Over 100 students and staff gathered in the library for the second annual World Cafe on Sept. 21, an event that targets the reduction of student stress through round-table conversations among students, teachers and administrators.
This year, administrators are focusing on teaching students the solutions that reduce stress levels. The entire school district is working on this goal as well, as Los Gatos High School hosted its own World Cafe event and connected to the SHS event through live feed at the same time.
In order to get first-hand perspectives from students, around 50 Media Arts Program students, Leadership members and others were invited to the event. The activities were conducted with a 3-to-1 faculty-to-student ratio, in order to make the discussions more personable. Questions were posed by the cafe’s moderator, district technology officer Nicole Dalesio, to the entire group, while each table discussed possible solutions or personal experiences relating to the prompts.
According to principal Paul Robinson, the discussions were focused on how classes and teachers are meeting the needs of the students, as well as the strategies students apply to stressful situations to maintain resilience.
During each transition from topic to topic, one person remained at each table, serving as an anchor that informed new table members of what was discussed in past conversations. According to Robinson, the rotations were an effective “way for people to share information but not just have one person speaking all the time.”
Instead of simply telling teachers to reduce homework loads or make tests easier, participants at the Cafe focused on teachers helping students approach and handle their stress. Teachers also shared different strategies they have used in the classrooms to reduce their students’ stress, some as simple as encouraging slow and deep breathing before a test.
For many students, it was beneficial to view stress from both student and teacher perspectives.
“I didn't realize that teachers get a lot of stress too, especially in terms of organizing class because they have to learn to think quickly on their feet to keep the class engaged,” senior Rachel Won said. “I realized how perceptive teachers are because of their extensive experience with working with kids.”
On Nov. 16, the school will host a follow-up World Cafe to continue its efforts on encouraging student to teacher discussions. There will be a total of four meetings during this school year.
“The World Cafe is a communication tool,” Robinson said.” It allows every voice in the room to be heard, even if it is a large audience.”
