After my frustration at the teacher shortage hearing at the Statehouse, my spirits were uplifted after a morning at Saint Joseph Central Elementary School. Everything about this school is warm and inviting. The front office is spacious and welcoming and down the short hallway is the principal’s office. Mr. Critell, who has been the principal at St. Joe for 5 years, intentionally planned his space with his visitors’ needs first and his own second. Rocking chairs are in a circle with other chairs ready to be pulled in for larger groups. Students understand their options when they are in his office. There is a chair in which they are silent and a rocking chair for when they are ready to speak. And as I progressed throughout the building, I noticed that the rest of the school’s space was used purposefully as well.
Mr. Critell finds use in what others have tossed aside. He has found treasures for his staff and students at the warehouse on Catalpa Street. Stationary bikes, a bonus for kids who need to burn off a little energy or extra steam, sit under stairwells and around corners. Not too many areas in the school go unused and, thanks to the warehouse finds, are filled with chairs, tables, mats, and anything else that give students an opportunity to spend time alone or with classmates in a non-traditional setting.
It was pretty obvious that Mr. Critell knows how to find the positives in whatever comes his way. The school’s unfortunate moisture problem didn’t bother Mr. Critell, and he didn’t let it be a negative for his staff. The unusable carpet was removed from classrooms and tile added. Mr. Critell and his teachers used this to their advantage and purchased kid-friendly area rugs that were thoughtfully placed and meaningfully used in several rooms. Even the what-do-we-do-with-92-boxes-of-math-manipulatives situation that happened while I was at the school was handled with grace and humor. This attitude creates a wonderful environment for everyone in the building.
Yesterday is exactly what I needed. I witnessed a variety of teaching styles and classrooms with children in small groups – some working with volunteers, some with assistants, some with teachers, and some independently on computers or iPads. I witnessed a warm, friendly building filled with children with a broad array of learning styles and abilities happy to be at school. There definitely were no “shortages” today in engaged students and passionate staff!
Mr. Critell finds use in what others have tossed aside. He has found treasures for his staff and students at the warehouse on Catalpa Street. Stationary bikes, a bonus for kids who need to burn off a little energy or extra steam, sit under stairwells and around corners. Not too many areas in the school go unused and, thanks to the warehouse finds, are filled with chairs, tables, mats, and anything else that give students an opportunity to spend time alone or with classmates in a non-traditional setting.
It was pretty obvious that Mr. Critell knows how to find the positives in whatever comes his way. The school’s unfortunate moisture problem didn’t bother Mr. Critell, and he didn’t let it be a negative for his staff. The unusable carpet was removed from classrooms and tile added. Mr. Critell and his teachers used this to their advantage and purchased kid-friendly area rugs that were thoughtfully placed and meaningfully used in several rooms. Even the what-do-we-do-with-92-boxes-of-math-manipulatives situation that happened while I was at the school was handled with grace and humor. This attitude creates a wonderful environment for everyone in the building.
Yesterday is exactly what I needed. I witnessed a variety of teaching styles and classrooms with children in small groups – some working with volunteers, some with assistants, some with teachers, and some independently on computers or iPads. I witnessed a warm, friendly building filled with children with a broad array of learning styles and abilities happy to be at school. There definitely were no “shortages” today in engaged students and passionate staff!
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