Career Change: The Other Side of the Coin

Today, I was given a rare opportunity: a chance to sit in on a few English classes at Phillips Academy, a "highly selective, prestigious co-educational independent boarding preparatory school" (Wikipedia) located in Andover, MA. Founded in 1778, Phillips Academy sits on a 500 acre, stunningly gorgeous campus with all the amenities that any student could need and not need; including a exceptional dining hall, 2 museums (art and archeology), a well rounded curriculum, and a bevy of sports teams. I received this chance to visit PA thanks to my English content coach who has a connection to the school and managed to get an invite for us to sit in on a few classes. Wow, what a difference between Lawrence High School and Phillips Academy. Even though the schools are a mere 4 miles apart, they are in completely incomparable worlds. Granted, parents pay $50,000 a year for their child to attend this illustrious school and most of the Lawrence students are at poverty level.  Here are some basic statistics on the two schools:

	Phillips Academy	Lawrence High*
Student/Teacher ratio	5 to 1	15 to 1
Total expenditure per student	100,000	13,000
Total number of students	1,100	3,000
Average class size	13	25
Faculty	219	210

                               * These numbers are for all of Lawrence High not just my specific school.

The numbers pretty much speak for themselves. Just the amount of money spent on each student in the respective school is indicative of the gap in education. The classes I sat in today were amazing. I attended a Senior Graphics Novel class, a Sophomore class where they were peer reviewing blogs about gender, and a Junior class talking about Shakespeare's Twelfth Night and the theme of virtue. 

Here's a list of what I saw and what I didn't see. What I didn't see: do nows, exit slips, instructional objectives, cell phone usage, fights over uniforms and hoodies, announcements during class time, or disrespect to faculty. What I did see: students who read the texts, were engaged in the material, having open forum discussions, taking notes independently, and a very diverse student body. In other words, I saw education at its highest level. It's something that I attempt to instill in my classroom, but things like cell phones, hoodies, constant disruptions and such are continually getting in the way of education at my school. It was quite refreshing and exactly how I envision a solid, working educational system.

Are do nows, exit slips and instructional objectives necessary for learning to happen? No, but yet teachers are required to do these things daily. I'm not sure what the answer is except maybe smaller classes and an influx of money but something is working well in suburban and private schools that doesn't seem to be happening in urban schools. I suppose if I had all the answers, I'd run for Supreme Ruler of the World.

Such a pretty campus!