By Priscilla Greear

Staff Writer

LILBURN-The hot topic in the second-grade classroom on Jan. 26 at St. John Neumann Regional School was recess, as the school recently adjusted its class schedule which resulted in the 30-minute recreation period being slashed down to a slim 15 minutes.

Teacher Karen McConnell's second-graders gathered in a circle Indian style for a class meeting as she opened the floor for discussion.

"What do you think should be the best time for us to get 15 more minutes of recess during the day?" asked McConnell.

Students freely tossed around ideas and a red parakeet beanbag which, when in hand, gives its possessor permission to speak. Second-grader Amelia Travis expressed the idea of many to combine outdoor recess and indoor snack time, which fall back to back.

"I think when we have snack we should have snack outside...We could have snack outside when we have recess at 10 a.m.," Amelia said.

Other suggestions included squeezing a little recess in before dismissal.

"I think we all want recess. Most people like the idea of being able to have snack and recess at the same time. I think probably we could try to see how that goes," McConnell said before moving onto the next topic of why some students have been getting poor behavior marks in certain classes.

Since November, the second grade and all other grades have held discussion groups to voice their concerns on topics of choice through the Positive Discipline Program. Terry Lonergan, the school's principal, initiated the national program at the grade school. Its purpose is to increase the school's flow of communication and school-wide input in the decision-making process.

"It's giving children an opportunity to have a voice and to develop a way to commit to the decision-making process. In a room last week they had the issue of homework," she said. "(They are) brainstorming and then coming up with thoughts and suggestions about how things are run."

The principal said the program is particularly needed at SJNRCS, as it is one of the archdiocese's largest schools, having 568 students and 32 teachers. A building leadership team, headed by Lonergan and Kelly Smith, administrative assistant, examines the school's overall needs and oversees other teams. These include a climate design team to address social and spiritual issues; a technology committee; a professional development design team to explore curriculum enhancement; and instructional leadership teams for teachers in kindergarten and first grade, grades three and four, and grades five through eight.

Every staff member is involved in the process and all teachers serve on instructional committees for their grade. Proposals agreed upon in climate, technology, curriculum and building committees, comprised of teachers and administrators, funnel down to the instructional teams for voting, where typically 80 percent approval is needed before a change occurs. Lonergan eventually wants to have parents serve on committees.

While clearly many decisions are only made by the administration, the committees, which meet biweekly, have addressed issues such as how to observe Poetry Week in April, ordering classroom materials, planning Catholic Schools Week and ways to expand technology through purchasing closed circuit software packages and closed circuit TV pieces.

Other topics have included how to celebrate Peace Week and how to develop the theme of respect during Lent.

"It is more time consuming any time you have more people considering things. It's really looking at things and deciding what is best for our school and where we want to go with this," Lonergan said. "We all join in to determine together what's best for the child. It's so everybody can get involved."

Lonergan, who has worked at four other schools with the program since having begun her career in education in 1966, said it's empowering.

"I believe in it because it gives everyone a chance to be heard. We've got great leaders as teachers. They need to be very appreciated, to have opportunities in the decision-making process. I think they're doing an incredible job in terms of taking an idea and running with it."

As a first-year principal at the school, Lonergan said that there is an adjustment period.

"Hopefully we're all helping each other to grow and learn so that we can provide the best possible for our kids. That's what we're doing," she added.

In the middle school, eighth-grade teacher Diane Boyd leads a class discussion on the effects of a shortened lunch period as well as consequences when violating the dress code. Afterwards Boyd said, "I'm a social studies teacher. I know this is the beginning of the democratic process for kids. They need a chance to express themselves and discuss the issues," adding, "I've had bad class meetings too. They brought up about having class pets. I'm thinking, 'guys, who's going to feed it and take it to the vet?'"

Eighth-grader Eric Pojé hopes the meetings will offer peaceful resolutions to problems.

"I think it's a good way to voice your opinion because there's really no right or wrong answer," he said. "This way it's easier for people to raise their hand and say what they want. The teachers and students can get a better outlook on things and it really just works out better."

Boyd also co-facilitates the curriculum committee where members have already planned activities such as ways to celebrate National Women's Month, Black History Month and Geography Awareness Week and arranged information sessions for substitute teachers.

While she assisted with curriculum planning in the past, Boyd said, "I like the idea that it's a little more formal...to have our positions recognized, the contributions that you make and (those of) the people on the committee is real important."

Boyd said the curriculum committee enables teachers to share information as they help paint the school's bigger picture.

"There is an opportunity for them to really get involved in an important way in the school outside their own grade."

Another eighth-grade teacher Betsy Maurer, who serves as middle school instructional team coordinator and on the building leadership and climate teams, also likes the increase in communication, which seems to be a hallmark of Lonergan's management style.

"Her best quality is she's an excellent listener. Not only do we get to put forward our concerns, but also (we can) listen to the concerns of everybody else...I can hear the concerns on the (instructional) level. I can hear the concerns of the leadership team. There is constant communication between the administration and the staff. It's more communication than we've had in the past."

Following her class meeting, McConnell shared some fruits of student involvement in the shared decision-making program.

"I do think it helps in the long run with their behavior. I get a better idea of how they're feeling and when they get better input in decisions they're more likely to obey. Then they're more a part of it."