Schoology is more than just a way for teachers to post their assignment sheets or you to find out about club meetings. It is also the most convenient way for the administration to contact the student body at large and get feedback. At the end of January, Mrs. Piper Moyer-Shad, Director of Student Activities, posted a survey on the Schoology class pages from Mr. Tyler Hodges, Associate Head of School. It asked for student opinions regarding what Bolles does well, in preparation for a national speaker’s visit on February 12.

As of Tuesday, February 2, only 60 people had answered the survey. “What I would love is for people to answer surveys. When you have a student body of 800, the easiest way to solicit their opinions is through a survey, assuming people answer it,” says Moyer-Shad.

Why is it important for students to respond to surveys? First off, they are the most efficient way to make sure everyone’s opinion gets heard. “The best way to know that you’re not missing anything is to allow everyone to reply,” says Hodges. “I don’t want anyone to be able to say ‘but you didn’t ask me.’”

While this particular survey was specifically for use at the professional development day on the 12th, there will be more coming out in the spring and fall. These next ones, according to Hodges, will be larger, more complex “climate” surveys that will identify aspects of Bolles that the administration may consider changing in the coming years. “Education does change, and you have to be aware of that. You can’t keep going down the same path you’ve always done,” says Hodges.

When you can collect community data, “You’re not going down one path that only three people really value, you’re able to see all the paths that the community values.”

There may be some changes in the way Bolles runs in the next few years, but it will be a slow process. Hodges predicts that it will be at least two years before any major changes are finalized. “I would much rather take the time to go a little slower and get it right in the end than rush through this and make mistakes,” he says. In the meantime, make sure to check the class pages on Schoology regularly to make sure you don’t miss an important opportunity to give some feedback.