My first contact with Ron Clark was when he was a keynote
speaker at a conference in Las Vegas about eighteen years ago. During his hour
keynote, Mr. Clark brought energy, laughs, ah-ha moments, and specific teaching
points. I wanted to hear more so over the next years I watched and read
anything I could get my hands on from him and Kim Bearden, the Co-Founder and Director
of the Ron Clark Academy. Can I just say that I’ve wanted to experience the Ron
Clark Academy (RCA) for many years!
Guess what? Our Principal, Kara Morgan, found a way to send members of Bethke
Elementary to experience this magical place! I can’t say thank you enough for
allowing me to join this adventure.
What happens when ten educators from your elementary school in the summer experience
The Ron Clark Academy? Educators’ conversations change to “what if” and “how do
we”.
Classroom environment is key to a portal to a different learning space. Excitement
is always free…we can bring what we need into our space for learners. A key
point that stood out to me in each room I visited at RCA was that each educator
brought what engages/inspires him/her into the classroom. If the educator was
passionate about literature, the room was surrounded by floor to ceiling
bookshelves filled with literature. If the educator was passionate about movies
and gaming, the room was literally painted with scenes from movie scenes or gaming
experiences. If the educator was enthralled with Star Wars, the room décor matched
and even had lights/sounds to match. Our teachers must find a way to showcase
what engages them and find a way to play on the magic of that with our
learners. Let’s think long and hard about how we set up our learning spaces to bring
the excitement from the first-time kids step into our rooms. Let’s sprinkle it with
magic!
Strong conversational skills by students were highlighted in every learning
space. RCA teachers were masterful about short teaching points and huge amounts
of student communication. Several strategies noticed were turn/talks,
discussions, teacher constantly questioning and student discourse (“I
respectfully disagree with you because…). A key point that stood out to me was
that each educator made it a point to let the kids take the lead with the discussions.
Students were comfortable popping up with conversation (and once they had simple
eye contact from teacher) and standing to share his/her thinking with the
others in the room. RCA students weren’t shy about respectfully disagreeing
with someone’s thoughts and were immediate to share their WHY in this process. I
was extremely impressed with this because adults often struggle with discourse
in our own conversations! We learned so much from the RCA students.
Music was embedded into all parts of our RCA experience. Visiting educators
were greeted with songs playing and many learners cheering. Everyone should
experience a greeting like this at some point in their year. WOW the feeling of
excitement for what was about to happen was evident! Not only do learners
experience music to signify a job well done, but there’s a sense of student ownership
in chants (subject matter material), too. Ron Clark stated, “Songs can be a
prize (for the learning), but it’s much better when they are used as a (learning)
tool.” Students not only remembered key teaching points by chants, but these
students were the creators of many of the chants/songs. We experienced students
sharing academic vocabulary in conversations where learners used movements and
chants to recall meaning to use in those conversations. It was powerful to see
this tool in action where students were completely in control of the tools for
learning and sharing of ideas. Movement and music transformed the RCA learning
spaces in such a powerful way; you have to experience this to feel this magic.
At the end of our training day, I became “Slide Certified”! Oh, this is more
than just a slide. Yes, it’s the centerpiece of the Ron Clark Academy.
But this slide is a symbol…reminders to have no fear, to be bold, and to embrace
taking a different path in life and as an educator. Educators exiting this slide seemed to be
giggling and some had tears flowing because this training was an emotional
experience. Our school’s plan is to send many more groups of educators to the
Ron Clark Academy in the coming months and years to experience the magic firsthand.
Let’s go Bethke Elementary!
Our first RCA visiting team can’t wait to bring this learning to our
school community during 2022-2023! #rcainspired
