Have you ever heard about a switcheroo?
At Howick Elementary, the teachers and the students swap places one day per month. The teachers go to learn in a classroom while the students do fun activities in the gymnasium with special guests.
The students have been exposed to new experiences, like Irish dancing with the Young Academy of Irish Dance, hip-hop dancing with the Zero-Gravity dance studio, mad science, youth theatre with Jordy Productions, steel pan drumming for Black History Month, and step dancing with the Montreal Steppers.
Students are separated into 12 groups of students from all grade levels called “houses.” At the beginning of the year, the students came up with creative house names, such as the Donut Masters, the Blue Coconuts, the Destroyers, the Dragons, and the Dumpster Fire Starters, for example.
“One day a month, we have something special happening for the students and teachers,” said Principal Caroline Bouchard. “The whole idea of this switcheroo comes in because the teachers become the learners.”
Ms. Bouchard explained that the goal of having the students attend the switcheroo activities in mixed age groups was that the kids might get to know each other better. “We were hoping this would follow them out onto the playground,” she added.
“But my main inspiration was to provide meaningful, relevant PD for my teachers during the school day, and not on their lunch hour and not after school,” she said.
The students are on board. “We learn something new with every switcheroo,” said one Grade 6 student.
“We get to participate in fun activities,” said another student in Grade 5. “I hope it continues for the rest of the year.”
Ms. Bouchard said that for next year, she hopes to offer more than one activity at a time so students can participate in different workshops. She is also considering having community members and parents participate as well.
*This article was written by students in Grades 5 and 6 at Howick Elementary School as part of a partnership between the New Frontiers School Board and The Gleaner, with support from the federal government.