Please read our Welcome Back letter. In order to build this ideal structure, we must start at the base and engineer for equity. This presentation was made as part of a National Education Summit on Quiet Time in the Classroom Linda Esposito - What One Urban School District Can Teach the Country About Stress Relief Huffington Post, . The work of exploring White Supremacy Culture gave our staff a new framework to define our North Star, being an anti-racist school. levels of self-confidence and happiness. Visitacion Valley Middle School - Public School Review This has included making decisions about curriculum, school partnership, and hiring, without authentically involving teachers or students in the process. When My School Started to Dismantle White Supremacy Culture - NGLC Thus, we are building a collective purpose and a commitment to learning. This work has gotten co-opted and watered down, leading to many people talking the talk, without much walk. Dr. Bettina Love writes in her book, We Want to Do More Than Survive, "To even begin to attack our destructive and punitive educational system, pedagogies that promote social justice must help educators understand and recognize America and its schools as spaces of Whiteness, White rage, and White Supremacy, all of which function to terrorize students of color." Which Type of Exercise Is Best for the Brain? We might also see students connecting their identities to their learning and applying it back to their communities to manifest social justice. This is a 4-bed, 3-bath, 1,597 sqft property. Students then repeat a personal mantra (a word from Sanskrit, the ancient Indian language) in their heads until they reach a deep feeling of relaxation. Some of the work I am most proud of as a teacher and leader is building relationships with all community members to create a supportive and positive environment, as well as creating systems and using data to make informed decisions regarding instructional practices that lead to increased achievement for students. It is time that we detox and make the invisible visible. San Francisco Unified School District - Wikipedia Those selecting Dierke for the honor noted how a gunman entered the school, threatening teachers and students in 2004. Please read our welcome letter! This has the power to unite folks at the foundational level, setting the stage for deeper commitments to learning new strategies, practices, and routines. Ale House Alley, Mission Blue, and Lucky's Bakery & Cafe. Dear Visitacion Valley Middle School Community. Please call and make an appointment with the principal, assistant principal, dean or school secretary. Visitacion Valley Middle School in San Francisco, CA - Niche WSC shuts down learning. Theres an App for That. Visitacion Valley Middle School. Students at Visitacion Valley School in South San Francisco observe 15 minutes of quiet time every morning. When you have it up, it keeps the rain off, and you can focus on trying to build a culture with kids. I like to think of myself as a recovering perpetrator of WSC. Therefore, unexamined behaviors of White Supremacy Culture are preventing students from being comfortable or supported enough to learn and flourish. Eighth grader Stacy* has been meditating since she joined the school three years ago. Find COVID-19 testing, vaccine, and daily health screening information. For instance, we might see folks making eye contact, leaning into conversations about racial identity, and asking probing questions. Anecdotally, favorable feedback poured in from both students and staff members. Saratoga, California, United States. Other schools have taken a few minutes off lunch and tutorials. One teacher, Mary Chirichella added, "Some teachers had the courage to approach others to have tough conversations about microaggressions. The work to address racism in schools has been called cultural competency, diversity training, and equity. Two controlled studies have been published so far; others are in submission Every day before class, Visitacion Valley Middle School students pass an informal memorial known as the "R.I.P. One of San Francisco's toughest schools transformed by the power of meditation A pioneering programme has reduced stress and improved grades at Visitacion Valley middle school - with lessons other schools can learn from. As Boys Get Fatter, Parents Worry One Body Part Is Too Small. I had never done meditation before, but now I do Quiet Time. A pioneering programme has reduced stress and improved grades at Visitacion Valley middle school with lessons other schools can learn from. Join us at this years SFUSD Virtual Enrollment Fair for Middle and High Schools, October 24-27, 2022! Speak with a TM teacher: 888-LEARN-TM (888-532-7686), Stanford research: TM is twice as effective, Reduced for adults, Students. Based on Rocket Mortgage data in comparison to public data records. There was a time when Visitacion Valley middle school in San Francisco could have featured in a gritty US crime drama. Please use 651-683-6969 Ext. Specifically, this pushed on us to think about and change how we work together: We worked to create norms that encourage people of color and women to contribute, we shifted the relationship between teachers and administration so that teachers had more input in budget and hiring decisions, and finally, we adjusted the pace of our professional-development plans to emphasize quality over quantity. Callers can still leave a voicemail or send an email or request form at all hours. Quiet Time is just like an umbrella. Now that the shock of reading these words has worn off, let's explore what it is and why we need to dedicate more time to exploring its dehumanizing effect in our schools. It's important to note that these responses work to maintain current consciousness and white supremacy. But Quiet Time is a relatively inexpensive intervention TM in San Francisco Schools Improves Learning and Behavior The programme, introduced to all ages, sees students sit for 15 minutes of meditation twice a day. To our teachers and staff, joyful learning means that each student is able to maximize his/her abilities and be successful in learning through different learning methods. NBC News Cynthia McFadden, Tim Sandler and. Principal Welcome to our new incoming 6th grade students! Quiet Time Programs in San Francisco Bring Meditation to Urban Schools This is because we are starting with the branches of the tree instead of the roots. Students straightened their backs and closed their eyes. It would be nave to think that meditation alone could erase the effects of the many factors, like poverty, that are barriers to educational achievement. I can be really hyperactive, he said. This post originally appeared in KQED's MindShiftblog. This change comes at the cost of detaching ourselves from ourselves, which also is dehumanizing. During the 2017-18 school year, I s erved as an assistant principal in Ryan Gloyer Middle School (Seneca Valley Middle School at the time) before being named principal of the building for the 2018-19 school year. We might get verbal disagreements, but the kids are able to talk through it and move on instead of punching each other, says ODriscoll, adding that the last fist fight at the school was three years ago. Index of Northern California - University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Joe Truss is a native of San Francisco, previous High School Spanish Teacher, and now a 5th year Principal at Visitacion Valley Middle School (@vvmsfalcons). When Dierke took the helm of Visitacion Valley in 1999, it was the lowest-performing of San Francisco's 18 public middle schools on the state's Academic Performance Index; now the school ranks 10th. Education in collaboration with the San Francisco Unified School District research department, had more good news. Students. Visitacion Valley Middle SchoolHIGHLIGHTS 415-469-4590 Vis Valley MS 26.8 0.4 9.3 16.2 16.2 1.6 29.5 AA AI C F J K L ONW OW DS Percent of Enrollment Mr. James S. Dierke, Principal VVMS's Parent Representative/Liaison maintains an office within the main office. They couldnt concentrate on school.. Quiet Time isnt just a slogan but a daily regimen at Visitacion Valley. In addition, Dierke said regular Quiet Time has also helped teachers relax. Out of view, city dignitaries and his students waited inside Visitacion Valley Middle School to surprise him with the news: He was the National Middle School Principal of the Year. The highlights are available in English, Spanish, Chinese, Arabic, Filipino, and Vietnamese. Anther example might be superficially speeding through content or discouraging interruptions for questions. It really is quiet time.. Now our previous work on Culturally Responsive Teaching, use of rubrics, and adding student voice had a theoretical underpinning. $1,150,000 Last Sold Price. It is invisible and it is toxic. 2. Remembering Geneva Towers - San Francisco Heritage increased attendance and increased academic performance. We publish a weekly newsletter to keep parents informed, hold workshops, and offer many opportunities for parent communication and involvement. Parks near 132 Britton St include Crocker Amazon Playground, Visitacion Valley Greenway, and Bayview Park. During those times, students could either practice Transcendental Due to stereotype threat, this is especially problematic when students of color are a numerical minority in a classroom or school. Once the students got over that, they were open to trying to meditate. A $60K Starting Salary for Teachers? Known nationally for its innovative programs, teachers and students use technology, cross-curricular writing programs, and project- and standards-based instruction throughout the year. Just meditate!. Visitors are always amazed, Dierke said afterwards, but it works. White Supremacy Culture is the silent killer flowing throughout classrooms and school hallways, like carbon monoxide gas. 1. "He's like our own American Idol," Garcia said. Meditation strengthens the areas of the brain that control our fear center, he said. In Violent Neighborhood, 15 Minutes of Meditation Calms Students Students, families, and school staff can email requests to sflink@sfusd.edu,call 415-340-1716(M-F, 9 a.m. to noon and 1 to 3 p.m., closed from 12 to 1 p.m. every day), or complete an online request form. James Dierke, Principal of Visitacion Valley Middle School in San Francisco, like so many thousands of principals and teachers who are working in inner-city schools throughout the US, knows how frustrating it can be trying to provide an education in America's low income, high stress localities. Report an absence. A restless din filled the large room. The UK has already started experimenting with meditation: 400 secondary schools offer programmes like the Dot B mindfulness meditation programme, which tends to take place once a week in personal, social, health education (PSHE) class. California Principal Named 2008 MetLife/NASSP National Middle - PRWeb Using Meditation to Help Close the Achievement Gap Visitacion Valley Middle School - Trulia Real Estate Search Likewise, test scores have increased in recent years but still remain low compared to other SFUSD middle schools. This article was amended on Wednesday 25 November to clarify that Visitacion Valley middle school funds Quiet Time mostly through private donations to CWAE. This might include wanting to win an argument, not making space for others to talk, and rushing through meetings. Also, we might hear phrases like, "That comment triggered me, it was a microaggression," "I think we can do better for our Latinx students," or "This is not consistent with our commitment to anti-racism." In order to build this ideal structure, we must start at the base and engineer for equity. In my dream, I imagine that Culturally Responsive Teaching, restorative practices, and deeper learning are all alive in classrooms across the United States. Visitacion Valley Middle School - San Francisco | DonorsChoose 83 Ervine St, San Francisco, CA 94134 | MLS# 422711357 | Redfin Visitacion Valley Middle is a public school located in San Francisco, CA, which is in a large city setting. Classes take place at students desks after the qualified TM teacher rings a bell. For a more complete list, see the 15 WSC characteristics from Tema Okun and Kenneth Jones in the 2001 Dismantling Racism Workbook. Once white fragility is defined and debriefed amongst a team, we can begin to talk about racism, anti-racism, and White Supremacy Culture. Sign up for the Well Family newsletter to get the latest news on parenting, child health and relationships with advice from our experts to help every family Real Options for City Kids (R.O.C.K.) But he admits that it takes a big time commitment in resources and attention commitment to do this. By Kyle Palmer On a recent morning at Visitacion Valley Middle School in South San Francisco, Principal James Dierke looked out over the school's auditorium at more than 100 eighth graders. The School Plan for Student Achievement is the template on which this review and stakeholder engagement process is codified. Even I, a black educator who has studied ethnic studies and critical race theory, still perpetuate tenets of White Supremacy Culture.