Submitted by Kaitlin Powell
3rd Grade Teacher, Joppa View Elementary

When we began our school year back in August, building strong relationships with our students was something that was emphasized. I recalled my college days, semester after semester, professor after professor preaching how important our student relationships were to their success. With a fresh school year and rested mind, I decided to make my teacher/student relationships a top priority for the school year.

Our students come to school each day with their own troubles and struggles, some greater than others. Our morning meeting is done first thing in the morning, before we do anything else. It is a chance for students to share and feel safe. It is a place to celebrate their successes and support each other through struggles. It is a place where students share their happiness and their sadness. The students work on building relationships as well as their speaking and listening skills. 

What are some of the benefits I’ve seen? The tone is set for respectful learning. It not only sets a good tone for my students, but for me too.  Our classroom climate is one based on trust. My students show empathy towards one another, they show compassion towards one another. They treat each other like family. Most of all, they are able to feel supported by their peers and their teacher.

In order to successfully implement a morning meeting in your classroom, you should do a little bit of your own research. Find out the significance of adding this daily practice to your classroom environment to see if it will fit the needs of your students. You will also need to find a time that you will have your morning meeting each day. I recommend first thing in the morning, but that is up to you. (It can be a Classroom Meeting instead of Morning Meeting!) I found that having our morning meeting at the same time each day keeps it consistent for the students, and for me too. Lastly, understand that it will take some time to establish routines in your morning meetings. Right now my goal is to have one of my students lead the morning meeting each day instead of me….wish me luck! 

Submitted by Lelah Mahoney
Parent, Cockeysville Middle School

As both a parent and an educator, I am very interested and invested in how the county STAT initiative, specifically integrating student devices into the learning process, affects the various aspects of student progress.

My son is a seventh grader at Cockeysville Middle School, and he started with his device at the beginning of 6th grade. My daughter is a sophomore at Dulaney High School, and went through 3 years at Cockeysville Middle without the use of a device. As it is very difficult to compare their experiences, due to the fact that they are different people and also different regarding their academic achievement and overall levels of motivation, I can speak regarding what I know about how the devices are used in the classroom and for homework.

Because my son was not naturally someone who would type assignments or readily perform research using the interment prior to 6th grade, it is gratifying to see him more comfortably doing both of these things at this point.

As both a Consulting Teacher, who works with new teachers all over the county and receives professional development regarding the integration of technology into the classroom, and a parent who has observed classes during American Education week, I have also observed in-class use of the devices. Most of what I have seen, such as student collaboration, research, assessment tools, and various projects, has been positive, and I truly believe that this technology can be and is being used to enhance learning.

Of course, I have concerns that revolve around budget (infrastructure, repairs, extra staff), authenticity (too much screen time as it is, students need more human interaction), and misuse (students doing things on their devices other than what is assigned), but I’m hopeful that, as we move forward, not only will students become more comfortable using their devices, but teachers will continue to streamline their integration during lessons, and decrease the idea of using the technology for technology sake.

Overall, I feel positive about this new initiative, and look forward to a future in which all students are able to participate and succeed.

Submitted by Susan Smith
S.T.A.T. Teacher, Ridgely Middle School

Bria Kahnert is a grade 8 student in Mr. Dress’s American history class. Today, Bria was heard conducting a phone interview with Frank Borman, commander of the Apollo 8 mission, the first mission to fly around the moon. Students in advanced academic American history are challenged with the task of researching a historic event and gathering information from a primary source. “I’m so happy with how it went,” Bria beamed after the call. “Mr. Borman was so responsive to my questions; he seemed to appreciate the process.”

Bria began by researching the Cold War and the Space Race to compose an overview paper. She primarily used a bound source on American wars and some of the databases accessible through BCPS One to identify her focus question: How successful was the 1968 Apollo 8 mission, and what was its impact on the NASA space program?

Mr. Borman recently moved to his Montana home near Bria’s great aunt, who put the two in contact. From here, Bria is responsible for writing a 2-3 page paper answering her focus question with information from research and from Mr. Borman’s responses. She will create a culminating documentary in the last phase of the project. Bria explains, “This is a long-term project, for sure.”  She anticipates using the MovieMaker application to create her multimedia presentation.
​
According to Mr. Dress, 8th grade teacher, BCPS One has created a nice “one-stop shop” for students. They are able to use their BCPS One account for research databases and the citing of sources using EasyBib. BCPS One also creates improved communication for long-term assignments such as this oral history project, according to Mr. Dress, who frequently places reminders and resources on the calendar or sends messages to students with feedback or upcoming deadlines.