholders, which includes our students, teachers, staff, administrators, parents, and community members. We will hold regular meetings and reviews to update all stakeholders of our progress, outcomes, and areas for improvement. Regular surveys and other qualitative research studies will help keep our school focused on our mission and goals.
Furthermore, accountability will be seen through the exhibition of students’ and staff’s work within the classrooms, school settings, and public events. These will demonstrate the achievement of our school, demonstrating the understanding of our adopted local, state, national, and international standards. Like all professionals, our students and staff will establish an ever-growing portfolio of projects and achievements.
Although education may center on the student, every stakeholder plays an important role in that student’s success. Each role has defined actions and responsibilities, and everyone is held accountable for their role.
