The Teacher Advisory Program as an Effective Tool for Promoting Positive Student Mental Health, Acceptance, and Cultural Diversity in a Living School - A Deep Learning Inquiry Project
In a previous course Ryan Smithson and I chose to highlight Maples Collegiate as an example of a “Living School” in action. We focussed on the teacher and student led initiatives that were offered within the school of nearly 1600 active learners. Our “Living Schools” project was designed to be an ongoing or “living” project that we planned to revisit frequently. For this activity I had originally planned to head down the road of the concept of student mental health. I spoke with Ryan about his initiative to explore the Healthy School Planner (HSP) tool developed by the University of Waterloo. He planned to introduce the tool at an upcoming gathering at which point he would collect data related to the processes required by the HSP tool in order to gain a sense of where we stood as a school regarding the HPS concept. After speaking with Ryan and digging through the modules related to mental health provided by the HPS tool, I decided to examine what I would call some of the underpinnings that exist within our school that promote effective positive mental health and well-being in the minds of our students.
Living School Project Website
I choose this opportunity to dig deeper into some of the elements infused within the day to day teachings that learners experience. My areas of focus for this assignment target the importance and success of our school wide teacher advisor program (T.A.) as a foundation that promotes community and fosters strategies for effective positive mental health. Maples Collegiate is a diverse community of students and staff who have experiences in life both here in Canada and abroad. Our student body is made up of students who were born in the community, born in northern communities, and those who arrive to Canada with ties primarily to East and South East Asia. We are a diverse population to say the least. The T.A. program offers an excellent vehicle to promote diversity and to build community both within the school and outside the walls of the institution. Promoting strong positive student mental health is of concern at Maples Collegiate and for that reason it is infused within the school based T.A. curriculum. Building community while promoting cultural diversity is an effective tool observed within many of the teacher and student led initiatives at Maples Collegiate. Community and diversity are important for student mental health and I believe many of the originating seeds that grow into our living school initiatives are planted within the co-horts that make up the school wide T.A. program.
Living School Project Website
I choose this opportunity to dig deeper into some of the elements infused within the day to day teachings that learners experience. My areas of focus for this assignment target the importance and success of our school wide teacher advisor program (T.A.) as a foundation that promotes community and fosters strategies for effective positive mental health. Maples Collegiate is a diverse community of students and staff who have experiences in life both here in Canada and abroad. Our student body is made up of students who were born in the community, born in northern communities, and those who arrive to Canada with ties primarily to East and South East Asia. We are a diverse population to say the least. The T.A. program offers an excellent vehicle to promote diversity and to build community both within the school and outside the walls of the institution. Promoting strong positive student mental health is of concern at Maples Collegiate and for that reason it is infused within the school based T.A. curriculum. Building community while promoting cultural diversity is an effective tool observed within many of the teacher and student led initiatives at Maples Collegiate. Community and diversity are important for student mental health and I believe many of the originating seeds that grow into our living school initiatives are planted within the co-horts that make up the school wide T.A. program.
The Role of the Teacher Advisor
Long before I arrived at Maples collegiate some 8 years ago, the teacher advisory program had been put into place. The program has taken several different forms over the years but, at its core it has remain focussed on the connection between the student and the home room teacher. The teacher advisory program at Maples collegiate places each teacher in an advisory capacity beginning with a student intake process at the end of the grade 8 experience. The teacher advisors move through the grades with a single co-hort over a four year period. The process allows for students to bond with their co-hort and their host teacher over the duration of their high school experience. At each grade level, a curriculum has been designed to offer supports for the student that reflect expected milestones or points of potential stress. The curriculum is built on 5 core areas of focus which include High School Life, Career Development, Relationships, Character Education, and Independent Living. Each of these five core concepts is addressed at varying levels throughout the four year duration of the T.A. program. Regarding solutions for promoting effective positive mental health of students, the program has supports and strategies at each curricular level that are designed to address key stressors that may arise at varying points in a student’s life. Although each student is different, there are similarities that arise that often surround relationships, academic stresses, issues at home or even anxieties related to life after high school. Together, the co-hort has the opportunity to weave through high school life while knowing that their T.A. safe place is always welcoming and there for support.
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Five key areas of T.A. program focus
Each of the five core areas within the T.A. curriculum are touched upon during all four years that a learner participates within the program.
Mission Statement
"Maples Collegiate is a caring and inclusive community that celebrates diversity. Students are encouraged to strive for personal excellence through meaningful learning opportunities. Our goal is to guide students to be life-long learners who will use their experiences to make a positive contribution to the broader community"
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What does T.A. look like in the beginning?
Maples Collegiate follows a common model with respect to preparing future students who will be arriving from the local feeder schools within our family of schools. The grade 8 students are brought into the Collegiate on tours each spring. This process will culminate in a registration / open house evening where students who are expected to enroll at Maples, along with their parents, will meet their T.A. teacher and the other members of their future co-hort. This process is designed to familiarize the students with what will be expected when they arrive at Maples the following September. Having met the T.A. teacher, parents can begin a dialogue to assist the transition from middle years to the high school component well before the first day of class. Upon arrival each September, the new co-horts are immediately introduced to systems of support offered by the school along with the necessary time to familiarize them with the new environment. From day one, the bonding process is implemented through team building activities and strategies that promote effective communication and the building of strong interpersonal skills. A school with a population of 1600 can be an overwhelming environment for some students and the initial goal of the T.A. is create a home base or safe place for all the students in each cohort. Although, T.A. class is officially offered for one hour each week, students often connect with their teacher advisor outside of regular class time. Teacher Advisors are available and prepared to guide students when needed and operate as the first level of contact for the students and the parents alike.
Subsequent grade levels in T.A.
The T.A. experience may take several forms of the course of the four year experience. Ultimately it culminates in the act of student graduation. As previously mentioned, each level is designed to tackle key experiences that may arise at each grade level. The first year has a large component dedicated towards building relationships and community. The final year has less of an emphasis on building relationships and more of a role of preparing students for their post-secondary options and life after Maples. In grade twelve, each student is encouraged to apply to a post secondary option such as University, College, or a Trade School. The T.A. program will cover the cost of one application to a post-secondary institution. This is a true benefit to those students who may not have the financial means available to them to adequately apply to the next level. This mandate is successful on so many levels as it will allow a student to feel a sense of accomplishment and it will build confidence for the next level. No longer will the question arise of could I have been accepted if I could have afforded the cost to apply. Many students have seen success simply by being afforded the opportunity to explore post-secondary options.
My previous experience with teacher advisor program concept at another school
I am fortunate in the fact that I have been employed by a few different schools located in different school divisions. On my journey before settling in at Maples Collegiate, I had the opportunity to work at another high school that has a similar demographic and cultural make up. That school also had a T.A. program in place that saw each teacher work through the grade levels with a single co-hort. A significant difference was that the T.A. co-horts were arranged by common interests in vocation or academics. In my opinion, this would be an effective method if an assumption could be made that student interests and similarities would remain the same and be consistent during the high school experience. As educators, we know that growth will often foster a change in opinion, belief or outlook in the mind of the student. A student interested in automotive in grade 9 may shift to a completely different interest by grade 12. At Maples, the co-horts are assembled to include students from all walks of life. The co-hort make up may consist of students from different middle schools, new arrivals to Canada and students from northern communities. This arrangement provides a solid foundation in the idea of building a community with learners from varied backgrounds and life experiences. Essentially, a smaller representation of the diversity that comes together to form a larger picture that makes up our school.
The Significance and Importance of T.A. day
Twice a year student co-horts in T.A. come together by grade level to participate in a T.A. day. The T.A. days take place in September or early October and again later in the year during the month of May. The days are designed to allow each co-hort the opportunity to participate in day long activities that range from relationship building to career development. An emphasis on community along with individual skills is observed at each level. In grade 9 and grade 12 respectively, a “gym riot” is arranged where students compete in a series of athletic competitions and team building games. Essentially, a community focus is emphasised upon arrival at the school and then reinforced during preparations for departure into the World. The final T.A. will see the grade 12 students enjoying a final breakfast or “feast” as a group during their final month at the school as one of many activities surround the culmination of student graduation.
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Grade 12 T.A. Co-horts: The final T.A. celebration before graduation 2017
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Tackling issues and big picture initiatives outside of T.A. day
Similar to other schools, the students at Maples participate in the involvement of city wide and national initiatives. Annual days of importance such as the Terry Fox Run, Orange Shirt Day, GSA, and Pink Shirt Day are observed and the members of each T.A. co-hort participate in the school wide activities and rallies. Similarity, cultural events are also supported by the T.A. groups in the form of Diwali celebrations, treaty days workshops, and Asian heritage celebrations. Many of the key student led groups listed within mine and Ryan’s previous work highlighting Maples Collegiate as “Living School” have for the most part originated in some form or another within the T.A. program. A few years ago a student representatives from each T.A. co-hort was elected and afforded the opportunity to bring forward concerns and issues experience by students to a committee of student leadership that works directly with school administration. This step has further allowed student concerns to be brought forward and addressed in hopes of creating an even more supportive environment of learning.
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Student mental health supports, community, and cultural diversity outside of the T.A. course
Like many other schools, mental health strategies, community building, and cultural diversity are supported by several curricular areas within the school. Our phys-ed department, as previously mentioned by Ryan, has a good handle on the curriculum and the supports needed to promote positive mental health and well-being. Our social studies and history departments support cultural diversity and offer perspectives of Canada that observed diversity. Our foods science and performing arts programs support cultural diversity in their own way as well. This often takes the form of and exploration cultural foods from around the World and celebrations in the form of dance, theatre, and music. Throughout Maples, a common theme of community and acceptance exists. It has been my experience that the role of T.A. has been to build community within a community of students in ways that may not be observed without its existence.
Student led initiatives that have connections to the T.A. program.
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The following two videos are of performances by the performing arts department at Maples Collegiate. Each of the two performances is a fusion of cultural dance and hip hop. These videos are just some of the many examples of an observance of cultural diversity with respect to daily curriculum delivery within the school. It is important to note that both of these performances won gold medals in competition.
"Electric Pow Wow" performance during a pep rally in 2014.
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"Jogi" performance during the end of year dance concert in the spring of 2013
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Final Thoughts
The Maples Collegiate teacher advisory program is just one of the many contributors to the “Living School” concept that I have been exploring over past year. I truly believe that the program serves to underpin many of the requirements that promote positive student mental health, inclusiveness, diversity and cultural awareness. Currently, I am working with my second co-hort since I began my stay at Maples. I have grown to know so many different aspects of the lives of my students over the years. We are currently 6 months away from graduation and have a lot to cover. As was the case with my first co-hort, closing this chapter in the lives of my T.A. students will be both a time of excitement and emotional as we prepare to part ways. I cherish the opportunity I have had to work within the program and can truly see the benefit of such a program as a tool for success in the lives of students from all walks of life. Thank you for reading.
Marsh
Marsh
Sources:
JCSH - healthy School Planner (HSP) - http://hsp.uwaterloo.ca/index.cfm
http://www.7oaks.org/school/maples/Pages/default.aspx
http://www.7oaks.org/Resources/aboriginaleducation/Pages/June-2015.aspx
Video Sources:
Electric Pow Wow - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H2YH6jLywBA
Jogi - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bZFuiumyQDI
Image Sources:
https://twitter.com/maples1330
https://twitter.com/cj9913
http://mms.businesswire.com/bwapps/mediaserver/ViewMedia?mgid=275036&vid=5
https://twitter.com/sota_mb
http://www.arborite.com/school-locker-hallway
http://www.7oaks.org/Resources/aboriginaleducation/Pages/June-2015.aspx
https://realchristianmcqueen.files.wordpress.com/2015/05/long-road-into-the-sunset.jpg
http://www.tomatodirt.com/images/tomato-seed-starting-containers.jpg
JCSH - healthy School Planner (HSP) - http://hsp.uwaterloo.ca/index.cfm
http://www.7oaks.org/school/maples/Pages/default.aspx
http://www.7oaks.org/Resources/aboriginaleducation/Pages/June-2015.aspx
Video Sources:
Electric Pow Wow - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H2YH6jLywBA
Jogi - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bZFuiumyQDI
Image Sources:
https://twitter.com/maples1330
https://twitter.com/cj9913
http://mms.businesswire.com/bwapps/mediaserver/ViewMedia?mgid=275036&vid=5
https://twitter.com/sota_mb
http://www.arborite.com/school-locker-hallway
http://www.7oaks.org/Resources/aboriginaleducation/Pages/June-2015.aspx
https://realchristianmcqueen.files.wordpress.com/2015/05/long-road-into-the-sunset.jpg
http://www.tomatodirt.com/images/tomato-seed-starting-containers.jpg