From School into Communities

Talladega High School teachers and staff participated in a unique inservice opportunity before students arrived on campus this year. Normally, one would see students coming into our schools, but on this day, these employees visited various communities of Talladega High students.

Led by Principal Darren Douthitt, THS faculty loaded a district school bus and took a field trip around the city of Talladega to provide an inside view into the lives of THS students.

.

This activity reminded me of a book by educator and motivational speaker Stephen Peters entitled, "Do You Know Enough About Me to Teach Me?" In this book the author reveals that teachers who really know about the lives of their students tend to have more success reaching even the unreachable.

This creative way of bridging into the communities helped THS employees learn more about the young men and women that enter their high school classrooms every day. Knowing and understanding them leads to better relationships between teachers and students, thus resulting in higher achievement, increased graduation rate, and job satisfaction.

GOOD JOB, THS!