Subject Responses

 

 

1. What have you liked about your experiences(s) in school?

Student A

I like how I've gotten to make /meet friends of all races and learn more about them. The educational experiences.

Student B

The teachers try to make learning fun. I get to learn about a lot.

Student C

I like learning new things, and I really like science, because I want to be a scientist. It is a long-time goal of mine.

Student D

What I like about my experiences in school is that I learned how to confront conflict with students and teachers.

Parent A

I like education, not school itself.

Parent B

I liked learning, teachers, students and making new friends.

Parent C

I liked the girls, athletics, and golf.

Parent D

I enjoyed the classes of teachers who really wanted to be there.

Staff A

I like friends, those teachers who were caring and interesting.

Staff B

Variety of meeting lots of different people.

Staff C

Learning new things.

Staff D

I have enjoyed seeing kids taking an interest in subject matter and making an earnest effort. I liked the informal discussions and relaxing, numerous conversations.

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2. What have you disliked about your experiences in school?

Student A

I don't like wearing uniforms.

Student B

I did not like how sometimes certain teachers would pick on students if they were having problems in their class. Not being there for them.

Student C

The attitude of some of the kids. Some kids are negative and hard to work with. And they choose to fight verbally and physically.

Student D

One experience I had when I left from S.D.H.S. to Morse. I had to make new friends and it was hard for me. Changing schools is very hard.

Parent A

Do not like school teacher techniques.

Parent B

Mean teachers. I don't like mean teachers.

Parent C

The cliques, people who hung out together and thought they were better than others. Teachers who thought they were better than students and showed it. I didn't like my Spanish teacher, she didn't know how to teach. I didn't like all the memorization. I never learned anything until I got out into the work force.

Parent D

I didn't like all the busy work that we had to do that didn't relate to our lives.

Staff A

Students need to respect adults more.

Staff B

Unfriendly teachers, lack of relevance.

Staff C

School dances, because I had to stand alone.

Staff D

I have disliked the lack of effort from many students. I also dislike the lack of support from parents.

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3. What kind of schools do you think your family wants for you? Why

Student A

Somewhere where they will teach me the things I need to know to make it in life. And also a place where that doesn't have gangs or durgs or anything like that. Why? Because it's important, I guess.

Student B

I don't know what they would want, we never talk about it. I don't think they really care as long as nothing bad happens to me because that would cause more problems for them.

Student C

They want me to go to a school with strict rules and one that will prepare me for college.

Student D

My family wants me to be in a school that has lots of computers and a good math department so I can be better prepared for college.

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4. What kind of schools do you think teachers want for you? Why?

Student A

Teachers just want us to follow the rules and do what they say like they used to in the old days. Teachers seem like they want to take over, but I know that they are concerned about us.

Student B

I think that most teachers really care about us and want us to learn. They want us to have a school that is safe and where everybody can be theirself and learn.

Student C

they probably want us to have good schools with lots of computers and science and stuff so that we can learn about modern things.

Student D

I have no idea of what kind of school they would want for us. Probably they would want us to have someplace that is safe from gangs and drugs.

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5. What kind of schools do you think teachers want for students?

 

Parent A

Places where there is respect and where students are protected.

Parent B

The kind where students come to class and follow rules.

Parent C

I have no idea. All I ever hear about teachers is how they want more money. I think teachers should be paid more but they are going to have to find a better way to market themselves. A lot of teachers are lazy. They go into the profession because of the time off. If teachers really care about students they wouldn't take so much time off.

Parent D

Teachers want schools where students are excited to learn.

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6. What advice do you have for new teachers coming into this profession?

 

Parent A

Give students truth, give points from all perspectives.

Parent B

Don't be afraid to experiment and take chances. Use what works.

Parent C

Plan for retirement....learn how to play stock market. Learn how to make money. School is nothing but babysitting. Kids learn more outside of school. We need real teachers. People who love students and make sure they are actually learning something, not just babysit. Students just memorizing doesn't cut it.

Parent D

New teachers need to realize that not all students want to learn, but they all need to be taught.

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7. What kind of schools do you think parents and community members want for students?

Staff A

More discipline, less goofing around.

Staff B

Schools that are: (1) safe, (2) integrate academic and vocational education for life-long learning, (3) learning by doing, experiential.

Staff C

I think they want small class sizes, outstanding teachers, and attractive facilities.

Staff D

I think parents want schools that will take their kids, train them, teach them, advise them, counsel them and make them successful.

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8. What kind of schools do you think students want for themselves?

 

Staff A

More fun --less homework, more interaction between students and teachers.

Staff B

Schools that give them a chance to learn things that relate to the real world.

Staff C

I think they want small class sizes, outstanding teachers, and attractive facilities. I think they also want a variety of activities.

Staff D

Most kids want a school that is safe, fun, and interesting. Many kids want to be friends with their teachers and need to be able to share their feelings. They need school as a social hub.

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9. If you could design the perfect school, what would it be like?

 

Student A

If I could create a perfect school, I would want it to be like O'Farrell, but I wouldn't have uniforms--they're too plain. My school would be colorful.

Student B

Where all races can learn about themselves and each other as well as getting an education.

Student C

If I could design my own school there would be classes for both mentally challenged and exceptional students. The library would have a large variety of books and more librarians. My school would have science lab equipped with the appropriate supplies and equipment to do more advanced experiments. The computer lab would have state of the art computers, only for students who can use them properly. The teachers would only have classes of about 12 to 18 kids. The school would have counselors for the students. And last but not least my school would be colorful.

Student D

It would be just like Morse, but bigger.

Parent A

Where teachers would teach more realistic and relevant things.

Parent B

Teachers could be creative and give students a reason to come to class and make them stay.

Parent C

It would be like boot camp. It would be tough and there would be a high level of discipline. Typical classrooms with desks nothing fancy. There would be lots of computers. Kids would be in physical and mental shape. Teachers would also be physically and mentally fit. The hour of each subject a day schedule is a mess. People just don't think like that. My school would be better organized. There would be one day for each subject. Electives would be offered on a daily basis as a way to give kids a break. Foreign languages would be mandatory, preferably Spanish. The classes would be longer and more intense but students would also have longer breaks. The class work would be more hands on oriented, not so much lecturing and busy work. There should be special schools for artists, athletes and actors. Education needs to be more focused on careers and what students will be able to do once they are out in the rat race.

Parent D

It would engage all students into their areas of interest. And teachers will teach skills that the students will need when they leave school.

Staff A

Have strong leadership and strong followers. Teachers that are thankful for their jobs, willing to try new things.

Staff B

Students free to choose from a variety of academic and vocational paths. Staff plans together to create integrated experiences, programs include integrated integrated experiences with industry.

Staff C

There would be gardens, outdoor spaces, Murals, ponds, and even wind chimes. My perfect school would have a lot of aesthetic structures. There would be creative teachers who really cared about kids. There would be resident artists and writers. People would come from the outside community into the school to work with the kids. All the arts would be offered as well as the academics. The classes would be very small and the rooms would be round. Each classroom would have its own patio and there would be sky lights.

Staff D

My school would be for students who wanted to be there. Students would be on a first name basis with the teachers. The school would be no larger than 100 students and all students would make at least one contact with each teacher throughout the day. Parents would help in the class room as volunteers. Students, parents, teachers would take an active role in helping everyone be successful.Love, pride, achievement, compassion would all be threaded throughout their classes. Teachers would be like friends/parents and parents would be like teachers. School would be an extension of the home.

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