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Faith De Leon works on her portfolio with her Advisory teacher, Catriona Misfeldt.
Photo by Valerie Mallari
How do you make school a home? Advisory is the answer
By MacNeill Secondary School Students
Published 4:13 PDT, Tue July 4, 2017
Last Updated: 2:12 PDT, Wed May 12, 2021
By Joshua Chen, Carmen Luo, Mike Xian and Angelika
Tee
High school is a different experience for
everyone, but most can agree that it is a difficult time in many teenagers’
lives.
At A.R. MacNeill Secondary School, students
get a helping hand from an advisory teacher. Advisory is a class unique to
MacNeill that helps relieve some of the stress students may feel.
The Advisory class is available to students
every school day. When Grade 8 students come to MacNeill, they are grouped into
Advisory classrooms with a teacher. The classes are small; averaging about 21
students per teacher. These Advisory classes become permanent homes for the
students’ 5 years in high school. This class acts as a break within the day to
learn life lessons and set goals that help guide students through their high
school lives.
Advisory is not a place to kill time or to
just break the ice with your peers.
It is about learning important life skills
and applying them to everyday life.
When a student has a concern or issue about
anything, their Advisory teacher is available to discuss their worries.
“It’s like having a parent in the school,”
says Tuzar Irani, Advisory educational facilitator.
The importance of these Advisory teachers is
not only shown through their advice, but also through their responsibilities.
They are responsible for conducting weekly
lessons on subjects such as POWER, (Positive Attitude, Ownership, We not Me,
Excellence, Respect) understanding the teenage brain, and study skills. They
also oversee U.S.S.R (Uninterrupted Sustained Silent Reading), as well as offer
support throughout the year-end portfolio process, where students reflect on
their growth as a student over the course of a school year.
Fred Chiang, a Grade 9 Advisory teacher, said
that the class fosters strong relationships.
“Within the five years together, my goal is
to have developed a strong enough relationship that the student can come to me
about anything,” he said.
Advisory is one of the most positive aspects
of MacNeill, where staff and students can focus on social and emotional
learning and promote social responsibility within the school and community.
Many students across grades conclude that Advisory benefits them in becoming
more POWERful students, while it is also a place to strengthen their social
skills, and further develop their connections with the people around them.
Although there are a few students who believe
Advisory may not be necessary, there are those who believe it is equivalent to
a family who you can come home to and turn to when you are in need.
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