The Hidden Curriculum

The picture below, from Catholic Boys High School in Arkansas, was making the news rounds in early August:

In addition to the published curriculum (i.e. math, language arts, science, social studies, religion, etc) all schools have a "hidden" curriculum (i.e. problem solving, social interaction, following directions, responsibility, etc). Although teaching the "hidden" curriculum is less direct, it is almost as important as the published curriculum. 

While policies like the one pictured above may seem extreme, there is great value in policies that do not permit lost items to be delivered to students. I wrote about the impact of these policies, called "No Rescue" last year (see that featured blog post on the left navigation bar).  Granted, it is a Monday, but as of 10:13 am today, this was the mountain of forgotten items delivered to school and burying Mrs. Nesmith:

When I asked if this was a normal occurrence, she replied, "No, this is a light day." While I am certain Mrs. Nesmith doesn't mind--and is too nice to ever admit it if she did--these forgotten items represent the constant, numerous disruptions to the classroom. 

To minimize those disruptions, we will only deliver forgotten items that a student NEEDS.  These include lunches, eyeglasses or medications. Please consider that students' grades are NOT significantly impacted if they forget their PE clothes; there are enough water fountains on campus to soothe the thirst of a forgotten water bottle; there are enough classroom computers for a student to use if a Chromebook/Surface is forgotten at home; and we even have emergency lunch for those that forget them at home. 

This is a great lesson in responsibility for our children.  If an item is forgotten, our staff will help your child through the day, so there is no need to drop everything you are doing and rush the item to school. I promise, based on experience, students only need to face the consequences of a forgotten item once or twice to remember it the next time!

Thank you for being our partners in teaching our children some of life's most important lessons.

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