The Dean’s Blog ‘Civic Responsibility’

Hot on the heels of tirades about senior students not clearing up their own mess and harangues about the same age group spreading coffee like rumours, comes a moment of calm explanation. I was asked recently to write up the new prototype grade nine Civic Responsibility Scheme (‘CRS’ - see last blog of year 09/10) for ELMLE’s (European League of Middle Level Education) Tips for Teachers ( target audience is Middle School teachers) for their forthcoming conference in Amsterdam.

The questions to be addressed were:
1. What essential understandings do you think students should have about service in their schools?
2. Could you briefly explain the idea behind the programme of allocating students to spend time with teachers who are on duty?
3. What changes do you hope to see with this programme?
4. Could you write 5 simple steps for middle school teachers to get a programme like this up and running in their school?


The answers follow but I prefaced them with the statement that our beginning is not ambitious; I don’t want it to be seen as a bigger social intervention training than it currently is (mighty oaks from mini acorns…). Here’s the acorn, then:

1. The selection of role-plays I wrote, from both Deanish and from the teaching of English experience, outline the specific situations I hope the grade can begin to help obviate by developing their understanding of the possible causes and issues within these specific areas. The role plays were:

1. Kid A is told by kid B, ‘You can’t sit there. It’s for our friend. Go away!’ (This was to be modelled in English 9 classes to kick off CRS, being relevant to the theme of The Outsider for our study of William Golding’s ‘Lord of the Flies’)
2. A kid is sitting on the stairs up to the Science floor eating lunch all alone and this is not the first time.
3. Two kids claim another boy took their football and then kicked it into the car park and won’t go and get it back and they can’t find it anyway.
4. A bunch of grade 6 boys say that they had the goal on the Red Top first and then another bunch of grade 9s told them to go away and when they didn’t they kicked their ball away (probably into the car park again.)
5. The Librarians report that some grade 8 students, boys and girls both, are being ridiculously noisy and chasing around in the library.
6. A girl is crying because she can’t find her bag and it has her PE things and all her books and her phone in it.
7. Some girls say there is absolutely nowhere for them to play without being run over by shouting boys.
8. A student reports that several kids are playing games on the computers in the computer lab and eating food there.

These – all real situations from the past year - were sent to all secondary staff in a document explaining the scheme.


2. The role-plays and the discussions that prefaced and that follow in the Personal Development Programme prepare the students actively to patrol with a member of the secondary teaching staff in and around the Main Building. It is hoped that they will now be more able to notice isolation or other forms of unhappiness and have ideas and possible strategies ready to discuss or even implement. They will also be able to exchange views with the teacher more effectively as they have some prior knowledge. Thus they can also ask pertinent questions about what the adults do and think, and why.

3. The change being sought is a less isolated and egocentric set of behaviours by the senior grade at lunchtime as they recognise conflict and take active steps to combat it even if it is to ask an adult for help, rather than belong to that large and dangerous group of called onlookers who by their presence and numbers imply support for that behaviour.

4. step 1 define the problems
step 2 discuss with tutors/PDP coordinator to get them on board and get their ideas
step 3 write role plays; the first - must be a common experience witnessed or suffered or understood by the grade - directed by the English teachers as a demo. Tutors/PDP team role play the others.
step 4 student feedback/discussion
step 5 set up the duty tours with the staff and students with a tutor/PDP debrief before the second tour and then an evaluation.

And parents, you can join in, too, with a vital role here and get a conversation going about their experience and thoughts, and indeed the whole issue, around the dinner table at home. I would be delighted to read your further comments and suggestions. Just go to nickydarlington.blogspot.com and click on the reply button.