During my 14th-17th years in life there were a few choice phrases which would have me running for the hills. One was “girls group” the second was “body image and self-esteem.” My feelings regarding who I was at that time were a gnarled ball of twine and I had neither the intention nor the maturity to unravel them. My insatiable need in high school was to transform over and over and over again. Plum hued hair and dating different guys allowed me to shed one skin and adopt another. Let’s just say I was on the run from understanding myself.
So as you can imagine I could only laugh at the irony that a decade plus later I would be on the adult side supporting a group of high school girls I care about on the topic of self-esteem. Being on the other side of the two way mirror was impactful to say the least. Letty, our Marriage and Family Therapist, showed clips from Killing Us Softly, Miss Representation, and Photoshop Model . Then in her wonderful Letty way, she cut to the heart of the matter and kindly pulled the shyer girls out of the shadows and into the light where much to my surprise they exposed their soft underbellies.
Out of about ten girls the one I most identify with is a girl who revolves through the world with a quick wit as her arsenal of defense. Typical to her behavior she tossed around one-liners as her response to the question: What are we in control of as women when we see airbrushed models in magazines? But then all of sudden the safety of the conversation lent itself to her expressing pain. When she held up walls, she also held certain strength in her eyes. Then as she revealed the cards closest to her chest, her eyes reflected the innocence and vulnerability of a small child. And one, by one, by one, our girls exposed their vulnerability which made each one in that moment more beautiful than any outfit, tan, or airbrushed photograph ever could.
I drove home reflecting on what just happened for the past three hours last Tuesday evening. I walked away with an understanding in my core for the NEED for more positive discussions in our safe nest led by brave adult role models. Then it dawned on me just how many strong adult women I work with here in Solana Beach. If each of these women brought their hearts and soul strength to the table what a force that would be! Bria and Tiffany (both English/History teachers) were touchstones the girls know and love and their presence and willingness to be real let our girls know we were in a safe respectful space and in turn THEY got real. Fusion-wide we hold incredible influence in just being ourselves as mentors. All we need is to create the time, space, a gathering of open hearts, and a topic of value. It’s that simple.
Prom was born out of a much smaller idea. We overheard in the homework café when talking to the students about fun night ideas, “it sucks we don’t have dances at our school.” “Well, says who?” was my reply. So instead of fun night the following month (December) our Homework café teachers Andra and Mark, our art teacher Mary and I began planning a Winter Informal Dance. Our biggest obstacles were our limited budget; a landlord who had come to us just a few months ago with noise complaints, and coming up with a plan to make sure students would stay safe during the duration of the dance. At our little winter informal we hung snowflakes from our Homework café ceiling had a laser light show and a single speaker with a You Tube play list put together by a student and homework café teacher. We blacked out the homework café windows with plastic black garbage bags and we transformed our homework café into a dance room with the tall tables to stand around and the couches off to the sides of the room. While we predicted no more than 10 students would attend (our usual group who attends other student fun nights) to our surprise 30 showed up! A few girls wore dresses and boys came with hair slicked back with formal button down shirt and slacks. As teachers wound down their classes for the evening they popped back towards the music and collectively as adults we were shocked at the fun being had in the living room before us. As kids got picked up at the end of the night the idea of F-R-O-M was born (fusion prom). The students had spoken and we wouldn’t be Fusion if we couldn’t innovate and create to meet our students’ needs.
The motivation that went into prom planning from January-April was one born of love. The winter informal provided us with a glimpse of social interaction our full time students craved. Many of them do not yet connect with their Fusion friends outside of school. Many are anxiously forming their first real friendships at Fusion since elementary school. The need for our students to connect with their peers in a safe setting outside of an academic context had slapped me in the face. They wanted a formal dance and by golly we were going to give them one!
It was great how everyone rallied in support. The students themselves were told if they we hit 30 tickets sold 2 weeks before the dance they could do a prank on Cody. You better believe they hit that goal and then some! We ended up with 40 students in attendance on prom night. As a final push to afford our decor, we held a bake sale in the final week and teachers and students brought in and purchased baked goods. With the support of our Head of School, Cody; Tisha our registrar (who offered to moonlight as our photographer); our teacher chaperones (Veronica, Billy, Bria, Tiffany, Moe, Mark, David C., David A.); our décor committee (Andra, Luke, Mary, Mark); our music set up (Moe and Nicholas) student DJs (Brendan and Hunter); we pulled off a wonderful night at the Moroccan Oasis (our student chosen theme).
Going through the experience of planning and executing this event allowed me to feel grateful for three groups of people: Our students, our parents, and my co-workers. Our students got their night to dress their best, take pride in themselves and put their best foot forward on the dance floor. Our parents expressed gratitude for their child to have a social experience that many of them so crave but don’t know how to make the first step to connect outside of school. My co-workers (who continue to amaze me with the pride they take in our school) after working a long week and completing a full day of IROCs went and grabbed food and came right over to the hotel to help set up, chaperone and break down until almost midnight! As I walked out with the last of the décor loaded in the trunk of my car I looked at Mary (our art teacher) who put so much energy and heart into the look of the dance and felt like crying out of joy, pride, and gratitude for the opportunity to provide a high school milestone for our students who wanted it this year. Was it hard work to pull this off and do it well so the students were safe and the dance was still their own? Yes. Would I do it again? Absolutely! But for now, I wanted to say a big THANK YOU to all those who supported our endeavors not just from our campuses but Fusion wide. We’re on a roll here in Solana Beach and are looking forward to put together bigger and better student events next school year!
Elia De Armas is a senior at Fusion Solana Beach in the San Diego area. She is very creative and enjoys working on various projects including video production. Her latest project (displayed above) was for the anatomy class and certainly not a simple task! Elia took on the challenge and created an extraordinary piece that wowed everyone. She made a mask of her face using molding mesh, drywall plaster, pieces of toilet paper, oils and water to create a mixture she applied over the mask. To make the teeth, she used her old retainer! The skull contains small holes for toothpick flags that carry the names of the individual cranial and facial bones. This sculpture is a functional piece of art as it will be used as an anatomical model for future students and hopefully inspires other creative minds!
Kickball and Cupcakes was a blast on Saturday! A big collective thank you goes out to Lester Clowes who organized the event for us! Part of what I love about working at Fusion is there are so many talented, smart, fun, witty people that I am privileged to work with. The problem is I only see a few of these rock stars on a daily/weekly basis. While I will readily admit that the thought of driving 2 hours north from San Diego to a park in Anaheim did not seem like the most appealing way to spend a Saturday morning I truly enjoyed the Kickball and Cupcakes event. It certainly has become more of a challenge to find a “convenient” meeting point as we grow, but it is the times where I can connect with Fusion Land friends from other campuses that I find most meaningful.
Aside from the beautiful weather and good eats, I enjoyed connecting with other people who I might not otherwise get the opportunity to connect with. Perhaps you have clicked with a co-worker at another campus and you kick yourself thinking “Gosh, there’s no real reason I will interface with this person and get to know him or her better.” What’s refreshing about an event like this is I didn’t need to craft an excuse to get to know anyone over a work related matter. Instead I got know them over kickball and burgers!
I like that for an afternoon we came together not as DSDs, ADs, teachers and mentors, ISes or Department Heads(roles we proudly wear during the week). Collectively we were just fun loving people looking to relax in the park and come together over burgers, veggie dogs, kickball and cupcakes. Looking back on it, the day was great for me to see the glimpses of the outside lives of others. The lives that help create happy balanced Fusionites. I got to meet spouses, children, dogs, and friends of co-workers who remind me why we have such well-rounded people in our Fusion world. Attending this event reminded me of the importance to make time to connect with the larger whole. The experience always makes me feel so proud to work where I do. I am looking forward to more events like this in the future!
Yesterday teachers came together to surprise our students with a beautiful assortment of pies in honor of Pi Day. One super star teacher even baked a fresh Apple pie with a whimsical Pi sign glazed and sprinkled with sugar on top!
After typical weekly announcements on prom (affectionately known as F-R-O-M for Fusion Prom), upcoming MAP testing, and our bake sale for Tyler Duoos next week, Cody smiled and announced that it was Pi Day as Lester stood next to him demonstrating the physical pie specimen. From that point on, there was a mass exodus to the smaller homework café where teachers were kindly serving slices of raspberry, blueberry, apple, pumpkin, banana cream, lemon meringue, key lime pie with whipped cream topping.
Taking a few minutes to do something small yet significant resonated with our student body. During those 20 minutes they acted with kindness towards each other and possessed an air of innocence about them standing around laughing and eating pie with the teachers. It was a reminder that our students still appreciate “kid” stuff sometimes. While pie isn’t what usually makes teenagers jump up and down in excitement, the gesture of adults they care about doing something special for them was appreciated. Our notes for things we’d do differently next year: Make sure a teacher or administrator gets a lovely pie to the face after announcing Pi Day and have one special meat pie hidden among the others!
The movement, placement, and social dynamics of the homework café never cease to amaze me. Much like our salt water fish tank our full time students are indeed creatures of habit. The same students choose their perch daily in a corner chair the way the Hawk fish remains on the rocks at the top of the tank gazing out at the traffic below her. After observing our salt water tank for at least 10 minutes it becomes apparent how the fish utilize their space and which species are more socially outgoing or aggressive than others. There seem to be those that need more physical movement swimming back and forth from one side to the other out of routine and habit bringing them comfort and security. Even our students who at first appear to be releasing excess energy do so in a pattern. Like little egg timers each goes off at a certain hour of the day where fits of laughter and spastic movement humor is the best release from an extended period of concentrating in class.
When a new fish is added to the tank there are those who barely notice a newcomer has arrived as they have not yet made an impression on the collective whole and those who circle the new fish staying within proximity to observe. Then there is one fish or two who directly interact with the newcomer. The general pattern of our 70 plus full time students flowing in waves through the homework café is no different than our salt water tank. Being present in the homework café, I feel as though I am wading in a stream that already has a flow. It is a peaceful and tolerant flow with the occasional ruffled scales.
Once you’ve become accustomed to flowing with the student body it is easy to tell when calm contented silence turns to discontented silence if the collective student body feels one particular student has threatened the vibe of their environment. It is easy to tell when happy chatter becomes a riled annoyance felt by students who are tired of one attempting to usher in negative attention. The homework café is home for our students. They break it in and often forget the formalities once they’ve nestled in a physical location they are most comfortable to study in. Overhearing a level of honesty as students work through their insecurities building social confidence one can’t help but respect their environment and feel dwarfed by it. Suddenly, it becomes clear that I am just a guest who will kindly go with the current.
Throughout my teaching credential program, I spent over 100 hours observing at public junior high and high schools in Orange County. The routine at each of these schools was usually the same: the students would enter the room like a herd of wild animals; the first 10 minutes were spent sequestering them, correcting homework (for those that would be paying attention to the teacher) and passing up the finished product. The lesson would be well-presented and generally the teacher seemed interested in his or her students. But due to the size of the class, in most cases there was no way to truly engage each student.
Generally there would be a handful of “smart” students who carried on the class’ discussions with the teacher on behalf of their fellow students. If students did not understand the content, there would be no way for the teacher to know unless the student mustered up the courage to ask their question in front of 30+ peers. This routine works for most students, but are these students truly receiving quality education?
A typical day at Fusion is vastly different from this predictable routine. One of the biggest differences is the accountability each of the students has with every one of their teachers. This accountability is manifested throughout every aspect of a student’s progression through a class. Each day a student enters the rooms of teachers who know how they function, how they learn best, and whether their work is completed to the best of that student’s ability. During the lesson, the pace is individually set in order to engage and challenge the student without overwhelming him or her. In order for the class session to run smoothly, participation of the student must take place and gaps in understanding can be pinpointed and build up during this time. As the semester moves along, students become more comfortable asking questions and advocating for themselves. These are skills which will greatly benefit each student as they move into either their vocational or college-bound path.
Greater accountability leads to quality education.
Written By: Michelle Blokzyl Math/Science Teacher/Mentor at Fusion Huntington Beach
This is a video about mastering in Pro Tools with Daddy Kev, Owner of Alpha Pup records. In this video, he explains a similar technique to the one I teach to my recording arts students.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DWIXFKWUsAk
Brought to you by Evan Pressman,Recording Arts/Music Teacher/Mentor Huntington Beach Fusion
In educational settings, one of the most challenging issues pertaining to students’ success is motivation. The so-called Six C’s of Motivation strategies—choice, challenge, control, collaboration, constructing meaning, and consequences—have been extremely essential in assigning a task that allows a student to increase motivation through his/her own choices and goals.
As a teacher at Fusion Academy, I have incorporated the Six C’s of Motivation strategies through a very simple yet result-oriented technique: a project assignment. By assigning projects, I have discovered the effectiveness of each one of my students’ involvement—the one portrayed through excitement, commitment, enthusiasm, and last but not least, MOTIVATION.
As a result, from Gothic Literature to Origin of the Days Names projects, the enhancement in motivation has changed significantly. However, one might ask him/herself a simple question: Why so? First of all, each one of my students has been given an opportunity to select the most appropriate topic of his/her interest, instead of the teacher’s selection. Secondly, this approach has allowed them to fully use their creativity and literacy. On the other hand, a break from the classroom’s routine has been replaced with a project where the focus was more on planning, evaluating, and revising instead of yawning, being distracted, and not utilizing the classroom period in a fashioned manner. Surely but slowly, the increase in motivation became more apparent as students became personal, responsible for their projects, and goal-directed.
Assigning projects has worked for countless teachers in many educational settings. Unquestionably, it has increased students’ motivation not through a traditional assessment, but through an assessment where a student works collaboratively, challenges himself/herself with a task, presents the final outcome from his/her own perspective, and executes a concept through enjoyment and not boredom.
Thus, next time, when you come across a student who struggles with any of the Six C’s of Motivation strategies, change the routine and assign a project; after all, you might be in for a pleasant surprise.
Blog Post brought to you by Ms. Amra Pepic Spanish Maestra @Fusion Academy Huntington Beach
I recently read an article in the LA Times about the current state of the American Educational System. The article critically examines the relationship between administrators and teachers. It contrasts the American financial workforce in order to construct a method of instruction that would implement a symbiotic relationship between educators and administrators. The goal of this endeavor is to resurrect America’s crumbling public school system.
In the article, the authors discuss how administrators no longer viewed teachers as key contributors to the learning process. They are often excluded from the collaborative efforts needed to operate a successful school. This negative view of teachers and their unions allows educators to become expendable. They state that the lack of communication between school administrators, union representatives, and teachers within our educational system results in a lack of cohesion that drastically affects our ability to effectively teach students. The emphasis on communication and collaboration between educators is reiterated in a 2010 study conducted by Rutgers University on the ABC Unified School District in Southern California,
“In this partnership, teachers, unions and administrators have developed rigorous peer assistance, mentoring and evaluation systems that have raised teaching quality….The district has collaborated with teachers on planning, curriculum design, and improving instructional practices.”
The result of their collaboration has been a 10% improvement on the California Academic Performance Index every year over the last decade and a graduation rate of 89.1%. This is much higher than California’s average of 74.4%. Now, if only a place exists in which teachers and administrators do collaborate and address student needs individually. This place would use its resources to supplement a teacher’s ability and enthusiasm in order to ensure that passion for academics and enduring real word skills are passed on. Why is Fusion the only haven for those who are forward thinking enough to challenge the status quo?
This Blog brought to you by Sherif Zakaria, Homework Cafe Teacher/Mentor @ Fusion Academy Huntington Beach
