Lake Butler Middle School in Union County, Florida: A Review

Lake Butler is a small community about 50 miles southwest of Jacksonville Florida and 30 miles north of Gainesville, Florida. It is located in a rural county by the name of Union. There are only four schools in Lake Butler. There is an elementary school, a middle school, a high school and an alternative school for students in trouble. This is a review of Lake Butler Middle School.

This is my first year teaching at Lake Butler Middle School. There are very many positives to this school. I have also taught in Jacksonville and the nearby small town of Macclenny. Lake Butler may not have the A grade that Maccleny's middle school has, but it still has many good things going for it.

The first of these positive notes are the teachers. The teachers at Lake Butler Middle School are encouraged to look at their professional development. Every year, they are asked to find some area where they can improve, and take classes in that area. They are also encouraged to go back to college for their master's, to become Nationally Board Certified, or to bec ome certified in other areas. The administration helps with these professional improvements.

The administrators are totally dedicated to their jobs. This is a difficult county to work in, as families are poor and there seems to be a lot of issues with homes. The children bring these issues to school, which could affect their education if allowed. However I have seen administration take a concerned interest in the students' talking to them as a caring adult, not an overseer.

Technology at this school is the best I have seen . Being a small county, I am so impressed. Every classroom is equipped with a Smart Board. It is a computerized white board basically, that is hooked to the computer and DVD player. Not only can the teacher write on it with a computerized pen, but she can find related Internet sites on the subject, and project those on the screen. There are also many sites that are interactive and can be used on the Smart Board. The Smart Board web site also have lesson plans already made that can be used. In addition, each Smart Board comes with a document camera so notes can be placed under the camera and displayed on the Smart Board. There is no more need for overhead projectors. You can even attach the Smart Board to your DVD or video player and show movies.

The school was a C plus in 06, and increased to a B school in 2007. We are hoping to reach an A school status this year. Test scores, teacher qualifications, and student improvement, all play a part in making the school grade. A schools receive extra funding for the next year as an award. Lake Butler Middle school has several programs in place to help students increase their grades and standardized test scores. First of all, some teachers voluntarily give up their planning period two days a week to do extra tutoring for students. Those in elective courses can take advantage of these sessions. Those who can't, can stay after school and work with several teachers who volunteer to stay after. In our county, there is no extra pay for this, there is just extra time off. In addition, the school has two computer labs, equipped with brand new flat sceen monitor dell computers. Each class is assigned time to do remediation in the computer lab. The school also takes part in the Reading 180 program which focuses on students that score the lowest two quadrants on the Florida Comprehensive Achievement Test.

I am very impressed with Lake Buter Middle School. Having taught in two other counties over the years, I strongly believe that Lake Butler Middle School has more going for it than other schools in the Northeast Florida area. I really believe the school will score a school grade of A this year.