Junior+Focus+Groups

= Focus Area One: Respect =

Statements from the My Voice Survey:

 * 1) 43% of students feel bullying is a problem
 * 2) 39% of students say they respect each other
 * 3) 52% of students respect teachers
 * 4) 50% of students feel that they are supportive of each other
 * 5) 21% have difficulty fitting in

Central Question

 * 1) What does the word respect mean to you?
 * 2) Where does respect begin in a relationship?
 * 3) What do you do to show respect to other students and your teachers?
 * 4) Describe what it looks like when students don't respect each other.
 * 5) Students have said that bullying is a problem. Tell me what you think.
 * 6) How could students and teachers address bullying?
 * 7) Do you have any ideas about what action we could take to improve respect between students?

Possible Follow up questions:
do you feel like their is an issue of students respecting teachers-studnets making fun of teachers, don't be stupid and do right by others

Understanding the Issue:

 * 1) What does the word respect mean to you? being nice, listening, treat others the way you want to be treated,
 * 2) Where does respect begin in a relationship? the very first meeting, should respect anyone you mean, if you don't have respect from the beginning then you got nothing, you have to maintain respect to maintain the relationship
 * 3) What do you do to show respect to other students and your teachers? teacher and student listening, don't talk over each other, answer question when they are asked. say good morning good afternoon, listen to them, do what they ask,  kindness and acceptance, listen to each other, do right by each other,
 * 4) Describe what it looks like when students don't respect each other. single them out, don't listen when they talk, spreading rumors about each other,
 * 5) Students have said that bullying is a problem. Tell me what you think. don't think eminence has a problem like other schools, we just play around with each other, others may not see it as playing around. talk to those that don't understand that it is playing around to get them to understand questions. mainly the underclassmen sometimes we do single out one student, i think that in the freshman and sophomore class have trouble letting their students feel important and a part of the class.
 * 6) How could students and teachers address bullying? not an issue we all just play with each other, but let know when playing is out of hand, by not ignoring it pretend that it don't happen, teachers care too much about what students think so that makes them avoid the problem of bullying because they don't want to get bullied, this is not a positive place for some people when they are being talked about called stupid and being told can't do work by teachers and students causing them to drop out.
 * 7) Do you have any ideas about what action we could take to improve respect between students? listen to each other. student and teacher ideas and actually follow through and consider their ideas. We don't have a problem in our class.

Ideas for improvement:
on respect/bullying-dont think when playing around we are not disrespectful its all in fun couple of students can quite class down and understand each others learning style. stay on task and don't get off. Respect between teachers and students can be improved by teachers not letting it go, punishment, why you think students do that because they can get away with it, the teacher is scared of the student sometimes, some of the students get away with more because teachers scared to say something to them. students should talk to classmates before they make a choice like that-person that knew should have told someone like and adult that they trusted.

Differences between boys and girls:
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= = Focus Area Two: Fun and Excitement/Risk Taking =

Statements from the My Voice Survey:

 * 1) 54% of students enjoy being at school
 * 2) 48% of students feel that teachers make school an exciting place to learn
 * 3) 31% of students are afraid to try something if "I think I might fail"
 * 4) 72% enjoy participating in class, 77% enjoy working on projects with other students, 42% of students say school is boring
 * 5) 59% of students feel teachers have fun at school

Central Question:

 * 1) How do you know teachers are having fun at school?
 * 2) What does it look like when a teacher is having fun?
 * 3) High % of students enjoy participating in class, high % enjoy working on projects, but high % say school is boring. What do you think about this?
 * 4) What makes you want to take risks in class?
 * 5) What makes you not want to take risks in class?
 * 6) Describe a challenging assignment that you've enjoyed.
 * 7) Describe a challenging assignment that you did not enjoy.
 * 8) What does fun learning look like?
 * 9) What ideas do you have for students and teachers to make learning more fun

Possible Follow Up Questions:
what social issues-speeches-abortion, religion (talk about in history but not into ethical) don't talk about the war. Issues in the school we don't talk about-teachers don't want to talk about self, teachers don't want to hear how they can make their teaching better from their students, they don't take students suggestions to heart.

Understanding the issue:

 * 1) How do you know teachers are having fun at school? talk with us and joke around and have fun, don't just drill with work they care about us, know how to have fun, see that teachers love what they are doing. our core content teacher have fun when they joke around, when they are not serious all the time.
 * 2) What does it look like when a teacher is having fun? big talk and involved with the whole class, not book work or reading passages and answering questions, will relate things to their personal life, they are flexible we will discuss topic how students what to do it
 * 3) High % of students enjoy participating in class, high % enjoy working on projects, but high % say school is boring. What do you think about this? apply self, some people just don't have the drive to do well, have to give something to get it back, teacher giving them the choice to create something by using their talents. sick of being here you are not going doing fun stuff everyday
 * 4) What makes you want to take risks in class? no one talks about some social issues that need to be discussed, teachers are uncomfortable about talking about it. i have answered questions that i don't know the answers to.
 * 5) What makes you not want to take risks in class? didn't feel comfortable fear of getting something wrong or right, feel like judge if get it wrong, sometimes teachers (some) just say wrong without any discussion, you don't want to look dumb to the teachers and students, feel dumb by teachers,
 * 6) Describe a challenging assignment that you've enjoyed. speeches and the animoto liked the freedom of the project, science projects fun for everyone, videos on iPads, translating songs, subway rap,
 * 7) Describe a challenging assignment that you did not enjoy. timelines, some science projects, book work, taking notes everyday, HATE packets
 * 8) What does fun learning look like? going into classroom without teacher saying "start your work, get your stuff out" freedom in project, too much of a rubric to neat picky stuff, let us think outside of the box as long as it is on content area. Give a rubric of of content but not how your present it. basic guidelines.
 * 9) What ideas do you have for students and teachers to make learning more fun? quite worrying about grade! have fun and learn something stop worrying so much about the target let us have the knowledge we need about the content

Ideas for improvement:
teachers stop being prideful and listen to the students to help with their learning. Students want to have meeting with teacher to tell what they should do to help the students learn better, suggestion box would not work because we need face to face contact. Students could help the teacher make their class fun and better to learn. improvement for fun personal life was not carried into school and can have fun anyways. improvements for not being boring- not repetitive,different things to do, move into this century!!!!! paint the rooms make the school a little more live listen to iPods with paint, less uptight about things, can decide to use cell phones, stop caring so much about cell phones risk taking-let others know that it is okay if you are wrong, have teachers encourage along with peers,