Farwell...

This is my last week at The Ron Clark Academy. Over the past four months I have learned so much from this experience. As a future educator, I could not have dreamed of interning at any other institution in the world due to the passion, imagination, and energy within it. The staff is full of amazing individuals that have welcomed me into their family with open arms. The students also lift one another up, support their fellow classmates, and believe that no dream is too big to have. Every student at that school has touched my life is some way, shape, or form as well. The Ron Clark Academy is truly a magical place that is filled with love and support. I am so thankful that I was considered for and received this golden opportunity because it was truly a life changing experience.

Future Teachers...

The Ron Clark Academy is known for its visiting teachers, but this week the Academy welcomed a group of future teachers. These students were full of interest and wanted to learn as much information as possible that would benefit them for their future classrooms. They also had the opportunity to observe RCA teachers teaching their classes using new technology and innovative procedures. As a future teacher myself, I felt that this would be beneficial to them because it allowed them to become familiar with devices that they had never used before. The visiting students also took a lot of interest in the students of RCA. They enjoyed talking to the students and asking them questions about their experiences at The Ron Clark Academy. It was great to see young, future teachers so interested in bettering themselves in the profession that they are going to get a degree in!

New York City….

This past Wednesday the fifth graders had a “New York City day”. They started downtown at the Stock Exchange, where they learned how to buy and sell stock. Then they went uptown to Harlem where they learned about the Harlem Renaissance and the Tree of Hope. The fifth graders then came back downtown to visit the Empire State Building. Here they learned how it was built, how the economy affected it throughout different decades, and visited the eighty-sixth floor Observation Deck. The students then got to go and get a New York City hotdog at the end of the day. This was a simulation that took place at the school and was meant to teach the fifth graders about New York City, where they will be going in a couple of weeks. Throughout their journey they had to keep a book of notes about the “places” they visited. The assessment assignment for this activity was for the students to write a post card that stated where they had visited. This is just another example of how the staff is at RCA thinks outside of the box!!!

America, Here We Come…

On Tuesday, 4-14-09, the fifth graders at RCA are going to take part in a simulation that represents the journey that immigrants traveled between 1890 and 1925. The simulation includes the voyage across the Atlantic Ocean, the arrival at Ellis Island, the medical inspection, and the immigration inspectors. The goal of this activity is for the students to understand that this journey was not a leisurely trip, but that it was a harsh, tough trip. They will begin in one classroom that has been set up like a steerage room that third class immigrant would stay in. Next, they will be rushed up the stairs to the medical examination room. They will go through a mock medical examine. Then, if they pass, they with go to the room with the immigration inspectors. Here they will have a two minute question and answer sessions with an inspector. If they are not detained for any reason, they may then begin their new life in the Americas. This is going to be a unique experience for both the fifth graders and the staff members that are taking part in this activity!

RCA Conference!!!!

Twice a year Ron Clark and the rest of The Ron Clark Academy host a conference for fellow educators. This event lasts a whole weekend, and is full of innovative teaching ideas! This spectacular event begins on Friday night and goes through Sunday afternoon. Friday night Mr. Clark addresses all of the teachers in a speech, which is followed by a performance by the RCA students, or a video viewing of The Ron Clark Story. Saturday is full of workshops and a Prom!!! This event is full of dancing and fun! Then Sunday consists of a finial question and answer session from Mr. Clark and a random facts game in which the best team of teachers will win! It is a fun filled weekend and a great opportunity for educators all over the world!

World Travelers...

Apart of The Ron Clark Academy’s appeal and magical persona is travel! The students that attend the academy will have the opportunity to travel to six of the seven continents by the time they finish the eighth grade. During their spring break the seventh graders will be traveling to Peru. They will be visiting the historical site known as Machu Picchu, local schools, and the everyday culture of the local people. Along with traveling to these amazing places, the students have to learn the history and current political status of the country in which they are visiting. Not only does this experience allow the students to see the world, but it also allows them to learn about different cultures first hand. The opportunities at The Ron Clark Academy are truly spectacular and the possibilities are endless!!!

World Travelers...

Apart of The Ron Clark Academy’s appeal and magical persona is travel! The students that attend the academy will have the opportunity to travel to six of the seven continents by the time they finish the eighth grade. During their spring break the seventh graders will be traveling to Peru. They will be visiting the historical site known as Machu Picchu, local schools, and the everyday culture of the local people. Along with traveling to these amazing places, the students have to learn the history and current political status of the country in which they are visiting. Not only does this experience allow the students to see the world, but it also allows them to learn about different cultures first hand. The opportunities at The Ron Clark Academy are truly spectacular and the possibilities are endless!!!

Jump!!!

The Ron Clark Academy’s media center opened a couple of weeks ago, as the Great American Library. The students and staff are so excited that it is open because it truly is a magical place. This center has everything needed to encourage learning! It has great books, colorful walls, and an incentive to read the most AR points, a bungee trampoline. The readers that obtain an extraordinary amount of points get to jump on the trampoline. This upholds a sense of merit, earning things by being the best student possible! The media center also has pictures of the students in it. This center challenges the students at RCA to read, encouraging them to strive for excellence. This media center reflects just how powerful a person’s imagination can be, and is a constant reminder to dream big!

Striving for Excellence

All the grade levels at the Ron Clark Academy have a certain number of AR points they must earn each nine weeks. The number of points varies according to the letter grade, for example, a letter grade of a C requires a lower number of points than the letter grade of an A. The staff at RCA goes one step farther; they challenge their students to earn a 100 AR points in order to get accepted into the 100 Point Club. After the past nine weeks, a few of the students were inducted into the 100 Point Club. This past Friday, the members of the 100 Point Club received a new book bag that had their House emblem and colors on it. It was a surprise and rewarded their hard work. This demonstrates just how far students can go when their teachers believe and encourage them to surpass set standards, which is what RCA is all about.

Spin the Wheel....

At The Ron Clark Academy, the students are divided into houses. These houses represent courage, dreams, friendship, and give ness. During the week the students can earn house points by performing well academically, being polite, lifting fellow classmates up, and a variety of other ways. On Fridays, the students report to their “houses” and put together a house cheer. They then perform their cheers in front of the other houses. After all the houses have performed, the house leaders pick one student to spin the wheel for their house. The students are spinning for points, which can range from a few, all the way to a hundred. The points are then tallied up and put into the system. The students can see which house is in the lead by looking on the screen in the hallway. It has each house listed with the total number of points, the leading house blinks on the screen. Having this system motivates the student even more to perform at their top level. The spinning of the wheel also rewards the students that have been on target for the week as well.

Innovative Teaching: The Ron Clark Academy

Imagine a school where learning is exciting, and full energy. Although hard to believe, such a school does exist and is known as The Ron Clark Academy. The teachers at RCA use innovative techniques, such as jumping on desks, and bringing music into their classrooms, to inspire their students to strive for academic excellence. While interning at RCA I have had the privilege to see these techniques first hand, and have seen the impact they have on students. As a result, the students enjoy coming to school and look forward to learning. The students also are very well mannered, and always have a welcoming smile on their face. The test scores at The Ron Clark Academy also reveal the effectiveness of how a welcoming atmosphere and inventive instructional methods can motivate children to learn. The Ron Clark Academy is a great school that thinks “out of the box” in order to give students the best education possible.