David Lynch Foundation (20:44), John Hagelin, PhD White Supremacy Culture is the silent killer flowing throughout classrooms and school hallways, like carbon monoxide gas. At Visitacion Valley Middle School (VVMS), in the San Francisco Unified school district, our brave staff spent a majority of the 2018-19 school year unpacking White Supremacy Culture. Visitacion Valley Middle School Catering to our kids grades 6-8. Having served the past two years as Assistant Principal, VVMS is a community that I love and care for. Get the latest education news delivered to your inbox daily. Most definitely recommend this school to parents in the neighborhood with kids in Kinder-5th grade. (Dan Schreiber/The Examiner) In 2004, two students discovered the partially decomposed body of a 19-year-old stabbing victim. Even I, a black educator who has studied ethnic studies and critical race theory, still perpetuate tenets of White Supremacy Culture. It can result in white rage, broken relationships, grievances, and further harm to oppressed students. She used to have trouble at home and get into fights with her family, says ODriscoll. 8:15 a.m. - MWTh 3:00 p.m.; 8:15 a.m. - TuF 1:15 p.m. SFUSD's Student Family School Resource Linksupports students and families innavigating all of the SFUSD resources available to them. In 2007, James Dierke, then the principal of the Visitacion Valley Middle School in a troubled neighborhood in San Francisco, was determined to improve both the quality of education and. An easy way to remember our website is to memorize our bit.ly URL! We might also see students connecting their identities to their learning and applying it back to their communities to manifest social justice. . Students at Visitacion Valley School in South San Francisco observe 15 minutes of quiet time every morning. In their schools, the Quiet Time/Transcendental Meditation program is playing a key role in that breakthrough. SFUSD's Student Family School Resource Link supports students and families in navigating all of the SFUSD resources available to them. The Standing Up for Racial Justice coalition defines White Supremacy Culture as "the idea (ideology) that white people and the ideas, thoughts, beliefs, and actions of white people are superior to those of People of Color." levels of self-confidence and happiness. But he admits that it takes a big time commitment in resources and attention commitment to do this. The success of some schools efforts 2023 Editorial Projects in Education, Inc. What Is Critical Race Theory, and Why Is It Under Attack? Principal and Interest. As a leader, I hold three core values close to me: connection, growth, and appreciation. Since beginning Quiet Time, Dierke said things have improved: Daily attendance last year was more than 98 percent, and there have been fewer suspensions and higher test scores. Teachers and students are assigned to academic families that use a variety of innovative technology, cross-curricular writing programs, and project-based and standards-based instruction throughout the year. "Instead, the parents demonstrated their faith in Dierke's leadership by not withdrawing any children from the school.". These kids hear gunshots on their way to and from school. James Dierke, Principal of Visitacion Valley Middle School in San Francisco, like so many thousands of principals and teachers who are working in inner-city schools throughout the US, knows how frustrating it can be trying to provide an education in Americas low income, high stress localities. Very diverse community that is willing to go above and beyond to support students and their families. General education entry grade seats per application: https://sfusd.zoom.us/j/89260175755?pwd=R2VLdWJQOVdySElJa1c2UUhCTkw5QT09, Districtwide before and after school program information, Social-Emotional and Culture Climate Report, School Plan for Student Achievement (SPSA). Mad Sal's Dockside Inn in Ale House Alley, and Mission Blue. The 1,233 sq. Before the students learn to meditate, the Quiet Time programme requires all staff to be trained in TM. Week 25 newsletter in different languages. This content is provided by our sponsor. Reportar una ausencia. MLS# 423725010. Dear Visitacion Valley Middle School Community. Theres an explosion of mental health problems among young people and its going to be incredibly expensive to treat in the future. Then, Dierke struck a bell and said, Okay, its quiet time.. She is a frequent guest on KQED's "Newroom" television show and "Forum" radio show. It is invisible and it is toxic. Welcome to our new incoming 6th grade students! Racial-equity work is like trying to defuse a bomb and cutting the wrong wire. Dismantling WSC unites staff to work toward being anti-racist. Ft. 45 Arleta Ave, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94134. Also, we might hear phrases like, "That comment triggered me, it was a microaggression," "I think we can do better for our Latinx students," or "This is not consistent with our commitment to anti-racism." The letter is also available inChinese/andEspaol. Principal & interest $1,163. In the outside world, TM has been criticised for the price-tag it comes with; the programme at Visitacion Valley costs $280,000 (185,128) a year - paid for mainly through private donations to CWAE. Some 20 parents gathered outside of Visitacion Valley Elementary School on Thursday morning to protest what they said was a failure by the school principal to take action on pervasive bullying. Former principal of Visitacion Valley Middle School in San Francisco and a former Principal of the Year. It's important to note that these responses work to maintain current consciousness and white supremacy. "He has put his heart and soul into making sure his students feel safe and secure in their school building and has developed a school climate that nurtures academic excellence," Tirozzi said. We look forward to welcoming everyone back to school starting Wednesday, August 17, 2022. Less than a year after starting Quiet Time, which is in part funded by . Please refer to legal details concerning copyright and trademark protection. ft. home is a 2 bed, 1.0 bath property. Specifically, this pushed on us to think about and change how we work together: We worked to create norms that encourage people of color and women to contribute, we shifted the relationship between teachers and administration so that teachers had more input in budget and hiring decisions, and finally, we adjusted the pace of our professional-development plans to emphasize quality over quantity. This home last sold for $840,000 on Feb 2, 2021. We should be planning for the righteous rage of IBPOC (Indigenous Black People of Color), but 82 percent of our teaching force is white, so we will also plan for white fragility. 3. With after-school programs at both Visitacion Valley Middle School and El Dorado Elementary School, R.O.C.K. In addition, we might see curricula that affirms and engages students of color. One day children came in to find three dead bodies dumped in the schoolyard. Lastly, this work connected well with our concurrent work of racial affinity groups, social-justice teaching, and revising our school mission statement. The Visitacion Valley Middle School mission is to create, through transformative relationships, an inclusive and collaborative learning community that is relevant to the lives of ourstudents, families, and staff. For example, we looked at how our implicit bias when responding to student behavior leads to racially disproportionate discipline incidents and we organically identified restorative practices as a focus for the following year. 1971 Visitacion Avenue, San Francisco, CA, 94134, We look forward to welcoming everyone back to school starting. WSC dehumanizes people of color. We have seen attempts at creating buy-in fail for initiatives like ethnic studies, mastery-based grading, or project-based learning. On a recent morning at Visitacion Valley Middle School in South San Francisco, Principal James Dierke looked out over the schools auditorium at more than 100 eighth graders. Eighth grader Art Parkeenvincha moved to San Francisco from Canada in the middle of this year. 5/28/2021. In the first year of Quiet Time meditation, suspensions at Visitacion Valley were reduced by 45%. Anther example might be superficially speeding through content or discouraging interruptions for questions. As a leader, it is easy to hoard power, claim objectivity in decision making, or believe that there is only one way to fix education. Which Type of Exercise Is Best for the Brain? Visitacion Valley Middle Public 6-8 1971 Visitacion Ave. San Francisco, CA 94134-2700 (415) 469-4590 District: San Francisco Unified SchoolDigger Rank: 2320th of 2,740 California Middle Schools Per Pupil Expenditures: $6,103 Students who attend Visitacion Valley Middle usually attend: Feeder schools for Visitacion Valley Middle: Visitacion Valley Elementary School Unclaimed 55 Schwerin Street, San Francisco, CA 94134 Contact info Website 5 /10 GreatSchools Rating 3 reviews Public school 338 Students Grades K-5 Updates Compare 5 /10 GreatSchools Summary Rating 5/10 Test Scores average 6/10 Academic Progress average 4/10 Equity below average Last updated: Nov 18, 2022 Connection is first and foremost because this work is all about relationships - connecting with stakeholders, earning trust, and sharing in the decision making. This leads to resistance or failure to follow through, maintaining a status quo of disproportionate outcomes for students based on race. The school is working on improving parent involvement through our Parent Liaison. After School Program at Visitacion Valley Middle School As the elementary programs established themselves and became more successful, R.O.C.K. With respect to race, the foundational issue is White Supremacy Culture, and we must attack the problem head on. These are also known as bank-owned or real estate owned (REO). It is time that we detox and make the invisible visible. When you have it up, it keeps the rain off, and you can focus on trying to build a culture with kids. We get thrown a new thing every couple of years so I didnt put too much faith in it. But in April, just a month after meditation began, teachers noticed changes in behaviour. Discussing WSC gave us more impetus to make changes, because we now knew what was happening if we refused: microaggressions, dehumanization, widening the opportunity gap, and producing disproportionate outcomes. campaign: %%CAMP%% -- %%CAMP_UID%%, creative: %%ADID%% -- %%AD_UID%%, page: %%PAGE%%, targetedPage: %%TARGETEDPAGE%%, position: %%POS%%, evaluated in public middle school students performing below proficiency level, Under Stress, Students in New York Schools Find Calm in Meditation. Why shouldnt all our students have access Some bowed their heads. Teachers. Students, families, and school staff can email requests to sflink@sfusd.edu,call 415-340-1716(M-F, 9 a.m. to noon and 1 to 3 p.m., closed from 12 to 1 p.m. every day), or complete an online request form. Due to stereotype threat, this is especially problematic when students of color are a numerical minority in a classroom or school. This presentation was made as part of a National Education Summit on Quiet Time in the Classroom Linda Esposito - What One Urban School District Can Teach the Country About Stress Relief Huffington Post, It is invisible and it is toxic. Once Quiet Time started, she mellowed out and started getting along with people. Stacys academic performance has also improved shes in the top 5% of the class. We should be planning for the righteous rage of IBPOC (Indigenous Black People of Color), but 82 percent of our teaching force is white, so we will also plan for white fragility. This is because we are starting with the branches of the tree instead of the roots. A Bay Area native, Jill earned a master's degree in journalism at the University of Colorado, Boulder and a bachelor's degree from the UC Santa Barbara. This prompts staff to reflect and ultimately declare, "I want to be an anti-racist teacher, but I don't exactly know how." It can result in white rage, broken relationships, grievances, and further harm to oppressed students. We will share information about our school and answer your questions. To do this, we use diverse staff resources and improve student access to high quality programs during the school day and in after-school programs. One teacher, Mary Chirichella added, "Some teachers had the courage to approach others to have tough conversations about microaggressions. (Love, 2019) It is imperative that we examine these deeply held beliefsboth conscious and unconsciousto build on top of a new set of habits, behaviors, and systems. I saw this personally at VVMS, as situations got awkward, uncomfortable, and uncertain. I look forward to our partnership this upcoming school year and collaborating with all of you to support our brilliant students. This is true for our staff as well, contributing to racial fatigue and staff sustainability for IBPOC. White Supremacy Culture also tricks us into thinking that if we change to fit a white model, we can be more valued but still never be white. Students seemed happy, says ODriscoll. I thought it was just another fad. expanded to serve middle school children and grow with the kids it was already serving. A Clipper Card is not required for buses and trains, however it is needed to receive a free fare on cable cars. During the 2017-18 school year, I s erved as an assistant principal in Ryan Gloyer Middle School (Seneca Valley Middle School at the time) before being named principal of the building for the 2018-19 school year. It is imperative that we examine our actions to see if they are further harming students of color, disempowering them, and creating a psychologically hostile learning environment. Now we can get to the work of promoting anti-racism, liberation, and achievement at our school, by looking through the lens of White Supremacy Culture. But no one touched on the real problem stress.. There was a time when Visitacion Valley middle school in San Francisco could have featured in a gritty US crime drama. Anecdotally, favorable feedback poured in from both students and staff members. Discussing WSC gave us more impetus to make changes, because we now knew what was happening if we refused: microaggressions, dehumanization, widening the opportunity gap, and producing disproportionate outcomes. This coming year, we are looking at how to build more community in the classroom, how to unify our students across cultural differences, and how to reduce bias in our discipline systems. The second pitfall I will offer is avoiding the tendency to externalize the work of dismantling White Supremacy Culture. The first pitfall is failing to scaffold for white privilege and white fragility. We are continually navigating the phases of a 'call out to call in culture' with each other.". 2,414 Sq. Imagine that. In my dream, I imagine that Culturally Responsive Teaching, restorative practices, and deeper learning are all alive in classrooms across the United States. View more recently sold homes. and San Pablo, CA. An assistant principal suggested the idea for quiet time after she saw Hollywood director David Lynch speak about the program and the accompanying benefits of transcendental meditation. That kind of stuff makes it hard to focus on algebra, he said. Prompts for reading a White Supremacy Culture article (Courtesy of Joe Truss). He says the lives of students were infected by violence in the community, and several fights would break out every day. Phones will be closed on school holidays, including the fall, winter and spring breaks. Parks near 132 Britton St include Crocker Amazon Playground, Visitacion Valley Greenway, and Bayview Park. The school faces declining enrollment, test scores that don't meet federal standards, teacher turnover, truancy and a high neighborhood crime rate. They simultaneously tell us that we are not good enough and keep us to the bottom rungs of racial hierarchy if we do not assimilate. Our school commits to delivering high quality educational program that addresses individual needs. Yes, it is exhibited by leaders at all levels, including me. Monday - Thursday 3:15 p.m.; Program offered free of charge from end of school day until 6 p.m.; Saturday Field Trips and Summer Programs, Rosetta Stone (foreign language instruction), STEAM (science; technology; engineering; arts; mathematics). White Supremacy Culture. This might include wanting to win an argument, not making space for others to talk, and rushing through meetings. It is the water we are swimming in. Please use 651-683-6969 Ext. Now our previous work on Culturally Responsive Teaching, use of rubrics, and adding student voice had a theoretical underpinning. 1. One teacher, Mary Chirichella added, Some teachers had the courage to approach others to have tough conversations about microaggressions. To do it properly Visitacion Valley middle school made the day 30 minutes longer. These beliefs lead to actions that are dehumanizing to all races of people; however, they have a more drastic effect on indigenous, black, and people of color (IBPOC). Teacher Phil Yordy, left, works with freshman Derek Shallow, 15, right, during an after school mentoring program at Oregon High School in Oregon, Ill., in February. ODriscoll also says that leadership buy-in is essential for the programme to work as there needs to be support in terms of time and resourcing. Racial-equity work is like trying to defuse a bomb and cutting the wrong wire. Our courageous educators got personal, thinking about how White Supremacy Culture shows up in their personal lives and between colleagues. An all-party parliamentary group has also recommended the Department for Education designate three schools to pioneer mindfulness teaching, and set up a 1m fund to allow more schools to benefit from support in the practice. 9 . In recent years however, Principal Dierke and a growing number of other educators have found a way to break the predictive power of demographics. He blogs at culturallyresponsiveleadership.com and is a racial equity leadership coach. 1. The second pitfall I will offer is avoiding the tendency to externalize the work of dismantling White Supremacy Culture. Please read our welcome letter! Phones will be closed on school holidays, including the fall, winter and spring breaks. Located in a quite cul-de-sac setting with easy access to freeway, banking and various amenities. Consequently, this allows for us to align our purpose with our pedagogy, curricula, policies, decision making processes, and adult structures. Theres an App for That. Out of view, city dignitaries and his students waited inside Visitacion Valley Middle School to surprise him with the news: He was the National Middle School Principal of the Year. Besides dealing with problems outside school, Visitacion Valley faces challenges in school, too. Its also important to start small. Nearby schools include Cleveland Elementary School, Visitacion Valley Middle School and Jordan (June) School For Equity. And a 2015 review of the program, issued by the Center for Wellness and Achievement in Awesome school! "I think that it really means something - not only for me, but for my staff and for my kids - to have this recognition.". It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff. Speak with a TM teacher: 888-LEARN-TM (888-532-7686), Stanford research: TM is twice as effective, Reduced for adults, Find COVID-19 testing, vaccine, and daily health screening information. The work of exploring White Supremacy Culture gave our staff a new framework to define our North Star, being an anti-racist school. Historically, those predictions have been accurate. If I can be vulnerable and honest, white educators can and must do the same. This prompts staff to reflect and ultimately declare, I want to be an anti-racist teacher, but I dont exactly know how. This has the power to unite folks at the foundational level, setting the stage for deeper commitments to learning new strategies, practices, and routines. Principal Known nationally for its innovative programs, teachers and students use technology, cross-curricular writing programs, and project- and standards-based instruction throughout the year. Dr. Bettina Love writes in her book, We Want to Do More Than Survive, To even begin to attack our destructive and punitive educational system, pedagogies that promote social justice must help educators understand and recognize America and its schools as spaces of Whiteness, White rage, and White Supremacy, all of which function to terrorize students of color. (Love, 2019) It is imperative that we examine these deeply held beliefsboth conscious and unconsciousto build on top of a new set of habits, behaviors, and systems. The work to address racism in schools has been called cultural competency, diversity training, and equity. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider regarding any medical condition. fear. It is the water we are swimming in. Just meditate!. As a result, staff were curious to take action to be anti-racist and promote a learning community that did the same. Parks near 83 Ervine St include Visitacion Valley Greenway, Bayview Park, and Louis Sutter . White Supremacy Culture also tricks us into thinking that if we change to fit a white model, we can be more valued but still never be white. With respect to race, the foundational issue is White Supremacy Culture, and we must attack the problem head on. Some of the work I am most proud of as a teacher and leader is building relationships with all community members to create a supportive and positive environment, as well as creating systems and using data to make informed decisions regarding instructional practices that lead to increased achievement for students. In order to build this ideal structure, we must start at the base and engineer for equity. $1,862. When the bells sound twice a day at Visitacion Valley Middle School in San Francisco, students who used to be too rowdy to even sit still close their eyes and spend 15 minutes clearing their minds. Bursts of laughter and errant shouts punctuated the buzz. The second controlled study, authored by WestEd, an independent evaluator, found that after seven months of the Quiet Time Program, ninth grade One of San Francisco's toughest schools transformed by the power of meditation A pioneering programme has reduced stress and improved grades at Visitacion Valley middle school - with lessons other schools can learn from. Quantum Physicist (16:40), By Mario Orsatti on 02/15/2012 Blog Home. Joe Truss is a native of San Francisco, previous High School Spanish Teacher, and now a 5th year Principal at Visitacion Valley Middle School (@vvmsfalcons). As a result of these high-stress conditions, thousands of schools have predictable problems: low attendance, high violence, and low performance. increased attendance and increased academic performance. Please refer to legal details concerning copyright and trademark protection. For instance, we might see folks making eye contact, leaning into conversations about racial identity, and asking probing questions. As for getting the children to start meditating, ODriscoll says the biggest hurdle was getting them to feel comfortable with their eyes closed. At Visitacion Valley Middle School (VVMS), in the San Francisco Unified school district, our brave staff spent a majority of the 2018-19 school year unpacking White Supremacy Culture (WSC). 2023 San Francisco Unified School District, Week 25 newsletter in different languages, Week 24 newsletter in different languages, Week 21 newsletter in different languages. 1. Call Us. I imagine we might even see white folks redirecting their white colleagues and carrying their weight of racial conversations. Our attendance is trending up significantly We used to have one of the highest suspension rates, now we have one of the lowest among all middle schools. James Dierke, principal of Visitacion Valley Middle School in San Francisco, California, has been named the 2008 MetLife / National Association of Secondary School Principals National Middle Level Principal of the Year. Balboa High School. White Supremacy Culture. San Francisco Superintendent Carlos Garcia told Dierke's students Friday that their principal was chosen from among the thousands of middle school principals across the country. One other middle school and two high schools in the Bay Area adopted the program. At times, it appeared that we werent clearly aligned philosophically and did not have a focused call to action. This includes emotions of fear, anger, and guilt, as well as actions of argumentation, silence, and withdrawal. Middle Schools Elementary Schools Fares The Free Muni for Youth Program provides San Francisco youth ages 5-18 with free Muni service, regardless of household income level. The highlights are available in English, Spanish, Chinese, Arabic, Filipino, and Vietnamese. Once the students got over that, they were open to trying to meditate. This pushed some folks to identify who they could be safe with, be it for comfort or growth. Mortgage insurance $0. At that point the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) stepped in, calling Visitacion Valley "a neglected urban backwater of 18,000 with rampant crime, awful schools, and a deplorable housing project called Geneva Towers." (Gee, thanks, for the recognition, HUD.) Later that year, a gunman brazenly stormed into the school, threatened to kill a teacher and robbed two employees. (DiAngelo, 2018). This is a 4-bed, 3-bath, 1,597 sqft property. WSC shuts down learning. students, and couples, Contact a certified TM teacher Over the next three years, Visitacion Valleys suspensions dropped by 79 percent, attendance rose to 98 percent, Consequently, this allows for us to align our purpose with our pedagogy, curricula, policies, decisionmaking processes, and adult structures. 1971 Visitacion Avenue, San Francisco, CA 94134. Specifically, this pushed on us to think about and change how we work together: We worked to create norms that encourage people of color and women to contribute, we shifted the relationship between teachers and administration so that teachers had more input in budget and hiring decisions, and finally, we adjusted the pace of our professional-development plans to emphasize quality over quantity. Closing the so-called achievement gap between poor inner-city children and their more affluent suburban counterparts is among the biggest challenges for education reformers. This organizational structure reflects a "school-within-a-school" concept and is designed to help students make a successful transition from the self-contained elementary classroom to the fully departmentalized, comprehensive high school setting. In between, she spent two years as a Peace Corps volunteer teaching English in Cape Verde, West Africa. When the school year starts, students may use Student Portal Student Portal (StudentVUE)and families may use Family Portal (ParentVUE)to keep track of a student's attendance, assignments, and grades, and contact teachers. Grades: 6-8. Ale House Alley, Mission Blue, and Lucky's Bakery & Cafe. Many have little or no parental oversight. 3. Don't be confused. We might get verbal disagreements, but the kids are able to talk through it and move on instead of punching each other, says ODriscoll, adding that the last fist fight at the school was three years ago. Visitors are always amazed, Dierke said afterwards, but it works. For example, pushing students to work independently or write before processing verbally can lead to stress and isolation. The once-boisterous hall became silent and remained so for the next 15 minutes.
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