Making Advisories Meaningful

Community Building

Based on what I have read thus far in regards to advisory, I believe that the most pertinent role an advisor can be is an advocate for students. Middle school can be an awkward and a challenging time for students, because there is a tendency for students to feel isolated or disconnected from others. This feeling of loneliness may result in acting out or distancing themselves from the rest of the class, and it is imperative that an advisory is able to advocate and connect with students. Without feeling safe or having a sense of belongingness, how can we possibly expect a student to thrive, let alone focus and learn within the classroom?

The core of belonging I believe is rooted in creating stake and responsibility for our community. When students have a voice and are provided with the ability/time to make a positive impact within the community, I believe there is a tendency for students to want to connect and be a part of something that is bigger than themselves. One of the few things that made me belong in middle school was when I got to work with a team of students and two geography teachers to find missing cornerstones in my home region. These cornerstones were created by the pilgrims on Cape Cod to demarcate town boundaries through utilizing geometry and through measuring the North pole to divide towns. We brainstormed and were able to find three cornerstones that had never been previously found. This was a defining point in my life, because it made me realize how enthralled I was with history and civics, prior to this elective, I wanted to go into science.

Community building is essential to a middle school in my opinion, because it allows students to truly make a difference and feel like they have given something in return. Adolescence is an awkward age when students want to assume more adult responsibilities but are seldom given the opportunity. Surely, our students can live up to our expectations.

I would break this advisory down into sections throughout the year (or semester depending). The first section would include students identifying and discussing issues within our community (I would also have students establish norms about respect and empathy to ensure people feel safe and open about discussing issues as a community). The next step would be having students researching ideas or brainstorming potential solutions to a community issue (whether it is in school, or out of school). The next component would be strategizing and executing a game plan. Let’s say that littering is an issue within a community park, and students propose the idea of taking a field trip to clean a local park. Students (not the advisor) chose and voted on this idea, which empowers them to rise up to an occasion and make a difference, in which the entire community benefits from their efforts. Through this project, students work together and build meaningful relationships. Advisories can be an incredibly powerful experience if they are well conceived.

5 Essentials for Advisory

Additionally, I have provided my top 5 essential aspects of the role of an advisor below:

1. Address problems facing the community (potentially have students work to create solutions/brainstorm)
2. Provide support and advice for students in advisory
1. Be open and honest with students to build trust and relationships
3. Having a purposeful advisory with direction (demonstrating the importance and relevance of having advisory)
4. Advisory building (students trusting each other) and creating an empathetic community
5. Providing academic support for students.