5th Graders Elie, Saryah, and Stella are interviewed by News12 Brooklyn
Dear PS 107 Families,
Teaching our students that their voices have power is so important to all of us at PS 107! We enshrined it in our revised school mission statement last year and have since been working on ways to provide students with opportunities to learn how to use their voices in meaningful ways.
On Election Day, our teachers and paraprofessionals engaged in professional learning focused on ways to build authentic student discourse in classrooms. Too often, in schools, we find that teachers talk too much and students talk too little. We have to actively teach students how to talk in academic settings, along with how to listen. This is a challenge, as most children are (developmentally) focused on themselves and what they have to say. On Tuesday, our staff learned about ways to teach students to ask rich, open-ended questions related to content, as well as how to sustain a discussion on one topic for an extended period of time.
Speaking of student voice, PS 107’s student-run newspaper was featured on News12 Brooklyn last Monday! Check out the interview with our fantastic 5th graders, Elie, Saryah, and Stella, who found the power of their voices when they started their own newspaper in 4th grade, with the support and guidance of 4th grade teacher, Ms Marybeth. Their newspaper, The 5-Day Week, is now PS 107’s official school newspaper, and is currently taking submissions for content from other 5th grade students!
Our students have so much to say and truly have the power to change our world for the better. I’m optimistic about the future.
Warmly,
Ms Joanna
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