Visiting the Ron Clark Academy

Yesterday, October 21st, 2010, I traveled to Atlanta, Georgia to visit the Ron Clark Academy.  RCA is a private school that was established by North Carolina Teaching Fellows Alum Ron Clark.  Ron Clark was made famous after winning the National Teacher of the Year Award a few years ago, after moving to Harlem to work at a disadvantaged school filled with struggling kids.  He appeared on the Oprah Winfrey show, and has since written two books, The Essential 55 and The Excellent 11, both of which outline his exceptional teaching style and his philosophy of education.  After writing his first book, Ron Clark began work on developing his own school, one that he could design and run in his own way.  The school's construction was funded by proceeds from book sales, and its continuation is funded in the same way.  RCA is filled with students from Atlanta's inner city, and all students pay to go there, but pay according to a variable scale, based on many criteria.  Some parents pay as little as $35 dollars a month for a state of the art school in which their child receives special attention and genuine love.  The school is awesome!  The meaning behind it is inspirational!
The building that houses the Ron Clark Academy is a refurbished factory, and sports large classrooms that the teachers helped design and implement their own individual styles of decor.  The walls sport fabulous works of art, and furniture is not restricted to desks.  Some rooms have lounge-like furniture and nice tables, which makes students feel relaxed and is a great change of pace.  The teachers are enthusiastic and genuinely love what they do, and the students respond well to that.  The staff spends a lot of time making the students feel like a family, and it helps that this is a small school.  It includes grades 5-8, and has just over one hundred students.  There has never been a fight at the Ron Clark Academy.

The Slide

Learning is fun at the Ron Clark Academy.  There is an atmosphere of enjoyment as soon as one walks into the building.  First thing in the morning, students can jump on a trampoline to begin the day.  There is a giant blue slide that links the first and second floors, and many students use this rather than the stairs.  In the upstairs girls' bathroom, the walls are covered with posters and pictures of teenage heartthrobs like Justin Bieber and Taylor Lautner.  Every Friday, the students spin the "wheel" in order to gain points for their houses, of which there are four and serve to build a stronger sense of community among all the grade levels.  Music is used in every class, based on the belief that students writing and singing songs about content promotes more investment and engagement in learning.  In Mr. Clark's class, music is used as a reward for a job well done.  Music starts and the classroom turns into a club, with flashing lights and loud music.  It is awesome!

The students at the Academy are loved dearly by their teachers, but are also held to very high expectations, and the teachers and students mean business.  They are expected to follow rules and directions to the letter, and are praised highly for their accomplishments.  These are seriously the most well behaved and nicest children I have ever met.  Not only does RCA meet academic needs, but also life skills needs.  The students are taught how to meet people, shake hands, make people feel welcome, and carry on a conversation.  If more schools were dedicated to helping develop students into world-changers, as the Ron Clark Academy is, imagine how our world could be someday.  These students are growing into wonderful people, and I cannot wait to see what they do.  Visiting the Ron Clark Academy inspired me to be the best teacher I can be, and reaffirmed my belief that I am entering the profession that I was called to enter.