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Who: (Left to Right) Don Eggleston, Principal Teacher; Dawn Weathersbee, Language Arts Teacher; Kimberly Ford, Counselor; Marilyn Chap, Bilingual Resource Teacher; and Louis LaFortune, Social Studies Teacher. A photo of the staff holding some of the props used in our skit is attached.
What: These five New School staff presented a workshop at the Western Region Conference of the William Glasser Institute. The workshop was entitled “The Marathon Metaphor”, and included a humorous skit demonstrating how New School uses Dr. Glasser’s Choice Theory to help students recover from trauma, learn more productive habits, and become successful in their job, which is school. The attached photo shows the presenters with some of the props used in the role play. The workshop was very well received.
Where and When: The conference took place in El Segundo, partially at Dr. Glasser’s home, on May 5th and 6th.
Why: New School is pursuing certification by the William Glasser Institute as a Quality School, where there is no coercion. Last fall, all New School staff received the basic Choice Theory Training, and trainers from the Institute will be returning to New School this coming August for an Advanced Certification Training.
Narrative version: New School, a 9th-12th Community Day School, which opened in the Pajaro Valley Unified School District 13 years ago, has begun the process to be certified by the William Glasser Institute as a “Quality School”. This means that the staff at New School will implement Choice Theory, (Dr. Glasser’s philosophy of human interaction) in all dealings with students and other staff. Choice Theory is based on Dr. William Edwards Deming’s 14 Points of Management.
Choice Theory is the simple, yet profound, understanding that the use of coercion (rewards and punishment) is relatively ineffective in our attempts to permanently influence others’ behavior. This is a radical philosophy, since most schools (and workplaces) use rewards and punishment regularly to “control” people. Choice Theory focuses on developing strong caring, supportive relationships in schools, encouraging everyone to set their own goals, and expecting students (and staff) to do Quality Work.
Quality Work is more than a passing grade. It happens when people are truly excited about their job (or class assignment). Quality Work is something you are proud of and you will remember for years, typically a project, not just understanding a text and passing a test. Quality Work assumes intrinsic motivation and continuous improvement.
Don Eggleston, principal of New School, used Dr. Glasser’s Quality Circle techniques in teaching elementary school in Oakland in 1972, and rediscovered Dr. Glasser’s works about three years ago. In August of 2006, the William Glasser Institute sent two trainers to New School for a weeklong training. Over the course of the 2006-2007 school year New School staff slowly reduced our use of coercion and focused more on building caring relationships with students and on coaching students to achieve their own goals (which inevitably include passing the CAHSEE and getting a diploma). Helping our students build their intrinsic motivation to learn has produced major increases in academic test results.
In May, five New School staff attended the Western Regional Conference of the William Glasser Institute in El Segundo, CA, which was partly held at Dr. Glasser’s home. New School staff presented a workshop entitled “The Marathon Metaphor”, illustrating how we are using Choice Theory to coach our students to improve their behavior and academic skills so that they can achieve their goals, whether they be running a marathon or passing the CAHSEE and graduating. (Photo includes presenting staff with props.) The workshop was very well received, and we have been asked to start the process to become certified as a Quality School.
During the coming 2007-2008 school year, we plan to host a second week-long training by the Glasser Institute staff at New School. Then, during the school year we will continue to reduce our use of coercion of students (and other staff), focus more on student goals, and offer students more opportunities to do Quality Work.
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