# Assignment 2 for [[EDUC 7650]] Jethro Jones ## Assignment Directions - [x] Please revisit your last week's assignment and read my responses. In this week's assignment doc, begin with a sentence (or more, if you wish) commenting on my previous response. And by my comments, I refer to those I placed in your text, not my summary in the box. (Commenting on obituaries is not fun!) - [x] The comment about schools not having enough toilet paper and other supplies reminded me a article that is quite relevant to culture. Please give me a paragraph or two reaction to it.  [https://ascd.org/el/articles/what-does-your-restroom-say-about-your-schoolLinks to an external site.](https://ascd.org/el/articles/what-does-your-restroom-say-about-your-school)  See here for my full notes on this reading: [[Principal Connection What Does Your Restroom Say About Your School]] 3. This doc addresses the MO SEL standards. Note the chart on p8: [https://dese.mo.gov/media/pdf/may-2023-update-developing-k-12-learning-standards-social-emotional-learning-selLinks to an external site.](https://dese.mo.gov/media/pdf/may-2023-update-developing-k-12-learning-standards-social-emotional-learning-sel)  TWO questions, address each one specifically: (1) In a paragraph or more, regardless of where you work, have you seen expectations for SEL change? Do superintendents, central office administrators, or supervisors expect building leaders to address SEL with their staff and students? (2) In two paragraphs or more, what could/should a principal do to encourage staff members to pursue SEL In their building? ## Assignment For best results, read this assignment at drjethro.com/7650assign2 Response: The line about seeing people as they can become is something that I strive really hard to do every day. It's not always easy, but it is always worth it. ### Some thoughts about restrooms When I was in high school, I was terrified to use the restroom, and avoided it at all costs. Broken equipment, stalls with no doors, lots of graffiti and rumors of what happened in our bathrooms kept me far away. It has been my personal opinion for many years that all bathrooms at schools should be single stall, with floor to ceiling doors to give students the utmost of privacy. In the article from [[Principal Connection What Does Your Restroom Say About Your School]] by Dr. Thomas Hoerr, he describes the sad state of current restrooms in schools in this manner: > each restroom had rusted pipes, walls with peeling paint, and doors to toilet stalls that were unhinged or would not lock. Some had cracked mirrors. Restroom maintenance appeared to be low on the priority list. I'll never forget when my assistant principal Dr. Courtney Orr decided to tackle the girls' bathroom. She decorated it, made it look pretty, put air fresheners in there, and went above and beyond to make something special. The school was nearly 40 years old, and this bathroom makeover had a powerful effect on the students. The boys even asked for a makeover for them as well. Hoerr also provides an interesting additional point about the uniqueness of the school he was leading at the time: > I said that my school had posters on the walls in our restrooms and that the adults and students use the same restrooms. The idea of adults and students using the same restroom is a rarely used tool to keep the restrooms in good shape. While there are some legitimate concerns about some students not wanting to use the restroom if they know a teacher could walk in, there's also some value to knowing that a teacher might walk in and therefore you might make better choices as a student. ### SEL Standards Thoughts I've seen SEL standards change, especially in places where I have worked in the past, where the words "Social Emotional Learning" has become forbidden, but subversive teachers still teach it. This problem is complicated and not as simple as one side being wrong and one side being right. The parent complaint is that schools are teaching behaviors and beliefs that they don't agree with and calling it SEL. Teachers meanwhile are accusing parents of not teaching it at all. One principal even said to me recently that educators "are the only ones left who *can* this stuff!" While that statement is patently false, educators have the unenviable role in society as being the solution to every problem. This is not fair or right. But it goes back to my idea that [[Education Is The Responsibility Of The Parents]] and the state steps in to help. Educators need to partner with parents, not ask parents to partner with educators. Parents bear the ultimate and heavy responsibility of rearing their children and instilling knowledge, wisdom, and social emotional skills. In the presentation [[Developing K-12 Learning Standards SEL - May 2023]] there a couple points I would like to highlight. First is the work group representatives. One key element I am missing is who are the work group representatives. If they are all educators wearing an educator's hat, we are missing parents wearing parents' hats. Second, I like this standard especially: > Understanding that different settings require different behavior, and the ability to adjust to those settings. This empowers participants to understand and examine their surroundings and environment so they can make the best decision about what their behavior should look like. This honors who people are and opens the door for questions about how people should act in a given situation. This takes the appropriate tone of what educators should do. Educators should avoid pushing their own agenda and rather co-create the SEL competencies with parents and the community. Certainly, that takes more work, but ultimately, I believe it is the only way to do this work correctly.