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As I got ready for school that morning, I put on jeans and
a polo, and as I packed my backpack with my PE uniform
for the day, I reflected on how nervous I was to be back “in
school” as an actual student in my own district.
That morning, my student came to the office to pick me
up for the day, and we proceeded to his first hour class.
Our schedule for the day included: Biology, Drafting,
Geometry, English, Driver Ed, PE and Global Studies.
During classes, I took notes, participated in class
discussions, played a mean game of dodgeball, and even
went to lunch and tried my hand in “Flip the Bottle,” a
game that has provided much frustration for building
administrators everywhere.
Throughout the day, I took various opportunities to ask
students questions with regard to their experience as a
student in our district. As expected, they were very
honest, truly appreciating someone listening. What I
heard was enlightening because it shed light on what was
working—and what wasn’t. To be honest, I experienced
some great learning experiences in the classroom...as
well as some experiences that I knew needed immediate
attention.
By the end of the day, it was 3:15, and I had
experienced exactly what it was like to be a student in my
high school. I was exhausted, impressed, and excited
about what I learned throughout the course of the day. I
once again recorded myself in a post-reflection, assessing
the same areas as in my pre-assessment and how my
perceptions were either confirmed by my experience or
changed. I also had a conversation that afternoon with my
building administrators about some immediate areas that
could be addressed as well as some long-term areas for
consideration.
Through this experience I learned:
The day is long, and there are NO breaks outside
of lunch.
Traveling from one subject to the next is
mentally exhausting.
PE can be a dreadful experience for some students at
any age. It is absolutely a necessity to put in measures
to alleviate that feeling for every student.
Teachers typically wrap up units before a three-day
weekend, which means a typical student has large
projects and tests all on one day.
Give students at any age a voice. Our students are
honest about their experience as a student in your
buildings. Ask them anything and they will tell you!
As superintendents, we have experienced, at one time
or another, every level within our educational system,
beginning with being a student ourselves and then
progressing through the ranks of the educational system.
The one experience that is the furthest from where we
are—and probably the one perspective that is the most
important—if we truly want to ground all of our decisions
based on what is best for students, is the perspective of
the student. Gaining that perspective by shadowing a
student for a day is an invaluable experience and the
most reliable means of gaining that perspective.
“The one experience that is the furthest from where we are—
and probably the one perspective that is the most important—
if we truly want to ground all of our decisions based on what is
best for students, is the perspective of the student. Gaining
that perspective by shadowing a student for a day is an
invaluable experience and the most reliable means of gaining
that perspective...”