Summer of learning

As a 15-year-old going through an endless summer, Sofia Delgado could have been lying on the beach, camping or enjoying a lengthy family vacation.

Instead, The Out-of-Door Academy student traveled to the Netherlands and England for 10 days in June to discuss, of all things, politics and world affairs.

"Some of the time, I would like to just be a kid," said Delgado, who is a sophomore at ODA. "But most of the time, I feel there is not enough of a push for (teens) to be adults. There is not enough thought of politics and human rights issues. I wouldn't change the way I am."

Delgado was one of nine Out-of-Door students to make the trip organized by the EF Educational Tour Summit on Human Rights. The global youth conference was held in The Hague, Netherlands and students also visited London as well. The Summit was organized to "focus on issues facing a shifting planet."

The trip was one example of how students use their breaks to absorb more education and to be better prepared for the new semester. As high school education around the world becomes more competitive, students, teachers and administrators spend less time in the pool and more time finding programs that will enhance learning potential.

Delgado was glad she sacrificed some down time.

"I learned a lot of leadership skills," the Siesta Key resident said. "When you work with a group, sometimes that means being a follower when the time calls for it. I learned how to take a step back and let other people be leaders, allowing everyone to get their say. I always have been used to taking control first because I consider myself a natural leader. It has been difficult for me to let other people speak."

Her mother, Sherry Delgado, thought her daughter made a good choice when it came to planning her vacation. "She was amazed by the people she met, the topics, everyone's similarities and differences. I don't know (the Out-of-Door students) understood that people from other countries are very similar. I am grateful for all the good this will bring."

Sofia Delgado said she learned a lot about those living in other areas of the world. "There is a certain ignorance in America right now when it comes to understanding other people's points of view," she said. "It was eye-opening to see how other countries look at us. For example, we saw so many different opinions about Donald Trump as a lot of European students discount him as a politician and they see him as ridiculous. As we talked to students from London, Amsterdam and Hague, it showed that whatever decision we make here can affect how we trade with those countries."

Although Delgado admits to being more of a Democrat, she listened to conservative viewpoints and said she sees the importance of finding "some sort of middle ground."

With communication skills learned at the conference, Delgado said she will be better prepared to compromise and she, perhaps, will pursue more of a role on her student council. "This definitely will have an influence on me, perhaps influencing me to set a goal to live in the Netherlands because it was so beautiful there. Perhaps I will try to take an elective on human rights issues in high school or perhaps pursue a human rights major in college."

Other ODA students who made the trip were senior Jack McDonald, Bella Lee-Swartz and Denisse Descamps-Tofani along with sophomores Caroline LaFoe, Maria Miler, Clayton Watson, Tucker Harris and Declan McCann.

BETTER PREPARED

Students aren't alone when it comes to developing skills to enter a new semester with improved learning capabilities.

Joshua Bennett, the Bashaw Elementary School principal, and East County resident Pamela Craig, the director of school improvement for the Manatee County School District, both come into the new school year after graduating from the "Commissioner's Leadership Academy."

The state program consisted of 127 educators and 38 facilitators-in-training who took the course to develop highly specialized leadership skills. They graduated from the program in June.

Craig said a great deal of Academy time was spent observing teachers in their work environment and then building effective ways to communicate with those teachers to improve teaching practices. "It really was about dialogue between a teacher and the principal," Craig said. "It was not about any set strategy."

With her job concentrating on "under-performing" schools, Craig said the academy has helped her to be a better communicator. "It has helped me to modify my choice of words," she said. "We are trying to be more supportive of the teacher."

Bennett said it was an honor to be selected for the program and he agreed with Bennett that it was valuable.

"One of the main components was that we need to be consistent and reliable in our observing practices," Bennett said about evaluating a teacher at work. "And then how do you use the information you obtain (through the observation) to help the teacher be more effectual?"

He said principals or administrators who are doing evaluation during a 40-minute block of time, need to be very specific during their conversation with the teacher. He said the goal is to produce teachers who can cater to each individual student's learning style.