The three Rs of schools are Rigor, Relevance and Relationships – and at Paulo Freire the 3 Rs are addressed daily in our Morning Meetings. It may seem like a very short period (8:30-8:45 am) to get such important work done, but it is powerful stuff.
This year the staff at both schools are co-facilitating the experiences and have adopted different days of the week – each day with a different focus/theme. As such, students are exposed to current event discussions, social justice and environmental sustainability activities, reminders about the application of the Habits of Heart and Mind, democratic processes and a little fun to boot. For example, this last week we processed the Paris bombings and the situation with the Syrian refugees and in so doing students learned about geography, history and politics, but perhaps even more importantly, participated in philosophic and morale discussions about what it means to be a global citizen.
The vast majority of our community attend Morning Meeting consistently and get the benefit of this daily experience which truly sets the tone for the day. However, a small group of students at both schools consistently come late to school and miss out. Please know that this time is NOT OPTIONAL. The start of the school day is fairly late deliberately so that all children should be able to make it to school on time. As challenging as morning routines can be, please make sure that your young person gets the benefit of these important academic experiences.
Finally, if all the above was not reason enough to make it to Morning Meeting, it is also the time where important announcements about school and community events are made. Students that aren’t present often miss information that is essential to their academic success. And as a final note, parents are invited to stay and participate if they would like. PFFS staff believe they get as much from the learning as our young people!
