Manual teachers conclude Student for a Day experiment

Five teachers again had the unique opportunity on Friday, Jan. 23 to simulate student life and make observations for school-wide improvement as they concluded the Student for a Day experiment. The participants will meet on Monday, Jan. 26 to debrief, and then they will present to the PTSA and faculty.

Principal Mayes, who was inspired by a similar project in Washington D.C., allowed the teachers to tweet about their experiences using the hashtag #SFAD. The teachers also sat down with Redeye to further discuss what they observed.

Ms. Megan Gatewood (Science)

IMG_20150122_084547374 — Ms. Gatewood takes notes in AP Macroeconomics. Photo by Spencer Kincaid

Gatewood’s schedule was modeled after that of a typical Math Science Technology junior.

“I was super excited to see all of the different ways that teachers are interacting with students in the classroom,” she said. “I got to experience eight different teachers’ styles, and as a new teacher, it’s great for me to see what others are doing.”

Despite having ample transition time between classes herself, Gatewood remarked that the experience has inspired her to be slightly more lenient with punctuality.

“I think that I’ll have more patience with my students, because now I know that it does take time to get to and from places,” she said. “I might start giving 30 seconds or a minute of leeway.

Ms. Connie Wilcox (Humanities)

IMG_20150122_132239 — Ms. Wilcox looks over a worksheet in Anatomy and Physiology. Photo by Spencer Kincaid

Wilcox took classes similar to those of a senior HSU student.

“The students in my classes didn’t seem to understand why I said we would not be able to do the homework even if we were expected to,” Wilcox said. “We don’t have recency of preparation in those classes. I have a math degree but there’s no way I can walk in and do AP Calculus homework.”

Ms. Rebecca Donahoe (English)

IMG_20150122_114201351 — Ms. Donahoe waits in the lunch line. Photo by Spencer Kincaid

Donahoe, a freshman English teacher, took the role of a freshman HSU student. She took classes filled with many of her own students, such as AP Human Geography.

“I think I had a pretty good idea of what [this experience] would be like, but I wasn’t prepared for all the sitting,” she said. “Yesterday’s classes were tailored to be more interactive. I’m about to tweet right now about how much my back hurts.”

Ms. Liz Palmer (Journalism)