Dr. Pappas
Recent Interview with Dr. Gloria Pappas on the success of the ENVoY program
Q. What results are you seeing as a result of your teachers use of ENVoY?
A. A lot more non-verbals, a lot more visual clues so that students can just look up to see the next thing they like to do. There is a calmness about students that I hadn’t seen for a while. There is more dialogue among staff to better serve our students. My classified staff is trained, so I see better results on the playground, in the cafeteria. There are also several instructional (para professionals) who are trained. Referrals are different out here; I deal with threats and major bullying. We are having a little less referrals: they already were good. This fine-tunes the teachers’ skills. And now they know what they are doing and can pass the skills on to new teachers.
Q. What is your teacher turnover like?
A. I do have turnover. Our school has the second highest poverty level in the district, and we serve apartment buildings. Turnover has changed because the economy has changed.
Q. You have a high percentage of free and reduced lunch?
A. Yes. 49.2% percent.
Q. Where did you get money for bringing Michael Grinder in to work with your staff?
A. We [the district] got 38 million from the Gates Foundation to improve student achievement over 5 years. Each building was allotted dollars according to their population. So they designed a plan and that plan included bringing Michael in.
Q. Have you seen a change in student achievement since Michael starting working with your teachers?
A. I project that student achievement will go up as a result of the teachers having more time to teach, less time spent on verbal. ENVoY creates more independent learners through use of visuals in the classroom. We will know more about student achievement scores at the end of this quarter in June. Another marker will be in August when state tests come back, and another marker in Fall when school resumes.
Q. May we have those results when they come in?
A. Yes.
Q. I understand you invited Michael to sit in on a faculty meeting last week and provide a running commentary on how you were running the faculty meeting!
A. Yes. I very seldom get feedback on how I perform, but I would prefer honest feedback. I want to know what am I doing and what could I do to be more engaging with my staff. I told staff why I was doing it [inviting Michael to give feedback]. I said, "I believe in modeling what I expect of you, so I will do what I normally do at a staff meeting and Michael will do a commentary on what I am doing." I would stop and ask Michael to give feedback in front of room and he would give feedback on what I did, and what I could have done that would have kept the energy up higher. I think if I expect it of someone else, I need to be able to model it myself. How do we learn if…[we don't do that]? In terms of curriculum, I ask teachers to focus in on what will create results when we take the state tests. Month by month, area by area, everything has to relate to whether or not they will do better on the state test. School should be one of the happiest places a child remembers. It should be fun, safe, and a place where they are expected to be responsible. If we don’t build good memories of school with our kids, they won’t want to go to school. I would want a child—I’m not as concerned with how well they do academically, but they have to feel secure and respected in the building.
Q. What is the makeup of your student body?
A. Our school is K-5, with very diverse populations. About 18 different languages are spoken here. Nonverbals help with the diversity, definitely, especially with ESL students. Nonverbal communication with the visual that goes with it—it’s incredible.
Q. It would be interesting to see research…
A. Yes, research could include things like Number of referrals Change in teachers’ attitude toward learners How ENVoY works with classified staff. This group gets very little training on how to manage students and developed relationships. Also, could develop research that would demonstrate more time spent on intentional teaching versus managing the class.
Q. You have observed an increase in time spent on actual teaching?
A. A difference in the quality of teaching that is possible? Yes. Dialogue goes up to a different level when you put aside the behavioral things because they are no longer a problem. Students begin to think with their hearts because there is a settlement, a calmness; the whole issue of intimidation is gone. Students give a more thoughtful rather than flippant response to questions. How a teacher asks a question, tone of voice, where the teacher sits or stands when asking the question, being involved with the kids. If I feel that someone in the class is going to put me down, the likelihood of ever wanting to respond is nil because of fear of being wrong, fear of being put down. I listen to the teachers dialogue about their instructional practices; there are so willing to share what they have learned. They have been so hyped up about what they did with Michael. I wish we had more of that going on with the teachers.
Q. Do you have peer coaching?
A. If so, how do they get time to do it? Over half of the faculty coaches one another. How do I get the released time? I plan for it. I pay subs to come in and cover class while they coach each other. The next step is to give them a half-day as a grade level to work together. Subs take their classes for a whole half-day to give teachers an opportunity to talk with each other and discuss plans. Right now they are restructuring the whole program.
Q. How often do teachers coach one another?
A. They coach 2 times a month— all day. So when I expect change, I build in opportunity for change. You can’t tell people they need to change and not build in opportunity. Subs get $110 a day in this district. After the 5 years of this grant are completed, I hope we have built in enough capacity that the younger ones who got the Envoy training will carry on the mission. In 5 years, you kind of have to recycle the whole training though to reach the new teachers.
Q. What changes do you anticipate in the future?
A. The delivery system of education has got to change- the typical lecture, workbook, worksheets, and curriculum, as it exists. The sit and get mentality. Instead, it will be more service oriented, having them up and moving and out and about.
Q. Thank you very much, Dr. Pappas. May I quote you? And may I ask what your doctorate is in?
A. Yes, you may quote me. I have a Ph.D. in Change for the 21st Century.
Dr. Gloria Pappas
Crestline Elementary School
Vancouver, WA 98683
gcpappas@attbi.com
