A View From a Principal: What AmeriCorps Members Have Done For My School
By Marilynn Shaw, Principal, Mosier Elementary School
SPRING 1997 (archived information - please note the date of publication)
Mosier Elementary School is located in Mosier, Oregon. Currently, five AmeriCorps members from the Northwest Service Academy are working at the school. This year, Mosier Elementary was awarded the 1997 Oregon Title I Program of Merit, which is based on overall high quality instructional strategies, including innovative projects such as the nature trail and the AmeriCorps program.
The choice of having the AmeriCorps Northwest Service Academy team serving our school this year was not an easy decision. It is one I am very glad I made. There were some sincere concerns among members of my staff after last year's limited experience with the program. Mosier was only visited five times during the school year and different representatives came each time. My staff had to plan the activities, then explain them to the AmeriCorps team prior to each visit. It was a lot of work and there was a question as to whether or not we wanted to deal with it again. Ultimately, though, we had to look at the benefits to the students. Even with such limited contact last year, our students had made gains and enjoyed the experiences. The potential benefits of a daily program could be monumental.
The AmeriCorps team has been a resounding success this year at Mosier Elementary School, far exceeding our expectations. What made the difference? They have been here regularly, which has enabled them to bond with the children and the staff. The team members are such a wonderful mixture of talents and personalities and ready to tackle any jobs we offer. They have received unconditional acceptance and support from the staff and students here at Mosier. Many factors were involved in the success of the AmeriCorps program this year, but I feel the real key was inclusion.
From the day the AmeriCorps team first set foot in Mosier Elementary, they have been included as if they were full members of our staff. They may have thought it odd that we requested autobiographies on each of them before they arrived, but it gave us a chance to learn about them and make them feel even more welcome. These autobiographies also helped us to begin thinking about where we might best utilize each member of the team. I blocked off the first three days they were here to do new "staff" orientation, which essentially jump-started the program. Because we welcomed them as professionals they responded as professionals, and we have not been disappointed.
Inclusion means that they are given responsibility commensurate with their position as well as input and choices about what that position is to be. Following orientation, team members were given the opportunity to work for a short period of time in each classroom. The staff and AmeriCorps workers then sat down together and decided who would begin where. We had thought that it would be best to rotate the members through the classes so they would have opportunities to work with a variety of ages and teachers. Once they were here and working, however, we found that they were beginning to blossom, and so were the classes with whom they were working. Since Mosier is such a small school, it is impossible for anyone to be here and not have contact with a variety of ages and teachers, so we rescinded our decision on rotation and have left the members to develop their talents more fully and offer so much more to the classrooms they are in.
Their inclusion at Mosier doesn't end when the school bell rings. They have also been invited to participate in planning and implementing all of our extracurricular, academic, and social activities. Team members have organized and run an after-school program for our students this year. Others have helped us with our annual skating nights. All members of our team, and even reinforcements from other teams, have been helping us build a nature trail that will benefit not only the school, but be a legacy for the whole community.
The Northwest Service Academy team has been a valued asset to our school. Respecting their professionalism and including them as vital members of our staff have led to great gains for everyone involved, especially the children we serve. My staff and I are unanimous in stating that AmeriCorps teams will always be welcome in our school.
