"School Is A Feeling"


 Mr. Carter originally came from Mamaroneck, N.Y.  He received his Bachelor’s Degree from the State Teacher’s College in Fayetteville, North Carolina and then went to Powellsville, North Carolina where he became a teacher and then a teaching principal.  After leaving this very rural area, Mr. Carter went to Warwick Training School in Warwick, N.Y.  While there he received his Master’s Degree plus 40 graduate hours from New York University.  Then Mr. Carter came to the Middletown School System where he has been a Physical Education teacher, a Classroom teacher, Assistant Principal, and Principal.  While here he has become originator and director of the Middletown Youth Clubs and of “School Is A Feeling” which has been presented in many parts of the nation.

Mr. Carter originated “School Is A Feeling at Mechanicstown School because he believes that:

  1. Children learn best when they feel valued as individuals.

  2. A positive self-concept is essential not only for valuing others but for attending to cognitive growth.

  3. Since people tend to remember best the pleasant experiences in their lives and to block out the unpleasant, learning that is enjoyable will be retained longer.

  4. Repetition can aid retention and transfer; games can provide such repetition in a joyful way.

  5. Self-evaluation can give immediate feedback that enhances learning

HE ASKS THESE QUESTIONS OF EVERYONE:

  • How do attitudes and feelings turn kids on to learning?

  • How can community involvement affect a child’s school experience?

  • Can all children feel good about themselves?

  • Must there be an invisible shield between teachers and students?

  • Can schools meet the cognitive and affective needs of each child?

  • Must school be a dull, uninviting place for children?

  • Are many children doomed to incompetence?

  • Can children develop a sound set of values without having them imposed?

  • Is the principal just a disciplinarian?

  • Can we serve the needs of all children without killing teachers with overwork?

Learning can be fun!

If teachers work in a positive and supportive environment, all children can learn.

 

PROGRAMS THAT PROMOTE FEELINGS

MORNING PROGRAM - All of the students meet with the principal each morning.  During this time the philosophy and rules of the school are renewed and evaluated through what appears to be social activities.  This program was designed to establish individual ego and a sense of group unity for students, staff, parents and all participants.  Our hypothesis is that the academic process is enhanced by an atmosphere of self-worth, achieved through many modalities.  When participants leave the Morning Program, they start their day feeling good about themselves and about each other.

This hypothesis has been adopted by many other school districts.  However, its organization and implementation varies with differing school facilities and the desires and talents of school personnel. 

PRE-SCHOOL PROGRAM - Pre-school children, ages 2-4, come with their parents or sitters for 90 minutes once a week.  Many activities in which the pre-school child participants are directed toward his total individual development.  The value of meaningful motor skill activity has been increasingly shown to influence learning ability and academic performance of the child.  By including visual, auditory, and kinesthetic experience in motor development activities for the pre-school child, we can offer another tool to parents and teachers to reinforce the basic concepts of learning.

READING AND MATH PROGRAMS – individual diagnosis is one of the most important elements in the success of any program.  After diagnosis of learning style, each child is placed on his instructional level in a program designed to best fit his needs and remediate his deficiencies.  Ongoing evaluation of subskill strengths and weaknesses is done through the use of criterion referenced tests.  The principal is directly involved with the teachers in the analysis of deficiencies and the formulation of individuals prescriptions for immediate remediation.  He allows the flexibility for small group remediation.  He allows the flexibility for small group reorganization.  Our atmosphere of self-worth is again achieved by eliminating the frustration of failure by emphasis on positive accomplishments.

LUNCH HOUR PROGRAM – The lunch time or recess program really consists of three parts – outdoor activities on the playground such as 75 hula hoops, records for a variety of dances, and ice skating and paddle tennis; rainy day activities together in the gymnasium such as the parachute, films and slides by our movie-making club, and story play; and alternatives which a student may choose such as ping-pong, knitting, crocheting, chess and checkers.

FRIDAY CLUB PROGRAM – The idea is simple – each teacher chooses what they will teach and each student chooses what they will learn.  Every staff member offers a club to be taught during one afternoon every week.  Each student chooses from the list of offerings and goes to an assigned club for 12 weeks; so by the end of the year everyone has attended three or four different clubs.

The Friday Club Program provides hands-on learning and activities that students look forward to.  It gives freedom of choice to pupils and teachers.  It gives pupils of different levels a chance to mix with each other in small groups.  It gives teachers a chance to share personal interests and talents as diverse as rug hooking, book clubs, arts and crafts, spanish, nature study, ceramics, media and all kinds of sports.

The Friday Club Program is a small part of the total school program taking up only 4 percent of the week’s class time.  The program, however, has played a significant role in humanizing the school and in providing options for students without undermining the basics in anyway.  It helps us fulfill the roles of opening students’ horizons, providing a caring environment and teaching life skills in an atmosphere in which students are willing to learn.

AFTER SCHOOL PROGRAM - Right after school, children might be involved in Book Clubs, Scouting programs, 4—H or Library Club. Also, children can use school facilities and personnel to do class assignments. In addition, there are many intramural programs for students, in­cluding wrestling, softball, basketball, soccer, gym­nastics and cheerleading. These activities are for both boys and girls. We also participate in inter— school basketball and softball games. Our staff plays volleyball one day a week after school.

YOUTH CLUBS - These involved over 3,000 kids of all ages from all over Middletown and the surrounding areas. There were about 90 Clubs, run by over 200 volunteers in the after—school and evening hours. A few of the clubs were babysitting, radio, debating, swimming, photography, bowling, roller skating, drama, etc.

PARENT INVOLVEMENT —The Parent Teacher Organization is an integral part of our program. The parents are ever willing to give of their time whenever they are called upon to do so. They provide $3,000 for educational trips to such places as the Museum of Natural History, Lincoln Center, NBC Studios, Bronx Zoo, and the United Nations. They provide a running fund of $50 available for the Friday Club Program. They sponsor many successful fund—raising activities, and provide for many extra activities for the children at school. Many volunteer services to children and staff alike are given daily by this dedicated group of parents.

COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT—Business concerns in the com­munity are involved in our program. They have provided sound for our filmstrip (WALL), sponsored Winter Field Days, (Green’s Dept. Store), made equipment for children with learning disabilities (Kiwanis), given us use of an indoor pool (Holiday Inn)’, sponsored 30 boys and girls at ”Y” Camp (several individual businessmen), etc. All of this helps the children function more product­ively in the school and in the community.

SENIOR CITIZENS—The senior citizens are actively in­volved in all phases of our school program. During the school day, they run our lunch-time Garden Club instruct­ing our intermediate level children in environmental awareness by planting shrubs, taking nature walks and reinforcing the importance of ecology. Their knowledge and experience is brought to the classroom through talks concerning local history and career education. When the senior citizens have lunch at our school, the feeling of mutual cooperation is further instilled.

SCHOOL IS A FEELING—The humanistic approach is a way of living with students  it is not turned on and off, but carried through the school day and out into the community.

School Is A Feeling is created by and through the com­mitment of many, many people. They are committed to the idea that each person has an obligation to others and in return receives from others. A smile, a hand­shake, a kind word, brings to the forefront positive feelings. People learn to appreciate each others’ talents and needs. Every employee and volunteer, such as custodians, secretaries, clerks, paid professionals, monitors, cafeteria workers, librarian, nurse, student teachers, parents, business men and women, teachers, and administrators join together with the students in creating an extended family