October 10, 2007
posted 10/10/2007 12:06 PM

Back to the Future
About this time in 1972, Don McLean’s American Pie was rising on the Billboard charts, the Oakland A’s and Cincinnati Reds were on their way to the world series, and I was in full swing as a sixth grader at VCS. Educational philosophies and regulatory guidelines were different in that era. The sixth grade class was broken into three ability groupings. These included accelerated learners (6-1, 6-2), average learners (6-3, 6-4, 6-5, 6-6, 6-7), and remedial learners (6-8, 6-9). I remember thinking that 6-5 was a safe bet because sometimes the average learners in the 6-7 class took some heat based on their numerical positioning which was probably determined by alphabet. I don’t recall it as a bad experience, but then again, I never stood in front of the classroom to do a presentation until 10th grade and I don’t recall working much in teams except for building a toothpick fort. My belief is that today’s global workforce has evolved rapidly which drives the need for educational change to support academic and social skills for success in this new world of work. If you type diversity into the search bar on any of our major employer’s websites in the Rochester area, you will find 100’s of hits around their commitment to inclusive cultures and the positive global recognition of their programs and practices. I started to somehow wonder if I missed an opportunity to share in a better classroom experience in the sixth grade that would prepare me better for the world as an employee, parent, neighbor, or friend. Fortunately, I have the tool to satisfy my curiosity. If you haven’t heard by now, VOICE sponsored an alternative technology activity pilot for twelve student volunteers in Mrs. Sheridan’s 4th grade class last year. As the story goes, the video game console wasn’t working and the kids who were led by a senior high student mentor accidentally created a time machine. Once the word of this time machine leaked out, government agents fearing a risk to national security confiscated the device and it was transported to a bunker in Nevada. Fortunately two of the students with entrepreneurial spirit (one was my son) secretly switched the device thinking they could somehow open a time-travel theme park when they grow up. Over the summer, they adapted and perfected the device with a Dance, Dance Revolution (DDR) algorithm and the DDR pad becomes the transporter pad. I asked my son to create a risky mission to send me back to sixth grade in 1972 with a destination loop that would forward me back to the future as a sixth-grader in 2007. This would allow me to experience today’s inclusionary classroom that breaks with my past experience around ability grouping. I was also super selfish and had my son import two exchange students, one male and one female into this classroom for some global diversity. I’m here to report what I learned. First of all, the school pool locker room floor is still extremely wet and you end up wearing wet socks for the remainder of the day, so some things haven’t changed. We also still lose fun benefits like recess because some kids make poor behavioral choices, but asking around, my old classmates tell me that occurred equally from 6-1 thru 6-9 classes in 1972. The first change I noticed was there were some additional adults in the room. Sometimes they spend the full-day and sometimes they visit for selective times. I really enjoyed having more than just my teacher in the room because while they may be dedicated to providing support to some students, their presence lights up a broader adult presence for all students in the room. The second cool thing was a kid who reminded me of one of my friends that used to be a 6-9 student was in my room and we could eat lunch together. While he switched classrooms for Math and Language Arts, we were able to spend more time together. Guess what, I also got to switch for Math myself and love working on Math O problems. I think only the 6-1 and 6-2 kids worked on Math O stuff in 1972. While I have average learning ability in most subjects, for some reason my interest and ability in Math is high. I also got a chance to work in a small group on this really neat Lego robotics project. If we win our competition, our teacher told us we can go to a competition at U of R. I also liked participating in morning meeting. In 1972, I was physically different because of my weight and very shy. I never had a chance to participate in open discussions. While I often had unique thoughts in my head, I feared speaking in public for fear of ridicule. Turns out, I was having so much fun in my 2007 classroom experience, I sent a time-warped IM to my son to cancel the exchange students that I had hand-picked to widen my experience in an inclusionary classroom. The first child from Germany would have loved Math O and the robotics class. This child also received speech therapy at a young age in Germany and would have pushed out in a small group during the day for those supports. This child also despised rote-learning, but would have benefited from Victor Central’s commitment to differentiation. The second child from Alabama would probably have required an additional adult to support her learning needs in the classroom. While regulatory requirements dictate confidentiality for this child because of her disability, today’s environment might have afforded her an opportunity to participate in a least-restrictive classroom with other kids vs. being sent to a specialized school. What I found in my Victor Central School sixth-grade classroom was a more diverse and inclusive setting that honored the gifts in all of our children, regardless of their individual differences. Our dedicated staff works harder to provide differentiation and continually develop their skills to support this new world. I decided the second part of my time travel mission didn’t need the addition of my two chosen exchange students. For while it would have been a life-changing experience to attend six-grade at VCS in 2007 with my two chosen exchange students, Albert Einstein and Helen Keller, I realized that the experiences with all the great kids in my Victor classroom was just as life-altering. As the Chairperson for VOICE, I am committed to diversity and inclusion in our school. I realize that no model is perfect, but I am dedicated to listening to concerns and driving continuous improvement for the gifts that all our students bring to the Victor School District. I’m always open to thoughts and comments. Thanks for your continued interest and support.

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