The attached link to a Frontline program on middle school is worth the few minutes it takes to view it.  Before you watch it, consider this story of one young girl in New York City as translatable to a young girl in Buncombe County NC.  Imagine a young girl living  sometimes in a local shelter, other times with different relatives, trying to figure out how to get back to her school each day even though she is in a different part of the of county, walking, figuring out the city bus schedule, and in general having a chaotic home life. 

Summer learning loss.

It's the new buzz term for kids’ brain hibernation over the summer vacation. It happens a little bit to all students, but most significantly to those who have few opportunities to exercise their minds.

Can One Passing Comment To a Child Really Make a Difference?

In previous blogs I wrote about our community’s role in education for our youth, opportunities to be involved with young people in a positive way, and listening to the opinions of young people.  During the summer months as kids are interacting with lots of different adults, let’s consider the power of adult influences on a young person’s life.

Summer Learning Loss: Four ways kids approach summer vacation

It’s always interesting to me when an old topic takes on new urgency – as though it were a new phenomenon.  “Summer Learning Loss” is one of those.

One of the questions posed to stakeholders in the Asheville City Schools strategic planning process is: How well does ACS prepare students with the skills they need to be successful in employment or at college?

I’d venture to say there are the old, current and evolving roles.

The Asheville City School system is designing a new strategic plan.  I had the recent honor of being interviewed as a stakeholder in the schools.  The questions were well thought out and it gave me a chance to reflect on my children’s experiences in their very different journeys from kindergarten through graduation, and my own experience as a parent, nonprofit administrator and a four-year term member of the school board.  I plan to write several blogs about the questions and my thoughts about them not just for Asheville City Schools, but all public education systems.

Whenever I go to a conference that costs me or my employer money, I expect to bring back at least three things. 

• I want to get at least one new idea I can put to use quickly. 
• I want to make at least one connection with another person who is doing interesting things in their work and who I can follow up with later.
• And I want to be inspired.  I look for a passionate speaker who makes me want to do a better job and be a better person.

Last month I wrote about ways to ask young people their opinions.  Well, we’ve been practicing.  We just completed community conversations with 5 different groups in Buncombe County.  As part of conversations in over 35 communities around the country, our local discussions will be folded into a national report on the kind of community people want to live in and what gets in the way – particularly around young people who have dropped out of school or who are out of work. 

Getting at Results

Young people say that they have ideas but no one hears them. Last summer, I had a session with high school students and they said:

• School staffs don’t ask students their opinions or if they do ask, they don’t listen. They gave some examples including food service and a tardy policy.
• Students need to keep trying to make their voices heard.

Basic Recipe:

Ask for an opinion

Listen to the answer

Repeat what was said

Don’t express your opinion