Brogden Primary brings home national model school award
By Phyllis Moore
Published in News on October 8, 2006 2:00 AM
From staff reports
Brogden Primary School has won the Diana Day National Model School Award for its efforts in a discipline management program.
The motivational speaker recently visited to the school to announce the honor. The school was chosen from 500 schools around the nation that participate in her "Vision Management" program that allows teachers to incorporate classroom techniques to manage discipline while helping students set their own short- and long-term academic goals.
This is Brogden Primary's third year using the program.
The school won the award after submitting a scrapbook filled with creative photos, samples of student assignments and curriculum information that showed how classrooms integrated the program's theories and concepts.
Ms. Day praised the school and its educators for successfully implementing the program's ideas.
"Educators understand that there is always hope and always opportunity for students to improve. By integrating the 'vision management' techniques, teachers help students by challenging them to accept responsibility for their actions and make conscious choices for how they want to improve in the classroom," she said.
In addition to classroom efforts, each morning a motivational message is read over the intercom. Teachers are also required to create dedication statements with their yearly goals for students and then work to integrate them into the curriculum.
Principal Wendy Hooks said the program motivates educators and helps them learn to engage their states 100 percent of the time.
"This program puts a mirror in front of your own face," she said.
By requiring teachers to set goals for themselves, she said, "Teachers must ask themselves if they need to change how they speak to a student when they misbehave.
"They are also learning how to respect the student by offering them a consistent form of discipline as well as continued encouragement for their success in the classroom."
This year, the school is also working to use the "Vision Management" program to get parents more engaged in their child's education.
Parent resources such as CDs and DVDs will be made available to provide tips on helping children succeed in school.
Teachers will also work with parents on setting their own academic and family goals for the child, such as working together on homework or reducing amounts of television viewing at night.
Brogden Primary is one of two schools in the county using the Diana Day "Vision Management" program. Carver Elementary is also incorporating the techniques.
Earlier this month, Ms. Day worked with more than 200 teachers at the two schools to better utilize integrate the program on a daily basis.