Teamwork is key at Sheridan Middle School

By Carol Rolf

LITTLE ROCK — Teamwork counts.

That’s the premise at Sheridan Middle School, where teachers of four core subjects - language arts, math, science and social studies - work together as a team for the benefit of the students. Principal Peggy West said there are two teams of teachers who work with sixth-graders, three teams with seventh-graders and three teams with eighth-graders. A resource teacher is also available at each grade level.

“That’s approximately 110 students for each team to lead,” West said, noting the school’s enrollment is 888 students.

West said the teachers prepare for the individual classes they teach, and they also meet collectively to make plans for their students. “We try to separate the grades as much as we can,” West said. “The teachers are free to change a student’s schedule if he or she thinks that student would do better in another classroom with other students. The teachers can meet and swap students. This gives us more time to meet the needs of our children.”

West said a counselor would normally be the one to change schedules, but since each of the four teachers who are on a team sees the same students day after day, one of those teachers probably has a better sense of the class dynamics and how each student fits in.

“At the middle school, we see all kinds, all types of students,” said West, who has spent 34 years in education. “I love it.

“There are short ones, and then there are the tall ones, almost 6 feet tall, with long thin legs. Soon they will all grow up and become fine young ladies and gentlemen, and that’s what’s important to me.

“This age group (middle school) needs and wants a close relationship with others their age. They need to feel a part of something.

“Each team has an advisory period with 25 students. That’s their time to talk, plan field trips, get rewards and recognition. That helps each student have a connection with somebody at school.”

Each team chooses a name at the beginning of the school year. One of the sixth-grade teamscalls themselves the ROCK group; ROCK means Responsibility. Opportunity. Courage. Knowledge.

Teachers in the ROCK group are Debbie Richardson, who teaches reading; Heather Dunn, science; Sherry Lindsey, English; Lori Marchman, who is the resource teacher; Stephanie Cody, math; and Jenny Goldman, social studies (this group has more than the normal number of team members; both a reading teacher and a special education or resource teacher have been added for the sixth-grade students).

Richardson, who is in her 12th year of teaching, all at Sheridan Middle School, said her students read short stories, novels and poetry. She also emphasizes what will be on the Benchmark tests for that grade level.

“As a team, we work on the curriculum one or two days a week, and the rest of the week is spent teaching,” she said.

Dunn, who is in her first year at Sheridan but has been teaching for five years, said, “We usually meet [as a team] three or four days a week, sometimes every day.”

When dealing with student problems, Dunn said, “It’s not always about discipline. It could be hygiene, education or character issues.”

Dunn added that she is “a product of the team-teaching system.”

“We are the only team that has a separate reading teacher,” Dunn said. “The other teams just have an English/literature teacher. That’s because the sixth grade has the largest number of children in it this year.”

Lindsey, who has 13 years of teaching, with nine of those years at Sheridan Middle School, said, “Working as a team, we learn to recognize the kids according to their personal and educational needs. As a team, we come up with rewards for certain behavior. We come up with a uniform discipline system.

“It also helps with parents’ meetings. It’s not just me against the student. When the other teachers chime in, it gives us a unified front of how we deal with behavioral problems.”

Marchman, who is in her first year with the Sheridan School District but has been in the field of education for 23 years, said she actuallygoes into the classroom with the students who are in special education, offering help wherever it is needed.

Cody, who is in her fifth year at Sheridan but has 14 years in education, said, “It (teamwork) gives us a way to be consistent. The kids know what to expect in every class.

“We also get to make our own class,” Cody said. “We’re given a list, and we put each student where we want them. That way, when we get a few weeks into the years, and ‘Sally’ is not getting along with ‘Mary,’ we can move her to another class.”

Goldman, who is in her first year of teaching, said, “If a student has a problem, either at school or at home, one of us is going to know about it. By the end of the day, we all know bits and pieces of the story, and when we meet, we can piece the story together and know exactly what happened.”

Lindsey added that the ROCK group also participates in several projects. The group has a book club, a pen-pal project with kids in Kenya and has participated in the Hometown Heroes project in which each group adopted a soldier and sent e-mails and letters to that soldier.

- crolf@arkansasonline.comat a glance

Motto: To provide students with opportunities to become responsible, productive, educated citizens.

Grades: Six through eight

Enrollment: 888

Mascot: Stingers

Athletics: Basketball, Track, baseball, soccer, softball, golf, cheerleading

Principal: Peggy West

Assistant Principals: Cathy Johnson, Tommy Cody

Address: 500 Rock St.

Sheridan, AR 72150

Telephone: (870) 942-3813

Web site: http://sheridanschools.org

Tri-Lakes, Pages 62 on 05/01/2008