This transcript is based on a conversation on Feb. 12th, 2013 with Ryan Ried of HSLI fame.
How did you find HSLI?
I was applying to teach in NYC after teaching a year in Buffalo. Certification in special ed. and math. I interviewed down in Brooklyn at recruitment center and became a part of the select program. Got a call from a few principals and one was Julie. All I knew was that it was going to be a brand new school in the Bronx with a lot of English Language Learners.
When I interviewed, I heard about a trip to Indiana for professional development. I don't know if Unison Reading was even mentioned then. It just didn't really exist then. Now, it seems like a lot of the things Cynthia talks about now came from experiences coming from our school.
I went to Montreal for a music festival. Went to Buffalo, my hometown, and then flew to Indianapolis. I took a commuter bus--15-16 passenger bus-- to Ball State, in Muncie, Indiana. I was on the bus with Julie, Yan, Cho, Shira, Katie, Kristin (no longer at school).
How does HSLI compare to other school experiences you've had?
I taught at a school that was somewhat similar, in the sense that everyone was supposed to be practicing learning model of expeditionary learning. The school had the mission of using expeditionary learning but a lot in a lot of the school it wasn't obvious.
Some teachers were focusing more on direct instruction (traditional method) while others emphasized project-based learning.
Our school here is more cohesive. Things look differently in certain classes, but all our formats force students to be responsible for their own learning. Our goal is to have students as seniors walk into a classroom, with curriculum maps in place, and be ready to work on their own.
What do you think makes our school different from others?
Similarities between the classes. A lot of things are more of a team issue. The way our classes are run you see a lot of similarities...The idea of intervisitations. I could know nothing about Global and go in and do conferences and Unison Reading records. Aside from the mini-lesson, any teacher could walk in and help play the role of teacher in any other classroom.
We have very strong teams. I was in a small school my first year teaching and we had five math teachers and we never talked about math. After Regents results, specific teachers were put on the hot seat. Here, results are not specific to any one teacher. Everyone is working together. The cooperation brings people together.
I remember student teaching where every classroom was different. If time is not created for teachers to sit and talk about school, then it usually won't be discussed.
Last year in math: We had Unison Discovery; no Unison Reading there yet. Last year we did flashcards for a while with facts and numbers.
No curriculum map until January. That one was very linear. This year we have the idea of stand-alone outcomes and certain ones have prerequisites; something many students wouldn't see until college.
At most schools, math is taught in a very linear way.
And I think we're in a good place. Now it's just improving what we have. I think our 9th graders will do well due to the cohesion we have now. We're not changing things up on them like last year. I think more students will get higher grades and be more successful from here on out.
Where do you see most of our students five years from now?
Whewwww...We definitely have students who are probably going to go on to some pretty prestigious four year colleges. And then we have a lot of kids in the middle...at least going to some CUNY schools and state schools. And then there's other students who just need to get a diploma so they can get a job with regular hours...
I think we have a very diverse population.
We want students to be able to accomplish whatever they want. We want students in math with 95%'s to interact with students who have 55%'s. We just don't want to hold any students back.
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