Fixing Things (original) (raw)

I got what I think is a significant number of responses, although the people who didn't comment or email me left a noticeable sort of quiet. Either way, all the responses I did get were in the affirmative for pursuing the OCSI and making it a strong, lasting part of the Saint Mary's community.

I have ideas for how to rectify the current situation, and it would be splendid if others both chipped in with making these ideas become actions and with putting in their own ideas. Here is what I personally propose:

1. We get a teacher involved. Ms. Sparling is the OCSI moderator, but she's obviously not doing her job, and she hasn't been all year. Let's face it, she didn't do a whole lot last year either. If she's not willing to help out as much as the team needs her to, then we'll find someone else. First though, she needs to be approached and spoken with. I move that Lauren and I meet with her privately, and then the group as a whole joins us at a slightly later date. I think an ideal situation is to have an adult in the room for entire meetings twice a month, giving the leader(s) freedom, but also giving the group restraint.

2. Find a second in command. This problem is beyond Lauren, and she can't fix it herself. I think it'd be an excellent idea for there to be another person that Lauren can have assume command if she can't make it to a meeting, and also, just another person she can share responsibilities once. The other person doesn't need to take her title, or even share it; they need to back Lauren up at every opportunity.

3. There needs to be a curriculum, if only one that's loose. Do any of you know why Brother Kenneth's classes always worked out so well? It's because everything was ready ahead of time, so he COULD be prompt. If he didn't know what he was teaching in the next week, do you think he'd have been able to grade every class's homework in one night? No, he couldn't have, because he would've been working on reading and such for the next days instead.
I gave Lauren my curriculum, but it's gotten off course, and I was wrong to not go over it with her first. I still have a copy of it somewhere, and if Lauren wants help making her own, I can give that to her and help her build her own for the rest of the year, and for next year as well if she decides to keep command.

4. People need to know about the OCSI. There's a poster on the bulletin board most people don't read in the library, and that's pretty much it. Dr. Mullane's room is in an obscure location, and the only way for people to really notice the group is to hand them the information. Ask each teacher to put a poster up in their room. Put in announcements every week, on at LEAST Fridays and Mondays. Ms. Mahoney will put everything in the announcements that you want her to, provided you give her enough time. Each announcement should give a vague description of what you will be doing at the next meeting. You all need to talk to your friends about the group, and mention it in class. The OCSI needs to be EXPLAINED to everyone.

I could go on and on with suggestions, but I think that first, people need to get started with these ones. I vote for a meeting as soon as humanly possible with Sparling and Lauren, and while I am fairly knowledgable about Sparling's schedule, I have no idea of Lauren's, so I'm going to need her to email me or comment here.

What do people think about suggestions 1-4? I need way more feedback than I got last time, people.