Information

= John Muir: =

Expected School-wide Learning Results
Students will become: 1. informed and effective communicators, 2. complex critical thinkers and problem solvers, 3. collaborative workers who contribute to, interact with and lead in the worldwide community, 4. well-rounded individuals who recognize and address local, national, and international responsibilities

Mission Statement:
The mission of John Muir School is to create a community of empowered learners who are productive global learners.

Vision statement:
John Muir’s program equips students with the knowledge, skills, and values to achieve academic excellence through a focus on global responsibilities. Utilizing Paideia learning strategies, technology, and project-based learning, we prepare our students to become life-long learners who collaborate effectively, work creatively, and think critically to benefit themselves, their communities and the world.

[]
 * School discipline** is the system of rules, punishments and behavioral strategies appropriate to the regulation of children and the maintenance of order in schools. Its aim is to create a safe and conducive learning environment in the classroom.

[]
 * **Parental involvement:** In Paterson, New Jersey, parents of truant students are not fined or jailed, they are required to come to school by the court. This punishment leads to a decrease in truancy. Also, in both Maryland and South Carolina, the punishment for some school discipline problems is to require the parents to attend school with their children. Once the parents see that education is important for their children, their children have not been repeat offenders.
 * **Alternative schools:** Many school systems have found that by permanently removing chronically disruptive students from the classroom to an alternative school situation, the school discipline problems from the first school decrease drastically.
 * **School scheduling:** Many schools have found that a simple solution of rescheduling school lunches has dramatically decreased discipline problems. By spreading lunches out for a longer period, there are fewer frustrations, temper flare ups, and other problems resulting from the stress of having to put up with a crowded lunch period.
 * **School I.D.s:** Many schools are also requiring their students to display a picture I.D to cut down on unauthorized persons coming into a school to promote disruptions. This also eases the impersonal atmosphere of larger schools by letting students and teachers learn one another's names.
 * **Recognition that school is a learning place:** Repeatedly, school systems are stressing that schools are a place for learning, not a recreation/social center for students. Once this "learning atmosphere" is established and enforced, schools have a lower percentage of discipline problems.

[] One of the scariest issues for teachers is dealing with confrontational students in the classroom. While confrontations do not occur everyday in every classroom, most if not all secondary school teachers will have to deal with a student who is acting belligerant and speaking in out in their classroom. Following are some ideas and tips to help diffuse the situation instead of allowing it to escalate even further.

Do Not Lose Your Temper
This can be harder than it sounds. However, it is imperative that you remain calm. You have a classroom full of students watching you. If you lose your temper and start shouting at a confrontational student, you have given up your position of authority and lowered yourself to the student's level. Instead, take a deep breath and remember that you are the authority figure in the situation.

Do Not Raise Your Voice
This goes hand in hand with not losing your temper. Raising your voice will simply escalate the situation. Instead, a better tack is to talk quieter as the student gets louder. This will help you keep control and appear less confrontational to the student, thereby helping to calm the situation.

Do Not Get Other Students Involved
It is counterproductive to get other students involved in the confrontation. For example, if the student is making an accusation about something you did or did not say, do not turn to the rest of the class to ask them what you said right at that moment. The confrontational student might feel backed into a corner and lash out even further. A better response would be that you will be happy to speak with them about the situation once they calm down.

Privately Speak to the Student
You might consider calling a hall conference with the student. Ask them to step outside to speak with you. By removing the audience, you can talk with the student about their issues and try to come to some sort of resolution before the situation gets out of hand. Make sure that during this time, you recognize that you understand they are upset and then talk with them calmly to determine the best resolution to the problem. Use [|active listening techniques] as you talk with the student. If you are able to get the student to calm down and return to class, then make sure that you integrate the student back into the classroom environment. Other students will be watching how you deal with the situation and how you treat the returning student.

Call the Office if You Require Help or an Office Escort
While it is always best to try and diffuse the situation yourself, you should call the office and request additional adult assistance if things are escalating out of hand. If a student is cussing uncontrollably at you and/or other students, throwing things, hitting others, or threatening violence, you need to get assistance from the office.

Use Referrals if Necessary
An office referral is one tool in your behavior management plan. This should be used as a last resort for students who can not be managed within the classroom environment. If you write referrals all the time, you will find that they lose their value both for your students and also for the administration as well. In other words, you want your referrals to mean something and to be acted on as necessary by the administrator in charge of the case.

Contact the Student's Parents
Try to get the parent involved as soon as possible. Let them know what happened in class and what you would like them to do to help with the situation. Realize, however, that some parents will not be as receptive as others in your efforts. Nonetheless, parental involvement can make a huge difference in many cases.

Create a Behavior Management Plan for Ongoing Issues
If you have a student who is often confrontational, you need to call together a parent-teacher conference to deal with the situation. Include administration and guidance if you feel it is necessary. Together, you can create a plan for dealing with the student and possibly helping them with any possible anger management issues.

Talk With the Student at a Later Time
A day or two after the situation has been resolved, pull the student involved aside and discuss the situation with them calmly. Use this to try and determine what the trigger was that caused the problem in the first place. This is also a great time to try and give the student ideas of other ways to deal with the situation that they might be able to use in the future. For example, you might have them ask to speak with you quietly instead of shouting in the middle of class. Treat Each Student as an Individual Realize that what works with one student might not work with another. For example, you might find that one student responds particularly well to humor while another might get angry when you try to make light of the situation.

Do Not Goad a Student
While this might seem obvious, it is a sad fact that some teachers enjoy goading their students. Do not be one of those teachers. Spend your time focusing on what's best for each student and move beyond any petty feelings you might have about past classroom confrontations and situations. While you might privately dislike a student, you should never allow this to show in any way.

[]
 * Child discipline** is the set of rules, rewards and punishments administered to teach self control, increase desirable behaviors and decrease undesirable behaviors in children.

[] Educators must seize every opportunity to teach, nurture, and develop in students the traits of "good citizenship" and a deep commitment to the nation's shared values. The following "target understandings" will help to ensure a teacher's success in achieving this worthy goal: comparing Muir's system to other schools:
 * Without a vision of what you hope to accomplish through your management and discipline system, it is unlikely that your vision will become a reality. One's ultimate goal must be at the forefront of every decision in the classroom. Therefore, teachers must take time to develop a vision for what they hope to accomplish (i.e., for students) and identify several factors that will ensure that one's purpose is fulfilled (i.e., through a plan of action). This vision should reflect a commitment to developing good character traits and the skills needed for democratic living.
 * Your actions must be consistent with your vision and goal(s). Actions speak louder than words!
 * Practice what you preach. If teachers want their students to become good citizens who exercise moral integrity, then they must model such behaviors. If one values democracy, being an unsympathetic dictator in the classroom is out of the question. Every decision you make must help your vision become a reality.
 * It is important to identify a set of classroom procedures/ routines that will help your classroom run smoothly. These procedures/routines must be taught during the first days of school and consistently reinforced throughout the school year. If something in your action plan is not working, you must analyze why that is so and develop an appropriate alternative. Ultimately, teachers must ensure that teaching and learning can occur.
 * When students are unable to gain a sense of belonging in the class, they often turn to the mistaken goals of seeking attention, power, or revenge, or begin to display feelings of inadequacy (Dreikurs, in Charles, 2002). Teachers can prevent a good deal of misbehavior by creating an engaging curriculum and an environment in which all students feel accepted, respected, and valued. When the agreed-upon classroom rules are broken, teachers first must identify what is at the root of the student's actions (e.g., mistaken goals). Only then can teachers respond appropriately to misbehavior and provide a corrective that will help the student internalize a set of values that will guide future decisions in a positive way.
 * If adults always intervene to resolve problem/conflicts between or among students, students will never learn to resolve conflicts themselves. Students must be taught, and have the opportunity to practice, conflict resolution and effective communication skills. We must make it our goal to equip youngsters with the skills to become effective problem solvers.
 * In every situation, you must resolve to do what a "reasonable" and "prudent" person would do in a similar situation. In addition to their professional and ethical responsibilities, new teachers must come to understand their legal obligations. In those very challenging situations, the law always comes back to what a "reasonable and prudent person" would or would not do in a similar situation. These elements of professionalism are best learned through the practice of using hypothetical classroom and/or playground situations to develop a solution. It is a good idea to provide teacher candidates with a school district's guidelines and policies regarding sexual harassment, appropriate ways to interact with students (for example, when and how it is appropriate to touch a student), and reporting of suspected child abuse. (For more information regarding the legal issues in education, see the issue of Educational Leadership titled "Understanding the Law," volume 59, number 4, 1997.)
 * Keeping open lines of communication with the home is essential to helping each student reach his/her potential. In order to have a successful relationship with parents and/or guardians, the first home contact must be a positive one. In addition, teachers must establish a rapport and develop a means of communicating student needs, progress, and successes on a regular basis. Teachers should be encouraged to call parents/ caretakers during the first week of school simply to express their excitement about the upcoming year and invite cooperation. I ask my teacher candidates to create a newsletter to be sent home with their students; this newsletter outlines their vision and plan for management and discipline, and invites parent/ caregiver support.


 * each teacher has their own way of grading students on citizenship.
 * it's all done by personal opinion

give examples of how other schools grade citizenship

[]

[]

[] Calculating Your Citizenship Grades At San Marino High School, students receive a citizenship grade of A-F in every class, including homeroom. Students must average at least a C in citizenship to earn a diploma from San Marino High. Regardless of a student's citizenship average entering the senior year, the student must earn at least a "D" average in the senior year with at least a "D" average in the second semester. Students and parents should be aware that the most common reasons for poor citizenship include tardiness, poor attendance, and the failure to turn in assignments promptly. Citizenship grades will appear on the students' transcripts. For the school's purpose of tracking citizenship, letter grades are converted to points according to the following computational process: Students and parents __should also be aware__ that an "**//Administrative Citizenship Grade//**" drop will also lower a student's citizenship grade one full level for a semester, with a corresponding drop in points. With respect to the above example, if the students had received an Administrative Citizenship Grade drop, the 'B' would be dropped to a 'C', and the 7.5 points would be reduced to 5. **At least 5 citizenship grade credits need to be earned senior year, with at least 2.5 credits being earned the 2nd semester of the senior year.**
 * Convert the citizenship letter grade (A-F) to a standard 4 point numerical value (A=4, B=3, C=2, D=1, F=0).
 * Add up the figures (for our example, 23 is the total).
 * Count up the number of classes in which a citizenship grade has been given. (Sample = 7).
 * Refer to the **POINT RANGE CHART** below.
 * Move down the column until you find the range in which your total points appear (the range is 18-24 for our sample).
 * Note the corresponding letter grade to the right of the range (letter grade = "B" for our sample)
 * Now look to **CITIZENSHIP POINT CONVERSION CHART** to figure your point for the grading period. In our example, the "B" converts to 7.5 citizenship points earned for the semester. Please note that only the points accumulated at the end of each semester count towards the necessary points for graduation.


 * POINT RANGE CHART ||
 * (4) GRADES || (5) GRADES || (6) GRADES || (7) GRADES ||
 * 16-15 = A || 20-18 = A || 24-22 = A || 28-25 = A ||
 * 14-11 = B || 17-13 = B || 21-16 = B || 24-18 = B ||
 * 10-7 = C || 12-8 = C || 15-10 = C || 17-11 = C ||
 * 6-3 = D || 7-3 = D || 9-4 = D || 10-4 = D ||
 * 2-0 = F || 2-0 = F || 3-0 = F || 3-0 = F ||

[] Since attitude is a significant factor in a child’s success, each subject is accompanied by a citizenship mark based on a pupil’s capacity for growth. This mark includes an evaluation of characteristics that are essential to personal and social development:


 * **Attitude** ||  || Spirit of cooperation within the classroom. ||
 * **Effort** ||  || Be attentive, do what is required, and take advantage of the educational opportunities present. ||
 * **Dependability** ||  || Be recognized in the classroom as a responsible person. ||

|| Each student will receive a grade on their progress in meeting the above criteria. || || O || Outstanding || || U || Unsatisfactory ||


 * S || Satisfactory ||  || F || Cheating/Plagiarism ||

|| The following guidelines should be used when determining a citizenship grade:

follows rules & directions of the teacher participates constructively in class activities || approaches school work with enthusiasm follows rules & directions of the teacher participates constructively in class activities || approaches school work with enthusiasm follows rules & directions of the teacher participates constructively in class activities || completes assignments on time initiates contact for extra help when needed || is attentive & produces quality work completes assignments on time initiates contact for extra help when needed || is attentive & produces quality work completes assignments on time initiates contact for extra help when needed || is prepared for class makes up work in a timely manner || is on time to class is prepared for class makes up work in a timely manner || is on time to class is prepared for class makes up work in a timely manner ||
 * ||  || **(O)**utstanding || **(S)**atisfactory || **(U)**nsatisfactory ||
 * ** The Student.. ** || Always || Usually || Rarely ||
 * **Attitude** || approaches school work with enthusiasm
 * ** Effort ** || is attentive & produces quality work
 * ** Dependability ** || is on time to class

**[]** **Teaching Citizenship via the Paideia Seminar** In a democracy the "ruling class" is the people themselves, and it is imperative to the life of a democracy that the citizenry be taught to think about and discuss the difficult challenges facing America. The Paideia Seminar is a formal, intellectual dialogue facilitated with open-ended questions about a text. It is one of the most powerful ways to teach fundamental citizenship skills, including the ability to think coherently and discuss collaboratively complex ideas and values.

The Seminar is designed specifically to teach your students to think critically while simultaneously enhancing their conceptual understanding of democratic government. By engaging in seminar dialogue, students also practice a wide range of fundamental citizenship skills: reading and writing in addition to speaking and listening. This Institute is for K-12 teachers who have as their responsibility training students to become active citizens. This training will prepare you to plan, lead, and assess Paideia Seminars so that your classroom or school will become an increasingly exciting environment and your students will gain the social and intellectual skills they need to govern themselves in the 21st Century.

[]

[]

//Citizenship Marks// Citizenship is a reflection of the general behavior, attitude, values, and habits of an individual student in the school community. They measure personal qualities, not academic performance, and therefore should not be equated with the academic scale.

eet school citizenship Requirements ||
 * E || Excellent || Is an outstanding citizen ||
 * G || Good || Is an above-average citizen ||
 * S || Satisfactory || Meets citizenship standards ||
 * N || Needs to improve || Needs help to meet citizenship Standards. ||
 * U || Unsatisfactory || Fails to m