Jon Hutton

By Jon Hutton
Assistant Principal, Tippecanoe Valley High School

“Education is the most powerful weapon you can use to change the world.” – Nelson Mandela

At Tippecanoe Valley High School, 160 to 200 new students come through our doors at the start of every school year. Each group has its own personality, maturity level and potential for success. Just as each group is different, the way they are taught is different.

Just like in a family, not every child has similar reactions or needs. We adjust to meet the needs of each group. This year, TVHS has initiated two changes to how we approach learning and what our day looks like.

The first approach is the establishment of a professional learning community for each grade. These teacher groups meet every Tuesday and Thursday before school and examine where students are struggling and excelling and what their needs are. The teachers look at any failing grades, student issues and ways to encourage students during their day.

We have a variety of ways we reach out to those who are struggling and different ways we encourage and reward those who are preforming above standards. To help students, we offer opportunities like tutoring, remediation and test preparation for upcoming standardized tests. To encourage students, we offer a variety of rewards ranging from earning free time in the gym to T-shirts. We see great value in highlighting the positive.

One of the biggest changes has been to our schedule, with a block of time built into each school day known as Viking Success. This period is meant to be a time when a teacher can mentor and develop relationships with a specific group of students. Students have time to work on homework, see individual teachers, receive help on assignments and work on projects.

This time is also one in which students can give back to their group by helping others or researching a topic they are passionate about. Students have a greater opportunity to connect with their teachers and receive individual help than ever before. Each Viking Success teacher has the full picture of how each student is doing, will contact parents and can guide students throughout the school year.

We strive to make each school year better than the one before. This year’s changes have had great impact in ways as obvious as lowering the number of failures from the start of the quarter to the end. Last quarter, TVHS had an overall pass rate of 97 percent for all classes. We monitor student reading levels and adjust how we teach to meet the needs of our students.

Because of our work with professional learning communities and the implementation of Viking Success, we have seen positive results for our students. Change is always difficult, but these changes have enabled us to better meet kids where they are and take them where they need to go.