Charter School Visit

I had the pleasure of visiting the CLC Charter School on Friday, November 16. When I arrived I was surprised to see that the doors were unlocked and I walked right in. No one was in the office and the first thought I had was "Why aren't the doors locked? A stranger could walk in right off the street!" In the East Stroudsburg Area School district, you must ring the bell, sign in, state your purpose and go through security before going to the main office. As the school is located extremely close to the main road, I was actually startled on the lack of security.

Two of my daughters were with me, ages 14 and 11. We were staying the weekend because my youngest was competing in a State Soccer Shoot in State College. CLC was only five minutes from our hotel. Anyway, after standing in the lobby for approximately five minutes, we were greeted by an employee who directed us to the room that Mark was in. The students were discussing the book The Great Gatsby when we arrived. The class consisted of 7th and 8th Grade students. The first thing that struck me, and my children, was the relaxed atmosphere. Students were sitting on the floor, drinking drinks, sitting at tables with there feet up on chairs... As the discussion progressed, the students shared their insights on the characters. Mark asked open-ended questions to prompt the students. After discussing the 4th chapter of the book, the class settled down to watch The Pirates of Silicone Valley. A discipline problem was resolved by Mark having a student sit in front of the room. The class watched about 20 minutes of the movie. When the movie ended, the students discussed the movie. Afterwards they continued a project on their laptops until dismissal. Mark then sat with me and answered my questions. He then gave me a tour of the entire school.

As previously noted, the curriculum is project-based. Laptops and smartboards are evident in the classrooms. Report cards consist of the following categories - still developing, basic, proficient , advanced, making progress and not making progress. I asked Mark how the students adjust when they leave the charter school and reenter the traditional school system. I think I was surprised to hear that they do well when they attend "regular" school. One of the things I wondered, but didn't ask, was if the students minded being observed. Do they feel like they are in a fishbowl? Do they like being observed?

I was surprised to find out that CLC has a student population that is very diverse. There are 2 special education classes; ESL students and students with IEP's also attend this school, which can hold 200 students. As we were informed about the project-based nature of the school, I wanted to ask other questions of Mark. I asked about the turnover rate of teachers in his school. There is relatively no turnover. He said that to be a teacher at CLC, one must possess good technological skills. The teachers develop their own curriculum. (What freedom!) I asked how teachers' salaries are decided. Mark said that the teachers determine their own salaries and they are comparable with the district salaries. I also asked if the teachers belong to the union. Mark did not want to discuss this topic. I don't think he wanted to touch this question with a 10 foot pole. I think he would have a lot say about the subject. It seemed that he was against teacher unions. He said he had a very good relationship with the school board.

When the charter school opened he tried to do many things by himself - he was the janitor, builder, designer, teacher, principal... He wound up in the hospital. Now, he has learned to delegate and not wear so many hats.

I asked my children what they thought of the school. They were flabbergasted that students called their teacher by their first name. They also couldn't believe that the kids were allowed to sit in any position and anywhere they wanted. As my children are very involved in sports, I asked Mark if the school had any type of athletic team. The school does play dodge ball inhouse; however, if the students want to be part of an organized team, they must participate in their own school district. My children definitely didn't like that idea!

I asked my girls if they would like to attend the charter school. They both said that they are happy where they are. I think their concept of "school" and their prior experience in the school system was shaken. They are not ready to accept the relaxed atmosphere and informality that a charter school offers. They did like the technology that the school offered - the smart boards and availability of laptops. They (and I) liked the idea that the students' projects were hands-on and dealt with real-life tasks (creating a newspaper, stock market project, etc.) They also thought Mark was "cool" until he put on a funky hat and wore it for the rest of the day! I think they felt awkward and out of their element.

I enjoyed my visit to the charter school. I thought it was great that my children were able to experience another learning environment. I think that this school has teachers that collaborate for the benefit of the students (PLC) - how wonderful for a whole school to work as a team! Performing real-life tasks in the classroom is another positive. I am very happy that I was able to have this experience. I think it is a part of my continuing education on how to best benefit my students. Thank you for the opportunity, Beth. (I already thanked Mark.)