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Week 16 -- 04/22/2019 -- 04/26/2019


Good Morning West Community,


It was yet another wonderful week here at West Leadership Academy. I am happy to report that our students have finished their state-wide testing sessions, and for the most part, I can report that although students get testing anxiety, the adults in the building also felt some sort of anxiety for a variety of reasons. I think for the most part, we can all agree that we are happy and satisfied that our students pushed through the testing and finished strong.

As reported last week, the classroom here at WLA started a new unit, the war on drugs. For context purposes, let me explain how my 5 sections work with each other. 2 out of my 5 sections are simply upperclassmen, meaning they are high schoolers. However, my other 3 are a combination of middle schoolers and high schoolers. In other words, my classes have a very unique way of being introduced the material. My teaching for every class adapts to either providing less structure and more independent work, or more structure and active engagement among the students. I am sure which one of these styles middle schoolers require.

In regards to the unit here's the breakdown:

Monday/Tuesday: I had my students have mini conversations on what they knew, if anything, about drugs. They took a survey on several different questions, mainly to clarify to everyone how they feel about drugs. Below is just one question that I asked and the results of the question:

I was very cognizant on what specifically I was asking my students about drugs. I had a conversation with the school social worker on the specifics of the unit, and for clarification purposes, what exact scenarios I should avoid. One scenario that I was advised to avoid is having my students self-report on if themselves had participated in drug use, as well as speaking about family experiences that might be very hurtful to the students. Under Colorado law, I am mandated to report any type of situation that I deem hurtful for our students. In other words, I need to be responsible with our students and make sure I am aware of what can of worms I am opening with them.

The goal I have with this unit is to educate my students on drugs, and more specifically the war on drugs itself. I want them to know the facts on drugs, ie federal and state laws, what could happen if they are caught with drugs in school, whether or not it is ok for students to report one another in case they see something dangerous their peers may or may not be doing, and also, how to approach drug conversations with their peers in case they believe they might be in some sort of trouble. Basically, I want my students to look out for one another and be aware that the community we have built can help them in case they ever need help.

Wednesday and Thursday, the class watched a documentary. The curriculum provided me with a documentary to watch in regards to the criminalization of drug use, called "13th"

Here is the trailer for the documentary: 



I can provide better context next week on the conversations and discussions we had about the doc, I gave them the weekend to think about it and this week, we will facilitate the discussion. 

Friday, I had them do peer-work on an article about the war on drugs and answer questions about the article via the curriculum. Here is a screenshot on an important section of the article:

It is a very fascinating conversation to have, but more importantly, I want our students to be compassionate with one another in case these situations ever arise. 

Tune in next week to see what we are getting ourselves into this week.

As always, happy reading, y'all.

Cowboys, out.


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