Orrin Hawke

March 30, 2016

Connecting with Social Context:

The Affect of Extracurricular Involvement on Professional
Relationships

The academic learning of a child is one pillar in the structure that we

call education. It is expected that students receive a positive social

development while at school, learning to engage with adults, peers, and

authority figures. Students who have established positive relationships with

teachers perform better in both academics and in social development than

those with more conflict in their student-teacher relationship (Rimm-Kaufmen

& Sandilos, 2015). During the first half of my PSII practicum I set out to

document my own experiences from extracurricular involvement, in hopes

that it would improve my own student-teacher relationships.

I was motivated to pursue this topic as I feel that when I was in grade

school my interests and passions were partially discovered and developed

through extracurricular activities that were put on by community volunteers

and teachers. Looking back, I can see the positive affect these adult figures

played in my social development; to learn to work as a team or group, to

take accountability for my own failures, to problem solve, to take on

leadership roles. When one of these mentors would ask about academics I

would either joyfully tell them my success or explain my lack of

understanding of a concept. Although they never taught me any core

subjects, I took it to heart if they told me I needed to improve, or study

harder.

During orientation day at my practicum school I found myself

wondering how I could best use my short time to get to know my students

and make any influence on their success. I was informed of the school play

that would be performed near the end of March, and I immediately decided

that this would be my gate into the school community. Drama performance is

scattered throughout my personal and professional background, and the

relationships that I developed with the adults involved in my school shows

are still strong.

During the month of March, I attended play rehearsal everyday after

school for 2 hours, assisted with organizing props for the production, came in

on some of my days off to make, paint and move set pieces. I helped

organize the final curtain call, read lines with cast members, attended a few

extra drama classes, was the key holder to the prop room and chaperoned

students. During the three days of their performance I was at the theater for

three shows a day, staying at the theater before school hours until about 9

oclock at night. I ran the backstage area, organizing students to help with

props and set changes. I was able to watch the shows last performance,

then assisted with the take down, using my personal truck to transport set

pieces to a storage unit, cleaning up until the next morning. I estimate that I

put in over 60 hours into this play in the two and a half weeks I have been

with the school.

 For this paper I decided, since I am no longer the student at my

school but an educator, that I would observe how extracurricular activities

build relationships with other parties within the school community, not solely

with the students. From my observations I have devised three categories in

which I will expand upon: the students, the staff, and the administrators.

The Students

Being able to work with these students after school gave me more time

with them and allowed me the opportunity to learn their names sooner. By

spending more time with them I increased the amount of face time we had,

therefore allowing me to learn their interests and passions. The students

were able to demonstrate their abilities, tell me about their characters and

show me what they have been working towards for the past 5 months. I

found it very beneficial to work with students who are not in any of my

classes, who are from a variety of grades. Talking with them and

strengthening our relationships permitted greater respect and interactions

during school hours, in the halls or outside during lunch hour. The

participants in the play knew who I was, and would introduce me to their

peers not apart of the production during lunch hour, increasing the amount

of students I knew and the ones who knew me. My demeanor in the

classroom is quite relaxed, but students enjoyed seeing me work with them

on a non-academic interest. Creating positive classroom pride helps students

trust their instructors and be engaged during learning (Boynton & Boynton,
2005). I found the students to respect me more as they saw school staff

members respect me as a fellow staff member.

The Staff

Working on this project allowed me to meet and associate with many

other staff members who were also involved in the production. I was able to

assist teachers from other grades and subjects on props and set design.

During the time spent with these staff members I was able to seek further

advice and assistance for the courses I am teaching, as well as seek

professional advice about the teaching profession. Many teachers now know

me by name and are able to talk with other staff members about who I am

and what I have been doing. Working on projects with them after hours

permitted a relaxed atmosphere for us to discuss our perspectives on the

school, classroom management, and helped establish friendships and

networking. Having positive relationships with staff members creates a

positive work environment, which may lead to future career opportunities,

and continues to improve ones teaching through collaboration.

The Administration

As a student teacher I have been informed by many staff members the

importance of making yourself known to the administrators. Schools want

employees who care about the betterment of the institution as a whole,

dedicated individuals who work with others to accomplish tasks. While

working on this project I was able to have many positive interactions with the

administrators which has led to the knowing me by name and engaging with
me in productive conversations about the things I am participating in. As a

potential future employee face time is important since administrators are

looking for those who are involved in the school community. Extracurricular

activities provide teachers with an opportunity to be seen giving of their time

and building those relationships with students by administrators. They

converse with each one another and other schools administrators, and if you

have made an impression they could be marketing you for potential jobs. The

positive relationship built with your administrators could lead to future career

employment and success.

Conclusion

My connection to social context was demonstrated through questioning

the benefit that involvement in extracurricular activities produces in the

professional relationships that a teacher has, including relationships with

students, fellow staff members, and administrators. To address this issue I

became involved in my practicum schools drama production starting the

first week that I arrived. I spent hours of personal time working alongside

students, staff, and administrators in preparation for the production,

including set design, props, and officiating over the stage hands. Through my

experience I found that my relationship with my own students improved, I

became more aware of their needs and interests as individuals. My status in

the school was elevated by both the student body as well as by staff and

administrators; students I worked with spoke to me respectfully outside of

rehearsals, introducing me to other students in the school, and teachers

began to recognize who I was from hearing about what school wide project I

was assisting. It seems that when administrators are able to see you working

on a project for the school they appreciate your efforts more than if they

have just heard that you have been helping out, which to me means that

face time with administrators is the best way to be recognized and gain

respect.

This experience will help inform my further teaching practice as I now

feel it is essential for my professional self to be actively engaged in the

extracurricular options offered by schools. I have heard personal accounts of

teachers who were offered contracts due to their volunteer efforts at the

school prior to having a job, or those who have temporary contracts being

offered permanent positions due to all the extra work they provide for the

benefit of the students and the school. I have found that students who have

a purpose at school perform better, and the positive relationship they

develop with teachers can be heightened with those who give of their time

and efforts to extracurricular activities. Students who have behavioral or

academic problems may rely more heavily on the relationships established

with teachers (Hamre & Pianta, 2006). The more involved I can be, the more

positive and beneficial my relationships will be for others and for my own

professional agenda.

Reference List:
Boynton, M. & Boynton, C. (2005). Developing Positive Teacher- Student
Relations. Retrieved from
http://www.ascd.org/publications/books/105124/chapters/Developing_Positive
_Teacher-Student_Relations.aspx

Hamre, B. K. & Pianta, P. C. (2006). Student-Teacher Relationships. Retrieved

from http://www.pearweb.org/conferences/sixth/pdfs/NAS-CBIII-05-1001-005-
hamre%20&%20Pianta%20proof.pdf

Rimm-Kaufman, S. & Sandilos, L. (2015). Improving Students Relationship

with Teachers to Provide Essential Supports for Learning. Retrieved from
http://www.apa.org/education/k12/relationships.aspx