What does a student have to do in a typical day? All Manheim Central District Adminstrators have spent time finding out the answer to this question. "Shadow a Student" Day was intorduced in school year 2016-2017 and repeated again in 2017-2018. All District Administrators from the Central Office, Business Office, Maintainance Department, Technology Department, Human Resources Department, and Building Principals participated with empathy and an open mind to grasp what it is truly like to be a Manheim Central Student for a day.
Why did admistrators particpate in this day? As part of the district mission "To Prepare Responsible Citzens for Lifelong Learning," the admistrators were each asked to think about how we are prpeaing students for life beyond the classroom. The main goal of the day was to have admisitrators fully immerse themselves in student life to better understand the students we serve on a daily basis.
Admistrators were asked to keep a variety of questions in mind while they participated in the "Shadowing" Experience, including:
- How does it feel to be a student for a day?
- What is your student's favorite moment of the day and what seems to make it special?
- What do you notice makes your student feel uncomfortable, anxious, or bored? Why
- When is your student engaged in learning?
- When/where/how does your student's learning feel connected to the real world? And when does it not?
- Are learning opportunities the same for all students?
- When is your student provided ownership, voice, and choice in his/her learning?
- As you go through your day, what opportunities do you notice for the use of critical thinking, problem-solving, creativity, collaboration, and effective communication?
Following these events, admistrators reflected on their insights from the day and compared the students' experiences with the learning and skills necessary to "Prepare Responsible Citizens for Lifelong Learning."
