4 Beds. To our teachers and staff, joyful learning means that each student is able to maximize his/her abilities and be successful in learning through different learning methods. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider regarding any medical condition. Like most groups of educators, we had spent a few years dancing around topics of racism and struggled to make lasting change. White Supremacy Culture is the silent killer flowing throughout classrooms and school hallways, like carbon monoxide gas. I saw this personally at VVMS, as situations got awkward, uncomfortable, and uncertain. San Francisco Superintendent Carlos Garcia told Dierke's students Friday that their principal was chosen from among the thousands of middle school principals across the country. A lot of the kids have deep anger issues or problems focusing, she says. Visitacion Valley Middle School. Visitacion Valley Middle School. When the bells sound twice a day at Visitacion Valley Middle School in San Francisco, students who used to be too rowdy to even sit still close their eyes and spend 15 minutes clearing their minds. students who meditated showed a significant decrease in anxiety and a significant increase in resilience compared to nonmeditating students. I value growth because I am constantly reviewing data, asking how we can be better for our students. Personal Commitment graphic organizer used in professional development (Courtesy of Joe Truss). Once white fragility is defined and debriefed amongst a team, we can begin to talk about racism, anti-racism, and White Supremacy Culture. This leads to resistance or failure to follow through, maintaining a status quo of disproportionate outcomes for students based on race. It serves 358 studentsin 6 - 8 with a student/teacher ratio of 14.3:1.Its teachers have had 79 projects funded on DonorsChoose. As a leader, it is easy to hoard power, claim objectivity in decision making, or believe that there is only one way to fix education. I think its helped my golf game, too.. One teacher, Mary Chirichella added, Some teachers had the courage to approach others to have tough conversations about microaggressions. Further, staff moved to thinking about how our school practices perpetuate WSC and send negative messages to our students. In the first year of Quiet Time meditation, suspensions at Visitacion Valley were reduced by 45%. Visitacion Valley Middle School Unclaimed 1971 Visitacion Avenue, San Francisco, CA 94134 Contact info Website 3 /10 GreatSchools Rating 5 reviews Public school 375 Students Grades 6-8 Updates Compare 3 /10 GreatSchools Summary Rating 2/10 Test Scores below average 4/10 Academic Progress below average 1/10 Equity below average . The art of relaxation: ideas to get students to unwind and recharge, How two minutes of mindfulness can calm a class and boost attainment, Original reporting and incisive analysis, direct from the Guardian every morning. They simultaneously tell us that we are not good enough and keep us to the bottom rungs of racial hierarchy if we do not assimilate. Leading a 501 (c)3 nonprofit working with a consortium of collaborative partners including university researchers . These kids hear gunshots on their way to and from school. They are not guaranteed to be accurate, up to date . All school events, including athletic events, will be posted in this calendar. Public, 6-8 Serves this home. General education entry grade seats per application: https://sfusd.zoom.us/j/89260175755?pwd=R2VLdWJQOVdySElJa1c2UUhCTkw5QT09, Districtwide before and after school program information, Social-Emotional and Culture Climate Report, School Plan for Student Achievement (SPSA). The first day of school will be Wednesday, August 17, 2022. It really is quiet time.. It contains 3 bedrooms and 1 bathroom. Why shouldnt all our students have access During the 2017-18 school year, I s erved as an assistant principal in Ryan Gloyer Middle School (Seneca Valley Middle School at the time) before being named principal of the building for the 2018-19 school year. Once white fragility is defined and debriefed amongst a team, we can begin to talk about racism, anti-racism, and White Supremacy Culture. . increased attendance and increased academic performance. One of San Francisco's toughest schools transformed by the power of meditation The middle school years are critical times of development for students and families, and I look forward to working with all of you to ensure our school helps students feel a sense of belonging and joy, as well as prepares them for high school, college, and beyond. I thought it was just another fad. But no one touched on the real problem stress.. Later that year, a gunman brazenly stormed into the school, threatened to kill a teacher and robbed two employees. Specifically, this pushed on us to think about and change how we work together: We worked to create norms that encourage people of color and women to contribute, we shifted the relationship between teachers and administration so that teachers had more input in budget and hiring decisions, and finally, we adjusted the pace of our professional-development plans to emphasize quality over quantity. The trouble is we dont even see it. Zestimate Home Value: $930,000. It is invisible and it is toxic. Dierke, who has been principal at the school for 13 years, said things reached a turning point about five years ago. It's important to note that these responses work to maintain current consciousness and white supremacy. Saratoga, California, United States. The results of 17 studies conducted to date in the Bay Area, varying in duration from three months to one year, showed benefits across parameters including reduced stress, increased emotional intelligence, reduced suspensions, WSC shuts down learning. Get the latest education news delivered to your inbox daily. At Visitacion Valley Middle School (VVMS), in the San Francisco Unified school district, our brave staff spent a majority of the 2018-19 school year unpacking White Supremacy Culture (WSC). One other middle school and two high schools in the Bay Area adopted the program. Nearby Public Schools The nearest high school to Visitacion Valley Middle School is Burton (Phillip And Sala) Academic High School(0.6 miles away) The nearest middle school is Bayshore(0.6 miles away) My Only Regret Is That I Didnt Find This Practice Twenty Years Ago , Why I Learned Transcendental Meditation Three Years Ago And Why I Still Practice It , 6 Benefits Of Transcendental Meditation (And How You Can Get Started Today) , James Dierke, Principal of Visitacion Valley Middle School, urban students, drugs, gangs and violence, Newly published research on the effect of the Quiet Time/Transcendental Meditation program, MetLife/NASSP National Middle Level Principal of the Year. The once-boisterous hall became silent and remained so for the next 15 minutes. This school used to be known as the fight school, he said. The school faces declining enrollment, test scores that don't meet federal standards, teacher turnover, truancy and a high neighborhood crime rate. This year, the school has had to integrate more than 100 new students onto campus after another nearby middle school was closed by the district. Visitacion Valley Middle School. In order to build this ideal structure, we must start at the base and engineer for equity. I am privileged to be able to continue to work with our dedicated staff, AMAZING students, and supportive parents. As a result of these high-stress conditions, thousands of schools have predictable problems: low attendance, high violence, and low performance. [2] Under the management of the San Francisco Board of Education, the district serves more than 55,500 students in more than 160 institutions. The second controlled study, authored by WestEd, an independent evaluator, found that after seven months of the Quiet Time Program, ninth grade View more recently sold homes. Our Zoom link is: https://sfusd.zoom.us/j/89260175755?pwd=R2VLdWJQOVdySElJa1c2UUhCTkw5QT09. We saw kids with real post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms. Ultimately, we are here to help students empower themselves through education. Even in failure, there is growth, if you are using a critical lens to understand and improve. Your health questions answered by Times journalists andexperts. Also, we might hear phrases like, "That comment triggered me, it was a microaggression," "I think we can do better for our Latinx students," or "This is not consistent with our commitment to anti-racism." 3. Principal and Interest. He attributes that to higher levels of job satisfaction. I got to sit right by him and the whole school meditated with him.. Otherwise, white fragility will shut the anti-racist party down; its an equity consciousness buzz kill, for real. Mr. Dierke wondered whether meditation might reduce students stress levels and help them learn. Further, we must look at how it has affected us and how we have perpetuated White Supremacy Culture. White Supremacy Culture. Anther example might be superficially speeding through content or discouraging interruptions for questions. near you and learn more, A summary of studies fromHarvard, Stanford, and more, AHA: TM is the only meditationfound to lower blood pressure, Different forms of meditationproduce very different results, Bob Roth, Director Can You Safely Lose Weight While Breast-Feeding? It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff. He said the neighborhood around Visitacion Valley can be rife with violence and crime. Annual math and English scores improved in the students who meditated, while they declined in those who didnt meditate. Out of view, city dignitaries and his students waited inside Visitacion Valley Middle School to surprise him with the news: He was the National Middle School Principal of the Year.. "Although authorities captured the person, parents could have demanded changes at the school," a statement from the principals' association said. In the first year of Quiet Time suspensions at Visitacion Valley which has 500 students aged 11-13 were reduced by 45% (pdf). Quiet Time in Los angeles The David Lynch Foundation is partnering with several Los angeles-based institutions which deliver excellence in academics and holistic student development through innovative educational models. Even I, a black educator who has studied ethnic studies and critical race theory, still perpetuate tenets of White Supremacy Culture. Some conversations fell flat, and others were superficial. One of San Francisco's toughest schools transformed by the power of meditation A pioneering programme has reduced stress and improved grades at Visitacion Valley middle school - with lessons other schools can learn from. An easy way to remember our website is to memorize our bit.ly URL! Property taxes $170 Home insurance $105 . 1971 Visitacion Avenue, San Francisco, CA, 94134, We look forward to welcoming everyone back to school starting. Entire contents copyright 2023 Maharishi Foundation USA, a non-profit educational organization. They worked harder, paid more attention, were easier to teach and the number of fights fell dramatically.. Also, we might hear phrases like, That comment triggered me, it was a microaggression, I think we can do better for our Latinx students, or This is not consistent with our commitment to anti-racism. I imagine we might even see white folks redirecting their white colleagues and carrying their weight of racial conversations. Our kids are coming to school. He partnered with the Center for Wellness and Achievement in Education to develop a Quiet Time Program for his school. As Boys Get Fatter, Parents Worry One Body Part Is Too Small. It is the water we are swimming in. Down Payment . Students are encouraged to use the time to meditate, but Dierke says students can simply clear their mind, think about schoolwork, or even sleep. As a leader, I hold three core values close to me: connection, growth, and appreciation. Young people are incredibly stressed, says Michael Matania who teaches mindfulness meditation to young people in London through a programme called Mindkit. Homeowners' Insurance. With respect to race, the foundational issue is White Supremacy Culture, and we must attack the problem head on. Joe Truss By Kyle Palmer On a recent morning at Visitacion Valley Middle School in South San Francisco, Principal James Dierke looked out over the school's auditorium at more than 100 eighth graders. Executive Director Gerald Tirozzi of the association noted that Dierke has given the community around the school a sense of hope. For years, educators' requests for more. Students meditating at Phillip and Sala Burton Academic High School in San Francisco. Please read our Welcome Back letter. Besides dealing with problems outside school, Visitacion Valley faces challenges in school, too. One does not have to be a white supremacist to hold these beliefs, because we have all been conditioned through exposure to media, parenting, schooling, and our interactions with power structures. live well. We are the operators of some piece of the education machine, and therefore, if we change our actions, we can change the larger system. It can result in white rage, broken relationships, grievances, and further harm to oppressed students. (DiAngelo, 2018). stress and its manifestations for example, anxiety, high blood pressure and cardiovascular disease. The Visitacion Valley Middle school vision is that our students will strength their passion for learning, develop the skills to become empowered community members, and gain the knowledge to be ready for high school with a clear path to college, career, and future success. levels of self-confidence and happiness. Racial-equity work is like trying to defuse a bomb and cutting the wrong wire. After the shooting, the usual culprits were blamed: guns, violent movies and video games, says Rice. For over 10 years, Visitacion Valley Middle School has been utilizing Transcendental Meditation to help students address stress and improve focus. Mad Sal's Dockside Inn in Ale House Alley, and Mission Blue. A restless din filled the large room. This week's important updates are available! Our attendance is trending up significantly We used to have one of the highest suspension rates, now we have one of the lowest among all middle schools.
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