Implementing the Program in a Regular School Setting

Page Contents

• Implementing in Grades 3 - 5
• Implementing in Jr. High
• Implementing in High School
• Where to Get the Teaching Power
• Classroom Teachers
• Additional Comments
• What Can we do Right Away?
• Keep Me Informed

No student has been exposed to the material designed for grades lower than his, therefore starting up requires a solid "review" for all students. Thus, the first year will require more exposure time than will later years.

In the table below, the Review indicates the standard review for that grade level, as presented in the Personhood Core curriculum.

Grade at 1st Exposure
3rd	No review	Normal study of 3rd grade material.
4th	Review grade 3 material	Normal study of 4th grade material.
5th	Review grades 3 & 4 material	Normal study of 5th grade material.

It is estimated that the review for grade 3 would be about 60 minutes, and grade 4 about 120 minutes. Thus it is estimated that 3 hours review would be required for new 5th graders.

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Implementing in Jr. High

 

FIRST YEAR: Jr. High - - - In the first year of the program the grade levels will follow something like shown in the table below, with all classes being mandatory.

 

This discussion assumes 2 classes at each grade level, with 25 students per class. For a school with two classes at each grade level, there are two of these classes running 2 days a week, M&W, and T&Th. The schedules shown at sched_6.htm - - - sched_7.htm - - - sched_8.htm are assumed.

 

Required Classes, First Year
	Q1 MW & TTh	Q2 MW & TTh	Q3 MW & TTh	Q4 MW & TTh
Grade 6	grade 3-5 lessons	6th grade lessons
Grade 7	grade 3-5 lessons	6th grade lessons	7th grade lessons
Grade 8	grade 3-5 lessons	6th grade lessons	7th grade lessons	8th grade lessons

Staffing, First Year
		Q1, grade 3-5 lessons MW & TTh	Q2, grade 6 lessons MW & TTh = 4	Q3, grade 7 lessons	Q4, grade 8 lessons
Grade 6	Period 6	Teacher 1	Teacher 1
Grade 7	Period 7	Teacher 1	Teacher 1	Teacher 1
Grade 8	Period 6	Teacher 2	Teacher 2	Teacher 1	Teacher 1
Classes per week		12	12	8	4

Note that a second teacher is required only in Q1 and Q2, for 4 hours per week.

All of these classes are during period 6 of the indicated quarters. Assumes 2 classes at each grade level. The Bold classes are the regular classes for continuing students, and assumes they have NOT received the fifth grade lessons. The Italicizes entries are "Make-up" lessons for 7th or 8th grade students transferring into the school from a school not using the program. They will be grouped with the current sixth graders.

 

	Q1 MW-TTh	Q2 MW-TTh	Q3 MW-TTh	Q4 MW-TTh
Grade 6	grade 3-5 lessons	6th grade lessons
Grade 7	grade 3-5 lessons	6th grade lessons	7th grade lessons
Grade 8	grade 3-5 lessons	6th grade lessons	7th grade lessons	8th grade lessons
classes per week, 1 teacher	4	4	4	4

Please note that the above schedule handles transferring students without adding classes or teachers, and without after school classes.

 

Only one part time teacher is needed to cover all classes for all grades, 6 through 8. For a school with two classes at each grade level that amounts to 4 class-hours per week! NOTE: There is unused time in each grade level, allowing the teacher to take time off for personal reasons without the need of a substitute. The schedule is very practical for a "retired" teacher.

sched_6.htm - - - sched_7.htm - - - sched_8.htm

 

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Implementing in High School

If your Jr. High feeder schools do not have this program, it can all be covered in grade 9. The table below suggests a possible schedule. It assumes:

• Four sections (groups) in 9th grade
• Each group meets 2 times per week.
• Use elective slots.
• A quarter system.
• One teacher, but here could be more.
• You should rewrite the lessons for grades 3 through 5.
• One part-time teacher, coming out of retirement, would be teaching only 8 hours per week, covering the same material in all four sections.

9th Grade	Q1, MW	Q1, TTh	Q2, MW	Q2, TTh	Q3, MW	Q3, TTh	Q4, MW	Q4, TTh
Teacher 1, Period "n"	grade 3-5 lessons	grade 3-5 lessons	6th grade lessons	6th grade lessons	7th grade lessons	7th grade lessons	8th grade lessons	8th grade lessons
Teacher 1 Period "m"	grade 3-5 lessons	grade 3-5 lessons	6th grade lessons	6th grade lessons	7th grade lessons	7th grade lessons	8th grade lessons	8th grade lessons

For further insight read this entire page.

There are a lot of people who have retired from teaching. Many of them love teaching and love kids. A lot of them, I would guess, retired for reasons like these:

• I don't have enough personal energy to keep up with the daily demands required to do the full job well.
• I feel hopeless. The school systems are failing the kids, and I can't do anything about it. I can't stand the pain of watching it happen.
• I am tired of "fighting the system."

I think we can use these people, and use them very effectively. The writer suggests that if retired teachers were presented with the following proposal, some of them would actually be grateful for the opportunity.

Ask them to teach these special classes. They could be part time paid teachers, or "for free" volunteers. The task is simple enough, and spread out in time. For a common school with two classes at each grade level one teacher could easily handle a whole 3rd-5th school (10 to 12 class hours / Quarter) plus 6th-8th (36 class-hours / Q). That is only 46 to 48 class hours per quarter! Because of missed days for field trips, the actual class time will be lower than indicated.

The teacher(s) would need to study the curriculum and possibly improve or adjust it.

Think about it. Some dedicated teachers could hardly resist the opportunity to come out of retirement when they see that they can:

• Have a very positive and likely dramatic impact on all the students in a school!
• Follow the same students over several years.
• Feel their impact is likely to carry strongly through the students' entire lives!
• Do this with a rather modest investment of time and energy.
• Have only a few papers to grade.

There would be a big emotional payoff for a teacher! Who needs money for that kind of job?

Some retired persons without classroom experience would also be willing and able to do this work. Look for them. Also check out corporations. Some have programs for this sort of volunteer work done by their employees during company time!

As the program continues, regular classroom teachers will become comfortable with it. As they see that it can make a difference in the students, they themselves will likely want to take on its direct teaching.

Such a program would attract teachers, even if they themselves were not teaching the special classes. Thus the school will have better pick of teachers. Teachers will be more likely to stay, because their tasks will be easier and more enjoyable.

The only "requirements" that SHOULD BE PLACED on the regular classroom teachers are:

1. To follow along with the teaching of the lessons, to learn about the curriculum.
2. To apply the spirit of the lessons at "teaching opportunities" that occur during his or her normal academic teachings.

For a private school, as word of such a program gets out into the community, there will likely be a much higher number of attendance applications. This would assure full enrollment, providing maximum income to the school.

Where else could you get such a big BANG for so few or no BUCKS?

While the Personhood program is being organized and implemented some of the Motivation essays can be presented. They carry a lot of impact for a goodly number of students.

The Fundamental Personhood pages are the foundation of the personhood curriculum. Ideally, it should be in place before anything else. However, a good compromise would be to immediately present selected essays from the motivation section. Probably the most important single essay is the one on Choices.

If you start such a project, please keep me informed, with as much detail as you can afford to send. Also, please, I would like your permission to publish some or all of it on this web site. Send Email.

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