Thursday, October 14
One minute into Gary Cruz’s Peer Resource class and students are already scribbling in the same black-and-white notebooks that students across the country scribble in.
They’re writing about a time when they received feedback that wasn’t helpful.
One journal entry reads: “By my dad, when I told him I wanted to go to San Diego or LA State and he said I wasn’t good enough. He could have been less discouraging or just supported.”
For this class session, Cruz says, the students will train in classroom observations.
“Two or three of you will sit in the back of a classroom, take notes and see how the teacher is doing.”
“Yes!” shouts a girl with ear-length hair in a loud whisper. The girl next to her laughs.
Cruz introduces a guest speaker from the San Francisco Coalition of Essential Small Schools. Greg Peters works with adults on how to give feedback, Cruz says. He is also Cruz’s partner.
After classroom introductions, Peters tells the class how important this task is.
“We want teachers to get better at what they are doing.”
Adults are more open to having students, rather than other adults, come into their classrooms, he says.
“How many of you have ever said, ‘I wish I could give teachers feedback on what they’re doing right or wrong? I wish we could do more of this?’”
Surprisingly, only four or five students raise their hands.
Give an example, says Peters.
“In this class, we play games and everybody gets into it,” says the same girl with the short hair.
A slide appears on the projector that distinguishes between the words Rebel and Activist.
A rebel needs to say something. An activist needs something to be heard.
“Sometimes schools shut down students’ voices,” says Peters.
“We want students to be empowered — to say something and have someone hear it.
Where do you fall?”
The students remain silent.
“I think most of you lean toward activist because of your nature,” Cruz chimes in.
The students, two to four at a table, discuss their journal answers and whether they think they are activists or rebels.
Two girls talk at the table before me, and one — in a black-and-white striped top and jean shorts — says something inaudible from where I am sitting.
“I couldn’t think of anything,” says the girl across from her, who has fully-braided hair.
“That’s fine,” answers the girl in black and white before taking a sip from a can of Red Bull. At the same time, the other girl jabs a straw into her pouch of Capri Sun to open it.
Cruz whips by the two and quickly addresses the girl in black and white. “You think you’re a rebel, but I think you’re more of an activist.”
“Oh, you heard that? Wow!” she replies.
For the rest of the class, Peters takes students through different techniques for giving positive and negative feedback.
He tells them to avoid phrases like, “You know what you should have done?” and “Well, if I were you, I would have.…”
Another one to avoid: “Don’t worry, not all of us can be great.”
All of these examples are actual phrases that have been used.
At this last one, two girls simultaneously shout, “That’s so mean!”
There is a great deal of information to jot down, and students quickly fill up pages of Cornell notes.
Peters encourages them to speak about their own observations, and not about what others say. Use “I wonder” statements, he says, such as “I wonder what this would look like.”
The PA announcement for quiet time comes on.
“That was a lot. You guys stuck with it and took tons of notes. Thank you for doing that,” says Cruz.
“I thought you could step up. I know you can handle this.”
Student file to the front of the classroom for quiet time, where they pile up their journals and where Cruz has a book stand for them to choose from.
“He’s helped me pick out books, so let’s show him we’re using them,” says Cruz, referring to Peters.
“I go to thrift stores and say, ‘That’s a good one,’” he adds.
“There’s one here,” Peters says, picking up a book from the table that holds the projector. “It’s called’ First in My Family,’ and it’s about being the first in the family to go to college.”
Peters was the first in his family to go to college.
“There’s lots in here.”