Visitacion Valley Middle School in San Francisco Unified school district (Courtesy of Joe Truss). Former principal of Visitacion Valley Middle School in San Francisco and a former Principal of the Year. The middle school years are critical times of development for students and families, and I look forward to working with all of you to ensure our school helps students feel a sense of belonging and joy, as well as prepares them for high school, college, and beyond. We have seen attempts at creating buy-in fail for initiatives like ethnic studies, mastery-based grading, or project-based learning. Also, our school is rich in ethnicity and culture. Now our previous work on Culturally Responsive Teaching, use of rubrics, and adding student voice had a theoretical underpinning. This prompts staff to reflect and ultimately declare, "I want to be an anti-racist teacher, but I don't exactly know how." stress and its manifestations for example, anxiety, high blood pressure and cardiovascular disease. I saw this personally at VVMS, as situations got awkward, uncomfortable, and uncertain. I saw this personally at VVMS, as situations got awkward, uncomfortable, and uncertain. 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. Based on Rocket Mortgage data in comparison to public data records. And a 2015 review of the program, issued by the Center for Wellness and Achievement in 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. I imagine we might even see white folks redirecting their white colleagues and carrying their weight of racial conversations. By Joe Truss, the principal of Visitacion Valley Middle School in San Francisco and a leadership coach. 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. Reportar una ausencia. Some conversations fell flat, and others were superficial. near you and learn more, A summary of studies fromHarvard, Stanford, and more, AHA: TM is the only meditationfound to lower blood pressure, Different forms of meditationproduce very different results, Bob Roth, Director This article was amended on Wednesday 25 November to clarify that Visitacion Valley middle school funds Quiet Time mostly through private donations to CWAE. [2] Under the management of the San Francisco Board of Education, the district serves more than 55,500 students in more than 160 institutions. The California School Directory and related public school and district data files (collectively referred to as the "Directory"), contain information about California schools, districts, and school/district administrators that is voluntarily self-reported by local education agencies (LEAs) to the California Department of Education (CDE) as a Students at Visitacion Valley School in South San Francisco observe 15 minutes of quiet time every morning. Likewise, test scores have increased in recent years but still remain low compared to other SFUSD middle schools. 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. White Supremacy Culture is the silent killer flowing throughout classrooms and school hallways, like carbon monoxide gas. Week 25 newsletter in different languages. This can create power struggles, a learning opportunity gap, and as the scholar Monique Morris writes, students being pushed out of schools. But no one touched on the real problem stress.. Rice says they use TM because it takes those who do it to a deep level of relaxation, and its easy for children to learn. This change comes at the cost of detaching ourselves from ourselves, which also is dehumanizing. Very diverse community that is willing to go above and beyond to support students and their families. It would be nave to think that meditation alone could erase the effects of the many factors, like poverty, that are barriers to educational achievement. It can result in white rage, broken relationships, grievances, and further harm to oppressed students. 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. 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. 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. But this messy middle is precisely when we need to stay curious, be vulnerable, and innovative. Racial-equity work is like trying to defuse a bomb and cutting the wrong wire. His school, along with other urban middle schools in low income neighborhoods, is in the midst of a battlea battle against the predictive power of demographics. increased attendance and increased academic performance. 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. Visitacion Valley Middle SchoolHIGHLIGHTS 415-469-4590 Vis Valley MS 26.8 0.4 9.3 16.2 16.2 1.6 29.5 AA AI C F J K L ONW OW DS Percent of Enrollment Mr. James S. Dierke, Principal VVMS's Parent Representative/Liaison maintains an office within the main office. I like to think of myself as a recovering perpetrator of WSC. Down Payment . Eighth grader Stacy* has been meditating since she joined the school three years ago. We needed to go deeper than our previous conversations about diversity, equity, and inclusion. Yet that's where real leadership comes in, the organization noted. 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. A restless din filled the large room. He blogs at culturallyresponsiveleadership.com and is a racial equity leadership coach. This is because we are starting with the branches of the tree instead of the roots. 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. Yes, this is built into our systems of power, structures, policies, and rules. This post originally appeared in KQED's MindShiftblog. Yes, it is exhibited by leaders at all levels, including me. Visitacion Valley Middle School provides quality education that prepares students for a fulfilling life in a global society. Now that the shock of reading these words has worn off, let's explore what it is and why we need to dedicate more time to exploring its dehumanizing effect in our schools. Service Learning It serves 358 studentsin 6 - 8 with a student/teacher ratio of 14.3:1.Its teachers have had 79 projects funded on DonorsChoose. We focus on equitable teaching practices and encourage student participation. However, when we name oppression, racism, and more explicitly White Supremacy Culture, folks have to determine where they stand, what they value, and why they work in education. It can result in white rage, broken relationships, grievances, and further harm to oppressed students. 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. 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. 609-611 Naples Street is a 2-bed, 2-bath, 1,850 sqft multi-family home built in 1947. One teacher, Mary Chirichella added, Some teachers had the courage to approach others to have tough conversations about microaggressions. But this messy middle is precisely when we need to stay curious, be vulnerable, and innovative. . If I can be vulnerable and honest, white educators can and must do the same. This home last sold for $840,000 on Feb 2, 2021. Property taxes $170 Home insurance $105 . We must name, define, and plan for white fragility, the defensive response by whites when discussing racism. 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.) The award, given by the National Association of Secondary School Principals, includes a $5,000 award for the school. The program, which had initial funding from the This includes emotions of fear, anger, and guilt, as well as actions of argumentation, silence, and withdrawal. 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. I can be really hyperactive, he said. The Transcendental Meditation technique is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical diagnosis or treatment. One does not have to be a white supremacist to hold these beliefs, because we have all been conditioned through exposure to media, parenting, schooling, and our interactions with power structures. In my dream, I imagine that Culturally Responsive Teaching, restorative practices, and deeper learning are all alive in classrooms across the United States. Places. White Supremacy Culture. However, when we name oppression, racism, and more explicitly White Supremacy Culture, folks have to determine where they stand, what they value, and why they work in education. The success of some schools efforts 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. 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. And although this program has focused on schools in low-income areas, adolescents from middle-class and affluent families could benefit from stress reduction as well. As Boys Get Fatter, Parents Worry One Body Part Is Too Small. 5/28/2021. Her work has generated changes to state law and spurred political and community action to address local needs. Imagine that. Eighth grader Art Parkeenvincha moved to San Francisco from Canada in the middle of this year. 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. Dont be confused. Not a Single State Meets the Bar, How One School's Mentorship Program Paid Off Big in Academic Gains, Revisiting Educator Collaboration: We Should Think Differently About How We Form Teams, Best Practices for Implementing DE&I PD for Teachers. In 2006 there were 38 killings in our neighbourhood, says Barry ODriscoll, the schools head of physical education (PE). They are not guaranteed to be accurate, up to date . For the majority of urban students, drugs, gangs and violence are part of everyday life. 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. Sometimes the whole school meets to meditate in assemblies. 1. They thought their classmates would be making fun of them, staring at them, maybe possibly even hitting them, he says. Visitacion Valley Middle School. She is a frequent guest on KQED's "Newroom" television show and "Forum" radio show. levels of self-confidence and happiness. 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. By 2009-10, attendance rates were over 98% (some of the highest in the city), and today 20% of graduates are admitted to the highly academic Lowell high school before it was rare for even one student to be accepted. Nearby schools include Cleveland Elementary School, Visitacion Valley Middle School and Jordan (June) School For Equity. suggests that meditation might significantly improve childrens school performance and help close that gap. At VVMS, we were able to get past defensiveness and excuses and get to the heart of the matter. Of even greater interest, the increase in G.P.A. Visitacion Valley Middle School prides itself in its active role in the community by welcoming parents, families, and community partners to participate on all levels of creating a culturally responsive 21st Century Middle School. Your health questions answered by Times journalists andexperts. 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Phones will be closed on school holidays, including the fall, winter and spring breaks. I was very reluctant when it first started, he said. The Visitacion Valley Middle school vision is that our students will strength their passion for learning, develop the skills to become empowered community members, and gain the knowledge to be ready for high school with a clear path to college, career, and future success. School attendance zone boundaries are provided by a third party and are subject to change. . Students then repeat a personal mantra (a word from Sanskrit, the ancient Indian language) in their heads until they reach a deep feeling of relaxation. David Lynch Foundation (20:44), John Hagelin, PhD It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff. 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." As a result, staff were curious to take action to be anti-racist and promote a learning community that did the same. 420 Harkness Ave, San Francisco, CA 94134 | MLS #422713413 | Zillow By Owner New Construction These properties are currently listed for sale. All rights reserved. This has included making decisions about curriculum, school partnership, and hiring, without authentically involving teachers or students in the process. Even in failure, there is growth, if you are using a critical lens to understand and improve. When the staff at Visitacion Valley Middle School explored White Supremacy Culture, it gave them a new framework to define their North Star: being an anti-racist school. 7 /10. $1,150,000 Last Sold Price. I get to school at 7 a.m. for softball practice. Mortgage insurance $0. (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. It has 358 students in grades 6-8 with a student-teacher ratio of 13 to 1. 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. We will share information about our school and answer your questions. Anther example might be superficially speeding through content or discouraging interruptions for questions. WSC dehumanizes people of color. 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. Find COVID-19 testing, vaccine, and daily health screening information. The teacher has also seen dramatic transformations in his students. Consequently, this allows for us to align our purpose with our pedagogy, curricula, policies, decision making processes, and adult structures. Students straightened their backs and closed their eyes. and San Pablo, CA. Students. That was crazy, Angelica, the student body president, said. Mad Sal's Dockside Inn in Ale House Alley, and Mission Blue. He partnered with the Center for Wellness and Achievement in Education to develop a Quiet Time Program for his school. For over 10 years, Visitacion Valley Middle School has been utilizing Transcendental Meditation to help students address stress and improve focus. 3. Further, we must look at how it has affected us and how we have perpetuated White Supremacy Culture. The work to address racism in schools has been called cultural competency, diversity training, and equity. White Supremacy Culture. For years, educators' requests for more. As for getting the children to start meditating, ODriscoll says the biggest hurdle was getting them to feel comfortable with their eyes closed. Visitacion Valley Middle (San Francisco) is a 06 to 08 grade school in San Francisco, and has made tremendous strides in improving the acceptance rate and education its students receive. . 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. We are committed to Love, Literacy, and Liberation. It is invisible and it is toxic. Ale House Alley, Mission Blue, and Lucky's Bakery & Cafe. Here are two pitfalls to avoid. So the privately funded non-profit Center for Wellness and Achievement in Education (CWAE) was set up. June 4, 2021 Dear Visitacion Valley Middle School Community, I am deeply honored and excited to have the opportunity to serve as Principal of Visitacion Valley Middle School. 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. that teachers and students enjoy and which preliminary data suggest is effective. 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). David Lynch Foundation, involved introducing two 15-minute periods of quiet into the school day. SFUSD's Student Family School Resource Link supports students and families in navigating all of the SFUSD resources available to them. Please call and make an appointment with the principal, assistant principal, dean or school secretary. Showing appreciation for things big and small, matters. 1971 Visitacion Avenue, San Francisco, CA 94134. 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. Don't be confused. Its provided a lot of stability to our school, helping staff and kids get through the stress they have in their lives., The impressive results have led to more schools in the city introducing the programme. It is time that we detox and make the invisible visible. Ka warbixi maqnaanshaha. WSC dehumanizes people of color. Others rested them on the backs of their chairs. Visitacion Valley Middle School Published annually by SFUSD to provide access to key data points and three-year trends related to student achievement and school culture-climate. This work has gotten co-opted and watered down, leading to many people talking the talk, without much walk. The Rent Zestimate for this home is $3,399/mo, which has increased by $239/mo in the last 30 days. White Supremacy Culture is the silent killer flowing throughout classrooms and school hallways, like carbon monoxide gas. At first glance, it might not appear the principal of the year would come out of Visitacion Valley. Visitacion Valley Middle School, Public District Grades 6-8; Revere (Paul) Elementary School, Public District Grades KG-8; . Speak with a TM teacher: 888-LEARN-TM (888-532-7686), Stanford research: TM is twice as effective, Reduced for adults, Students seemed happy, says ODriscoll. All school events, including athletic events, will be posted in this calendar. In recent years however, Principal Dierke and a growing number of other educators have found a way to break the predictive power of demographics. 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 Thats amazing for an urban middle school, he said. 1. Surrounded by drugs and gang violence, the kids were stressed out and agitated. Photos, courtesy of Joe Truss, from the top: The opinions expressed in Next Gen Learning in Action are strictly those of the author(s) and do not reflect the opinions or endorsement of Editorial Projects in Education, or any of its publications. The announcement was made today during a surprise ceremony at Visitacion Valley. Other schools have taken a few minutes off lunch and tutorials. 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). We must name, define, and plan for white fragility, the defensive response by whites when discussing racism. In addition, we might see curricula that affirms and engages students of color and assessment practices that dismantle racial bias in standardized testing. Some conversations fell flat, and others were superficial. This took the form of discussions, watching short video clips, annotating readings, and doing some deep personal introspection. 2023 San Francisco Unified School District, Week 25 newsletter in different languages, Week 24 newsletter in different languages, Week 21 newsletter in different languages. Prompts for reading a White Supremacy Culture article (Courtesy of Joe Truss). But adopting the programme isnt without its challenges. Just meditate!. And our teacher turnover and absenteeism is almost zero.. Visitacion Valley still struggles with significant challenges. Visitacion Valley Middle School basks in principal-of-year award, campusviolence03_005_cs.jpg 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. Those selecting Dierke for the honor noted how a gunman entered the school, threatening teachers and students in 2004. One seventh grader at Visitacion Valley said, I used to be really fidgety, couldnt stay in my seat for very long. Besides dealing with problems outside school, Visitacion Valley faces challenges in school, too. In order to build this ideal structure, we must start at the base and engineer for equity. Specifically, we must look at how it shows up in our own lives, in our personal relationships, in between school staff, and in our histories. 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. Price: $759,000. $5,220. When they started everyone said it would be impossible to get 12-year-olds to sit for even a minute, but through transcendental meditation (TM) they proved critics wrong. I am deeply honored and excited to have the opportunity to serve as Principal of Visitacion Valley Middle School. Imagine that. This has included making decisions about curriculum, school partnership, and hiring, without authentically involving teachers or students in the process. Public, 6-8 Serves this home. Young people are incredibly stressed, says Michael Matania who teaches mindfulness meditation to young people in London through a programme called Mindkit. For a more complete list, see the 15 WSC characteristics from Tema Okun and Kenneth Jones in the 2001 Dismantling Racism Workbook. Find COVID-19 testing, vaccine, and daily health screening information. Our GPA has trended up significantly since the start of Quiet Time., All of this indicates that we are winning the battle against the predictor power of demographics. Students at Visitacion Valley School in San Francisco meditate, as part of a program in which students meditate for fifteen minutes twice a day. To do it properly Visitacion Valley middle school made the day 30 minutes longer. expanded to serve middle school children and grow with the kids it was already serving. Awesome school! 3D & VIDEO TOUR. Specifically, we must look at how it shows up in our own lives, in our personal relationships, in between school staff, and in our histories. Maybe having half an hour just to focus on themselves so they get awareness and grounding, might have some impact., And it could help reduce costs later. Staff watch a clip about white fragility during a staff meeting (Courtesy of Joe Truss). It feels good to have that reputation.. 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.