Fifth Grade Entertainers at MSU Cowles’ House: What’s Up with That?

Consider the last time someone gave you feedback. How did you respond and why? Perhaps it felt like a personal attack - that you were being judged - or that it threatened your control. While feedback is a complicated matter, it is built on the premise that it is crucial for growth. If given skillfully, it is intended to boost performance, increase self-awareness, motivate individuals and improve overall results by clarifying expectations and highlighting strengths and weaknesses. Are you convinced? Obviously, your position regarding feedback is based on your experiences.  

On a recent rainy Friday morning, I popped into Julie Hilker’s eighth grade science class and was blown away by the engagement and enthusiasm that permeated the classroom. “What in the world is going on?” I wondered. I quickly turned to a student on a ladder and asked her to tell me what was happening. She responded, “We are doing an egg drop. Mr. Haney’s class did it yesterday.”

Mason Middle School Science Teacher Tiffany Henfling presented at the National Science Teachers annual meeting in Minneapolis. The title of her session was “Take Them to Camp,” with a focus on the power of authentic learning in the outdoors. Her goal was to inspire attendees to engage students in an outdoor experience, like camp, and be equipped with the tools to actualize it.

Now, you are probably asking, “What do crescendo and end of the trimester have in common?” Well, I think plenty! Crescendo means the highest point reached in a progressive increase of intensity, in our world, the last week of the trimester was this peak.

Throughout a host of secondary classrooms that I visited, I observed gallery walks- including a unique one done virtually, poster sessions, student-created videos, podcasts and even a rap. If you ever wanted to see state and national curriculum standards, come to life in authentic and creative ways, this was it! These projects represented inquiry, problem-solving, interpretations of novels, research focusing on climate change and much more. The level of enthusiasm and engagement was off the charts, and the finished products were generally outstanding.

Kouzes and Posner’s “The Five Star Practices for Exemplary Leadership,” identified in their original research some 50 years ago, still hold true and include:

• Model the way
• Inspire a shared vision
• Challenge the process
• Enable others to act
• Encourage the hearts

Who do you know possesses these attributes? Were you aware that at Mason High School (MHS), students have boundless opportunities to work on acquiring and refining these skills?

MHS hosted a Student Leadership Summit for students from Mason and the surrounding schools. This brought students together to share their stories, expand their leadership initiatives and create action plans for the months ahead. As I circulated through the field house where the students congregated with their teacher sponsors, I was impressed by their projects and experiences.