Blog Post 9

   There are plenty of definitions of what a "good school" is in today's world. To some, a good school is one that meets all the states expectations. To others, a good school is one that has a high graduation rate. To me personally, a good school is one that brings out the best in teachers and students alike and encourages consistent learning and development. I believe that it is the teachers duty to always bring out the best in each student no matter what. I say this because there is greatness in each and every person on this planet and teachers are one of the most important ambassadors in helping others achieve their full potential. With this being said, I think a "good school" has passionate, enthusiastic, warm, and open teachers in each classroom. These teachers should always stress that attitude and effort are more important than ability. Also, I think it is important for class sizes to be relatively small (< 20) because then a teacher is able to get to know each student on a personal level. This allows for plenty of teacher-student discussion where no question is a stupid question. Teachers should also be involved in extracurricular activities that show they are not only passionate about their profession, but that they are also passionate about things many students are. 

   As far as the school day goes, I think a good school has open classrooms where students have a say and students can let the teacher know how they feel. Each class should be no longer than 50-60 minutes because after this amount of time, students often have difficulty paying attention. I also think that technology in the classroom should be utilized as much as possible because there are so many tools now a days that teachers/students can use to enhance learning in a positive way. For instance, instead of trying to fight cell phone use, a good school will look for ways to allow the students to use their phones to participate in class.