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Teachers: Familiarity breeds success
By MONIQUE FIELDS © St. Petersburg Times, published March 25, 2001 Christine Rose took inventory of her 20 first-graders last year and considered them an "average bunch." Five of them were introverted, only two or three struck her as gifted.
Rose attributes the dramatic transformation to one constant. Eighteen of her then first-graders are now second-graders in her class at McMullen-Booth Elementary School in Clearwater. She is using a teaching concept called looping, and the teachers who volunteer to teach this way swear by it. The results, for the most part, come in the second year. In the fall, 50 percent of Rose's second-graders were high-performing or above-average readers. In January, the number climbed to 80 percent. "I've never had a class come as far as this class has come," she said. Principal Pam Moore said no one knows whether Rose's students do well because they have a good teacher or because they stayed with her an additional year. Whatever the case, Moore and seven of the teachers at her school are sold on the concept. They signed on in 1999 after one teacher there started the program. The teaching method, one that keeps a teacher and class together for two or three years, has been embraced by elementary schools in Pinellas. The school district doesn't know, though, how many of its 82 elementary schools use the strategy, said Elaine Cutler, director of the county's elementary schools. Most schools loop their students for two years. Bauder Elementary School in Seminole also does it for three years and gives students the opportunity to have only two teachers for six grades. The trend has spread across the country, as well, as school districts feel the pressure to boost student achievement. "One of the things that is really clear is that learning is influenced by relationships," said Dorene Ross, acting director of the school of teaching and learning at the University of Florida. "When students and a teacher build a relationship, they have a commitment to each other." Looping also gives teachers more face time with students, alleviates anxiety about school and creates a family atmosphere in the classroom. When students arrive at school the second year, teachers don't have to waste any time getting to know them, their strengths and weaknesses, or their families. About a third of the teachers at Cross Bayou Elementary in Pinellas Park have the arrangement in their classrooms for about four years. "We think we gain time and instruction," said Bob Poth, the school's assistant principal. Students are more eager to learn, struggle less with their school work, and have fewer discipline problems. Children, teachers say, are less likely to try their patience if they already know the rules. "They've been with you so long," said Robert Ovalle, who taught the same children for three years at Bauder. "They know your routine, your pattern, your expectations for them." But the program isn't for every teacher, class or student. Students are given the option to leave the class at the end of the first year at McMullen-Booth and other Pinellas schools. This settles any troubles with soured relationships. Teachers at McMullen-Booth don't decide whether to keep a class until they've spent nearly a full year with their students. More than one said their decision depends on classroom chemistry and added that it would be hard to stick with a tough class for a second year. Moving up a grade can bring on the pressure of preparing students for the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test, a standardized test used to measure student achievement. Learning a new curriculum and developing new teaching materials also can be daunting. Even so, some teachers welcome the change. "This year it was refreshing to do something a little bit different," said Barbara Schuler, a fifth-grade teacher at McMullen-Booth. Her colleague Barbara Reder used her summer between teaching second- and third-grade to review her teacher's guide books. "It was hard," said Reder, a third-grade teacher at McMullen-Booth who had taught second-graders for 10 years and had to learn a new curriculum. Both say they are better teachers now. Parents are impressed with the extra effort. They measure the program by their children's attitudes. Karen Barnes' son, Brian, would become nervous as the school year approached. Not last year. "The first day of school was a piece of cake because he already knew Mrs. Schuler, felt comfortable with her and knew what to expect," Barnes said. Parents also point to the bond students form with their teachers after two years. Lisa Kessel's daughter, Samantha, is in Rose's class. Her daughter has picked up a lot of good habits, including good organizational skills and a thirst for learning. "She wants to try everything she can," Kessel said. Students simply are more comfortable with their teacher the second time around. But a stronger bond makes for a tearful separation. Brian knows it will be hard to say goodbye to Schuler in June. "Some of us have begged her to loop to the sixth grade, but she can't be all of our teachers because you have six classes in middle school," the 10-year-old said.
 © 2006 • All Rights Reserved • St. Petersburg Times
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