In February, AMSA teachers and administrators participated in “shadow day,” during which they followed students throughout an entire school day in an attempt to see a typical day from students’ perspectives.
“It was incredibly refreshing to get to witness firsthand that kids are kids,” said Sara Leveille, a Spanish teacher.
Mrs. Leveille took detailed notes during the day, and she mentioned that she found the whole experience helpful. She shadowed sophomore Susana Porras, who also gained perspective from the experience.
“I liked having her see stuff in the student perspective, like how taxing AMSA can be,” Susana said.
That is essentially the aim of the program — having teachers and administrators see things from “the other side” to gain a better understanding of the day-to-day pressures of the student experience, including the ebb and flow of the school day and things such as testing and homework loads.
Math teacher Matthew Longo also shadowed a student.
“I think I got some insights into what kind of lessons can be better for students to engage with the material,” Mr. Longo said. “It’s nice to get an idea of how much work students have during the day to see how much homework we should be giving.”
Dr. Anders Lewis, the former and longtime history department chair and former executive director of the school, first participated in a shadow day trial run a decade ago. It has occurred sporadically since.
“To me, it was very eye opening, you know,” he said, focusing on what he saw his colleagues doing in the classroom. “I saw all the effort that teachers make every day from first period to last period to make school interesting and as exciting as possible. It is a testament to our staff.”
The current incarnation of shadow day was done in conjunction with Challenge Success, an organization affiliated with Stanford University. Challenge Success coordinates with school administrators and students, with the aim to “transform educational systems to promote well-being and value each student for their unique identities, assets, and individual definition of success,” according to its website.
AMSA officials hope to gather data from the day to better the student experience, with a goal of continuing the program next year.
