Back from Blythe

Today we visited Palo Verde High School, which has 950 students. There was an even mix of African American, Hispanic and white kids. Many of the teachers we met had been there for years and years. I think the draw is the sense of community, that you are not annonymous and the sense of belonging. Football games are whole town events. The middle school principal who accompanied us knew dozens of the students. But it did not feel like a closed community; on the contrary, the students and teachers were very open and welcoming.

What was most striking was the level of teaching and learning going on in the classrooms. The teachers engaged the students in higher levels of questioning and the students were actively participating. We did observe the most rigorous classes, which tends to have the most motivated kids. There was a general level of respect and acceptance that permeated each classroom. Students respected eachother and their teachers. The teachers showed their respect by discussing the topics, not lecturing to the students.

Classrooms were painstakenly and creatively decorated with slogans, props, newspaper clippings, displays of top-mark papers, art and college banners. These classrooms inspired learning and brought the subjects to life.

Most of the students' parents have not even graduated from high school, yet these kids all had college plans, thanks to AVID. They were doing everything they need to do to get to college: taking rigorous classes, preparing for the SATs, learing about the FAFSA, investigating scholarships. The AVID teacher has done a remarkable job turning the school into a college-going culture.

The end of the day was the climax. The AVID teacher had invited the superintendent, the students, parents, board members and community members to the cafeteria (auditorium) to listen to the presentation that one of our team gave. When our team leader announced that the school was awarded AVID National Demonstration School status, we unfurled a big banner that I had brought with me and the whole room bursted into excited applause and loud cheers. It was a wonderful moment of pride for the school and community.

After that Colleen and I quickly left to drive the two hours back to Phoenix to catch our plane. We checked in 20 minutes before the plane was scheduled to leave. Luckily the security line was short, so we made it, barely.

It was a fun trip, but I am glad to be home.