The End of Molasses Classes by Ron Clark

Ron Clark provides an entertaining and helpful book describing some of the best practices at the Ron Clark Academy school in Georgia.  The book is broken up into sections

1. RCA Core principles and Values
2. The Role of a Parent in the Success of a Child
3. Creating the Right Culture and Climate
4. Reaching Out Beyond the Classroom

Ron describes successes and failures with students.  He describes a misunderstanding with one of his students at the Japanese memorial for Hiroshima.  One of the students didn't smile in a group photo and Ron took him to task for checking out.  Ron later learned from the student that he was empathizing with the people's suffering and did not feel like smiling in the photo. 

Ron worked personally with one student who kept refusing to read in the classroom.  Ron read with the student and found he could not pronounce the words.  Ron then spent extra time outside normal class hours helping the student to pronounce the words and then understand the meaning of the words by using colors that the student felt represented the feeling or meanings of the words.  The student also drew pictures of some words to improve comprehension.  Ron then called on the student in class when they came upon the paragraph a few days later.  The student was able to read it with confidence and his classmates were impressed with his ability. The student worked to continue to improve his skills.

Ron asks students to answer a question and will wait in silence for an answer.  The other members of the class are not allowed to raise their hands but can offer encouragement.  If the student struggles after a 10 seconds then hints are offered or the whole class works the problem together with the student to get the answer.  Ron does not allow his students to check out. 

Ron offers parents some great advice interacting with students, teachers and parents.  Don't rescue your kid.  They need to learn from failure and take responsibility for their actions.  Some people will be rewarded for excellent work.  Do not use this as an excuse to check out.  Use this as motivation to do better. 

Ron also describes the Hogwarts style initiation into four groups in the school.  The groups are not limited by grade.  It helps promote a family style support network in the school.

I appreciate Ron's enthusiasm for teaching and doing what it takes to get excellent performance out of students even if it means standing on top of his desk and teaching about the Inca civilization.  Classroom time is precious.  Don't waste it.  Keep moving and keep the students engaged.

I noted that several variations of the ideas in the book were used at the SAMS school attended by my daughter.  Teachers pop into other classes to observe techniques and then work to apply them to improve their own teaching.  The teachers use songs that help students learn techniques to solve problems. Applying these techniques improves the educational experience for students, parents, teachers and administrators.

Raise the level of expectations - 13 minutes



Using Chants to facilitate learning - 5 minutes