Chrysalis School

The Negative Effects of too Much Homework

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Research: Two new studies on homework pose concerns about schools’ misuse of the practice. The first study surveyed teachers across the nation and concluded that high school students are assigned an average of 3.5 hours of homework per night. The second uncovers the ramifications this practice, finding that these heavy loads take an emotional toll on both students and their families. The faulty assumption that heavy homework loads lead to success encourages tensions between parents and their children, increases stress, leads to sleep deprivation, and discourages other developmentally appropriate life lessons.

Practice: At Chrysalis we recognize that time spent outside of school is extremely valuable in the development of a child. It’s important that children nurture their relationships, explore their interests, and engage their passions outside of school. Out of respect for this time, the amount of homework we assign a student is directly related to their individual learning goals. Furthermore, we view homework as a measure of a student’s independence. While Chrysalis parents may need to help create a space or time for homework to be completed, they are dissuaded from active participation in the homework process.

Teachable Moments

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Research: Eric Jensen argues that self-regulation is the number one executive function skill that kids need to be successful in school. Also termed grit, resilience, or perseverance, Jensen cites numerous studies that relate this skill to academic performance and educational achievement. Students who can regulate their emotions and behavior are simply more likely to succeed in school and in life.

Practice: Self-regulation can be taught by slowing down to consider student attitudes and choices in given circumstances. At Chrysalis we engage students in direct, honest conversations about their behavior–where it might be appropriate, where it might not, and how to make that decision. We look for teachable moments where we see students struggling with self-regulation and use that opportunity to drive lessons around behavior and promote positive interactions. We allow students the opportunity to fail and get back up in a caring environment where everyone makes mistakes and learns from them.

Teacher’s Passion and Experience

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Research: Effective teachers are passionate about their subject area, but also other areas of their lives. A recent post from the Center for Teaching Quality, entitled “How Being Punk Rock Makes Me a Better Teacher,” demonstrates just that. Teachers who can share their passions and experiences with their students can have a tremendous impact on students both personally and academically, teaching valuable life lessons along the way.

Practice: Our teachers are encouraged to be who they are and share their passions with our community. Our teachers are mountaineers, artists, musicians, writers, actors, athletes, cross-fit trainers, animal lovers, and much much more! Their passions are a vital part of how we match students to teachers, with the hope of sparking productive learning partnerships.

How to Learn

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Research: Journalist Katrina Schwartz recently posed the question, “What would be a radically different vision of school?” She notes that with the growth of technology people will be expected to manage massive amounts of information since everything is at their fingertips. In such an age she suggests that the most important thing students should taught is how to learn as opposed to what to learn, “especially since the content or specific skills needed in the future are as yet unknown.”

Practice: Our teachers are skilled at discerning a student’s learning style to both teach to it and about it. Understanding one’s learning style is empowering–it informs how you take in information and expands the ways you can express what you know. These days it’s important to know where to access information, how to determine its validity, and be able to think critically and creatively about it.

Blended Learning

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Research: Much of the research on schools focuses on finding a solution that will solve the educational system’s woes. Among the most prominent ideas being promoted right now are “blended learning,” “flipped classrooms,” “STEM programs,” and other innovative solutions. Policymakers continue to hope that the implementation of one or more of these trends will serve as the magic bullet to improve educational outcomes for all students.

Practice: What’s missing is the personal nature of the learning process. We know we can’t prescribe the same solution for all kids. What works for one student could be detrimental to another. In reality, none of the solutions being discussed are a cure-all and shouldn’t be treated as such. That’s where an individualized program is so incredibly powerful. We can meet the needs of every student when we account for their individual strengths, needs, and interests to develop a personalized program that incorporates the models that a student would most benefit from.

Deep Learning

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Research: A new report highlights the need to promote “deep learning” in schools to respond to the needs of the global workplace where “creative, connected, and collaborative life-long problem solvers” are in demand. It argues that this cannot happen unless schools truly reflect what works, citing the following as best practices in education: establishing teachers and students as co-learners, long-term cross-curricular tasks, greater student control and choice, continuous feedback and formative assessment, and greater understanding of the learning process.

Practice: At Chrysalis these practices have been in place for more than thirty years. We base everything we do on our own set of best practices, which stem from continuous research into child development, psychology, education policy, and the brain, in addition to knowledge gleaned from our years of experience. Our dedication to research results in the ability to adapt and encourage innovation in the quest to achieve such deep learning.

My Happy Place

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In English 9, the students were asked to respond to a writing prompt, which was partially taken from a prompt found on the Common App for college applications The prompt was – Describe a time or place where you felt perfectly content.  Josh wrote this short, but poignant, piece about one special day, at one very special place. 

My Happy Place

The day of my happy place was June 18th, 2013. It was the last day of school and it was Beach Pie Day. Every year, at the very end, everyone at school brought all different kinds of pies – cherry pie, apple pie, blueberry pie . There were store bought pies, homemade pies, and pies baked at school. There were plenty of pies to go around for everyone!

Everyone also dressed like they were going to the beach to eat pie.I had woken up that morning feeling excited about it being the last day of school and I felt refreshed. I rushed to the bathroom, took a shower, and headed back to my room.  After my usual getting ready routine, I headed to school. When I got there my friends Jonah, Ben, and Dayian were there too. We all got our regular morning food of a chicken flavored Cup Of Noodles and sat down in the corner of the room and discussed what was it gonna be like without Dayian and Ben (this was their last day at Chrysalis). We had decided that the next year of school would not be as fun, and maybe a little lonely.

After about an hour of just talking, we headed outside and ran around having fun.  I don’t think I ever felt my smile come off my face. Everyone was so happy and having a great time. I had never been so happy to be at Chrysalis in that moment, with those people that I love so much, at the school that I treat like my home. After some contests and pie eating, we sat in front of all of our reflections of a dark window at the side of the school looking at our group and thinking, “wow, what a great year.” We talked about all our favorite times together. That day made me feel like my life was perfect.

After that we headed back inside and got ready to leave the South Campus for good. I said goodbye to all my favorite teachers, like Kent and Debbi.  In the end, we all said goodbye to one another and parted our ways in separate cars, but our friendship never left my heart.

 

Fly Tying, Student Teaches the Class

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In December, Erin’s biology class learned how to tie several fishing flies from Chrysalis student, Peter Anderson. Before tying a fly, fly fishers must know about fish feeding and territory behaviors as well as insect life cycles. Peter taught the class how to tie a midge dry fly called the Griffith’s Gnat and the ever popular Woolly Bugger, which is a wet fly or streamer. The class completed this project in two class periods.

Peter enjoys spending time in many outdoor activities. Fly fishing is one of his favorites. He recently built his own fly rods. Thanks for teaching us Peter!

Our Model

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There are many things we do in our program to prepare our students for college. Instead of filling their day with the traditional, typical, intense instruction and homework, we model our program after colleges.

 1. First, like most colleges, our classes do not meet every day. There is time between classes to do research and complete assignments independently rather than sit in class with other students and the teacher.

2.  The time between classes is important for processing information, forming opinions about the concepts, and considering the relationships of new information and prior knowledge. It doesn’t look like much is happening at this stage but it is critical for long-term memory, understanding the subject in depth and the ability to thinking critically about the subject.

3.  Students have a choice of the classes they want to take, the teacher, the time of day, and how they will cover the required material. They can choose textbooks, movies, games, computer simulations, field trips or field experiences to complete their coursework.

4.  They learn to be independent and prioritize their workload. Once in college, students have to know how long it takes them to do an assignment, how well they can do on a given style of assignment, and manage their time and resources accordingly. Our students have a lot of practice with this type of work.

5.  College students need to see their teachers as partners. Our students are used to that relationship because of our one-on-one instruction. This allows our students to feel comfortable seeking out college instructors during their office hours for critical assistance, giving them another advantage over students who see teachers as adversaries.

6.  What college student doesn’t drop courses when their progress is suffering? As Kenny Rogers sang, “Know when to hold them and know when to fold them.” Our students learn to evaluate a teacher’s style and know if it is a strong style for them or weak style for them. You may have to drop that one impossible class in college to make the others work well. We encourage students to evaluate why a course is or is not working for them.

7.  A rigorous curriculum is one that allows the learner to study a concept in depth and at a complex level. It doesn’t mean more homework.

 

Our Campuses

Chrysalis High School and Middle School
15900 Woodinville-Redmond Rd NE
Woodinville, WA p: (425) 481-2228

Chrysalis Elementary Campus
17005 140th Ave NE
Woodinville, WA p: (425) 481-2228

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