Chalkbeat

A new community: Join ‘After the Bell: Teacher Advice’ on Facebook

2022-08-24T16:00:00+00:00

Teaching is always tough. Teaching during the pandemic has been even tougher.

But, with our new Facebook group, “After the Bell: Teacher Advice,” you don’t have to face it alone.

This summer, we launched our new teacher-focused advice column, “After the Bell,” as a gathering spot for busy, overworked teachers. Each week, veteran educator Dr. Kem Smith offers advice about teaching based on her own experience in the classroom.

We know “After the Bell” can be more than a column; it can be a community.

As we head into the new school year, we want to ensure you have the resources you need to take care of your students and yourselves. That’s why we have created a new Facebook group, “After the Bell: Teacher Advice,” specifically for “After the Bell” readers.

This group is a place to share your teaching joys, frustrations, wins, challenges, questions, and everything in between. It is a space for teacher conversations.

During our research on current teacher needs, we found that teachers are more likely to trust advice they receive from each other. Teachers get it. They understand the universal challenges faced by fellow educators and know the best ways to support each other.

We hope “After the Bell: Teacher Advice” can be a place for that understanding and support to shine. A place to continue the “After the Bell” conversation, ask and give each other advice, celebrate your teaching wins, and share your classroom experiences. See you there!

Kary Perez is Chalkbeat director of program innovation and oversees the research, development, and execution of major new initiatives. Contact her at kperez@chalkbeat.org.

Event: Back to School with Dr. Kem

2022-08-11T16:00:00+00:00

Chalkbeat’s new advice column, After the Bell, was conceived as a refuge for busy teachers.

We heard your calls for validation, support, and actionable advice. We launched this column as a space to share your teaching joys, frustrations, wins, challenges, questions, and everything in between.

While After the Bell aims to provide support year-round, we know that the start to a new school year brings its own unique challenges and questions. That’s why our columnist, Dr. Kem Smith, is joining us virtually on Wednesday, August 31 5:00-5:45 pm ET to answer your back-to-school questions live.

The conversation will feature Dr. Kem and Chalkbeat Reader Advisory Board member Janine Scott, and will be moderated by Gabi Birkner, features editor.

Dr. Kem is currently a 12th grade English teacher in St. Louis, Missouri, but she has taught everything from preschool to college during her two decades as an educator. She’s excited to share her tried and tested strategies for a successful back-to-school season with the After the Bell community.

Attendees who submit a question for Dr. Kem will be entered to win a back-to-school bundle of Chalkbeat items, including a tumbler, umbrella, pair of socks, and a t-shirt! Winners will be chosen and notified after the event.

Please register to save your virtual seat and send us your questions for Dr. Kem in advance. This event is free to attend, but any optional donations will go to support Chalkbeat’s nonprofit journalism and events like these.

After the Bell is Chalkbeat’s first advice column, made specifically for teachers. Subscribe to our How I Teach newsletter to receive the column in your inbox every Thursday.

Introducing ‘After the Bell,’ a new community for teachers

2022-07-14T13:00:00+00:00

Today, Chalkbeat launches a weekly advice column for teachers, by teachers.

It’s been our mission since we started to report on the effort to improve schools for all children.

We’ve formed close relationships with those of you on the frontlines of these efforts — the teachers. We’ve listened to your stories, heard your joys and frustrations, and watched you advocate for your students, schools, and yourselves.

While education professionals are not our only audience, you are our largest. And we know you need more support, from us, from everyone.

Two years ago, we set out to better understand educators’ needs during a time of unexpected disruption to our nation’s schools. Our research sought to answer: What do you need that isn’t being met? What products already exist to help you? What product should Chalkbeat develop to uniquely help address those needs?

In February 2020, we began our research with a survey, “Educator Needs Assessment,” and conducted in-depth teacher interviews before the pandemic irrevocably changed the education landscape. Our updated survey in August 2021 received over 2,000 responses from teachers like you across the country.

Those survey responses made it clear there had been a large shift in what you have needed since the pandemic began. Teachers were no longer interested in new curriculum or professional development offerings — you expressed that those markets are oversaturated. Instead, you said mental health and advice from fellow teachers were your two biggest needs not being met.

To verify our new survey findings, we conducted interviews with teachers, education professionals, and journalists. These interviews provided a better understanding of your needs, especially around mental health.

We knew Chalkbeat could help.

We learned you are more tired than ever before.

“I am not appreciated, I haven’t felt that way [before]. The morale is so low, not just at my school, I made a comment on Facebook about how I love teaching but don’t love where teaching is right now and so many teachers commented that they were ready to quit.” — Chicago elementary school teacher with 20+ years of experience

We heard that you are seeking advice, and that teachers inherently trust each other.

Q: When you seek out resources, which of the following do you most often turn to?

A: 41.8% of teachers who responded said teacher forums, and 30.5% said in-school colleagues.

“The higher level people are so far removed from trying to help students. I find the best advice from other staff members, [I’ll ask them] ‘what would you do in this instance?’” — Chicago elementary school teacher with less than five years of experience

You continued to prioritize your students’ mental health.

Q: What do you need help with?

A: 33.5% of teachers who responded said advice on maintaining students’ mental health, and 31.1% said advice when there are problems in the classroom.

But things shifted during the pandemic, and you began to prioritize yourselves.

“If students’ needs are met and teachers’ needs aren’t met, there won’t be teachers — last year I might’ve said students’ needs are greater; this year teacher needs are greater because it dominoes on to students.” — Indiana middle school teacher with less than 10 years of experience

“When our students are unwell we’re unwell.” — New York high school teacher with less than five years of experience

In response to our survey findings, interviews, and the urgent needs you have shared with us, we are launching an advice column specifically for teachers, by teachers.

Starting today, veteran educator Dr. Kem Smith will respond to your questions based on her own experiences in the classroom. Meet Dr. Kem here.

“After the Bell” will become the go-to spot for you and your colleagues to share your joys, frustrations, and questions. “How I Teach” subscribers will receive it directly in their inboxes. Here’s how to subscribe to How I Teach.

The column’s name was inspired by Chalkbeat intern Katie Hetlage’s experience as a high school teacher.

“There’s a lot of teacher chit chat right after the bell rings, or even in between classes, because you stand in the hallways to monitor students and we would often stand with our neighboring teachers to talk,” she said.

Chalkbeat’s goal is to make this column useful, actionable, and shareable. We hope its focus on teachers will make it successful. We want it to become your place for camaraderie, support, and new ideas.

Now, we want to hear from you. Submit questions — the letter writer will remain anonymous — to Dr. Kem via this submission form. What have you been venting about with your colleagues? Are there areas of your work in which you’ve needed support, but haven’t received it? Is there a situation, policy, or decision at your school that you are having trouble navigating? Let us know!

Kary Perez is Chalkbeat director of program innovation and oversees the research, development, and execution of major new initiatives. Contact her at kperez@chalkbeat.org.

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Challenges in the classroom? Share your questions with Dr. Kem here

2022-07-14T13:00:00+00:00

How can I motivate students who tell me they don’t want to be in school? I’m told to support my students’ mental health, but what about my own?

Why does my district add new programs, when I don’t have enough time as it is? I love teaching but is it time for me to leave the classroom?

Teachers, if any of these questions have crossed your mind lately, you’re not alone. While you often share the joys that come with being in the classroom, we’ve also heard your exhaustion and frustration.

Following two years of research on your needs, we listened to your calls for support and actionable advice. We witnessed a large shift in what teachers need since the pandemic began and saw your urgent mental health needs grow. That’s why we launched “After the Bell,” a weekly advice column written by veteran educator Dr. Kem Smith.

Dr. Kem is a full-time 12th grade English teacher in St. Louis, Missouri. She has 20 years of teaching experience with preschoolers, college students, and everyone in between. Whether you have questions about classroom teaching, navigating relationships with students, parents, or administrators, or the tumultuous climate surrounding education, Dr. Kem is here to help.

Please fill out the form below to submit your question, or go here if you are on a mobile device.

Thanks for reading “After the Bell.”

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Event: What our schools need next to support student mental health

2022-05-19T16:57:56+00:00

This event was originally scheduled for June 1, and has been postponed to June 8.

Mental health is a topic that has threaded throughout Chalkbeat’s journalism with particular intensity since COVID started.

In response to this national need for more discussion around mental health, Chalkbeat and College Track will host student panelists from across the country in conversation with Blair Imani to share their experiences with mental health and wellness over the last two years, how they have felt during the pandemic, and what they need next.

Following the students, Chalkbeat managing editor Sarah Darville will moderate a panel of mental health experts to discuss how COVID has exacerbated many issues that existed in schools around mental health, and the solutions to address the effects of the added stress students and educators have endured over the last two years.

Join Chalkbeat and College Track for this important discussion with students and mental health experts. Please RSVP for this premiere so we’re able to provide streaming information. This event is free to attend, but any optional donations will go to support Chalkbeat’s nonprofit journalism and events like these.

This event is the final in a four-part national Chalkbeat series titled COVID and Mental Health, which seeks to amplify efforts to better support the wellness of students and school staff during this challenging comeback year.

What does a chief people officer do? Meet Jennifer Bramble.

2021-01-12T18:59:54+00:00

Kary Perez, Chalkbeat’s senior marketing manager, introduces Chalkbeat’s chief people officer

News organizations are not known for their investments in human resources. Performance reviews and professional development efforts are sporadic at best, and HR professionals often fall into the category of compliance police. In December 2019, Chalkbeat hired its first-ever chief people officer (CPO), a leadership team position at the same level as editor in chief and chief revenue officer. The principle behind the move was simple — a recognition that Chalkbeat’s people are its most valuable asset and that in creating a people-first culture, the organization will flourish.

Here we get to know Jennifer Bramble, Chalkbeat’s first-ever CPO.

Tell me about your role as CPO at Chalkbeat.

Taking care of people means everything from providing basic employee needs, such as competitive salaries and benefits, to more nuanced efforts such as ensuring entry-level employees have a voice and are treated with the same level of respect as more senior colleagues.

Chalkbeat has a unique networked structure, with bureaus in eight different states and a national desk. That can be a challenge, since each location has its own identity while adhering to the same organizational values and standards. Part of my role is to be intentional about creating one unified culture, where each Chalkbeat employee is held accountable to the same standards of behavior and cultural values.

Most recently you worked at a school district in Virginia, and before that your experience was in health care nonprofits. What do you find is the same and different about a newsroom?

The longer I work in my field, the more I realize at the end of the day people are people. And organizations share common themes and challenges, no matter their discipline. Here’s one: the tendency to become siloed and not focus on cross-functional lines of communication. Another challenge I’ve encountered at Chalkbeat is one I’ve dealt with at every job: strong performers being promoted to leadership positions without necessarily being provided with the training or tools to be successful in leading other people.

One difference about working with a newsroom is that journalists have a deeper level of commitment to their craft. Journalism is a calling rather than a job that people stumble into. I have to honor that.

As CPO, diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging (DEIB) are a major focus of your work. Could you tell me about steering Chalkbeat’s DEIB efforts?

DEIB has always been part of Chalkbeat’s work, both internal and external. But Chalkbeat wanted to be more intentional about equity and inclusion, and decided to hire a CPO who would oversee DEIB efforts. To have someone whose job is focused specifically on DEIB makes it that much more meaningful for the organization. It’s not just virtue signaling.

Before I joined, well-meaning employees came together to create a DEIB task force, but it was an aside to everyone’s day-to-day work. Having a professional on the leadership team with DEIB in their portfolio means it’s no longer a tangential initiative.

DEIB plays a major role in how we think about recruitment and hiring at Chalkbeat. According to Pew Research Center data, 77% of newsroom employees are white and 61% are men. Expanding the team at Chalkbeat means hiring staff from newsrooms where these old-school cultural dynamics still exist. Dynamics such as managers and editors reinforcing a top-down organizational structure where women and marginalized groups are hired simply to beef up diversity numbers, and power rests in the hands of white males.

We know that simply hiring non-white journalists is not the answer. We are making every effort to strengthen Chalkbeat’s culture by adding diversity at every organizational level, starting with our board of directors and our leadership team.

What do you think people might find surprising about your role?

I am much more than compliance police. I help people navigate thorny issues. My job involves supporting folks because of where we are as a society today: the civil unrest, the pandemic. A lot of people are struggling. Folks are struggling, and it’s real, and it’s happening very quietly. A lot of my job involves giving people support, and if I can’t support them myself, I can direct people toward resources.

Being Chalkbeat’s CPO is about lifting people up and enabling them to do their best work by creating an environment that supports them in doing that.

VIDEO: Chalkbeat CEO Elizabeth Green on COVID-19 and the future of education journalism

2020-05-05T00:35:21+00:00

Chalkbeat and nonprofits across the world are participating May 5 in Giving Tuesday Now, a global day of giving. We hope to raise $15,000 to help fuel our reporting on schools. Now more than ever, we need local news.

In the video, Chalkbeat cofounder & CEO Elizabeth Green highlights Chalkbeat’s work since the COVID-19 outbreak began, and explains how our reporting will impact what happens next in public school systems.

“We can let school be recreated, budgets rewritten in the dark without community input, or we can decide together to shine a light.” —Chalkbeat cofounder & CEO Elizabeth Green

We could not do any of this without you, and we will need your continued support to keep going. Your donation today will be doubled immediately, thanks to our Board of Directors.

Please consider making a donation here to support our work. Your help ensures that we can continue to tell the story of public schools across the country.

With gratitude,

Kary Perez and the Chalkbeat team