Publication Date: Wednesday, June 01, 2005
Talking about the past
Talking about the past
(June 01, 2005) JLS students put together portfolios, prepare for exit interviews
by Alexandria Rocha
ora Boyd and Laura Gumbrecht know how to give a good handshake.
"It shouldn't be too firm," said Laura, 14.
"But not like a wet fish," piped Nora, also 14, extending her arm and making it limp at the wrist.
The longtime best friends are just two of the eighth-graders at Jane Lathrop Stanford Middle School busy prepping for their big interviews this week. For the second year, the East Meadow Drive campus is conducting "eighth-grade exit interviews," held Thursday and Friday, to give those heading to high school a chance to reflect on their last three years.
"It's a chance to see how they've grown over the years. Even something as simple as how much their handwriting has improved over the years," said Cindy Lazzareschi, a JLS teacher.
A lot has changed about the process since last year's inception. For starters, the teachers are on board. JLS Principal Joe DiSalvo said it was a hard task convincing the school's teachers that exit interviews were a good idea.
The students' portfolios, which they showcase during the interviews, will incorporate elective work as well as pieces from their academic subjects. This year, the interviewees -- community members recruited by DiSalvo and his staff -- will only provide written comments as feedback, instead of rating the students on a one to five scale like last year.
The concept of eighth-grade exit interviews came from a school in Milpitas where DiSalvo used to work. He saw the benefit of having graduates package their best middle school assignments to show interested community members in a formal, real-world setting. But it was a tough idea to convey.
"There was definitely resistance because people were very worried that the kids were going to be stressed out, that it would be a negative experience for them," said JLS Assistant Principal Debi Bodenheimer.
"We eased their concerns when they saw how much preparation time the kids would have. Some teachers came in and watched and they saw all the smiles and saw the students talking about themselves to someone who was very interested," she said.
One of the key components behind this week's interviews is having "kid-friendly" interviewers. To accomplish that, DiSalvo and two parents, Ellen Harris and Margaret Toor, recruited 80 community members -- many retired Palo Alto teachers.
Each student will be assigned a specific time to head to an interview. No call-slips will be delivered, and it's the student's responsibility to make it on time. The kids have been told to dress nice, but "it's not like you wear your prom outfit," said Laura.
As much as possible, there will be two adults per student. The interview is only 15 to 20 minutes long, and this year computers and CD players will be available when the students have Web pages or music to present.
"I have heard from some people that it's intimidating," said Nora. "But the way I form thoughts about something is by talking it out and then I form opinions, so I'm excited. I'll probably mess up and say something wrong, but then I'll recover."
Bodenheimer said it has been a common practice for middle school students to keep portfolios for a number of years. The exit interviews help the kids trim down their piles of work to only their best pieces.
Since Nora's favorite subject is social studies, she plans to showcase some of her best journal entries, tests and projects. Laura said her portfolio will include work from her English classes, as well as some of her favorite poetry.
"Through my years at JLS, I really started enjoying reading and writing," she said. "I'm excited to do the interview because I like to talk to people about what I've accomplished."
Besides "kid-friendly" interviewers, another significant element will be the feedback students receive. Last year, the community members rated the students' answers to the questions on a small number scale, only writing a few short comments at the end.
The volunteers expressed distaste for the rating system, and suggested they provide narrative feedback instead. School officials agreed.
"Palo Alto kids can get stressed out about things. They want to get the best grade possible on everything," Bodenheimer said. "We wanted to make sure they know this is a real positive experience. It's not meant to be stressful."
E-mail a friend a link to this story. | 
