On this episode of TTT we discuss the video series, "A Year at Mission Hill" http://ayearatmissionhill.com.
Ten videos. One year. A public school trying to help children learn and grow. The national conversation we need to be having.
Monika Hardy and Chris Sloan host David Loitz who welcomes director, Amy Valens along with the series narrator and education activist, Sam Chaltain . Mission Hill teacher, Jenerrad Williams and Mission Hill parent, Bob Goodman join the conversation as well. And that's not all. We are also joined by IDEA organizers and educators, Jabreel Chisley and Awo Okaikor Aryee-Price.
Our friends at the Institue for Democratic Education in America http://democraticeducation.org/index.php/features/missionhill/ write:
At IDEA, we're proud to be one of the partners behind "A Year at Mission Hill." The project began when filmmakers Tom and Amy Valens spent a year filming at the school community of Mission Hill, with plans for a full documentary release in fall 2013. The web series came together when Tom and Amy reached out to educator and news commentator Sam Chaltain. Sam brought together http://Ashokaashoka.org, IDEA http://democraticeducation.org/index.php/index/, and the NoVo Foundation http://novofoundation.org around the idea of making a series of short episodes to highlight a year in the life of Mission Hill. Under IDEA's leadership, the concept grew into a larger opportunity to share the story across an eclectic coalition of education organizations, schools, and nonprofits. Currently, more than 40 community partners http://ayearatmissionhill.com/index.php/partners will be sharing the film series and offering their own resources to deepen viewers' learning around each chapter.
Maybe you are like Chris Sloan who says, "I'm hooked on the videos A Year at Mission Hill, looking forward to Part 4!"
Or maybe you're just learning of this effort to reimagine public education.
Either way, we invite you to join this important conversation by listening to this episode of TTT.
Click Read more to see the chat that was happening during this live webcast.
20:21Mattie Kannard: Am I in the right spot for the ed tech talk?
20:58Mattie Kannard: ?
20:59karen (@kfasimpaur): Greetings! This is the place.
20:59Mattie Kannard: Great!
21:00unnamed: Yes
21:01Mattie : Is this the only window we'll use?
21:02karen (@kfasimpaur): This is the chat window. Above is the video. And to the left is a note pad where we can post links, etc.
21:02Mattie : Okay. Thanks!
21:03karen (@kfasimpaur): You should be hearing the pre-webinar banter in the video window.
21:03Mattie : Got it now.
21:03David Loitz: Yes
21:04karen (@kfasimpaur): chat seems good here
21:08David Loitz: feel free to chime in
21:09karen (@kfasimpaur): never seen that before :)
21:10Peggy George: hi everyone! my chat window is weird! one inch wide and have to scroll to read or type. :-(
21:11karen (@kfasimpaur): Hi Peggy
21:12karen (@kfasimpaur): I was really impressed with the transparency at MH that I saw in the first few video segments
21:13carey: Hi all! Agreed, Karen. I like what I've seen on their site.
21:14karen (@kfasimpaur): more g+ issues than usual tonight....
21:15Peggy George: after a reload, now I can see the full chat window and Titanpan but the video is last week's show. Hmmmm
21:15karen (@kfasimpaur): hmmm...video is good here
21:16Peggy George: before I could see the video and not the chat window
21:17karen (@kfasimpaur): "teachers as a cohort of learners"...powerful
21:18karen (@kfasimpaur): If you're in the hangout and here, don't play the video on this page :)
21:20Mattie : Relationships. That's important. Relationships value each member. Relationships aren't one-way. So important!
21:22Mattie : When I watched the episodes, I felt at home. It felt just right.
21:22karen (@kfasimpaur): We need to see more models of great schools like this. They are out there. Making movies about them is powerful.
21:23rach: They are very important and people forget that which is sad
21:25David Loitz: great comment
21:26David Loitz: can you all see the video?
21:26karen (@kfasimpaur): Not really.
21:26Peggy George: giving up! I can see the chat but the only video I can see is last week's recording. So sorry. I'll have to watch the recording.
21:26karen (@kfasimpaur): Is there a YouTube link for it? (Or maybe it's not public yet.)
21:26karen (@kfasimpaur): Sorry, Peggy. See you next time.
21:27Mattie : I can't find it on YouTube, so it must not be public.
21:30karen (@kfasimpaur): I'm going to go see if we can get a link... brb
21:30Mattie : YouTube video is not showing... got the audio.
21:32Mattie : Thanks for the link!
21:32karen (@kfasimpaur): Thanks, David!
21:32karen (@kfasimpaur): Let's pause and all watch the video for a few minutes.
21:32Mattie : I'm going to YouTube to watch. THANKS!
21:32karen (@kfasimpaur): Yes! Thanks.
21:34David Loitz: Thanks everyone for being flexible
21:38Mattie : "academics don't exist in a vacuum" :-)
21:38karen (@kfasimpaur): That was so powerful.
21:38karen (@kfasimpaur): Thank you.
21:39Mattie : AWESOME!
21:39karen (@kfasimpaur): If you are back and haven't, you can skip back to the "live" part of broadcast above.
21:40karen (@kfasimpaur): I've been at schools where teachers aren't permitted to hug (or otherwise touch) the kids. That makes me sad.
21:40Mattie : Kids are people. It's that human factor that is key. We're all together in this, and it's important to invite kids into it as human beings. We all need that empathy piece to thrive, to collaborate, to grow.
21:40unnamed: where is the live video of this broadcast?
21:41karen (@kfasimpaur): It's at the top of this page. (embedded G+ window) Click play an then click ahead to "live"
21:41karen (@kfasimpaur): David, thanks for going between the g+ and our chat here. That's helpful. :)
21:42karen (@kfasimpaur): @unnamed, did you get to the live video?
21:43carey: I love what she's saying right now. There has to be a pretty safe teaching environment for that kind of collaboration to happen.
21:43unnamed: @Karen how do I click ahead to live?
21:44karen (@kfasimpaur): bottom left corner (next to volume button)
21:45Mattie : "that emotional piece" ... the human piece
21:45karen (@kfasimpaur): True...Separation of all these issues is a problem.
21:45David Loitz: Your welcome!
21:46karen (@kfasimpaur): Being able to articulate understanding + empathy at that age is wonderful.
21:46karen (@kfasimpaur): (I know adults who can't do that. :)
21:48Mattie : That education is not preparation for life, but that it IS life. Deweyism.
21:48karen (@kfasimpaur): Yes, this is progressive education, but some of this could be done in any school
21:49Mattie : Hard to create this atmosphere when we're tied to weekly "target skills" that don't place value on emotional growth...
21:49karen (@kfasimpaur): I would love to hear folks address the film making process -- how it came about, how it's worked, what the future plans are...
21:50karen (@kfasimpaur): Getting the msg out about this to the general public seems incredibly important.
21:50Mattie : Challenging, but not impossible. We have to think beyond barriers... and shrug off some of the constraints we feel limit us. They don't have to limit us.
21:50karen (@kfasimpaur): I agree, Mattie
21:50Mattie : @karen -- just watching these episodes would be so empowering for teachers feeling all of the "can'ts"
21:51karen (@kfasimpaur): yes...there are so many barriers and challenges that it's esy to get bogged down in them
21:52karen (@kfasimpaur): We don't need "permission" to care about every student
21:53Mattie : Word! Is that David? Learning IS messy... and unpredictable... and hard to see the end of ... it's a minute-by-minute experiential thing that has a life of its own.
21:53carey: exactly, Maddie (and David) :)
21:53Mattie : Embracing that is risky for some. It can be scary.
21:53carey: Mattie, sorry - spelling... yeesh :)
21:53karen (@kfasimpaur): It is scarey...but less so when it's acknowledged
21:54David Loitz: Let me know if you want to aska question
21:54Mattie : Right. The culture. The climate. The school leadership and colleagues can embrace and support it or build walls.
21:54karen (@kfasimpaur): @David, thx. See above about the film making process itself
21:54Mattie : What's so special at Mission Hill is that there's a shared vision.
21:55karen (@kfasimpaur): Every school that I've been to that has this kind of special environment says it's an issue of deep culture
21:56Mattie : We. We. We. :-)
21:56Mattie : Empowered by collective caring.
21:57karen (@kfasimpaur): and "we as a community" not just a staff or a school
21:57Mattie : Yes, @Karen. Deeper, isn't it?
21:58karen (@kfasimpaur): definitely
21:58karen (@kfasimpaur): I hear a lot of schools pitting themselves agains the community instead of thinking of themselves as a part of it
21:59karen (@kfasimpaur): I loved the video where someone said "Our job is to help raise these kids to be a part of a democratic society."
22:00Mattie : What is often missing is that true, genuine valuing. Valuing of the human quotient, the community.
22:00David Loitz: please tweet some of theses comments using the #yearatMH
22:00karen (@kfasimpaur): Yes, blaming others doesn't fix the problems.
22:02Mattie : "Each child as unique" -- so much more layered than "Student as data point"
22:02Mattie : instagrammed it ... @David. Not on twitter.
22:03karen (@kfasimpaur): Mattie, I'll retweet you :)
22:03Mattie : :-)
22:04karen (@kfasimpaur): You're indirectly on Twitter now :)
22:04David Loitz: I am @dloitz on twitter
22:04karen (@kfasimpaur): Farm to Table is a great program for this too.
22:04Mattie : :-) thanks, @karen :: I think I have an account... I've just never used it.
22:04karen (@kfasimpaur): (I *live* on Twitter.)
22:05karen (@kfasimpaur): again, teacher as learner...powerful
22:05Mattie : Question: How do you bypass the testing and data trap? Is there pressure and how do you counter it? Do you have support from your district?
22:05Mattie : This is honey bee poetry right now. :-)
22:08karen (@kfasimpaur): well said
22:08Mattie : Hooray! :-) I read that book every year before testing! :-)
22:10Mattie : :-) Is there an emoticon for "inspired"? Thanks so much for this.
22:10rach: I don't know if you touch on this but how do the teachers grade the students?
22:12Mattie : SHIFT! Earthquake! :-)
22:13Mattie : Went right to it, too, @karen! Another way to keep my fire going. :-)
22:14karen (@kfasimpaur): Thanks so much to all of you for the great conversation. Inspiring indeed!
22:14Mattie : Ongoing conversations, lasting commitment. I'm in. Muchas gracias.
22:15karen (@kfasimpaur): Good night, all.
22:15Mattie : Love the clap. Goodnight.