Kelli Thornhill

Snow days are a much anticipated day off for most students. There is even a whole list of snow day superstitions that students follow diligently; turn your pajamas inside out, flush an ice cube down the toilet, and sleep with a spoon under your pillow, just to name a few. I have memories of placing my spoon underneath my pillow each night before a snowstorm, hoping I'd get to sleep in the next day. But are the ramifications worth the eight hours of freedom? I asked myself this question after visiting the Swift House team at Williston Central School last Thursday. They had just come back from a snow day, and suddenly, I began to see snow days through the eyes of a teacher, and not from the perspective of a student. As my group and I walked into the bright yellow halls of Swift House, we were struck by the quietness of all the classrooms. As a middle school team consisting of fifth through eighth graders, I fully expected to walk into a loud, energetic environment. I soon realized,...

There are so many factors that contribute to student success. If a student is not prepared to learn, then the process becomes much more difficult. Abraham Maslow, a well known American psychologist, established a motivational theory that typically consists of five tiers, each of which needs to be met in order to move on to the next. These tiers include categories of physiological needs, safety, love and belonging, esteem, and self-actualization. Maslow's hierarchy of needs can be seen in the image below: What does this mean for teachers, and why is it so important?  We should start by considering the fact that not meeting any one of these needs can often inhibit a student's ability to learn and retain information. Here is an example...  An adolescent girl has to walk two miles to get to school because her guardian picks up an early morning shift at work. In order to get to school on time, she leaves her house 20 minutes earlier than she would if she was being dr...