WIZDOM
A Visit to Joy Middle School
By Kathy Suerken
The metal detector through which I passed to enter the school was a sobering reminder of how serious is the problem of unresolved conflicts...and not just in schools, but everywhere. Cheryl Edwards and I visited Larry Till at Joy in the inner city of Detroit in early October shortly after the opening of school (delayed by a Detroit teacher's strike). Larry has been the 6th, 7th, and Special Education counselor for 600 students at Joy since 1996 and, thanks to Carol Ford, Jan Miller and the late David Kibbey, he began to bring a TOC future reality tree of HOPE to Joy in the spring of 1997. Larry's actions have been both so simple and profound that they provide a learnable moment about transition tree actions to overcome resistance to new ideas.
Sometimes within my transition trees there is an action box that reads, "DON"T do XXX!" I have usually gained this insight by having done XXX with painful consequences! For example, in my enthusiasm to help others through TOC, I sometimes forget one of its basic tenets: Don't give answers! TOC itself is a solution that needs to be asked for by those who must implement it.
Let me illustrate how Larry has achieved that IO. He first began to use TOC to solve some of his own counseling problems with students. In so doing, he found that TOC brings value added to the counseling techniques which typically enable the counselor to ask probing questions. Larry suggests that because you can teach the questioning technique itself to students, they are then able to repeat the process on their own. Leading to???? The students become less dependent on counselors and administrators to intervene in disputes. Instead they make better decisions on their own which lead to more self-confidence and more (and more) responsible behavior. This has been measured at Joy Middle School by a dramatic DECREASE in the number of fights!
The 8th grade counselor, Mrs. Wheeler, summed it up like this: "The kids just love TOC!" Students stop Larry frequently in the halls to proudly show him their clouds. When Larry recently accompanied a parent through the school, this phenomenon happened so impressively that the parent stopped and asked: "Please explain a cloud to me!" Now Larry is receiving requests for training from parent groups. His peer mediator program is also in great demand. Next week Joy mediators will train a group from Post Middle School.
What about the colleagues in "his own land?" As the students began to take responsibility for their behavior and learning (grades up!), the teachers began to request TOC training. 100% of the faculty have had some TOC training - 95% have had at least two full formal sessions and parts of other sessions taught informally. This has been accomplished through the support of a visionary Principal, Ronnie Phillips, and Vice Principal, Joclyn Smith; not to mention the faculty themselves who have donated their time during the summer and after school to attend training. What a testament to their dedication to children and to the value they place on TOC.
Larry has provided the tools in the order in which the faculty perceived they needed them -PRT first. Perhaps that explains why every homeroom began the school year with PRTs written by students on the target: "I am the best student I can possibly be at Joy Middle School." Colorfully illustrated PRTs on other subjects as well are in evidence throughout the school. The Special Education teacher could not stop raving over the significant breakthroughs the PRT and clouds have initiated in her students with special needs.
When Larry first taught the PRT to the faculty, they worked on something very practical and exceedingly ambitious: raising standardized reading test scores (MEAP) in the 7th grade. The results are a whopping 40% point increase in the last 2 years (from 8.2% satisfactory to 49.5% satisfactory). This has created so much justifiable pride and enthusiasm within the faculty that they are now inspired to go after their math and science scores!
Now that they have so much confidence in their use of the tools, the teachers are taking a closer look at their preliminary transition trees to identify insufficiencies and how to address them. As a result, the teachers have volunteered to take the extra time needed to test students so that they can identify areas of reading weakness, which need to be remediated. A team of teachers have even volunteered to give up their preparation periods to work one-on-one to tutor these children. WOW!
I discussed these inspiring results with Mrs.Tilles (not related to Larry except through the TOCFE family!), a science teacher who serves on the committee to improve test scores. I was so impressed by her succinct conclusions, I took detailed notes including this quote: "I have seen many programs come and go but this is the first time I can see how and why these successful results have evolved. For the first time, our teachers really "own" our testing program. About ten years ago, our scores improved and we lost all of our entitlement support programs and services with the result that our scores then dropped dramatically. We are now achieving the benefits of all those previous programs for ourselves through the cohesive team support which has been made possible by TOC."
Now I understand why, when Larry introduced me to Mrs. Tilles, she said, "Oh, you work with TOC? TOC is why we have HOPE at Joy Middle School."
I think the administrators, teachers, counselors and students of Joy Middle School are creating their own hope.
POOGI POOL
A Suggestion:
Father Tony Ranada, from the Philippines, suggests that we compile a list of names and pertinent information of TOCFE folks for distribution so that we are better able to communicate and share...a great idea with a negative branch! Our experience is that people are reluctant to have their name and personal information accessible to everyone. Can anyone trim this branch?
Rami Question #7
B - Enjoy company
D - Invite friends over
Is the following statement a suitable assumption for B -D?
"I don't like to be alone."
CONNECTIONS
Beaverton, Michigan USA
Jane Hudak will be teaching the staff at the Creative Learning Center in Beaverton, MI, USA on Nov. 15, Jan. 8, Feb. 18, and April 15.
Rotterdam, Holland
From Eleanor May
_eleanor.may@emayl.freeserve.co.uk_
Dear TOC friends,
A brief update about the first TOCFE introduction (as far as I know it's the first!) in Holland. Following two successful, well attended workshops, entitled Dyslexia and TOC, at the 1999 SEAL conference in Warwick, I received an invitation to run two workshops at the Dyslexia Symposium Day, Rotterdam. The enthusiasm and appetite for more TOC seminars, lectures and workshops were overwhelming.
When I was trained by Kathy at her first TOC course in the UK, I remember her saying that she wished to introduce TOCFE in about 40 countries by the year 2000. I replied that I might help her there to get it off the ground on the continent, to which she replied: "Can we have lunch together?" We've had several lunches together since. At the next one, hopefully in Mexico, I hope to report to her that I've finished training the first TOCFE teachers from the Netherlands and Belgium.
Negotiations for the TACT are on the way and in due course I'll be pleased to inform you about any progress in this new TOCFE territory.
Best wishes to you all and my thanks to anyone who contributed to my training in TOC ever!
Venezuela
By Francis Conde
We are getting ready to start our new work with TOC in Venezuela. We have established Tuesday night as our meeting night. This past Tuesday was our 5th meeting. We are working on our TrT for Plensalo, Venezuela. I'm already working, teaching 3, 4, 5, and 6 graders at the Unidad Educativa Simon Bolivar. It's been a little hard getting used to the city but we are working on it.
QUOTES...
"Thinking: The talking of the soul with itself." -Plato
EDITORS' NOTE
From Kay Buckner-Seal and Cheryl A. Edwards
Your contributions make this journal. There is so much in which to respond and so much to share. Consider and drop us a line!
Send HYPERLINK to: cherylaedwards@aol.com or bucknek@resa.net
You may send mail to: Cheryl A. Edwards, 2253 S. Hill Island Rd., Cedarville, MI 49719, USA or to Kay Buckner-Seal, 10230 Dartmouth, Oak Park, MI 48237, USA.