Hippy Valley Middle School

Last week I sat next to an 11-year-old on the plane as I returned from Washington, D.C., back to San Francisco. We struck up a friendly conversation and I asked him about school. I learned that he just graduated from elementary school and that he'll be entering middle school this fall.

I also learned that he does not like school.

"Is there anything about school that you like?" I asked.

"No."

"What didn't you like about your elementary school?"

"The teachers, principals and the kids."

"Sounds rough," I said. "What kind of school would you like to go to?"

"It would be called 'Hippy Valley' Elementary," he replied. "Everyone would wear tie-dyed shirts and glasses shaped like hearts."

"What would you learn there?"

"How to fight the people who want to cut down trees."

"What do you think you need to know in order to do that?" I asked.

"I don't know," he replied.

"Do you think you're going to like middle school?"

"No."

Nice to see some social justice passion there, but this kid seemed to have really low expectations — even for an 11-year-old.

After learning that he lives in the Oakland/Berkeley area, I suggested to him that he and his family look around for charter middle school options. There are some good charter schools in the area, I told him, and if he looked around, he might find a school that would teach him a lot and that he would actually enjoy attending.

"Nobody likes school," he responded. "You can't like school and have a life," he responded.

OK, it was clear to me: This kid really needs to be surrounded by teachers that ask a lot of him and work hard to ignite his own passions. I hope his parents recognize his potential and know that they have choices.

I hope he finds Hippy Valley Middle School and that the teachers really rock.

Comments

[L. Leeman]

I tried very hard to submit my view on our school while defining my role and your site didnt take my submission claiming i did not identify my role. There is no easy access to a contact source and while I find this site helpful it is not friendly.

[Victoria Thorp]

This student seems to be suffering from the misconception (probably encouraged by his parents) that he can program his school like he programs is ipod. While I think it's great that there are schools, such as some charters and privates, that provide "niche" education focused on a particular area, part of the benefit of going to school is being exposed to wide variety of ideas and perspectives. This student could be encouraged to find clubs and activities at his new middle school where he can pursue his particular interests (maybe his school has a "Wish You Lived in the 60s Club"), so he can dig into his academic subjects with more enthusiasm.

[Liz Ditz]

Welcome to blogging, Mr. Jackson. I found your blog by accident.

Not Hippy Valley, but schools that emphasize the joy of learning (sadly, most private):

The Girls' Middle School in Mountain View (joy of learning is an explicit part of the mission).

Julia Morgan School for Girls (on the Mills College Campus)

The Athenian School (6-12, in Danville)

St. Paul's Episcopal School (k-8, in Oakland -- a really remarkable school)

Summit Prep, a charter high school in the Redwood City School District

North Star Academy (a Redwood City School District) is reputed to be an inclusive, exciting place. I have a friend whose daughter has just started--I'll know more later.

Ohlone Elementary (Palo Alto School District) project-based learning, innovative curriculum.

Disclosure: my daughter graduated from GMS and I am on the board. I graduated from Athenian and served on the board for 10 years.

I wonder when the private schools and the public schools are going to start having effective conversations about "what works".

[ana r]

Hippy Valley Middle School sure sounds like a fun name for a school, but really would there ever be such school?. a school where kids don't go only to study but also o enjoy what they do. It's sad to think that all we think about is high standards,without having fun. Our kids need to enjoy what They do have fun reading a book , excited about doing math, learning our past history. to all teachers I will say that for them to want to become just that is because they had someone that made their learning fun, right? now lets just do that for our kids today and you'll see how many change their minds and start to LIKE SCHOOL.

[Dayana Perez]

This is more like a question. I am new to the area and plan to enroll my son at Billy Mitchell E.S. Can anyone tell me when is the first day of class? I am starting a new job and would like to plan ahead to be there for my son's first day. Thank you very much.

[michael]

Sounds great! I'm an Oakland teacher and will hold my students to high standards and challenge them even though many students haven't had this experience in the past. The 'Hippy Valley' idea is a great one. I've been thinking of class themes for the coming year and might be able to adapt some ideas from your talk with the 11 year-old for my own classes.

Cheers!

[Jim]

One daughter entering H.S. and one entering 6th.

both feel school is boring.

I have tried making changes but run up against "administrative convience" ... teachers and administrators seem to have too much to do already.
I am going to run for school site council but status quo may win.

suggestions ??

[eileen b.]

Hippy Dippy sure sounds like a SF private school. Not one of the great academic yet friendly public schools in the bay area.