Amelia Earhart Elementary’s Year Theme: Reflection

September 8th, 2022 /
Spencer Tuinei /
Amelia Earhart, Elementary School, News, Schools

Amelia Earhart Elementary teachers reflected on their loss to the sixth-grade students last year, channeling their energy toward their new year’s theme: Reflection.

Amelia Earhart hosts over a dozen end-of-the-year school events, and one of those events is the teachers versus students kickball game. Last year, for the first time in Amelia Earhart Elementary history, the sixth graders beat their teachers at kickball.

Students watched a video created by Amelia Earhart staff in their first assembly in which the teachers lamented their previous kickball loss. This loss fueled a desire in teachers to evaluate where they went wrong, hone their focus, and implement some practice for the upcoming year– at least, that’s what the teachers presented in their comical, tongue-in-cheek video.

Students giggled and pointed during the video presentation; teachers danced, sang, and even hunted down secret treasures to find a method to overcome the sixth-graders in their upcoming game. Throughout the video, however, teachers modeled how one could reflect on their situation, troubleshoot what went wrong, and implement actions to fix the problem.

As comical as the video was, the theme and tone for the year are deep-dyed and profound; the goal for students is to practice metacognition, framing learning not only from a “what are we learning” approach but a “how and why are we learning?” approach. Metacognition is “thinking about thinking.” It improves learning and problem-solving by promoting a growth mindset, and several comprehensive analyses link deep learning to good metacognitive practices.

Amelia Earhart Elementary prides itself on coordinated techniques to create self-learners; from concentrated enrichment programs, small-group instruction interventions, and social and emotional mediations, everything starts with a specialized plan for the student. Undoubtedly, this assembly follows through with the same steady-footed philosophy, preparing each student from the moment they enter the school to the moment they leave to become lifelong learners.