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Self-Assessment
Shay Pearce
Arizona State University
PPE 310
28Sep2015

Last semester I was sitting in the class of a Dr. Christopher Treat perhaps the most amazing
teacher of education I have had and he made the comment that for a school in a lower income

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or troubled area to be successful one of the characteristics it needed to have was community
involvement. There was a caveat, however, in that it wasnt just any kind of community
involvement that was necessary and that it needed to be more than the traditional sense of
community involvement that centered on outreach. Rather, the community needed to feel that
they were also members of the school and this is an important distinction to make. The
community needed to feel as though the school was more than just a place where their kids went
to get educated during the day but that it was also a place where they, too could go for certain
needs. Some of these successful schools did this through adult education classes in the evening,
some did it through opening up their gyms for the fitness needs of the community for a nominal
fee, some allowed their assembly halls to be used for community club gatherings or
performances, etc. The particular use was not what was important, it was more the fact that the
community felt they had belonging with the school as well as their kids.
I think this is exactly what a school should be a place where children are educated during the
day and a place of community learning and gathering in the evening. I would like to see what
ever school I end up working at have this program in place because I truly do believe in it.
The school I interning at currently, however, does not offer these community connections. The
school is for the kids and for the kids it remains. It is well-recourse and well-funded and located
in a fairly affluent community so perhaps it doesnt need to serve these community functions but
I still think the community would benefit from a more integral experience with it.
I do, however, see the school fulfilling many of the tasks that the survey asks about (McConnell,
2014, Pg. 388). Given that it is a middle school there is no smoking cessation program
advertised but physical fitness classes are required of the students and evacuation plans are in
place and practiced, for example. The students seem to enjoy their experience at the school and
for the most part, have a sense of community belonging within the sense of the school and more
importantly, I have not seen any cases of bullying or harassment. This is not to say it doesnt
happen but I feel confident that the school administration takes this seriously and enforces the
zero tolerance policy.
In a verbal interview with a student from another middle school within Kyrene District (R. Berg,
personal interview, 30SEP2015), these same practices seem to be common within all Kyrene
middle schools. She feels safe at her school and secure in her belief that if she were to bring
issues of bullying or harassment to her teachers that they would be taken seriously. She would
be inclined to go to some teachers over others but this is, of course, to be expected.
In summary, while I enjoy my internship within the Kyrene school district and would not refuse
employment there if I was offered such, I really feel much more compelled to work in a less
privileged school, at least at first, and strive to help make that school part of the community
where the residents feel as at home as the students.

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References
McConnell, K. E. (2014). Health for Life. Human Kinetics. Inc.

Berg, R. (2015. September 30). Personal interview.

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