School Inquiry Project Reflection

The School Inquiry Project was one that taught me a lot about the surrounding community and Wisconsin as a whole. It was a helpful and impactful project that allowed me to better understand the students I will be working with in the future. 

My top five insights from the project are as follows:

1. A principal’s job is much more than just someone who oversees the school environment. As silly as it may sound, up until the project I always saw the principal as someone who sits in their office and works on a small computer screen. After this project I got a lot better of an understanding of their responsibility and role. The principles my group talked to had such an extensive understanding of their students and their needs. They discussed the ways they serve their school and their students and how much they care about their students and staff. 

2. The surrounding community impacts every aspect of the school and the students within it. This project was one that heavily studied the location of the school. Whether it was an affluent area or one riddled with crime and poverty, the locations of the school always correspond to their information: achievement scores, behavior of students, family involvement, etc. The surrounding community and the problems they face really do impact every single student and their ability to be successful learners. 

3. A teacher’s role is limited without proper administration. Again, this project definitely brought to light the power administration holds within a school and its district. It is very easy for these teachers and students to fall victim to improper administration. Education is a field that though heavily relies on teachers, has decisions coming from much higher up. This can often lead to disconnect between teachers and admin. The teacher shortage is certainly a big topic of conversation among the education community and after this project my mind was opened to how much of that really does come from the decision made from higher ups. 

4. There is no such thing as a “bad” school. Being someone going into the education field, this is something that I have heard many times. “It’s all about the school you choose” or “Just don’t choose a bad one”. Looking at all these different schools, all having different demographics and locations, really showed how false that statement is. No matter the location, every school has incredible students that need serving. Teaching is truly an act of service and no school is a “bad” one; being able to teach at a school and make an impact is truly a gift. 

5. No two schools are the same, even if they may look that way on paper. Again, as simple as it sounds, every school is different. Even when schools are set up with the same systems, there is no way for those schools to be the same. It is the outside factors and the students that school serves that makes each school the unique school they are.

This project was one the provided me with so many insights about my future as a teacher. Getting to learn more about Wisconsin schools — ones that I could possibly teach in on day — provided me with a much better understanding of my role as a teacher. Teachers provide so much more than just an education for students. Schools are communities that revolve around the unique needs of the community they serve. This project helped me to better understand the education system in Wisconsin as a whole.