Wednesday, March 14, 2007

Something to Be Thankful For

We don't have an intercom at our school.
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2 comments:

Anonymous said...

I read the comments on that page you linked to. I can totally understand how frustrating it must be to get interrupted at random intervals throughout the day. And using an intercom to get specific info from a specific teacher? That's insane. But some of the responses seemed a bit much to me.

From the other side of the door: I ended up in a long discussion this morning with a parent who thinks the security at our school is too lax (and I realize I'm typing this to someone who never knows if her students will be kidnapped over night!). I can empathize with some of her concerns, but not all of them. And one of those relates to have "open doors." She and I both chose to have our kids at a school that is loosely based on the "open" philosophy. Teachers at our school know that people (parents, official visitors, etc) might come into their classrooms at unexpected times. It can be a disruption, I'm sure, but they work around it. It's part of the larger culture (which I'm not going to get into here).

I think I'm rambling, and not making my point. I just wonder what's the right line to draw I guess. Ruth, do you get frustrated by all interruptions? If parents were going to visit your class (maybe to volunteer with a particular activity), what would be the best way for them to enter the room? Is it less disruptive to enter quietly and sit until the teacher can talk to you, or to knock and draw attention to yourself (but reinforce the idea that it's polite to knock when entering someone's space)? Do you like having parent visitors? I suppose if it's infrequent, it becomes a distraction, but if it's common, do kids get used to it? Okay, I'll stop. I think I'm still trying to get my mind around the strong opinions of this well-meaning mom that I didn't entirely agree with...

9:54 AM
Ruth said...

Hi Tricia,

I'd be really interested to know more about the larger culture at your kids' school. It sounds very interesting. While in theory I'd be open to parent visits, in practice it hardly ever happens. And since my students aren't used to people coming in and out, it's a huge distraction when it does happen. On Valentine's Day, for example, when someone was coming in delivering roses, the day was pretty much shot for learning (of course, that's due to more than the interruption). On days when the generator isn't working and we have our door open, so that people walking by can be seen, I find it very difficult to keep kids focused. When I get observed by an administrator, they usually do OK, because it's someone they are used to seeing and that they have a certain amount of respect for. If other kids are walking by the room, it can be very disruptive.

Knocking on the door is probably more disruptive than just coming in. I do have a phone in my room (I guess technically an intercom because it just works on campus, but it's not mounted on the wall and open to random messages all day - I have to actually pick it up and answer it). Being called during class can be disruptive, but I'm glad to have a way to contact the office quickly if I need to.

I guess all interruptions aren't the same but when you have middle schoolers who are very easily distracted, the fewer interruptions the better. And I'm still glad not to have blaring announcements coming out of a loudspeaker all day.

10:39 AM

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