SLC: Friend or Foe?

A new requirement for teachers swept George Washington High School this year. It's name? The Small Learning Community, or SLC. It's game? Grouping teachers in “communities,” of ten to fifteen individuals and requiring them to meet daily to discuss a myriad of topics related to Professional Development. While the idea of the SLC is fantastic, the execution of the idea falls short of its potential.

First and foremost, the teachers are not supportive of this new requirement. In years past, this period was used for planning. There is a degree of resentment that they must now attend this meeting everyday. (If there is one thing I've learned thus far, it is that teachers at my school hate required meetings!) The teachers do not mask their displeasure about having to meet daily in their SLC. While they usually do not complain outright during the meeting, I hear complaints regularly regarding the SLC. The complaints are all in the same general vein: the SLC is a waste of time and the Administration doesn't understand what teachers really need.

Secondly, the SLC concept is failing (in my opinion) because the school administration was not clear about what they expected to occur in each meeting during the first days of school. Upon inquiry for clarification, a shrug and an apologetic “I'll get back to you,” was given by an Assistant Principal. Because the concept of the SLC was not presented in a clear, defined manner, it was easy for teachers to come to the conclusion that the meeting was just another hoop to jump through, set out by the Administration.

The idea behind the SLC has great potential. Having teachers meet to further develop the goals for teachers set by the District is a great concept. In addition, creating strategies to tackle academic and disciplinary issues for specific students is a very specialized approach to helping those students. If only the Small Learning Community was presented to the teachers in a way that would legitimize its intent, I think the outcome of what actually takes place would be much more productive.

Not every meeting of my Classroom Mentor's SLC has been unproductive. The teachers in my Classroom Mentor's SLC generally have the same students. I have witnessed several instances where a teacher presents a problem he or she is having in class and the group decides to apply a strategy in each of their classes. For example, a student was discussed that was not paying attention or doing classwork in Math class. The teachers felt that the Math teacher should seat this student in the front row to reduce distractions. It was also decided that his English and Social Studies teacher would closely monitor his progress and encourage him to apply himself in Math. Ultimately, the SLC facilitated an intervention for this student.

These kind of successes are extremely valuable, and validate the SLC meetings in themselves. I cannot help but wonder, however, how much more could the SLC accomplish if it had the support of its members? On average, ten minutes out of the alloted forty-five, are spent discussing pertinent issues. Maybe if the SLCs met twice a week, rather than everyday, the teachers would be more focused and supportive of this initiative.