4 • J.Hop Times • Thursday, March 20, 2014
school news
Take this math class … please Catching up with Mr. Brown
BY JIANA JOHNSON AND SHAKERA THOMPSON J.Hop Times Staff Writers
I
t was like the game show The Price Is Right. Stop by Building 5 and you never knew what was going to be behind door number 219. Classes in intensive math were supposed to be taught in that room. But that didn’t happen very often. What started as Ms.Wilson’s room, turned into Mr. Schneck’s room, which was turned into Mr. Kowal’s room, followed by a long string of substitute and regular teachers. Sometimes math was taught. But when it wasn’t, the nearly 100 students who take the class did work for other teachers or talked with their friends. Sometimes they just left after attendance was taken and didn’t come back. The students, who are mostly eighth-graders, were confused about what was going on. Some said they get work done in that class, but the constant changes made everything difficult. When students thought they finally had a permanent teacher in December, a note was put on the door saying that the class had to go to Mr. Butts’ room during his planning period. Mr. Butts is the JHMS chorus teacher. “Every day, depending on if a substitute teacher is there or not, they give us a worksheet or lesson and we had to literally teach ourselves,” said eighth-grader Jaelyn White. In the last few years, John Hopkins Middle School has not done well on the math part of the FCAT. Last year, only about 30 percent of the students were rated proficient or higher in math. So every class is important, especially intensive math. “I try to get a good grade in there, but there is no effort considering that we always get an ‘I” (for incomplete) on our report card,’’ explained eighth-grader Jaylen Jenkins. “There is just no use.” As 2013 slipped into 2014, students wondered if there would ever be a permanent teacher for the remainder of the school year. Ms. Williams, a co-chair of the JHMS math department, said that because all math teachers have a common planning period, it’s impossible to
have a math teacher who is on staff take over the class. That means hiring a replacement. “They’ve really been trying to do that,’’ Ms. Williams said in late January. “They want a quality teacher with the right qualifications. By school district standards and because we’re a Title I school, we have to have certain criteria. “It’s not going overlooked,’’ she added. “They really have been looking hard.’’ In the meantime, either a substitute or someone who teaches another subject takes over. “When we don’t have a teacher or even a substitute, we usually just leave and go to other teachers on their planning period,’’ said eighthgrader Tichaona Allen. “Sometimes that upsets them, but it’s better than just sitting there.’’ ••• It’s Monday, Feb. 10. A new math teacher, Ms. Sanchez, has
A quarterly “state of the school” conversation with the principal
TRAVANNA SULTAIRE | JHT
Ms. Sanchez explains a lesson to her Period 8 math class.
been hired. A Florida State graduate who grew up in the nearby Bartlett Park neighborhood, this is her first year teaching. “I thought this would be much simpler,’’ she said after her first week. “Not so much the classroom instruction, but the behind the scenes stuff like lesson plans, workshops, meetings and especially learning how to use Portal. “Finding out where everyone and everything is, and even getting used to the schedule has been a challenge,’’ she added. “I literally got sick my first week here.’’ She said most students respect her and only a few continue to test her. “But I think those few are catching on quickly to my rules.’’ “It’s a tough transition,’’ Mr.
Brown said recently when he introduced Ms. Sanchez to the rest of the JHMS staff. “She has got a difficult job.’’ Mr. Brown added that about 70 percent of the students in those classes “are doing well in core math.’’ Ms. Sanchez, who enjoys reading, dancing and cooking in her spare time, said she is impressed with the dedication of many of the students. “I definitely would not have come to school on a Saturday when I was in middle school,’’ she said, referring to the author’s camp program. “That speaks volumes about the mindset the Trojans have. “This school is nothing like how others describe it. “It’s a lot better.’’
When March and April roll around, Mr. Brown, the principal at John Hopkins Middle School, is usually focused on one thing — those high-stakes tests that create a grade for our school. Whether the test is fair, or whether it will be replaced by something else next year doesn’t matter. JHMS is now a D rated school. Our grade has dropped steadily since we were a B school in 2011. This year, Mr. Brown has set a goal of returning our grade to a B. That, he said, will take a lot of work on everyone’s part. And no one knows that more than Mr. Brown. “It’s crunch time and I feel the pressure,’’ Mr. Brown said recently. “I’m hoping the students feel pressured as well and that we all perform. “I think because of who we are here at John Hopkins we will perform,’’ he added. “Because we’re a school of performers. We’ll step up to the plate and do what we need to do to be successful.” How well we do on the FCAT is based on how well we prepare for it, Mr. Brown said. He also stressed that students who struggle with the FCAT can’t be ignored. “We have a large number students who got a Level 1 or Level 2,’’ he said, “but they’re just as important as the students who receive a Level 3, 4, or 5. “Our focus should be for everyone to improve from the year before. That’s the goal, for every student to make learning gains.” Annie Gjineci And Sophie Ojdanic, J.Hop Times Editors