**The Edvocate is pleased to publish guest posts as way to fuel important conversations surrounding P-20 education in America. The opinions contained within guest posts are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official opinion of The Edvocate or Dr. Matthew Lynch.**
A guest post by Carol Miller
We all need to reflect. What has worked; what hasn’t. What do I need to remember to do again or what needs to be tweaked a bit. I like to ask the students what they feel has worked for them and what they have liked. I think we all do this, but it is a great way to collect data and measure the effectiveness of our program.
For me, I can’t believe the school year is over. I thought the students did a great job with their video projects and STOP signs. I also loved the stories we shared. I wished we had more time for a few more crafts, but we packed a lot into our time together. I do think there are a few lessons that next year I would try to do in a different room, and I realize that the boys want to do a boys only video. I might have to create another Lunch Bunch just for video making. It is a big hit, and the more we did, the more I was able to have students take over the filming and the planning.
This week I sent out several surveys to parents of my lunch bunch students and to our 5th and 6th grade teachers. I also wanted their opinions as to whether they thought my programs offered any benefits to students.
For parents, I sent out a survey through google forms, and then emailed it to each parent.
I love that the responses come back in an excel spreadsheet.
Here are some of the responses so far:
| My daughter befitted from the StarBound group | My daughter enjoyed working with the other girls in the group. | My daughter enjoyed working with the leader in the group. | My daughter learned new skills and is using the skills in an out of school. | I would recommend StarBound to other families. | Additional Comments. |
| 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | My daughter was new this school year and was shy. This program helped her come out of her she’ll. She has made many new friends and understands more about life as a girl. I can’t thank you enough for cracking my daughters shell and mind. I’m so thankful for this group! |
| 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | This is a wonderful program. Our students don’t get enough of how to be a great citizen in our schools. It would be great if all students could go through this type of program. |
| 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | Isabella told me about EVERY meeting and loved that special time and the activities Carol provided. It helped her feel more empowered and brought her closer together with her friends. It was so beneficial! |
| 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | |
| 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | I believe my daughters interaction in Starbound has created teacher led small group conversations/activities outside of the classroom allowing her to find common ground with classmates she may not otherwise associate with in her peer group. |
| 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | |
| 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | |
| 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | Carol Miller is a great asset to Lansing School |
I asked teachers the following questions:
- Is the student more likely to participate in class discussions or assume a leadership role in group activities?
- Is the student exhibiting more positive relationships with peers?
- Have you seen an improvement in good student skills–homework completion, studying for tests, etc?
