BRENDAN C. A. MENG
Where I Teach
Lee-Davis High School
In 2018 I made the decision to move back to Virginia from Maryland to be closer to my family. I currently teach the subjects of earth science and biology at Lee-Davis High School, one of four high schools in Hanover County's Public School System. This is my second year serving the students of the developing rural community of south-eastern Hanover County. Lee-Davis High School is located 5 miles northeast of the city of Richmond, Virginia.
[Image Credit: HCPSS]
Above is a screenshot of the Lee-Davis High School website where students, parents, and faculty can access resources and information about the school and upcoming events.
Lee-Davis provides students with access to an incredible portfolio of both academic and extracurricular resources. Currently, teachers are sponsoring over 50 clubs which students can become involved in to further explore their interests and add cultural wealth to the school community. We offer 5 world language courses including German and Chinese. There are advanced placement (AP) courses in nearly every subject and grade level, as well as an international baccalaureate (IB) program which rigorously prepares students educationally as world citizens. The career and technical education (CTE) program offers students year-long opportunities to gain knowledge and experience in various trades as they prepare for life-long careers after graduation. The academic learning center (ALC) is open to students throughout the day where there are specialists to assist with small-group accommodation testing, writing, projects, research, and overall course help.
Demographics
[Image Credit: schoolquality.virginia.gov]
Above: Lee-Davis Enrollment, 2017-2020. Lee-Davis High School has a current enrollment for the 2019-2020 school year of 1,420 students in grades 9-12.
This chart displays student body population by racial and ethnic groups. My students which I teach mirror these percentages.
15.6% of Lee-Davis students have one or more disabilities. The percentage of students with disabilities in my collaborative teaching classes is nearly three times higher than with an average of 40% of my earth science students receiving special education services.
Chronic absenteeism is a result of many factors, one of which is equity, or lack thereof. Students among the population who are most often chronically absent are those who fall under the category of being economically disadvantaged.
This chart displays student body population by racial and ethnic groups. My students which I teach mirror these percentages.
Above: Lee-Davis demographics and performance statistics. As you navigate the above artifacts, hover your cursor over each diagram for a description.
[Image Credit: schoolquality.virginia.gov]
Above: Lee-Davis bell schedule. We operate on an A/B-Day schedule where students have four alternating periods each day with a lunch period during their 3rd block class. Periods are ninety-minutes long, except on Wednesdays and Thursdays when they are shortened to five, 80-minute periods to accompany a FLEX advisory period.
My Classroom
This graph displays the students in each of my primary assignment classes which I teach. The average class size is 18.4 students per class.
The male to female ratio of students I teach is 1.52:1 males to females, respectively.
Between my standard biology and collaborative teaching earth science classes the average percentage of students who receive special education services is 35% compared to 65% of students who do not receive any form of special education services.
This graph displays the students in each of my primary assignment classes which I teach. The average class size is 18.4 students per class.
Above: Displayed in the diagrams above is information on class sizes, male to female ratio, and students receiving special education services. As you navigate the above artifacts, hover your cursor over each diagram for a description.
Many of the statistics and demographics of the Lee-Davis student body population are representative of the students I teach in my collaborative teaching earth science and standard biology classes. For the 2019-2020 school year, I currently teach a total of 126 students spanning all grade levels throughout my primary classes and extra-curricular assignments. In total, I teach 7 classes over the course of two days on an alternating A/B day schedule. The primary courses which I teach consist of three collaborative teaching earth science and two standard biology classes. The demographics of my students now are radically different than that of my previous school placement in Baltimore where every one of my students was African American. My students at Lee-Davis resemble the overall cultural make-up of the school and community with about 80% of my students being white, just less than 10% of my students are African American. The Hispanic population of my classes mirrors the African American population, and I have two students from South-East Asia, one from North Africa, and three Native American students. Regarding academic achievement levels, the majority of my students are slightly below grade level in core academic areas of mathematics, literacy, and science, some more so than others.
Pictured here are affirmation posters I created which hung in my Baltimore classroom for the two years I taught there.
Displayed is the left side of my whiteboard of the 2019-2020 school year. Each class students refer to this section to understand what their time in science will focus on for the day.
Here I am pictured with one of my current earth science classes. The perspective is looking toward the back of my classroom.
Pictured here are affirmation posters I created which hung in my Baltimore classroom for the two years I taught there.
Above: Included are some of my favorite student moments and artifacts displaying the great things happening in my classroom. As you navigate the above artifacts, hover your cursor over each diagram for a description.
Additional Assignments
Flex Advisory Period
In addition to my primary teaching assignments of earth science and biology, each Wednesday and Thursday I lead a 40-minute FLEX student advisory class consisting of 22 students. The goal of which is to better all areas of students' lives outside of curriculum. This includes various undertakings such as fundraisers, support staff appreciation projects, discussing and debating current social and political happenings, pioneering character and community-boosting initiatives with in the school, and instilling beneficial habits in my students' lives as they continuously prepare for success inside and outside of the classroom. One particular mission our school has committed to this year is raising money for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. To date the Lee-Davis students, faculty, and community have raised $13,300 of our $20,000 goal.
Above: FLEX advisory period character trait of the month activity. During this FLEX advisory period activity, students listed events or actions under the two categories of 'kindness shown to me' and 'kindness I've shown to others' as we discussed the character trait of the month: kindness.
E2020: Credit Recovery Class
This year I was selected to instruct an online credit recovery class for students with extenuating circumstances who require a pathway to gain credit for courses they need to graduate, all without taking additional time outside of school hours to do so. Students assigned to the class work at their own pace to successfully complete an online Edgenuity course with various modules and assessments to 80% accuracy (program policy). Upon successful completion, each student will then be assigned a resource class to further their remediation efforts. Although class size fluctuates throughout the year as a result of individualized pacing, I thoroughly enjoy this class because it gives me the opportunity to develop relationships with students whom I wouldn't normally have the opportunity to teach and get to know in my earth science or biology classes.
Above: Edgenuity online credit recovery student progress screen. Here I am able to view student's progress as they work toward completing their course's modules for credit recovery during fourth period on B-days.
[Image Credit: Edgenuity.com]
Sol Remediation Sessions
In the fall and spring for four weeks preceding the Virginia's state Standards of Learning (SOL) testing windows, I volunteer to instruct two hour-long remediation sessions after school per week for sophomores, juniors, and seniors who require an additional science SOL credit, either earth science or biology, in order to graduate. This volunteer assignment provides additional opportunities to form relationships with students who I have not taught or would not have the opportunity to teach. All of the students who have attended my remediation classes still wave and greet me in the hallways which lets me know I have made a difference. I take this opportunity very seriously for myself and the students who I am providing remediation. Throughout the past two years I have curated remediation study guides and website tutorials in efforts to boost student academic knowledge enough for them to pass their end-of-course SOL subject test. For the past three remediation periods, 100% of students who attended the majority of my sessions and utilized the materials I provided them with have achieved passing scores and earned their required credit towards their degree for graduation. Unfortunately however, very few students take the responsibility to attend the majority of the sessions relative to the number of students who still require the credit for graduation.
Above: Student attendance for fall 2019 biology SOL remediation. The spreadsheet above is where I and other educators keep track of the student attendance. Unfortunately however, only a few students take the responsibility to attend the majority of the sessions relative to the number of students who still require the credit for graduation. Out of the 32 students requiring the EOC biology SOL for graduation, only 6 attended the majority of sessions.