Advisory: 22 Ways to Build Relationships for Educational Success (Transcript)

Derick: When you look at the whole big picture as one big thing, it’s gonna be like, it looks super scary, but you take it like piece-by-piece, you can get through it.

Derick: Having the same advisor for four years, they get a relationship with someone that’s not just a teacher, a real person. Being able to be an important part of their lives. And you can see the maturity level that they take, and you see them change. You see the growth in them.

Derick: It’s stressful, lot of stuff going on, it happens. But you got it girl! You got it! You’re smart!

Gary: Advisory is a small group of students, fifteen typically with an advisor. They stay with that advisor for four years. The advisor speaks a lot on the behalf of the student to community members or internships. The advisor is in constant communication with the parents. Anything that happens with that student, it’s like it happens with you.

Alex: I’m doing poetry, songwriting, a short story. That’s another thing that I’m pretty iffy about when it comes to these things.

Gary: So in that, just think about what gives you the best case scenario to be successful.

Alex: Advisory gives a chance to work on all of our schoolwork from the day. And our advisor, he will sit down with us and actually take the time to work one-on-one with us and make sure that we have what we need.

Laura: The most important thing in ninth grade advisory from day one is setting what the culture will be like. Teaching them how to manage their time, their projects, due dates, syllabuses. Reflecting, journaling, we do that every day. That happens at the very beginning. So whatever I’m doing that I want them to kind of take with them all four years, it’s something I model every day.

Laura: Don’t forget your reflections due Friday.

Student: Yeah, Mr. Brown was just talking about that today.

Laura: He talked about that today? Good.

Chae: Because of the relationships that you build within the advisory, people feel comfortable saying, “Hey, this is what you’ve done well in. And these are some things that you should work on, because they will help you be better.” When a student can relate and they know that you care, that makes a big difference.

Laura: Just make sure you do the tracking for these two weeks.

Dexter: Okay.

Laura: And if it were me, I might pick somebody in here who will hold you accountable, and make sure that they check in with you every Monday, Wednesday and Friday.

Dexter: Okay.

Dexter: Advisory’s important, because you could have people that will always help you. People that’ll always support you. But if you fail, then they’ll be there to pick up the pieces, and help me.

Laura: Advisory is so fundamental because as they move forward they see it as a family, they see it as people they can trust.

Gary: Everything good?

Zetty: Yeah, everything’s fine.

Gary: Okay, mom’s good?

Zetty: Mm hm.

Gary: Has anybody called home and said, “Zetty is killing it. Zetty is doing so much better?” No. Okay, I need to do that.

Gary: We have a very open and honest relationship. And really, there’s nothing off limits, and I like to take that approach, because I know at the end of the day that I know the real student.

Gary: Okay, y’all, let’s get it started. Let’s get it jumping.

Gary: Every first Friday, we pick a menu, and every person has a responsibility. They bring in their food, and we eat together, and we hang together, and we laugh together.

Gary: Robert, the lasagna’s good!

Robert: Thank you!

Gary: Did your mom make it?

Robert: I made it.

Gary: What?!

Gary: That’s just my way of bringing them all back to this space, and refocusing our energy and hitting home the idea that we’re a unit, and we’re moving forward.

Robert: We’ve grown so close from freshman year. And whenever we have a personal issue, or school-related issue, we talk together as a class, and we try to help each other out all the time.

Gary: Make sure that you look at your exhibition date and time and put that in your phone and tell your parents about it.

Damon: He has given me the foundation to go out on my own and be able to succeed in everyday life. He’s given me tools and wisdom that nobody else has given me.

Derick: You don’t really realize the impact you have on students until you really spend a lot of time with them, you know, and you see the growth in them.

Gary: And what about, how do you feel?

Zetty: I’m happier that my grades are better.

Gary: Okay.

Gary: I have this fulfillment at the end of the line, and you see this finished work, you understand the growth that was achieved, and they understand that, and that’s what makes the journey worth doing.

Gary: You feel like you’ve got it now?

Alex: Yes! I think.

Gary: Excellent!

Alex: Really? [laughter]

Schools That Work

Nashville Big Picture High School