12. Advisory: Starting Over

Advisory: Starting Over

This we believe (NMSA, 2010).

*An adult advocate guides every student’s academic and personal development. Adult Advocate

This we believe (NMSA, 2010) identifies sixteen characteristics that exist in exemplary middle schools. This blog addresses the twelfth characteristic, and is part of the section that addresses culture and community.

Advisory is an element of middle schools that provides every student with someone who knows them. It is usually a classroom teacher, but in some schools, other faculty including media specialists, counselors, elective teachers, and administrators can be used to reduce the advisor to advisee ratio. The faculty member serves as the advocate for a group of students. Often, he or she is the point of contact for parents, and serves to communicate with individual students on their performance and their behaviors in school. The purpose of advisory is to engage students in experiences and activities that enhance their social and emotional development. Powell (2010) shares, “Advisory is an attitude more than a program. It is an attitude that leads us to commit to know our students well, to advocate for them when possible, and to wear our advisor hats all day, every day” (p. 156).

I have been asked to talk to our faculty about advisory. Our school is in their second year as a middle school. We have teams, we have PBIS (Positive Behavior Intervention and Supports) celebrations each nine-weeks, and last year faculty were directed to have an advisory program. We have a thirty-minute block of time set aside, called “Spartan Time.” Last year, teachers were given a book of activities. The program failed, and currently the thirty-minutes is used for academic purposes. Teachers use it as a study hall and/or an extension of their class work. 

I had a conversation with a group of teachers this past week. Some teachers are reluctant to embrace an advisory program. Some see it as more work, and share they are not comfortable with the experiences they had. So my first idea is to find out what is working during Spartan-Time, besides study hall and class extensions.

Very often when we try to make change, we skip the step of “fact-finding.” Teachers need a voice; need to be honest with their concerns. The point will be to look at the opportunity, as an opportunity to have impact into what is needed, and or what is possible to advocate for students. It is my view that if there is a mandate to implement advisory, a step in making it happen, is to ask teachers for input in how to make it happen. I believe our teachers are aware of the challenges our children face outside the classroom, and that we all see our students need to be social.

I believe advisory is one of the most difficult components of middle schools to implement. And I believe the biggest problem is that teachers are not prepared emotionally or physically to be an advisor. I have been in three other settings where advisory has struggled, and my first thought on this is that the term advisory suggests intimacy and guidance more than advocacy. Teachers are not prepared. I often hear, “I am not a guidance counselor,” and “I don’t do touchy-feely.”  

Research is clear; the social and emotional needs of students’ impact their academic performance (CASEL, 2005). So my second task will be to have a conversation about our students and their lives.

There are multiple ways to support students’ social and emotional development that do not involve intimate, touchy-feely activities. It is my intent to explore possibilities teachers are willing to consider such as: intramurals, goal-setting, college and career readiness, service learning, and clubs as a start. We shall see….

If we can have the conversation about our students, and agree that there are needs, we can then begin to address a third challenge:  to find a “design team” willing to work together to create experiences and opportunities that allow our students to develop academically, socially, and emotionally. We have the support of the administration and the school counselors. My hope is to open the conversation to possibilities of starting over! (:

Advice

1)   Consider what you believe about the social and emotional needs of young adolescents. If you are unaware of the research on these areas, you can find resources through amle.org.  at: http://www.amle.org/BrowsebyTopic/AdvisoryAdvocacy/tabid/90/Default.aspx.

2)   When teams of teachers are aware of the needs of students, it is possible to collaborate on creating experiences that support the social and emotional development of young adolescents. If you are on a team, consider asking how your team serves the students’ needs.

3)   If you are in a school that does not have an advisory program, consider what you can do in your own classroom to support the needs of young adolescents. There are lots of programs and resources. The CASEL.org website gives research-based resources to use.

4)   Parents and school counselors are resources and advocates of young adolescents who must be included in your or in your team’s conversations and plans.

CASEL (2005).Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning. [website]. http://www.casel.org/

Powell, S. (2010). Introduction to middle school. Pearson: Boston, MA