Chalkbeat

NYC after-school contract shakeup sparks fury after beloved, long-term providers are ousted

2026-05-21T21:32:12+00:00

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A reshuffling of contracts for New York City’s sprawling free after-school program has separated some schools from beloved, longstanding providers, sparking fury from parents, program staffers, and school administrators.

The changes came as part of the city’s first attempt in years to re-bid contracts for community-based organizations, who get city funding to operate the COMPASS after-school program for more than 100,000 elementary and middle school students.

Re-bidding the contracts allowed the city to expand the program by 10,000 seats and make long-needed changes to providers’ pay rates, which now come out to around $4,000 to $7,000 per student depending on age, city officials and providers said.

But the new contracts, which were announced earlier this month and run through 2032, in some cases edged out providers who have been working with schools for more than a decade, and had the support of principals and families.

In Manhattan, multiple middle schools that have long worked with the organization Manhattan Youth were assigned new providers starting this fall, according to a petition and joint letter from parent leaders across the schools.

“Making sweeping changes to successful and trusted afterschool programs without transparency, stakeholder engagement, or demonstrated justification does not serve students or families,” wrote the parents, some of whom staged protests Thursday afternoon.

It wasn’t immediately clear how many programs citywide were turned over to new providers.

Chantal Alba, a spokesperson for the Youth and Community Development Department, said “most” of the 927 schools with after-school contracts are continuing on with their existing provider – 71 schools are opening a program for the first time next year.

“DYCD understands how important long-standing afterschool relationships are to families, and we recognize that a change in provider can feel disruptive,” Alba wrote. “These transitions are the result of a standardized competitive process, not a reflection on the value a particular organization has brought to a school community.”

Providers who lost out on contracts at schools where they’ve been successfully working for years said they’ve gotten no clear explanation on why they weren’t selected.

“We’re all very confused,” said Manuela Garcia, a program director for the Coalition for Hispanic Family Services at Louis Armstrong Middle School in East Elmhurst, Queens. Garcia’s program has operated an arts-focused after-school program at Louis Armstrong for 12 years, but lost out to a larger provider in this year’s contract re-procurement.

“We did everything we were supposed to do,” she said. “Why are we being uprooted … to bring somebody else brand new to start over?

New rules, little transparency

In past years, providers had to secure a signed agreement from a principal before applying for a contract at that school, giving the principal broad discretion to select a provider. This year, principals could rank multiple providers, according to people familiar with the process. In some cases, they didn’t get their top choice.

“Despite our school clearly identifying Manhattan Youth as the best fit for our community, a different provider was selected,” Computer School principal Jessica Shalom wrote to families last weekend, according to a copy of the letter shared with Chalkbeat.

In seeking “clarification” from the Department of Youth and Community Development, Shalom said she “received dismissive responses that failed to acknowledge the depth of our current partnership with Manhattan Youth and the significant impact this potential change would have on our community.”

Alba, the DYCD spokesperson, said more than 80% of principals received their first- or second-choice provider. Asking principals to rank programs allowed “more providers to participate … while still ensuring principal input is reflected,” she said.

“DYCD must balance principal preferences with competitive scoring, capacity, and provider diversity,” Alba added.

Severing longstanding relationships between providers and schools isn’t the only concern. Providers that are losing their contracts after the summer might struggle with retaining staff for Summer Rising, the city’s free summer program, said Nora Moran, policy and advocacy director at United Neighborhood Houses, an umbrella organization for several after-school organizations.

She also wondered if the city’s notoriously slow contracting process would be able to meet the demand of having to certify so many new contracts for the fall.

Still, the outdated contracts needed to be rebid, Moran said. And throughout the bidding process, the city had been open about wanting to diversify the pool of providers.

While that’s a “good goal,” Moran said, it’s a “hard situation all around” because there are “always winners and losers” in a procurement process.

“In some circumstances, these are really longstanding relationships, and so for certain schools, it is going to be a really big change,” she said. “Also, there’s new opportunity that comes with new providers, and some organizations are happy that they’re going to have the chance to expand their work.”

Particular after-school programs are often a draw for families

Families at some of the schools switching providers say the shift could significantly diminish their kids’ school experience — and undercut one of the reasons they chose the school in the first place.

Alexandra Cardasis, whose daughter is in sixth grade at Simon Baruch Middle School, compared Manhattan Youth’s vast offerings, including theater and a multi-school sports league, to “a suburban experience at a large school.”

“When you’re trying to keep like families in the public school system,” she added, “these are the things that make people want to come.”

Families at Simon Baruch are trying to fight back, said Gilberte Lal, president of the school’s parent-teacher association, who planned to deliver about 400 student letters to the city.

“The anxiety that these children feel wondering what’s going to happen to their mentors, it’s heartbreaking,” said Lal.

Out of the school’s roughly 1,000 students, all but about 36 participate in Manhattan Youth’s array of 50 weekly offerings, from ceramics and nail art to orchestra, drama, and Dungeons and Dragons. The program also offers many teams that are part of the Middle School Athletic League — that would cost the school about $200,000 to cover next year, Lal said.

The program has 90 staffers, three of whom are full-time, and many of whom are paraprofessionals or teachers at the school.

The new provider, the Imogen Roche Foundation, which focuses on social-emotional health, has mainly worked with elementary schools, raising concerns among families whether it can quickly scale up a sophisticated program for middle schoolers.

At Louis Armstrong, an arts-focused middle school in Queens, the Coalition for Hispanic Family Services over years built a theater-based after-school program that perfectly fit the school’s needs, said Garcia, the program director.

The program has developed partnerships with professional theater organizations, worked closely with school staff to build a shared performing arts program, and routinely connects students to outside services like therapy, access to food, and healthcare, Garcia said. She’s now working on gathering documentation she can use to support an appeal of DYCD’s contract decision.

“This has been really devastating,” she said, “and I’ve taken it upon myself to organize the community.”

Michael Elsen-Rooney is a reporter for Chalkbeat New York, covering NYC public schools. Contact Michael at melsen-rooney@chalkbeat.org

Amy Zimmer is the bureau chief for Chalkbeat New York. Contact Amy at azimmer@chalkbeat.org.

Report: Many Metro Detroit families want their kids in after-school programs but don’t have access

2026-04-13T10:00:00+00:00

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Ajia Phillips sometimes had no choice but to keep her daughter home from school.

On days when she worked 14-hour shifts as a kitchen manager, Phillips couldn’t get to Beacon Elementary School in the Harper Woods School District by 3:10 p.m. dismissal. Traveling by bus also made her arrival time unreliable. And sometimes the cost of the school’s “latchkey” program was too high for the family. As a result, her first grader, Marley Tucker, had to stay home with her aunt or uncle.

“I can’t leave her stranded at school,” said Phillips, who lives in Harper Woods, a Wayne County city that borders Detroit.

Now that Marley is enrolled in the new free Out-of-School Time program at Beacon offered by the nonprofit Sound Mind Sound Body, Phillips said her daughter’s attendance has improved.

Beacon Elementary School students paint during the Sound Mind Sound Body after-school program.

Many families in southeast Michigan want their kids to have access to similar programs – but only about 1 in 5 do, according to a 2025 survey released last month by the national nonprofit Afterschool Alliance.

Parents of about 500,000 kids in the region are interested in after-school programs, but only about 90,000 children are enrolled, according to the survey. In Detroit, the need is similar. Parents of about 101,000 children in the city want their kids in programs, while only about 20,000 are enrolled. (Data specific to Harper Woods was not available.)

The findings are based on answers from 1,146 households in southeast Michigan, and the projections made by the nonprofit are based on U.S. Census Bureau 5-year estimates made in 2022.

After-school programming has a number of benefits, including improvements in school-day attendance, student behavior, and academic performance.

In communities like Detroit, where 84% of students come from low-income homes, chronic absenteeism has long been an issue due to systemic barriers, such as inadequate transportation and parents’ inflexible work schedules. Academic performance in the Detroit Public Schools Community District, as well as in city charters and suburban districts where high percentages of Detroit students are enrolled, has lagged behind statewide averages for years.

Mary Sheffield, Detroit’s new mayor, has made after-school access one of her administration’s key priorities.

During her first State of the City address, Sheffield said her goal is to have an after-school program within a 2-mile radius of every Detroit school. She said she will increase the city’s budget for after-school programming to $2.2 million, an increase of 120% from the year before. Her administration has also made bus travel free for all students in the city, and Sheffield said she is advocating for DPSCD to take the money it previously spent on bus passes and direct it toward after-school programs.

Denzel McCampbell, Detroit City Council member representing district 7, said he is working with the mayor’s office to identify how the additional funds could have the greatest effect. He’s heard from existing program leaders and his constituents that not every Detroit family is keyed into the resources available.

“What I’m particularly focused on is how do we reach the kids that we’re not interacting with on a regular basis?” McCampbell said.

Students find motivation, purpose after-school

Bryan Jordan, 16, of Harper Woods, said he didn’t have much motivation to come to school once football season ended.

Now that he’s in the Sound Mind Sound Body, or SMSB, program at Harper Woods High School, Jordan said he has a reason to show up to class ready to learn. The program extends coaching, team building, and mentoring for football players through the rest of the school year.

He and many of his teammates get to school by 6 a.m. for weight training and stay well after the school day ends. They get training on how to apply for college, financial aid, and potential career paths.

Harper Woods High School students work out during the Sound Mind Sound Body after-school program.

“They make it cool to come around, conversate, laugh, have fun, focus on our work, focus on bonding as a team,” Jordan said.

Ray Lanlyons, an attendance agent for Harper Woods, said early data suggests the program has improved attendance for most of the boys.

For the 27 students enrolled in the SMSB program, average daily attendance improved from around 69.2% at the beginning of the school year to 81.7% since the end of January, Lanlyons said.

Curtis Blackwell II, founder and president of SMSB, said the organization’s many programs in 27 schools across the region, including in DPSCD, are designed to leverage kids’ interests to succeed in school — whether it be robotics, video games, sports, music, or art.

“It encourages young people to dream bigger and to feel like school has a meaning,” Blackwell said.

Cost, location are barriers for kids to attend after-school programs

Unique Reid, a Detroit resident whose son attends SMSB at Beacon, said the cost of other programs was prohibitive.

“We try to minimize all the bills that we pay, especially as single mothers,” she said.

The average cost for after-school programs in Detroit is around $98 a week, according to the Afterschool Alliance.

Unique Reid, left, and Ajia Phillips, right, pose for a photograph at Beacon Elementary School.

In addition to cost, a lack of availability, not enough safe transportation options, and inconvenient site locations also keep kids out of programs, said Jen Rinehart, senior vice president of strategy and programs at the Afterschool Alliance.

In order to make programs more accessible, Rinehart said the city will need to address all of those factors.

Michigan and Detroit leaders have begun to address some of the obstacles.

Last year, the state allocated $75 million in out-of-school time learning grants – including nearly $4 million to SMSB. Gov. Gretchen Whitmer recommended increasing the grants to $135 million in the next budget.

Though the recent increases have allowed SMSB to expand, Blackwell said his organization doesn’t have enough resources to meet the demand. For example, in Southfield, nearly 120 students asked to be in the program. They were only funded to serve 40, he said.

Some of the city’s plans are to better resource existing programs, said McCampbell.

“What I’m hearing a lot from programs is we would love to do more, we could do that if we had more (funds),” he said.

Another avenue to having a greater effect, McCampbell said, is to find innovative ways to get the word out about existing programs. The city, schools, and community organizations can partner on outreach, McCampbell added.

“Let’s meet folks where they are,” he said. “They may not come to a community meeting, they may not read a newsletter, but they may hang out at the park.”

Hannah Dellinger covers Detroit schools for Chalkbeat Detroit. You can reach her at hdellinger@chalkbeat.org.

NYC schools have 176 days of class, not the required 180. Here’s why.

2025-09-09T20:04:22+00:00

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Most New York City families think their children are in school for 180 days.

That’s the minimum number of instructional days New York public schools are required to provide under state law to qualify for state aid.

New York City students, however, will only be attending school this year for 176 days.

And it turns out, State Education Department officials say that number still meets the requirements — to the dismay of some parents, who worry that students are missing too much instructional time.

Under the regulations, school districts can count up to four “superintendent” or “chancellor” conference days as instructional time, state officials said.

The city’s Education Department confirmed that it counted four staff development days to meet the requirement: the two days teachers came in before students’ first day, Election Day on Nov. 4, and Anniversary/Chancellor’s Conference Day on June 4.

“We always ensure our students receive the required number of instructional days, in accordance with New York State Education Law,” Isla Gething, a spokesperson for the city’s Education Department, wrote in an email.

New York City’s school calendar — which the Education Department creates in collaboration with the teachers union — has undergone several changes in recent years, with the addition of several holidays including the Muslim holiday of Eid (which city officials made an error on last year), Lunar New Year (with New York the first state to make it a school holiday), and Diwali, the “festival of lights” celebrated by Hindus, Buddhists, Sikhs, and Jains around the world.

Additionally, because of this year’s “dog leg” day after winter break — students would have returned to school on Friday, Jan. 2 — the city ended up making that a day off. Something similar happened last school year when Monday, Dec. 23 was originally slated to be a school day before the city declared at the last minute that it would be a day off.

And schools no longer have snow days, instead going virtual for inclement weather, but the Education Department’s track record on pivoting to remote hasn’t been great.

As someone who likes to plan ahead, Robert Murtfeld, a parent leader in District 1, which spans Manhattan’s Lower East Side and East Village, began taking a closer look at this year’s calendar as he entered school holidays in his personal and professional calendars.

“I started to feel that the days off are quite excessive,” said Murtfeld, who chairs the Parent Teacher Association advocacy committee at the Neighborhood School, an elementary school in Manhattan’s East Village.

After counting the number of days students are in class, Murtfeld raised the issue with his local Community Education Council as well as with the Education Department’s Office of Policy and Advocacy, which responds to resolutions and concerns raised by the local elected parent boards.

Murtfeld was confused: In presentations from the Education Department, particularly about chronic absenteeism rates, which continue to be high, officials often stress that each day of instruction matters.

He feels that this year’s calendar sends the “wrong signal,” and at the least, he would like the Education Department to provide a more detailed explanation to families.

“For professional development, we parents want to know what is actually done on those days,” Murtfeld said. “Be transparent about what you are doing.”

On Wednesday, Murtfeld’s committee was expected to host City Council education chair Rita Joseph about this year’s educational priorities, and he planned to press her on the calendar as well.

Queens mom of three Ellen Smith went down a rabbit hole of counting the days off last year after the teachers at her children’s elementary and middle schools voted to go remote on the half days for parent-teacher conferences, and she felt more incensed when the city canceled the extra day for winter break.

“For me, it’s part of my general frustration with the school calendar and the way it’s Swiss cheese,” Smith said. “I feel like there’s no parent voice. There’s no way for parents to say, ‘This calendar is not made for working families, parents, and kids.’”

The “checkerboard” of new school holidays can damage the continuity of learning, said David Bloomfield, a professor of education, law, and public policy at Brooklyn College and the CUNY Graduate Center. “Students need as many instructional days as possible.”

Once new holidays are added, it’s politically difficult to remove them, Bloomfield said. But he suggested an alternative: “The most feasible solution is to begin public school before Labor Day, now commonplace across the country.”

That could also solve a problem many families have with finding camp or child care at the end of the summer.

State regulations allow for staff development related to implementing new standards and assessments, staff orientation, and curriculum development, as well as parent-teacher conferences. They do not allow that time to be used for such routine school administrative matters as grading assignments or preparing assignments or lesson plans.

NYC high school admissions and the SHSAT: Here’s where the mayoral candidates stand

2025-05-28T18:36:10+00:00

This is part of a series in which Chalkbeat asked the mayoral candidates questions about important education issues that will likely define the next four years. The primary is June 24, with early voting from June 14-22.

The New York City high school process is notoriously complicated.

And a small piece of it that occupies an outsized amount of attention — the Specialized High School Admissions Test, or SHSAT, which is needed to get into eight of the city’s most prestigious schools — is often considered a political third rail.

The application algorithm (for schools other than the specialized high schools) is meant to make the system fair by opening up schools across the city to students, but it favors families with the wherewithal to navigate the system. The level of screening in schools across the five boroughs is unparalleled, exacerbating the city’s dubious distinction as one of the most segregated districts in the nation.

Last year, out of nearly 71,000 high school applicants, about 19,000, or 27%, received offers at the dozens of selective schools that base admissions on grades. Fifty-one percent of those offers went to Black and Latino students, who make up about 60% of students citywide.

Nearly 26,000 students took the SHSAT, with roughly 4,000, or about 16% of test-takers, receiving offers to the city’s eight specialized high schools that base admissions solely on the test. Of those offers, 12% went to Black and Latino students.

So how can New York City make admissions more equitable? And what happens to the system as a whole when there’s a group of schools that can select their students based on grades, while others can’t?

Mayor Eric Adams’ response has been to further embrace sorting students, pushing to open more “academically accelerated” schools in historically underserved neighborhoods.

Many of the mayoral candidates seem to agree with that approach, calling for opening additional specialized or screened schools. One suggested the new schools would draw the top students from every middle school across the city. Nearly all would keep the SHSAT (which is enshrined in state law) but called for expanded test prep access. One candidate mentioned the importance of ensuring that non-specialized schools have access to more challenging curriculums.

Chalkbeat sent a questionnaire to the leading candidates on March 25 to find out their views on seven pressing issues. A spokesperson for Mayor Eric Adams said he declined to participate since he isn’t in the primary.

We asked each of the candidates how they would approach screened admissions and whether they supported the SHSAT. Here’s what they told us.

Responses may have been edited for formatting or trimmed for length, but otherwise each candidate’s answers are as submitted, including hyperlinks.

These 30 NYC schools will get help starting student publications through Journalism for All

2024-12-20T19:13:40+00:00

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A first-of-its kind initiative to expand access to student journalism in New York City public schools announced its inaugural class of 30 high schools on Friday.

The high schools, which span all five boroughs, will receive professional development and a new curriculum to start journalism courses starting next year through Journalism for All. They will also get seed funding and ongoing support to launch school publications, and paid media internship opportunities for students in future years.

Journalism for All launched earlier this year to address long-standing gaps in access to journalism in city schools, after years of work from youth advocates and nonprofits.

Only a quarter of the more than 400 high schools across the city had an active student publication as of 2022, the survey from Geanne Belton, a journalism professor at CUNY’s Baruch College found. Schools with higher concentrations of Black, Latino and low-income students, and those located in Brooklyn and the Bronx were less likely than other schools to have publications.

Selecting the inaugural cohort marks the first major step towards closing the gaps — and an early test of the initiative’s theory that schools are eager to expand journalism offerings, but just need more support and guidance, organizers said.

“I think the application process really demonstrated how these opportunities are in such high demand across the city,” said CJ Sánchez, the director of the Youth Journalism Coalition, which oversees the initiative and is directed by The Bell, a nonprofit focused on youth audio journalism. (The Bell partners with Chalkbeat on the P.S. Weekly podcast.)

A total of 55 schools applied for the 30 available spots, Sánchez said. Another 60 expressed interest, but couldn’t satisfy the requirements of the application, including carving out the scheduling room and personnel to run a journalism class next year, Sánchez added.

Nineteen of the 30 schools selected for the first Journalism for All cohort are in the Bronx and Brooklyn, and the schools have an average student poverty rate of 84%, higher than the city’s average of 75%.

One of those schools is Park Slope Collegiate, a small high school on the John Jay campus in Park Slope, Brooklyn.

Autumn Wynn is a junior at Park Slope Collegiate who’s been involved in journalism through outside organizations but hasn’t had a chance to take a journalism course or work for a publication at her school. She was overjoyed to hear the news.

“Journalism for All not only will not help writing skills overall, but it will also help with a necessary need as a human in the world: advocacy skills,” she said.

Wynn said her classmates complain all the time about things they want to change in the school, but often don’t feel like they have a forum or platform to act on it. With access to a publication, they’ll have an “opportunity to not only do something about it, but they get discovered. They can find their passions, and someone can see their talent.”

Journalism initiative will support internships, student curriculum

Organizers are particularly hopeful that the first cohort can expand journalism access to students with disabilities.

One of the participating schools, P.S.811M, the Mickey Mantle School in Manhattan, is part of the city’s District 75 for students with complex disabilities. And five others have specialized programs for students with disabilities, program organizers said. Several of the teachers planning to lead the journalism courses next year are special education teachers, Sánchez added.

Another participating school, ATLAS, formerly called Newcomers High School, is the city’s largest high school for newly-arrived immigrant students.

Journalism for All secured financial support from local lawmakers and several foundations, including the Charles H. Revson Foundation, and hopes to eventually get funding from the city. (Revson supports a CUNY journalism student summer intern at Chalkbeat.)

The funding, training and support for schools in this year’s cohort will last for three years. Organizers said that’s key to ensuring that schools can sustain the journalism programs they launch.

Journalism for All hopes to give students’ efforts staying power by creating publications that are “embedded in the school culture … where the faculty are getting interviewed by the students, where they’re reading the publication, where it’s widely accessible and distributed,” Sánchez said.

The initiative has several core components. First, a teacher at each school in the cohort will participate in regular training through this spring and summer with staff at CUNY’s Newmark Graduate School of Journalism, and get access to a curriculum to help launch journalism classes at their schools next year.

Principals in participating schools have committed to reducing those teachers’ course loads so that the new journalism course won’t come as an extra responsibility, said Sánchez. Some schools will offer the class five days a week and use it to satisfy English Language Arts requirements, while others will offer it as an elective less frequently.

In the second year of the program, City Council members have committed to providing seed funding to help schools cover the startup costs of launching a publication, including equipment and extra pay for teachers staying after school, Sánchez said. The council passed a resolution in August urging the city to expand youth journalism access.

Schools will then partner with nonprofits with expertise in print, audio, and broadcast journalism for youth to help build out their student publications.

The program will also fund paid student journalism internships at outside publications, organizers said.

Sánchez hopes the initiative can provide a template for the city Education Department to expand journalism access to all 400-plus high schools. Organizers are working with researchers at NYU to do an independent evaluation and plan to meet with Education Department officials next month to share their progress.

Wynn, the Park Slope Collegiate junior, is “so sad” that much of the initiative won’t come to fruition at her school until after she graduates. But she’s close with a number of freshmen and sophomores and said “so long as it’s good for them and the rest of the cohorts that come into the school, I can’t be that mad.”

Below is the full list of schools in the first Journalism for All cohort:

A School Without Walls

ATLAS High School

Bronx Haven High School

Brooklyn Emerging Leaders Academy

Brooklyn Academy of Science and the Environment

Brooklyn Institute for Liberal Arts

Civic Leadership Academy

East Bronx Academy for the Future

El Puente Academy for Peace and Justice

Fannie Lou Hamer Freedom High School

Gotham Collaborative High School

Gotham Professional Arts Academy

Gotham Tech High School

High School for Excellence and Innovation

High School for Global Citizenship

High School of Telecommunication Arts & Technology

John Adams High School

John Dewey High School

Laboratory School of Finance and Technology

Lower East Side Prep

Lyons Community School

P811M@499 The Mickey Mantle School

Park Slope Collegiate

Port Richmond High School

Teachers Preparatory High School

The Young Women’s Leadership School of The Bronx

Urban Assembly Maker Academy

Urban Assembly School for Music and Art

United Charter for the Humanities

West End Secondary School

Michael Elsen-Rooney is a reporter for Chalkbeat New York, covering NYC public schools. Contact Michael at melsen-rooney@chalkbeat.org

New York City tries cash transfers as a way to improve the health of homeless moms

2024-12-19T19:19:15+00:00

This story was originally published by Healthbeat. Sign up to receive Healthbeat’s free New York City newsletter.

In 2020, Daniela DeJesus Gutierrez was barely getting by — and had a baby on the way.

As the Covid-19 pandemic raged, she’d lost most of her employment and was trapped in a harmful relationship. But a lifeline emerged: a pilot program distributing cash to 100 low-income mothers in New York City.

When the first payment arrived in 2021, Gutierrez cried. And the support kept coming: $500 each month, for three years. Bolstered by newfound financial stability, Gutierrez was able to care for her newborn, leave her partner, and eventually find a new job.

“I was able to just go anywhere I wanted to go, and buy whatever food I wanted to get for my kid,” said Gutierrez, now 31, who lives in Central Harlem. “When he was sick, if I needed to get medicine and the insurance didn’t cover it, I could buy it.”

Last week, the New York City Council launched a new version of the initiative, with $1.5 million in city funds. The program, run through The Bridge Project organization, will provide unconditional cash support to 161 pregnant women who are homeless, at risk of losing housing, or facing domestic violence. Participants will receive a $2,500 stipend before giving birth, $1,000 per month for 15 months, and $500 per month for the following 21 months.

Overdose is New York City's leading cause of pregnancy-associated death, Health Department says

It’s the first time that New York City has funded a guaranteed income program, according to local leaders, and reflects an emerging movement in the United States to alleviate poverty and improve health outcomes through the simple act of cash distribution. In recent years, guaranteed income programs have sprung up in cities like Jackson, Mississippi, Gary, Indiana, and Stockton, California, and a growing body of scientific research is exploring the impact of cash transfers on families' health and early childhood development.

Earlier this year, Dr. Mona Hanna, a Michigan pediatrician, launched Rx Kids, which provides no-strings-attached financial support to every pregnant mother in Flint, through each baby’s first year.

“We haven’t been able to tackle a kind of root-cause pathogen, which is poverty,” Hanna said. “We increasingly know the science of what happens when you are born into, and grow up, in poverty. When it’s early, when it’s chronic and when it’s concentrated — when your neighbors are poor — it is a pathogen. It alters your entire life trajectory, especially in that prenatal, early childhood window.”

A ‘moral’ intervention from city government

New York City’s guaranteed income program is launching in a city where about 1 in 4 children live in poverty, and where more than 146,000 students experienced homelessness during the last school year, a record high. Supporters of the initiative say it’s both an anti-poverty measure and an attempt to reduce rates of maternal mortality, which disproportionately impact Black and Hispanic New Yorkers.

“We always say a budget is a moral document, and by investing in these families, we’re showing that we care about the future, and we want to make sure that everybody has the same opportunity to thrive,” said Council Member Crystal Hudson, who sponsored the bill that enabled city-backed unconditional cash assistance.

In 2021, about a quarter of the 58 people who died of pregnancy-associated mortality in New York City had experienced homelessness at some point, according to city data.

The city’s shelter system is especially difficult to navigate for pregnant women and young mothers, since shelters are often far from prenatal care and children’s schools, said Dave Giffen, the executive director of the Coalition for the Homeless. In 2023, more than 1,700 babies were born into the shelter system, according to city data obtained by Giffen’s organization.

Many people in the shelter system just need a few thousand dollars to get back on track, Giffen added. And while direct cash transfer programs are not a solution for everything, he said, they represent “a solution for a lot of people.”

“It’s the most intuitive response you can think of: somebody doesn’t have resources and money, and you give them money and their life gets better,” he said.

The Bridge Project received more than 1,000 applications for just 161 spots, said Laura Clancy, the organization’s executive director. Participants had to be at least 18 years old, city residents, at least 23 weeks pregnant, and meet the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s definition of homelessness.

Through previous cohorts of its cash transfer initiatives, The Bridge Project has tracked improvements in participants’ housing security, access to food, and ability to meet day-to-day expenses, Clancy noted. While the program does not provide full case management, it does help participants connect to other organizations and agencies, she said.

The first payment for the city’s new program went out a few weeks ago. Participants can use the funds however they want.

“There’s tremendous dignity in giving people cash and basically saying, ‘We trust you. You’re going to make good decisions,’” Clancy said.

The research behind cash transfer programs

As guaranteed income programs emerge across the country, supporters say they offer common-sense solutions to intractable social and public health issues. Many draw on research conducted throughout the world linking cash transfer programs to improved health outcomes, from fewer preterm births to lower rates of postpartum depression.

Hanna, the pediatrician — who helped expose Flint’s water crisis a decade ago — said she was inspired to create Rx Kids, in part, by the success of the expanded Child Tax Credit, which cut child poverty in half in 2021.

In Flint, Rx Kids has “prescribed” more than $5 million to more than 1,200 mothers and babies this year, Hanna said. Program participants have reported expanded access to prenatal care, decreased postpartum depression, improved food satisfaction — and no evictions. The program, funded through a public-private partnership, will soon expand to other parts of Michigan, Hanna said.

An article published last year in Nature found that large-scale, government-led cash transfer programs in low- and middle-income countries worldwide were associated with “significant reductions” in mortality among women and children under age 5.

In an interview, lead author Dr. Aaron Richterman, an assistant professor of medicine in the Division of Infectious Diseases at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, noted that the cash transfer initiatives that have emerged in America, like New York City’s effort, are far smaller than the large-scale programs his team studied.

“People are trying to figure out, how do these kinds of things fit in, and do they work, and what do they work to do?” Richterman said. “There are some very entrenched issues in the U.S., and I think it’s an open question how a program like this is really going to be able to fight against these sort of structural issues that people are exposed to for their entire lifetime, in terms of our food environment, or racial segregation.”

Gutierrez, for her part, isn’t sure how she would have survived those difficult years of early parenthood without regular cash infusions.

Unpaid utility bills didn’t weigh on her, she said, and she could obtain the early intervention she needed for her son, who has autism. Her self-confidence increased because she wasn’t “so suffocated.”

“I had that financial stability,” she said. “Honestly, those $500 stretched a long way. Now, I’m actually feeling it, because it’s not there anymore.”

Eliza Fawcett is a reporter covering public health in New York City for Healthbeat. Contact Eliza at efawcett@healthbeat.org .

Fair game? NYC school basketball coaches cry foul over forfeits caused by strictly enforced rules

2024-11-21T23:47:22+00:00

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Dozens of New York City high school basketball teams are slated to forfeit their first game of the season after league officials stepped up enforcement of a clerical rule this year – and some coaches are crying foul.

The city’s Public Schools Athletic League, or PSAL, has long required teams to upload their rosters to the league’s website before the start of the season or risk forfeiting their first game. But in the past, the precise deadlines varied from sport to sport, and enforcement was sparse, coaches and athletic directors said.

But for this year’s basketball season, officials required rosters to be posted by this past Monday – a week before the first game – and took a zero-tolerance approach to enforcement. As a result, some 72 varsity and junior varsity basketball teams – 46 girls and 26 boys teams – are currently starting the season 0-1, according to data posted on the PSAL website. That represents about 10% of teams, according to the Education Department.

In response to outreach from Chalkbeat, an Education Department spokesperson said the PSAL is working to reinstate the first game for roughly half the penalized teams who quickly uploaded their rosters after the deadline, provided they meet other deadlines. It wasn’t immediately clear which teams would be eligible for that reversal.

Multiple coaches and athletic directors told Chalkbeat the sudden tightening of enforcement feels arbitrary and overly punitive – and it will end up harming kids.

“Schools have a lot of moving pieces going on … an arbitrary deadline they [PSAL] decided on this year out of nowhere without any sort of leniency seems like it’s punishing the kids and not teaching anyone anything,” said David Garcia-Rosen, the dean and athletic director at Urban Assembly Bronx Academy of Letters, whose boys basketball team missed the deadline and is slated to forfeit its first game.

Education Department spokesperson Jenna Lyle said the roster deadlines are there to “protect our players.” They ensure students participate in a minimum number of practices before playing in a game and are covered by insurance, the spokesperson said.

Officials emphasized that the league communicated the deadline to schools and teams on 10 occasions, including virtual and in-person meetings, emails, and Google Classroom messages.

“We are grateful to the vast majority of teams who uploaded their rosters by the deadline, and we are working with those who quickly remedied the missed deadline to reinstate their first game,” said Lyle.

The tightened enforcement of the roster deadline comes after a cheating scandal involving ineligible players rocked PSAL boys’ basketball last year, leading to the cancellation of a championship game and a sharp rebuke from former Chancellor David Banks, who vowed to clean up the league. Education Department officials declined to say whether the enforcement had anything to do with that situation.

Several coaches and athletic directors noted that it can be difficult to finalize rosters on time.

Some coaches have to wait until late in the fall when school gyms are free and players are done with fall sports to hold tryouts for basketball teams. Schools also have to secure physical exams, parental permission, and ensure students are eligible to play, all of which means rosters can be in flux until right up to the deadline, coaches said.

“You work so hard and your kids work so hard” to get ready for the season, said Ron Naclerio, the coach of the boys basketball team at Benjamin Cardozo High School in Queens, and the winningest coach in PSAL history. “To start off in last place … it’s totally demoralizing.”

Other coaches struggled as the PSAL shifted more communication over to Google Classroom, said Glenn Thomas, the boys basketball coach at Franklin Delano Roosevelt High School in Brooklyn, whose team also missed the deadline.

The forfeits also affect coaches, who stand to lose four hours worth of pay from the games they would have played, according to the PSAL’s policy.

“A lot of people are relying on that money,” said Reggie Holder, the coach of the varsity boys basketball team at Pathways College Preparatory High School in Queens, who missed the deadline.

Alison Gendar, a spokesperson for the United Federation of Teachers, said the union “is in talks with the PSAL to smooth out the process and make sure it matches what is done in their other sports programs.”

Garcia-Rosen begged for the PSAL to reconsider after explaining that his school’s basketball coach was off the week leading up to the deadline and that Garcia-Rosen uploaded the roster a day late, but was rebuffed by the PSAL, according to emails shared with Chalkbeat.

“I believe it is important to use this moment in time as a teachable life moment for [student athletes],” wrote Lee Church, PSAL sports coordinator, in a Tuesday email obtained by Chalkbeat. “It provides the adults an opportunity to have evidence-based, transparent dialogue around meeting deadlines and being preparation [sic] that leads up to such deadline.”

Garcia-Rosen said he takes responsibility for missing the deadline, but said it doesn’t make sense “to sacrifice these kids’ opportunity to play so some adults can be taught some lessons on meeting deadlines.”

The sting of the forfeit was even worse because many schools, including Garcia-Rosen’s, have struggled to consistently field teams in the wake of the pandemic. “We should be doing everything we can to get kids on the court,” he said.

Michael Elsen-Rooney is a reporter for Chalkbeat New York, covering NYC public schools. Contact Michael at melsen-rooney@chalkbeat.org.

This Tennessee teacher brings lessons from the ocean to her landlocked students

2024-04-18T16:56:08+00:00

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As a child in Panama City, Florida, the call of the ocean was always within earshot of Devon Jones.

“I spent the first seven years of my life living on a boat or around the water,” Jones said. “I always said, ‘I don’t have friends, I have fish.’

“I spent weekends and summers with my grandmother in Mexico Beach, [Florida], so water was my backyard.”

Marriage to a military spouse and family ultimately landed her in Fort Campbell, which sits on the Kentucky-Tennessee border. It was a move that took her away from the sea and away from her dream of becoming a marine biologist. But it didn’t stop Jones from finding another career that allowed her to share her love of the ocean with others: teaching sixth grade science.

Jones, who has been teaching for 15 years, works at Kirkwood Middle School in Clarksville, on the edge of rural Montgomery County, where many of her students haven’t seen much, if any, of an ocean.

This fall, though, she will get a unique chance to get her students excited about the sea. Ocean Exploration Trust, a nonprofit organization that aims to explore the ocean and apply discoveries to Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics education, selected her as a 2024 Lead Science Communications Fellow.

That means Jones will spend 26 days onboard Exploration Vessel Nautilus in late September and early October. The expedition — Jones’ second — will explore and map the seafloor around Howland and Baker islands in the Pacific. The journey begins in Pago Pago, American Samoa, and ends in Koror, Palau.

Once onboard Jones, who is among 13 fellows selected nationally this year, will coordinate live, daily audio commentary and question-and-answer sessions through the Nautilus Live website. While ashore, Jones will use Google Classroom and other learning tools to engage communities and students around the world.

Jones recently talked to Chalkbeat Tennessee about how she approaches her work.

This interview has been lightly edited for length and clarity.

How does teaching ocean science to middle schoolers excite you?

Tennessee is landlocked, so I get a chance to bring that part of the world to my students, a world that they are rarely familiar with and a world that is largely unknown to them. I love that I can get them hooked. I tie the curriculum back to the ocean because, in some way, we all are connected to it. I want the students to have the opportunity to learn what’s out there, and the only way they can do that is for me to keep learning about what’s out there.

Why sixth grade?

I started out teaching fourth and fifth grades, and I was feeling a bit of a burnout, but someone told me about the science curriculum in middle school. I looked into it, and I decided, ‘Hey, sixth grade science — this is some really relatable stuff. This is something that I can really make an impact with.’

So, I decided to make the jump. I love the age range, the kids, the curiosity that they have. They’re at that age where questions are abundant. I can show them how what they’re learning is impacting their lives on a daily basis.

What’s your favorite lesson to teach?

One of my favorite units is biodiversity and human impact. On the very first dive we took [on the 2023 expedition] on one of the reefs, we saw something that looked familiar, but we weren’t quite sure what it was. But when we got closer, we saw that it was trash. But because we were able to date it — it had a Pepsi can from 1980 — I was able to show the kids the impact of what trash does, and how long it remains in the environment.

It was horrible to see, but its relevance made it a teaching moment. Helping them understand how they impact the ecosystem and the environment around us is huge because I want them to see that while they have the ability to destroy something, I also want to show them that they have the ability to change something for the greater good.

Describe your role on the expedition this time.

I get to lead other teachers as this will be their first time out. They’ll reach out to schools all over the world via telecommunications. They’ll take the kids on a virtual tour of the boat, and connect them to what the ROVs [remotely operated vehicles] are exploring at the bottom of the ocean.

We’ll cross the International Date Line to do seafloor mapping on a part of the ocean that hasn’t been mapped before. This is all new exploration to learn what is lying beneath us. Are there more trenches? We know they exist, but how do they affect biodiversity levels? We’ll be doing the mapping, and we’ll be out there for 26 days.

So, it’s a great way to get science into the classroom, and to get the kids excited about things that most of them have never known existed.

How do you use what you learn to help students relate to their immediate environment?

Clarksville is booming. There’s a lot of development, and I want them to understand the impact it has on the ecosystem, like humans have on the ocean. I want them to understand that in a few years, they’re going to be in charge of that future, so they need to understand the biological factors involved [and]the importance of what those changes are bringing.

What’s the best advice that you abide by?

Never be afraid to put yourself in positions where you can still learn and grow. In my classroom, I always see myself as the lead learner. As far as teaching goes, it’s building relationships with your students, to show that they’re not investing in you, but they’re investing in themselves. Also, keep the alarm clock ready and make time for yourself because while teaching is a rewarding career, the burnout is real.

How do you spend your spare time?

I focus on my family. I have three children and 12 grandchildren. I’ve been married for 32 years. Making memories is everything. Family is everything. I love to travel, and I’ll travel to places that I know are going to bring me peace and happiness, and it’s always going to be back to the water.

Bureau Chief Tonyaa Weathersbee oversees Chalkbeat Tennessee’s education coverage. Reach her at tweathersbee@chalkbeat.org.

MSCS leader wants to position schools as ‘pillars of hope’ to fight youth violence

2024-01-12T02:54:42+00:00

Chalkbeat is a nonprofit news organization covering public education in communities across America. Sign up for our free Tennessee newsletter to keep up with state education policy and the Shelby County public school system.

After a year in which violence claimed the lives of 22 Memphis-Shelby County Schools students,, interim Superintendent Toni Williams pledged that the district would step up its efforts to fight crime.

Williams made the pledge Thursday, flanked by school board members, Shelby County District Attorney Steve Mulroy and two parents who lost children to that violence.

The district, she said, plans to play a role in tamping down youth crime through, among other things, its infrastructure plan, which looks at renovating aging schools, rather than just closing them, and expanding the role of schools as community centers.

Right now, for example, the district is on track to have nine schools that serve as community centers, she said, with some that include agriculture programs and other innovations.

In the past, she said, “we closed our schools in our blighted communities, but that isn’t what this plan is about. But the reality of that is: Could we have replaced that vacant building with housing to address some of these root cause issues?

“We have to position our schools as a pillar of our community,” she added. “We want our schools to not only represent an environment of education, but of hope.”

But the school district will need support from the broader community to be successful at preventing violence, she said.

“We must ask ourselves: ‘How can we impact the issue from our respective lanes? How can we all be crime fighters?”

Williams, whose term as interim superintendent will end this summer when a permanent leader takes over, said district officials planned to offer details in the coming weeks about how the community could work with the schools in preventing crime.

In the meantime, she called on the business and philanthropic communities to consider efforts such as adopting and volunteering at schools, as well as opening pantries at schools with food and other necessities, and offering internships and mentoring students.

Williams also asked them to prioritize long-term solutions to violence and crime that deal with housing, mental health, and other challenges.

Community violence has long been a problem that plagues youths in Memphis. The Commercial Appeal reported last month that, LeBonheur Children’s Hospital had treated 165 gunshot victims that year. It was a record number that doesn’t include children who were treated elsewhere or died before reaching the hospital.

Mulroy, the district attorney, said his office plans to aid MSCS’ efforts. It also has been examining ways to battle youth violence and crime with approaches that are less punitive.

He said he’s been talking to businesspeople about contributions for a data-sharing lab and after-school programs.

“Some of it requires locking people up, but some of it also requires intervening in their lives so that they don’t become repeat offenders,” Mulroy said.

Bureau Chief Tonyaa Weathersbee oversees Chalkbeat Tennessee’s education coverage. Reach her at tweathersbee@chalkbeat.org.

Teachers are leaders. Each one of us makes an impact in the classroom and society.

2022-12-22T14:00:00+00:00

Dr. Kem Smith reflects on the first six months of her advice column.

In graduate school, I was taught that teachers are leaders.

We are leaders because we can influence society from our classrooms, and use our voices in our school buildings, districts, and the community to effect change.

I believe strongly in that sentiment because I enjoy the autonomy of teaching and the impact we can make.

When I became a teacher, I was discouraged because I knew I could be the best teacher-leader on the planet and those who could change the trajectory of my career would never know about my capabilities unless I volunteered to serve on unpaid committees and took on curriculum writing projects.

Every activity that leads a teacher to promotion pulls her away from what she loves to do most: teach.

I have recently applied for several leadership positions in my district and surrounding communities. I have been passed over every time. I’m told it’s because I don’t have enough leadership experience.

I was also told, after working in the same district for 17 years, that no one knows who I am or what I do for students. I can’t lie about how discouraging these experiences have been. I know I am a leader. I have been part of a support system for thousands of students.

Writing this column has helped me to see that being a “teacher leader” is more than a buzzword. It has shown me that my knowledge matters. There is nothing wrong with teachers and teaching. But there is a larger issue around how we are treated, and the structure of a job that consumes your life without validating the work you do.

This column has been my validation.

Looking back over the last six months since “After the Bell” launched…

The hardest question to address was the one from Needing New Standards. The learning loss teachers and students are experiencing has no easy fix. We cannot keep teaching as if the last three years haven’t happened.

District and school-level leadership have to understand student needs (emotional, developmental, and physical), and build relationships to get students the support they need. Time and swift action are the only remedies. So far, I feel we have been unsuccessful.

When it feels like we teachers are failing children, it can make us want to walk away from the profession. No one wants to let children down.

My favorite question was submitted by Curious for Conversation. More needs to be said about classrooms being safer places for all humans, especially those who historically have been marginalized.

Bias can inhibit a teacher’s ability to effectively carry out our mission to educate. The cultural awareness conversation has to begin with ourselves before we can approach students.

When Five Jobs In One wrote in, I was surprised by how honestly I was able to answer. Experience has taught me that the general public wants to hear how much we love our jobs specifically because we are responsible for their children’s education. I’ll find myself in conversations with friends and acquaintances who say, “I couldn’t do what you do but at least you get summers off.”

It’s not all sweet tea and summer vacation days. The daily life of a teacher can feel like post-tsunami survival.

What’s next for teachers is clouded with uncertainty.

There are teachers who are committed to public education and those who are ticking down until retirement. Experts see how education can be done better; however, teachers, students, and parents often feel they don’t have a voice. School leadership sends us surveys and asks for feedback, but the problems feel bigger than building and district-level. The problems seem nationwide.

I see a continued push toward technology.

Teachers will need to know more than their subjects. They have to become tech experts.

Software companies are making moves to address the teacher shortage with online tutoring and live reading, writing, and math help. Online and virtual learning has opened avenues for teachers who want the freedom to choose their schedules. There will be a shift from traditional in-person education to web-based learning. No one knows yet if these changes will be good or bad.

Regardless of what’s next for our industry, the work continues right now. The stretch toward the holiday break makes me feel both excited and rushed. About 10% of my students will graduate in January. I have more content to cover than time to cover it.

I want teachers to know there is still hope for people who want to find success in this career. The challenges they face have answers. I won’t betray their trust or belittle them when they have a question. As teachers, we can be honest and open with each other. We can talk one teacher to another.

Thank you for reading, listening, asking questions, and being a part of the “After the Bell” community these past six months. “After the Bell” will be taking a small break.

Dr. Kem Smith is Chalkbeat’s first advice columnist. She is a full-time 12th-grade English teacher in St. Louis, Missouri. If you have a rebuttal or additional comments you’d like to share, please email afterthebell@chalkbeat.org.

How do I set up a comfortable classroom to meet students’ needs as well as my own?

2022-12-15T14:00:00+00:00

Two teachers seek help in setting up their classrooms.

I really want my students to feel comfortable and safe in my classroom. Do you have any ideas for how to decorate to convey that message? I teach middle school. — Cozy Classroom

Cozy Classroom,

Welcome to the part of teaching that requires you to have a thorough understanding of interior design with a touch of Feng Shui.

Middle grade students change from minute to minute. At 9 a.m., they’re nostalgic for the good old days of elementary school. By 9:05 a.m., they want to be in high school so they can “do whatever they want.” Your classroom should reflect ways to foster their independence while supporting your rules and procedures.

Take care of required items first:

Bathroom procedures - Do you have a sign-out sheet, or electronic or print passes? Do you require permission or can they just leave?
Classroom supplies - Do students know how to get pencils, paper, highlighters, scissors, and extra chargers?
Cell phone storage and chargers
Books and classroom libraries
Period products
First aid supplies
Games and puzzles (especially Monopoly, Jenga, Uno, Phase 10, and Taboo).

A great thing to have for your classroom is alternative seating. When I taught middle school, I scoured thrift stores and marketplaces for couches and chairs. I invested in rugs and pillows. I created classroom centers and allowed students, as an incentive, to work on assignments in these designated areas.

When decorating wall spaces and boards, it’s important to strike a balance between district-required bulletins and posters and items that show your personality as a teacher.

Don’t be afraid to hang art and curtains. My classroom looks like an art museum since painting is my hobby. It’s a great conversation starter because students want to know who’s the artist and the inspiration behind my work. Search “classroom decor” on YouTube for inspiration.

Cozy Classroom, create a space where you won’t have to stop instruction to help a student locate the tools they need to be successful.

[Are you a teacher? Submit your question for our advice column here.]

What are some of your must-have items to keep in a classroom or personal bag? Not school supplies, more like “I’m a human who spends 8-10 hours a day here” supplies. — Mary Poppins

Mary Poppins,

Here are the items I can’t live without:

Coat closet. Where I live, we experience all four seasons. Sometimes in one week. Our HVAC system can’t keep up with the climate changes. One of my pet peeves is that many high school classrooms don’t come with coat closets. Life has taught me to prepare a place to keep many changes of clothes. At work, I have a sweater and a place to hang my coats and jackets.

Comfortable shoes. Teachers everywhere need to be prepared with shoes that allow them to stand on their feet for extended periods of time. I wear tennis shoes daily because we have vinyl composition tile over concrete floors that can put a strain on your back and knees. Students may tease you about wearing tennis shoes, but your overall long-term health is important.

Lotion. You will become a hero on cold days if you have plenty of lotion. Students will come from miles around to slather on moisturizing lotion. You’ll find that your supplies dwindle quickly, so tuck away a bottle for yourself.

Essential oil diffuser. We aren’t allowed to burn candles or other scented items. I understand the fire hazard. The problem I have with this rule is I always have crowded classrooms with students who are still learning personal hygiene. I recommend every teacher use a fragrance source. My personal preference, which also seems to be the safest, is oils for diffusers.

Healthy snacks. The snack machine in the teachers’ lounge is not your friend; pack your own favorites.

A lockbox. My school was built in the 1970s. There is an open-concept design which was supposed to allow for cooperative work between classes. An unfortunate outcome with this flexible workspace is that it eliminates privacy and security. If your building’s design does not include a locked facility for your personal items, bring your own.

A planner. Online planners are nice but there’s nothing like an old-school teacher planning book. These books really help you visualize your plans and keep you on track.

Finally, purchase a journal. It’s a treat to go back and read over your thoughts from year-to-year as you grow as an educator.

Dr. Kem Smith is Chalkbeat’s first advice columnist. She is a full-time 12th-grade English teacher in St. Louis, Missouri. Submit your question to Dr. Kem via this submission form, and subscribe to How I Teach to receive her column in your inbox.

If you have a rebuttal or additional advice you’d like to share with Cozy Classroom or Mary Poppins, please email afterthebell@chalkbeat.org.

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Pandemic learning loss has affected students. Should we push to lower standards?

2022-12-08T14:00:00+00:00

There’s been a significant gap in learning caused by the pandemic and my high school math students are discouraged when our class-level standards are over their heads or out of reach.

I read your column on motivating students, but I think the issue is deeper. There is a mismatch between what the state standards require of students and what the average 2022-23 student looks like as a result of the pandemic.

Do you think there’s any appetite at the state or federal level to update standards and reflect these changes in our students? Do you have any advice for teachers like me whose classes are limited by out-of-date standards? — Needing New Standards

Dear Needing New Standards,

My short answer is NO WAY will anyone consider revising standards.

The overhaul of academic standards used across America was a massive undertaking from 2008 to 2010.

The Council of Chief State School Officers, National Governors Association, National Education Association, American Federation of Teachers, and a nonprofit education reform group called Achieve worked tirelessly for 18 months to create the Common Core standards.

My long answer is the COVID-19 pandemic upended education in America. Learning loss is an unfortunate byproduct of the disruption.

Students have been directly impacted by the loss of in-person instruction. As educators, it is imperative for us to keep expectations in place. In time, students can catch up from lost learning due to school disruptions. Gains are possible, as proven by elementary students.

Our teacher instincts tell us that we need to meet students where they are to alleviate the stress we teachers feel pushing them towards unrealistic expectations set by standards we don’t necessarily agree with.

The opposite is often true. Meeting students where they are creates a deficit model and leads to lowered expectations. To discourage this debilitating cycle of underachievement, educators need to expose students to grade-level content.

Time and rigorous instruction can help. Following a 2005 earthquake in Pakistan, researchers found that after a 14-week shutdown of schools most impacted, there was an average of 1.5 years of learning loss. Four years later, a significant number of students caught up to grade-level expectations.

Researchers attributed their academic turnaround to Pakistan’s government intervention and contributions from organizations like World Vision which sponsored catch-up classes.

But what about U.S. students?

To answer that question, we cannot ignore the intensive needs of the community. Pakistani children whose mothers were more educated did not fall behind. The missing component is examining how to support the communities that have been most affected.

While we may not have the funding to provide free catch-up classes to families, we can provide support using existing resources.

We have seen plans by individual countries to make significant investments in school programs.

The UK offered a coronavirus catch-up premium for schools to create a national tutoring program, a tuition fund, and a language intervention fund.
In France, the government created an educational continuity program to address the education needs of children and families.
Here in the United States, three rounds of federal COVID relief funding provided a significant investment to help catch up on lost learning.

School districts have used COVID relief money to provide an acceleration, not remediation approach. We, the teachers, have the power to lead the way to support students who have returned to the classroom.

If funding is still available in your district, consider resources from the U.S. Department of Education. A post-pandemic benefit is student access to devices has significantly improved. Are there standards that can be practiced and reviewed at home?

My school is using an incentive program called Imagine Math to reward students who complete math lessons independently. When they pass the recommended number of lessons, students are eligible for gift cards, roller skating, and zoo field trips. Not all students buy into this idea, but for those who take advantage the benefits are great. We believe that it’s worth the try.

Needing New Standards, as an educational professional, every day with students is a day when we can look for opportunities to expand learning.

Currently, 10% of my students will graduate at semester end. With block scheduling, I only have about 11 classes left with them. I have to examine all the ways to expand on what they know while preparing them for their next level of education. If I had spent this semester remediating what the students did not learn, I expect I would feel guilty about not having covered 12th grade standards.

If possible, connect with previous grade-level teachers to define content-specific gaps.

Pre-pandemic, when our 12th-grade team wrote the curriculum, we met with ninth-11th grade teachers. Then, we thought specifically about what employers and higher education institutions were seeking and how we were aligning with ACT/SAT testing. We aligned all of the work with the calendar and standardized testing dates.

I find it difficult to eliminate any of what we worked so hard to create. My goal is to ensure that my students receive as much if not more direct instruction than pre-pandemic students.

If you have a rebuttal or additional advice you’d like to share with Needing New Standards, please email afterthebell@chalkbeat.org.

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How do I compete with cell phones for my students’ attention?

2022-12-01T14:00:00+00:00

I teach high school and my building doesn’t have a policy about phones. They say it’s “up to each teacher.” Any advice for what my classroom policy should be? The only schoolwide rule is that teachers are not allowed to take or collect student phones. — Can’t Compete with TikTok

Dear Can’t Compete with TikTok,

We have the exact dilemma in my high school.

Even without a building or district-level policy, our administration team considers student phone usage part of our teacher evaluations. If an administrator pops in for an observation, they count the number of students and list how many are distracted by their cell phones. I know because one of these surprise observations happened recently to me.

Cellular phone usage in schools has been a national debate for over a decade.

Educators are in a daily power struggle with students who are distracted by their phones. Taking back our classrooms from these devices has to be a community effort.

A district that expects teachers to discipline students about excessive cell phone use exacerbates the problem when they put the responsibility on the individual teacher rather than taking a district-wide stand.

Earlier this fall, I learned from experience how cellular devices have changed the way schools, teachers, and students operate.

While teaching my literature class, I could not hold my students’ attention. No matter how I tried to redirect my class, they kept turning to their classmates, talking, and pointing at their phones. I finally asked what was happening.

They were watching students livestream on social media as they escaped a school shooter. The scene was active and happening 25 minutes from our location in St. Louis.

The impacted children filmed their raw emotions for the world to experience. My students, 15 miles north of the tragedy, were fully engaged in the terror of the situation.

Needless to say, the school day was not business as usual.

English class was the least of their concerns. As their teacher leader, I felt it was my duty to address and alleviate their fears. I know that as a parent, I would not want my child to witness these scenes without my input.

I felt terrible about these students watching their peers in real time face a terrible tragedy.

Can’t Compete with TikTok, phones at school mean our students are more plugged in than ever. Sometimes they derail an entire day because of a critical event, and sometimes they can save lives like for the students who were able to alert each other and their families about the shooting in their school.

Regardless of how they impact our work as educators, they are here to stay. We have to ensure our students learn to manage their cell phone usage especially while in our classrooms.

I have co-workers who have invested in cellular phone locking cabinets. While teachers rave about the success of these boxes, your district has asked you to not collect phones.

I once had a phone stolen that I had taken from a student. I had an idea who took the phone, but I couldn’t prove it. The district had to replace her phone. Now, as a rule, I don’t touch student phones unless I am given explicit permission.

You have been with your students for about four months now. Even if you did not make your cell phone policy clear at the beginning of the year, it’s not too late to command their attention to keep them focused.

Here’s how I manage cell phone use in my classroom

At the beginning of each class, I welcome students with an attention getter. Most of the class will turn their phones over and look up for instructions. I make eye contact with all students. If I find I do not have everyone’s attention, I respectfully ask the entire class to put their phones away.
I praise three to four students who have taken care of their phones. For example, I will say, “Brandon, has put his phone away, he’s ready for instructions. Tracy, I see your eyes this way and phone turned over.” I choose students who are sitting close to distracted classmates. In my experience, that’s enough motivation for all students to pay attention.
I give detailed instructions to the students and let them know what their voice levels should be and what to do when they finish the task I have given them. Then, students will not have the, “I’m finished” excuse they believe allows them to scroll.
Throughout the task I use timers. I move around the room and positively support students with sticky notes or comments to let them know I recognize their efforts and I encourage them to stay focused.

Can’t Compete with TikTok, I oversimplified this process for the sake of explanation. It is a lot of work to practice this level of support for students in every class, especially when I have 33 students.

Be patient if the results do not happen as fast as you want. Remember that every day you are impacting lives. Consistency and consequences will lead to the outcomes you want. Slow and steady wins the race. When all else fails, recruit support with administration and families.

Everything you do is teaching students how to have a growth mindset. Instead of changing their behavior, leverage it.

My favorite classroom slogan is, “I teach scholars not scrollers.” Show them how important it is to make the right decisions and let their admiration for you and their future success be the primary driver in temporarily letting TikTok go.

If you have a rebuttal or additional advice you’d like to share with Can’t Compete with TikTok, please email afterthebell@chalkbeat.org.

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My colleague doesn’t share curriculum changes. How do I approach them?

2022-11-17T14:00:00+00:00

I teach the same class as one of my colleagues. We’re meant to give the same assignments, quizzes, and assessments, but the other teacher keeps changing their curriculum without telling me. I only found out because one of my homeroom students, who has the other teacher, asked me for help with an assignment.

I know everyone has different teaching styles, but I think it’s important that students learn the same content. This other teacher has been teaching the class longer than I have. What should I do? — Out of the Loop

Out of the Loop,

To answer your question, we have to zoom out.

Historically, students learned in multi-grade, one-room schoolhouses. Theorists who led school reform in the early 20th century decided that educators who wanted to build student learning should not work in isolation.

In the early 1960s, the term professional learning community (PLC) first emerged among researchers and became popular during the 1980s and early 1990s. PLCs provide teachers with an opportunity to use collective efforts to achieve a clear, commonly shared purpose for student learning.

You are PLC-ready. Your partner may not be.

PLCs arrived in my school district in the early 2000s, after I’d been in the profession for five or six years. I remember that implementation of PLCs was difficult, and there was not a lot of teacher buy-in.

PLC requirements were closely connected to student testing and common formative assessments. Administrators used testing data to determine if students were learning and some bonuses were determined by these scores. Teachers resisted because they were not willing to churn out robots who could perform well on tests but not necessarily know the content.

There are teachers who believe that all students can learn, just not on the same day or in the same way.

Your philosophy differs from your co-worker. Which one of you is right?

In the times we are facing, teaching should not feel like an episode of Survivor. If someone is isolating and not sharing information, there is a reason.

The students are not suffering and they can still thrive with either approach. It seems like what’s actually not working is the relationship between you and your colleague. Ask yourself if there are ways to build trust.

How to break the ice

- Notice the positive. Teachers arrive to school early, stay late, bring work home, contact parents, grade papers, plan lessons, write curriculum, manage behaviors, provide social and emotional support, keep up with pop culture, redirect cell phone usage, buy materials, arrange for field trips and guest speakers, and manage whatever the principal requests on a daily basis.

Have you noticed your fellow teacher doing well at any of these tasks? Check in and acknowledge the teacher in genuine ways. Your consideration could go a long way even if it is as simple as a thank you card or a gold star sticker.

- Look for ways to help. I remember attending teacher development training at The Ron Clark Academy in Atlanta. I was blown away by Kim Bearden’s personal story of divorcing while being an educator and leader at this prestigious well-known school. She suffered in silence. Some days she suffered aloud. Her story reminds us we need each other to get through the toughest times in our lives.

We have all worked with a teacher who was overwhelmed. If you haven’t, you will.

Find out where and how you can provide support. You do not know what this other teacher is experiencing. There is an unfortunate trend of teachers judging other teachers when really there are areas where they may need assistance. Ask. If that teacher does not accept your offer, then do not continue to press. Let time work in your favor.

- Trust your colleague. I have one literature class where I have to adjust my lesson plans every time. We move at a slower pace and sometimes I change the lesson completely from the other classes. I am not doing that class a disservice. I am adjusting according to their needs. When testing time comes, they will be as prepared as the other classes because I intuitively know what they should be learning and how to remove the non-essential agenda items.

The other teacher has been teaching longer than you have. I have to assume that you learned about PLCs early in your career and adapted the concepts into your pedagogy. Your teaching partner may not have. They may be operating under PLC resistance, but trust that their students are getting the information to succeed in the class.

- Do not take it personally. Let’s imagine your fellow teacher is doing the bare minimum and is muddling through this year. The lack of effort can truly be disheartening at a time when there is so much work to be done.

Please do not allow those work habits to interfere with your personal and career goals. If you were to become derailed by a fellow teacher, the students will face the problem of two distracted and possibly disconnected teachers.

Out of the Loop, workplace dynamics can be challenging. Teaching is meant to be a career and not your life. Make sure you do not fall into the trap of alienating co-workers. Get back into the loop by building an environment of trust and academic professionalism.

If you have a rebuttal or additional advice you’d like to share with Out of the Loop, please email afterthebell@chalkbeat.org.

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How do I build relationships with students who are culturally different from me?

2022-11-10T14:00:00+00:00

I want to be a more culturally responsive teacher, but my background isn’t the same as many of my students. How do you initiate a conversation with a student to begin building a relationship regarding their cultural experiences? — Curious for Conversation

Curious for Conversation,

I once worked with a highly qualified, veteran teacher who growled at students she did not like. I know it seems unbelievable.

We had joint hall duty during passing time and while standing in our respective places, she would smile, wave, and speak kindly to the students who displayed conventional positive behavior in class.

To the students who she believed made her work harder, told jokes, or left their assigned seats during class, she made a grunting, animal-like noise and frowned at them. She would turn to me and say something negative about the student, sometimes describing them as “soon to be in prison.”

I still feel bad that my attempts to discourage her behavior never worked.

The teacher was white and the students she smiled at were often white. The students who received the growls were predominantly Black. As a Black teacher, I saw how differently she treated Black students. She was operating under implicit bias.

I wish that teacher would have asked me the same question you’ve submitted.

While your question does not specify race, 79% of American public school teachers are white. Black and brown children, who have been historically marginalized, need teachers who are willing to do the work to create more equitable classrooms.

President Lyndon B. Johnson’s 1967 Kerner Commission warned, “Our nation is moving toward two societies, one black, one white—separate and unequal.” We need to be able to discuss race.

Practice culturally responsive teaching through classroom leadership

A culturally responsive teacher understands that if a student’s socioeconomic status, gender, or race differs from their experience, that teacher is still the educational leader in the classroom and around the building.

Culturally responsive teaching requires us to face our biases and bridge the gap between our own lived experiences and that of our students.

Teaching through leadership means inspiring passion and motivation in students. Here’s how to get there:

- Become a student of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging (DEIB). Remember, no one owes another person an explanation of their culture. If you want to have these conversations with your students, you will need to start by reading books that address race and culture in our country. Some of these titles will feel risky. Push past that potential discomfort. The information contained in these works is enlightening.

When I read Isabel Wilkerson’s “Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents,” I was astonished by her parallelism between the U.S. and Indian economic systems.

Bryan Stevenson’s book, “Just Mercy,” also a major film, highlights the American penal system problems with real stories of men, women, and children who he and the Equal Justice Initiative have defended. There is an adapted version for students that I read with my classes. After reading the book, many students leave with strong opinions on the death penalty.

- Focus on the future by inspiring a shared vision. When students attend schools where their culture isn’t reflected, they are less likely to engage in the classroom, which leads to further disconnect from academic success.

If your students are disengaged, instead of jumping into a conversation about cultural differences, start by finding common ground. Ask them about their goals and dreams, and how they hope to reach them.

When I was a middle school teacher, I discovered a career in filmmaking could be quite lucrative. I printed a screenplay and distributed it to students during class to gauge their interest. None of my 100-plus students had actually seen or held a script. So, I started a filmmakers club.

I had an open-door policy where all students were welcome. The club was so popular, I could not secure enough video cameras.

Consider starting an after-school club that inspires and unites disengaged, potentially marginalized students. You can help motivate them by encouraging them to collaborate toward their goals or help them set new ones based on new opportunities, like my filmmakers club.

Curious for Conversation, open the doors of opportunity for students who have a different background and watch engagement skyrocket.

- Model the way. If you want more conversation with students who have a different cultural background, create lesson plans that encourage discourse. Share your own cultural background and experience.

I have taught foreign exchange students. Some had limited English proficiency and chose to remain quiet in class. By incorporating my own personal narratives and anecdotes into my lesson plans, I’ve been able to engage these students who are so far from home.

- Focus on caring for and encouraging students. Teacher-leaders are often placed in positions of authority over their students. Use your wisdom and experience to find ways to identify the contributions of all your students to lead to long-term classroom and community success.

In my classroom I highlight student contributions by using this technique employed by HBCUs: First, I start the school year by helping students identify their strengths. I use Myers-Briggs to achieve this analysis. Then, I make it a point to memorize key facts about each student.

When I see them using their strengths, I make a point to acknowledge it. I will verbally applaud them, discreetly pass them a Post-it note, or add the feedback to an assignment. A phone call home to share good news with families really encourages student success..

If you show them you are keeping their best interests in mind, they will notice and be more willing to be led by you.

Curious for Conversation, cultural conversations don’t just happen. Students must feel comfortable enough to share their experiences with you. If you push too hard, they will resist and you will lose ground. Design a playbook that fills in your cultural blind spots and puts your students’ needs first to create a long-term bond.

If you have a rebuttal or additional advice you’d like to share with Curious for Conversation, please email afterthebell@chalkbeat.org.

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I’m a first-year teacher. How do I become successful in the classroom?

2022-11-03T13:00:00+00:00

This is my first year as a teacher and I’m teaching sixth grade, so both my students and I are new to the school. I’m wondering if you have any advice for how to make students feel welcome in a new building? — I’m New Here

[Are you a teacher? Submit your question for our advice column here.]

Dear I’m New Here,

Congratulations and welcome to the classroom. You are about to learn the magic of classroom leadership.

You have a toolbox of strategies from your pre-teacher service work. Use them. You will need to try all of those strategies and see which ones work for you.

I teach 12th grade now, but when I was a middle school teacher, I was constantly thinking of ways to reach students. I felt like I spent more time managing behaviors than teaching. To fix the problem, I planned amazing lessons that would flop because the kids would either stare at me without paying attention or refuse to turn in assignments. I remember being so frustrated and ready to quit.

Today, during parent-teacher conferences, a parent approached me and asked, “Did you used to teach at Meramec Elementary School?” I could not believe my eyes because this woman looked exactly like a fifth grader from my first teaching assignment. She told me her name and I was transported back to 2001 when this 10-year-old wore two long braids and smiled all the time.

She shared great memories and told me how much I influenced her life. This now-adult told me my presence meant the world to her. I found her message heartwarming and timely because for me, it was hard to believe my first year of teaching was a good experience for her.

The truth is when you teach middle schoolers, you feel like you don’t make a difference. I learned from this former student that I was wrong. As a first-year middle school teacher, you can be successful and impact adolescents’ lives.

Here’s how to get through your first school year

Bad advice abounds, ignore it! When I graduated with my master’s degree in education, there was a popular book that urged teachers not to smile for the first days of school. We were advised not to smile because we needed to send a message that we meant business. The theory was if we wanted respect from students, we had to communicate that we were no-nonsense educators who wanted conformity.

That did not work for me at all. I started smiling on the first day and felt like a total failure. I continued to smile every day because I realized the stern approach does not work for me.

I finally asked myself what does work. The answer: authenticity. I needed to show up as me.

Think of the old Bible story of David and Goliath. David was a teenager who wore an adult soldier’s tin uniform. The strange armor and borrowed weapons ended up hurting more than helping him, so instead he threw a stone to slay the giant.

In the same way I continued to smile and David dropped that armor, don’t be afraid to lose whatever you were told or taught that isn’t working.

Don’t isolate yourself. Most of the time, you will be alone with 20-30 students. Though you might not feel it yet in the excitement of your first year, being in a classroom with students all day can be tiring.

If you’re like me, around the third or fourth hour of each day you might begin to question your decisions in the classroom and might even wonder if you have chosen the right career.

This is a daily occurrence. Having teacher friends reminds you this is normal and to see the bigger picture. We have a big task and teachers support each other.

In my first year, I made friends by eating lunch in the teacher’s lounge and planning lessons with grade-level teachers.

Decide what you value. Are you a teacher who values conformity over free thinking and expression?

Someone who values conformity might emphasize strict due dates, teacher-enforced rules and consequences, and lecture-style learning.

Someone who prefers free thinking in the classroom might tolerate late work policies, student-created rules, student choice teaching such as stations and differentiated instruction.

Whatever you value as a teacher should be represented in the physical and social environment of your classroom.

- Physical environment - Consider the systems you will use to communicate your values. If you lean toward a student-centered classroom, a system could be as simple as identifying space in your classroom where students can access basic supplies such as a pencil or Chromebook charger.

What are your non-traditional seating options? I follow on YouTube a middle school teacher, Joy Bazzle, who uses spin bikes for desks. She has standing desks and wobble boards. Her classroom has great energy.

Avoid items in your classroom that can cause bad feelings for students. My high school students have shared with me unfortunate memories of their names being on the board or the color being red on a classroom behavior chart at the end of the day. They recount times of missing recess or not attending popcorn parties. These punishments did not change their behaviors, the students said. They felt targeted.

Will your behavior management system convey feelings of superiority and exclusion?

- Social environment -How will you encourage students to interact? Consider equitable systems for calling on students to participate in discussions. Trust students by including more movement in tasks where students are only using paper and pencil.

In my own classroom, I use fishbowl strategies to encourage discussions and debates. An easy way to incorporate movement and encourage discussion is to take an anticipation guide and have students move across the room based on whether they agree or disagree.

Support students as individuals. As teachers, we’re trained to see who’s not doing what we asked or to prioritize finding mistakes. I have found that providing affirmation and validation are worth learning.

Spend more time finding and acknowledging the ways in which you and your students are growing to help change the narrative that schools are a place of discipline.

You could use your wall space to provide positive reinforcement and encouragement. If you set up your classroom as a place of cooperative education, it can create an opportunity for additional buy-in, especially from reluctant learners.

Build a community of learners. My No. 1 goal is to help children learn as much from each other as they do from me. I make it clear that everyone in class doesn’t have to be best friends. But as long as we are assembled together in a classroom, we will listen and hear one another, accept each others’ differences, and recognize strengths and how each student can contribute to the classroom environment.

Sixth grade teachers can also facilitate collaboration. My favorite go-to strategies as a middle school teacher were the annual poetry slam and the million dollar project. There are other ideas to deepen student collaboration.

I’m New Here, teacher programs attempt to imitate the complexities of your first year as a teacher but it is nearly impossible to know what every classroom and every student will be like when you take over your classroom.

Know that you will survive and what you learn this year will stick with you for a lifetime.

If you have a rebuttal or additional advice you’d like to share with I’m New Here, please email afterthebell@chalkbeat.org

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I want to be a teacher. What do I need to know for my first interviews?

2022-10-27T13:00:00+00:00

I’m graduating next year with my degree in elementary education and was wondering if you have any advice for teacher interviews? Thanks! — Newer Interviewer

[Are you a teacher? Submit your question for our advice column here.]

Dear Newer Interviewer,

We need more teachers. Only 4% of all undergraduate degrees conferred are in education, according to Pew Research Center numbers for 2019-20.

I remember my early teacher interviews. I wanted to prove I had learned all there was to know about teaching. I showed up in my black suit and matching portfolio in hand, ready to take on the world. Nerves took over and I forgot everything.

I kept trying, and in time, I overcame those nerves, and I eventually managed to find a teaching position.

In the years since then, I have sat on interview panels for fellow teachers, taught my high school students how to interview, and hosted annual mock interviews for all my classes. The good news is it does get easier.

Interviewing next spring following the last two-plus years might seem daunting, but I appreciate your continued belief in the power of education and meeting the requirements to become a certified teacher.

Roles in elementary education are unique because interviewers will emphasize wanting to know your teaching philosophy, your pedagogical approaches, and how you will connect with parents and families.

Here are my quick tips for preparing for your elementary school teacher interviews.

The basics

- Collect all of your pre-employment documents. You will need an updated resume, cover letter, recommendations, and official transcripts.

Recommendation letters are top priority for interviewers. Be sure to give your references a minimum of two weeks to write your letters. Also, prepare supplemental documents such as portfolios and writing samples.

- Attend job fairs. The extroverted introvert in me loves job fairs. As an attendee, you can interact with multiple school districts in one setting and distribute your resume while networking with hiring managers.

Don’t be afraid to ask those hiring managers what perks their districts offer new teachers, such as a budget to purchase supplies or parking spot for the teacher of the month.

- Be prepared to discuss examples of your work experience. Potential employers will want to know how you resolve real-world teaching problems. An interviewer might ask you, “If I walked into your classroom during one of your lessons, what would I expect to see?”

Brainstorm problems you faced during your practicum and student-teacher experiences and how you solved them. The solutions you came up with are what will interest your interviewers. Make sure you provide examples whenever you assert you have a skill or can complete a particular task.

In interviews in the past, I’ve shared how I used differentiated instruction to address multiple learning styles. I prepared examples of student work and explained why I chose to offer a variety of products instead of paper-and-pencil tasks to assess student learning.

- Practice. Interviews can consist of panels with four or more interviewers. Some people find panel interviews overwhelming.

The key is knowing that the interviewers will be reading from a paper and scoring based on your answers. Try to prepare answers to common elementary teacher interview questions so you’re not surprised by an interviewer. Having answers in advance will help you remain calm under the stress of interviews.

Always be prepared to answer questions about behavior management plans and family communication.

What you might not know yet

- Consider extending student memberships through your first year. If you joined a teacher organization such as the education honor society Kappa Delta Pi, find out if they will allow you to extend your student membership through your first year as a practitioner.

Teacher organizations offer a plethora of resources for teaching and can sometimes host job fairs during their annual conferences.

- Talk to current and recently hired elementary teachers. Ask your references or other connections about their own teacher interview experiences. What questions were they asked, what went well, what do they wish they had done differently?

As teachers, we are used to relying on each other, and it’s good to start building that support network now.

- Prepare your own set of questions. Remember that you also have power as the interviewee and you should prioritize a school or district where you can see yourself being successful, supported, and respected.

I encourage you to ask interviewers tough questions such as: “how will you help me connect with a mentor beyond my first year?” “What supports are available to assist with following Individualized Education Programs and 504 accommodations to help ensure student success?” and “What building level supports are available for communicating with families?”

Teaching interviews are like most other interviews — they take practice and confidence in your skills and experience. If an interview doesn’t go your way, assess what went wrong and keep it in mind for the next one.

Keep confident there will be a next one.

If you have a rebuttal or additional advice you’d like to share with Newer Interviewer, please email afterthebell@chalkbeat.org

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It’s college application time. Here’s how to help students make their picks.

2022-10-20T13:00:00+00:00

As college application season begins, teacher and columnist Dr. Kem Smith offers advice for teachers helping students navigate this exciting and sometimes emotional time. She’ll return to answering your questions next week. You can submit them here.

There are nearly 6,000 colleges and universities in the U.S. Students entering universities have to narrow their choices to one.

This major life decision does not have to be overwhelming if students are prepared to select the right college. It’s important to remind students that academic programs are only one part of what schools offer. There are more criteria that separate colleges and universities.

As a teacher-parent who helped my children as well as thousands of high school seniors to make their college choices, I start by asking the students to consider what is most important and to rank the following categories from 1-5:

region/location
reputation
size: small, medium, large
financial aid/affordability
designation/type of school

For some students, financial aid is their number 1 consideration, while for others it might be least important.

Here’s how I help students navigate each category

If location is important, U.S. New and World Report College Edition divides and ranks universities into regions. When prospective students scroll through these lists, they can learn about tuition, fees, and school size; they also can read reviews, and see photos and links to the school’s website.

When my daughter was searching for a college, her top criteria was warm weather. She said she never wanted to experience the cold, ice, and snow of Midwest winters again. We began to consider towns in the South where she could be close to relatives. Her college decision became much easier after deciding on location.

If reputation is important, the U.S. News and World Report ranks 443 colleges and universities. Families can select multiple college listings and compare them.

School reputation can be based on academic prestige, sports, strong alumni network, or other factors. Family connections to the school can also impact student decisions.

If size is important to the students, find out why they are interested in a small, medium, or large college. Students may not recognize the importance of choosing an institution that matches their personality type. In my college experience, I learned that feeling out of place can lead to homesickness and a lack of connection to the school culture.

– Small colleges have fewer than 5,000 students. Students choose smaller colleges to be recognized and acknowledged as an individual.

As an introvert, I chose a smaller institution because I wanted to know my professors and for them to know me.

– Medium-sized institutions have between 5,000 and 15,000 students. The benefits of a mid-sized university are the wide range of course offerings, social opportunities, events, and increased financial aid support. I enjoyed my time in a medium-sized institution because of the football team.

– Large usually means more than 15,000 students. Larger institutions are known for their faculty research. There are multiple opportunities for students to engage in extracurricular activities such as fraternities and sororities, athletics, and on-campus entertainment like the arts and music.

If financial aid is important to students, begin by searching for institutions that meet 100% of financial aid needs. When a student completes the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), the U.S. Department of Education determines if a family qualifies for federal grants, loans, or work-study funds. School expenses include tuition, room and board, various fees, and books. These expenses can add up.

Colleges that “meet full need” will offer admitted students enough financial aid to cover the difference between a college’s cost of attendance and a family’s ability to pay.

As early as junior high school, students should look into their state’s programs that support future college students. In Missouri, there is a program called A+ that provides scholarships to qualified students who attend public community college or vocational/technical school, or certain private in-state, two-year vocational/technical schools.

Community colleges offer an additional means of affordability and should not be overlooked during the college search.

If designation or type of school is important, then direct students through the background and history of these institutions. There are public and private schools (including religious schools), historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs), minority-serving institutions, and predominantly white institutions.

I spend a lot of time discussing designation. A majority of the students I teach are reluctant to attend college. They are first-generation college students, who qualify for Pell Grants and have limited knowledge about higher education. Two years of virtual instruction left them disappointed with school.

As of 2020, there were 107 U.S. HBCUs. Black students who attend an HBCU are 33% more likely to graduate than their peers who attend a non-HBCU that is similar in size and designation. Additionally, HBCUs account for more degree completions among Black students.

United Negro College Fund (UNCF) provides information about the benefits of HBCUs for students of color and the need to continue to support these institutions. The primary goal of HBCUs has been to provide access and opportunity, according to UNCF.

While the landmark Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, and national origin in programs and activities receiving federal financial assistance, some students are surprised that there are still thousands of predominantly white institutions in America. Predominately white institutions, or PWIs, refer to institutions of higher learning in which white students account for at least 50% of the enrollment. Regardless of historic enrollment decisions, these institutions accept all races and nationalities. Students who choose PWIs can experience racial diversity on campus.

Many students wonder how public and private schools differ. One of the biggest differences is funding. Public colleges are government-funded, while private schools rely more on tuition and endowments.

Get organized

Narrow the choices. Ideally, after students explore these initial topics, they will narrow their college choices to 3-5 institutions. From there, students can take an in-depth look at each institution.

I have them compare admission requirements, academics, enrollment size, expenses, activities, facilities, and post-graduation support through job placement services of each school.

I recommend that students who may be considering selective schools such as The Juilliard School, the U.S. Military Academy, or Vanderbilt University talk to their school counselors. Their selection list may differ, as well as deadline dates, and materials to submit. Remember, fee waivers are available if application fees are a financial burden.

Look into college fairs and tours. Finally, students should participate in college fairs whenever possible. Our high school employs college and career counselors, who plan and coordinate campus visits and bring recruiters to schools for students to meet.

Ideally, it’s best for students to conduct in-person tours of the school they are most interested in attending. However, most colleges also provide virtual tours.

Create a scholarship organizer. When students begin to apply for college, use sites like The Common App and The Common Black College App. Students can use these common apps to apply to multiple colleges at once, but they still have to pay individual application fees, unless they get a fee waiver. Their school counselors can help with fee waivers.

My students regularly seek funding opportunities so I created a scholarship organizer. I include:

a category for the scholarship they want to apply for
scholarship amount
time to apply (from urgent to four weeks out)
requirements/topics especially for essays
date submitted
whether they receive the scholarship

Have a plan. Ultimately, we want students to leave our classrooms with a clear idea of their post-secondary plans. Too many students graduate without a framework for their adult lives. It’s an undertaking to guide high schoolers through their college and career plans but these tips will help teachers make that transition smoother.

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We do so many jobs, it’s exhausting. When can teachers just teach?

2022-10-13T13:00:00+00:00

As I assemble the desks I just picked up from my district’s warehouse because I have more students this year, I wonder why no one told me that actual teaching is only a fraction of this job.

The job is both physically demanding and emotionally taxing.

I find myself scanning over things, trying to prioritize tasks, and missing out on useful training or professional development because I don’t have the time.

How can we give teachers the opportunity to actually teach? What do we do about extra, unpaid work? — Five Jobs in One

[Are you a teacher? Submit your question for our advice column here.]

Dear Five Jobs in One,

You’re right, this job is both physically demanding and emotionally taxing. Let me describe my last few days to you.

As I write this, about 11 teachers are absent and the school secretary is still trying to find teachers who will cover their classes, which have 30-plus students each. About four weeks ago, when school started, I requested a sub because I’ll be leaving town next week. They still haven’t found someone to cover for me.

Yesterday, a loaded gun was found on campus in the boy’s bathroom during school hours. Teachers received an email at about 6:30 p.m. — at the same time as the general public. Mind you, this was after a day full of fights between students.

Also yesterday, there were multiple teachers out, and we had two subs trying to cover four teachers. One substitute teacher walked out after the second class. She told another teacher she had never been so disrespected in her life. Other teachers were then asked to cover for the sub who left.

Tuesday, a student stole the wallet of the teacher whose classroom is attached to mine. Fortunately, the school was able to track the stolen wallet.

Wednesday, the air conditioning died at our sister high school in record-breaking, 90-degree fall weather. There were three student fights, and by noon, someone set off a smoke bomb in the bathroom.

The administration evacuated the building, but while everyone was outside, five additional fights broke out simultaneously. Teachers were injured. The school resource officers were outnumbered. Finally, someone arranged for buses and school was dismissed early.

I haven’t even mentioned the intermittent internet issues, overcrowded classrooms, COVID cases, high student absences, and learning loss where children have developed poor habits and now rebel against classroom instruction.

Five Jobs in One, I say all this because I’m exhausted, too, and there are no substitute teachers to allow us to take time off. I hear you, and many teachers across the country feel the same.

Here are five things we can both commit to trying this week:

Take a breath — because it feels like that’s all we can do right now. Give yourself one minute to catch your breath.
Remember what is in our circle of control.
Show up for ourselves by finding some form of exercise. The benefits of exercise are worth the effort it takes to motivate ourselves even when our days are stressful.
Resist the urge to veg out on the couch at the end of the day. Use evenings to participate in an activity you enjoy like a bowling league, or phone a friend to catch up.
Ask for help. It’s OK to reach out to a therapist. Join a larger education community like our After the Bell Facebook group.

If you have a rebuttal or additional advice you’d like to share with Five Jobs in One, please email afterthebell@chalkbeat.org.

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How do I help fellow teachers who are ready to leave our profession?

2022-10-06T13:00:00+00:00

Following my first year as a teacher, I thought teaching wasn’t for me, and I quit. I left the profession for something completely different, but I didn’t feel fulfilled.

I came back and found a new school where I’ve taught for five years. I feel supported by the community, the district, the parents, the team, and my administration. I even hope to stay long enough to retire here.

Most teachers go into this profession with heart and love to build better communities and to give kids the strategies and tools to handle what will come their way, but as someone who left the profession for a time, I know we have a teacher shortage for a reason.

How can I support other teachers who are struggling right now? What are things I can do, as a teacher, to help with the teacher shortage? — Hungry to Help

[Are you a teacher? Submit your question for our advice column here.]

Hungry to Help,

Robert John Meehan said, “The most valuable resource that all teachers have is each other.” Teachers are built differently.

Like you, I also left the profession and came back after feeling unfulfilled. I’m glad we both returned to education.

You’re also right in your assessment that most teachers don’t feel as supported as you do now and many are leaving the profession. As teachers, we are handling America’s education challenges by implementing every management strategy we can employ.

Every day, I see teachers miraculously save each other, and many of us recognize the need to hold one another up.

The needs of teachers can vary from building to building, city to city, and state to state. The first step in helping teachers in your community who are on the verge of quitting sounds simple but isn’t done enough: Ask them what they need and listen to their answers.

Here is how my peers and I support each other

We are each other’s safe spaces. We vent without fear of retribution. One of us is always the voice of reason. When we go too far or start taking the job personally, we reel each other back in. The best part about our time together is everyone is welcome: new teachers and veteran teachers. We are race- and gender-inclusive.

We get to know each other as people outside of our profession. We talk about our kids and spouses. We discuss projects we have going outside of work. We also vary our meeting locations to support local restaurants and find respite from the school buildings where we work.

You can build this in your community or school by starting a social committee. Even if it’s a small group, plan one activity per term and invite teachers and staff — offer people a small prize or token of appreciation for attending (as with our students, candy or snacks can be a big motivator). Build momentum by surveying attendees about their interests. Extend a special greeting to new teachers and ensure they receive a more personal invitation.

What you can do now: Invite your colleagues to get together

Here’s a sample email you could send to foster a safe space among teachers at your school.

Subject Line: You’re invited to a Welcome Back gathering

Body:

Hello everyone,

If we haven’t met yet, I’m [YOUR NAME] and I’m excited to invite you to a Welcome Back gathering to ring in the new school year in the lounge on [DAY] at [TIME].

You will have the opportunity to enjoy light refreshments while connecting with colleagues. There will be small attendance prizes for those who can make it.

I’d like to extend a special invite to any new teachers this year — we veterans can answer any questions you might have about our school.

Looking forward to seeing you all in the lounge on [DAY].

P.S. I’d also like to get a “Welcome Committee” going at our school, to ensure there’s a consistent way for us to come together. If you’d like to join the committee, let me know!

We collaborate. All over America, school districts have closely monitored, time-bound mandates. In our building, we work together to meet our deadlines.

I began collaborating with colleagues when our department chairs conceived an intervention plan to allow teachers to push into each other’s classes. We found that having an extra certified adult in the room increased time on task and student engagement.

Our professional development plans, units of instruction, and responses to intervention are completed together in small groups. We read aloud and edit finished copies before sending them to principals.

I published my first fiction book because two amazing English teachers met me for dinner and volunteered to read every page. I would not have accomplished my dream of becoming an author without their support.

Hungry for Help, ask your colleagues what they need help with.

We lose sleep over problems in our classrooms and buildings. There are times when we must have gripe sessions. I have found, however, that our conversations are laced with solutions.

We talk to union representatives. When we recognize problems and brainstorm solutions, our elected union representatives are available to present our concerns to the board of education.

Last week, we were required without proper notification to complete and submit district-required paperwork. Our union representatives sprung into action, and we were granted a 30-day extension.

Review your policy handbook to know when to raise an issue with the union representative.

Hungry to Help, if you want to support your fellow teachers, consider becoming a building or district union representative. You could even work on the national level. Someone has to represent our voices.

We guest teach each other’s classes. The teacher shortage is a heavy burden. Not being able to go to doctor’s appointments or take off when you feel ill creates poor working conditions. When we need emergency assistance, we help each other as much as possible.

Last month, I covered another teacher’s class, and she bought me a bag of candy corn. I was so excited. I smile every time I think about her kindness.

Offer to guest teach or step into a peer’s classroom if you see your friend needs a break.

Teachers are human. We need kindness. We need each other. When you see a teacher struggling, ask them what they need, and try to help them work through their problem. Bring in others you trust as needed.

If we can commit to supporting each other, and finding solutions, it will create better relationships and better working conditions for us all.

If you have a rebuttal or additional advice you’d like to share with Hungry to Help, please email afterthebell@chalkbeat.org.

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I’m not a licensed teacher. How do I do a good job when I have to sub?

2022-09-29T13:00:00+00:00

I am a non-licensed central office district employee. There are times over the past years when I have been required to substitute in schools.

What is the best way to establish relationships with the students and have a productive/low disruption day? — Short-term Bond

[Are you a teacher? Submit your question for our advice column here.]

Short-term Bond,

So many of our students have visceral reactions to teacher absences.

I have seen students, upon hearing of an absence, leap up with their hands in the air as if they were celebrating victory. I have also seen students drop their heads to their desks and wonder how they will make it through the day without this person they depend on.

Teachers are much more than adults in the classroom who disseminate information. We are a lifeline.

We are also human who sometimes desperately need to be absent and have reliable guest teachers who can step up and support our learners. Short-term Bond, I imagine the change in your daily schedule is more than a simple interruption.

Going into a classroom of diverse learners can be intimidating even for advanced practitioners. You are a valuable part of the team and your question about being comfortable in the classroom is one guest teachers face daily.

How to feel comfortable and build trust with students quickly

- Follow the lesson plans. Teachers have strict schedules. We have to follow our scope and sequence and there is often very little wiggle room. In many cases due to common formative assessments, teacher groups must be on the same page in the textbook on the same day. If you follow the lesson plan, it will help the teacher and the students maintain a sense of normalcy.

This won’t always be possible, but when you are given advance notice that you will be filling in for an absent teacher, request the lesson plans be sent to you or shared in a common space.

- Establish relationships with students. Look for long-term guest teacher spots or opportunities to return to classrooms you’ve spent time in. When you begin to recognize students and remember their names, it helps to establish your credibility. Learn something about their families, their hobbies, and their favorite things. Share your story with them. They will be interested in you.

With younger students, I like the idea of Would You Rather games. It can be as simple as would you rather eat peanut butter or hop on one foot? Would you rather eat ice cream or frog legs?
For middle-grade students, Heads up 7 up is always a winner. Use it near the end of class as a reward for on-task behaviors.
For high school students, 2 Truths and a Lie is a great game. Give students time to write two truths and one lie about themselves. The class has to guess which answer is the lie.

- Find out what the classroom consequences are for student misbehavior. Most teachers post their rules as well as what happens if rules are broken. For example, you should know if you’re able to message parents directly or whether the staff prefers you leave a note for the teacher.

- When you can, reward students. Find ways to reinforce appropriate behavior and reward those who are performing well. Stickers are a good option. I prefer Jolly Ranchers.

- Tap into your acting skills. I was once a long-term substitute teacher for a chemistry class (I am an English teacher). I learned more from YouTube than I ever thought possible. I also acted my way through each day imitating what I saw the professionals teach.

I wore ‘science’ clothes like a lab jacket and used goggles to make my hairstyle pop. I read the teacher’s notes and met with other instructors who provided me packets of information to absorb. The more you know about a subject, the better. The more you do not know, the more you have to act your way through.

Finally, remember, try not to alienate anyone and be welcoming — this is what students will remember most even if you’re only with them for one day.

Do your best to make that one day better.

If you have a rebuttal or additional advice you’d like to share with Short-term Bond, please email afterthebell@chalkbeat.org.

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In this political climate, how can I teach the U.S.’s diverse history?

2022-09-22T13:00:00+00:00

In our current educational and political climate, millions of children are being deprived of their right to fully learn history, read diverse books, and even be themselves in school.

How can teachers push back against these laws and policies impacting our practice? — History Repeats

[Are you a teacher? Submit your question for our advice column here.]

Dear History Repeats,

I grew up in a segregated town.

In my elementary years, district lines were redrawn so the children in my neighborhood could integrate schools. Our integration was not met with violence, and many teachers embraced the brown children who showed up at their school.

The problem was the curriculum never changed to meet our needs.

My parents told me I could be whatever I dreamed, but I had few role models. The closest representation to Black success I had at school was the fictional character Jim from Huckleberry Finn, who ran away from slavery.

In fact, most of what I learned at school was that Black people were enslaved and would remain subservient to white people. This message drove playground and bus fights, and led to poor grades and parental outrage.

I still remember being in the school chorus while my friends eagerly sang the “Dixie” song, with the words, “I wish I was in Dixie,” about a formerly enslaved man who longed for the plantation of his youth. I appreciate that my mother voiced her concern to the principal and the following year we had a new choir teacher.

It took me a long time to reject the notion that I wasn’t good enough. Even while working on my doctorate, I struggled with imposter syndrome, or feelings of inadequacy in the academy.

My elementary school teachers wanted so badly to be good human beings, but their best efforts were not enough to undo what they had (or hadn’t) learned about Black people.

They were not equipped to understand Black culture.

I know the fate that was met by other children in my community who did not have strong parental support like I did. Some went to prison, others had battles with addictions.

History Repeats, I believe the first step in creating a better America starts with us. The future of the students we serve matters enough for us to address our own biases.

As educators, are we voluntarily reading books that deal with anti-racism and anti-discrimination across gender identities? Are we contributing to the invisibility marginalized students feel every time they walk into our classrooms and face rejection and unsafe environments like my peers felt growing up?

This movement to censor teachers comes as no surprise. Racism is often overlooked and slavery is downplayed in U.S. history textbooks.

Bias has been taught to generations of students who have become teachers. Georgia State University published education professor Chara Bohan’s interview on the “Lost Cause narrative,” and the Southern Poverty Law Center published a report on why schools aren’t adequately teaching the history of American slavery.

But, in 2022, teachers have plenty of resources available to address our biases.

- Learn your rights. The August 2022 edition of NEA Today (National Education Association) provides resources for educators who need to know their rights as it relates to racism, sexism, and historical prejudice.

- Provide your students the space to have a voice. Even if you are in a state where a gag order is in place, learn the topics in which your students are interested.

My students love field trips and in St. Louis we have a lot of options: The Black Rep, National Blues Museum, and Missouri History Museum.

I also bring in pictures from family vacations and share literature from the Equal Justice Initiative (EJI). On field trips, I encourage students to ask questions and share their family experiences because it creates space for conversations we might not otherwise have.

- Stay current on recently published young adult books. When I choose books, I research characters and how they are portrayed. If you do not have the autonomy to add a diverse book to your core curriculum due to red tape or other issues, then add YA books to your classroom library. Cultivate a relationship with your school librarian to ensure the most requested books will be available.

During my career, I taught Colson Whitehead’s Pulitzer Prize-winning book, The Underground Railroad. His fictionalized account of a runaway slave covers the Tuskegee Experiment, Harriet Jacobs and her seven years living in a cramped cellar, and the patrols that later became America’s police force.

Students have a choice in my classroom. I would never force a book on them, but I will make sure that if someone asks about a book that’s not on our curriculum, I point them toward what they are seeking. Hopefully, they can locate the book in our school’s library/media center.

- Work with other teachers. Early in 2022, thousands of teachers in Indiana unified and helped block the ‘divisive concepts’ bill that would have potentially censored classroom instruction about race and racism. These teachers demonstrated the power of organization and unity.

The National Council on Teachers of English (NCTE) provides the latest resources for teaching in the contemporary classroom.

The organization recently released its position statement on writing instruction in school: “Writing instruction and assessments also serve as gatekeeping devices when they are built around deficit notions surrounding students’ languages and literacies. Narrow definitions of and attitudes about writing and language too often perpetuate white, Eurocentric ideologies about what it means to write ‘well’ or ‘effectively’ (Chavez, 2021), upholding racist and linguistic barriers and inequities for students whose writing does not easily assimilate to dominant norms.”

I work in the same district that I integrated as a child.

The only reason I know about Toni Morrison, Richard Wright, Zora Neale Hurston, Nikki Giovanni, and so many more authors, inventors, and abolitionists is because I worked in the library during college.

As a newer teacher, do not be afraid to check in with your mentors. In many cases, they have a story to tell about how they overcame challenges with racism and discrimination.

When I see my students, I feel a deep connection to them and the community because I understand what it is like to be misunderstood. I know the pain of not seeing positive images of people who look like you. As educators we have to take a stand.

We can learn our rights. We can organize. We can push back against oppression. Let’s remain on the path to being better humans. Generations of children need us to stand up and acknowledge the difference between right and wrong.

In order to educate the children, we all have to educate ourselves.

If you have a rebuttal or additional advice you’d like to share with History Repeats, please email afterthebell@chalkbeat.org.

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After 23 years in education, I’m frustrated. When is it time to quit?

2022-09-15T13:00:00+00:00

Dr. Kem,

How do you know when to leave education?

The last few years have been a lot, as we all know. And I have pushed forward, and am beginning my 24th year in education.

However, it is harder and harder to shake my frustration about things that I cannot change but impact me as a school leader. I do not want to be the bitter leader that poisons the culture of my school. Nor do I want my negative vibe to show to parents and students.

How do I know it’s time for either a position change in education or leave education altogether? — Gearing for Goodbye

[Are you a teacher? Submit your question for our advice column here.]

Gearing for Goodbye,

A celebration is in order. You are starting your 24th year as an educator, and as a school leader, you have undoubtedly had an impact on the lives of many children.

Dolly Parton once said, “If your actions create a legacy that inspires others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, then, you are an excellent leader.”

Great leaders have the ability to create vision and values, and then establish frameworks of thinking that support action. They inspire action!

That also means inspiring actions in ourselves.

Staying in your current position will depend largely on whether you have accomplished what you set out to achieve as a school leader.

As you consider whether to stay or to go, assess and make a list of all of the things you currently feel you cannot change and how these things impact you personally. You can use a decision tree to help you decide.

Your job should be an occupation and not a definition, which means you can’t allow a negative environment to change you for the worse.

If you lean toward leaving, here are the two most important questions you need to be able to answer because the vision you have for your building should carry on after you depart.

Your new focus should be a smooth transition that compliments your skill level.

1. Who will be your successor?

The teacher whose classroom I inherited worked the same job for 42 years. Her boss had been asking her to retire because, according to retirement system rules, she was losing money by continuing as a classroom teacher. She said she could not leave until someone she trusted took over. Her boss became my boss and he was the best mentor EVER!

Gearing for Goodbye, do you remember your first year of teaching or your first year as a principal? Were there mistakes that you made that could help someone else avoid? I know I can look back and laugh at myself as a new teacher. So many mishaps. Like the time I brought in a class pet when my principal had a no-animals policy.

It is time to leave your current position when you have found a mentee to take your place.

A successor who crosses your path will appreciate you beyond words and help ensure your work continues to impact generations to come.

2. What will your mentor say?

A mentor, an experienced and trusted advisor, can help you develop your personal leadership plan.

In my graduate coursework, I wrote a career plan using a model similar to this one found on Northeastern University’s blog. My plan included five goals and the dates I would complete them.

Think about your life plan. Was being a school leader the last thing on your to-do list or were there other ambitions?

A mentor has the experience and trust to encourage you to spread your wings and take the next step. If you do not have a mentor, consider following these steps to find one you can trust.

There are many opportunities to continue to support school-aged children and strengthen the education system without working directly in schools.

Former teachers can be found in many facets of society. Some chose curriculum writing or substitute teaching. Others go into nonprofit work or grant writing.

John Waldron, a former social studies teacher is now a member of the Oklahoma House of Representatives where he lobbies on behalf of public education. Frederick Minner, one of my former principals, is an author and a consultant who recently started a podcast.

Embrace change that empowers you as an individual while still advocating for students, families, and communities.

Gearing for Goodbye, I encourage you to make your next move your best move.

If you have a rebuttal or additional advice you’d like to share with Gearing for Goodbye, please email afterthebell@chalkbeat.org

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What’s the best way to communicate with my students’ families?

2022-09-08T13:00:00+00:00

Two teachers seek help in communicating with students and their families.

Dear Dr. Kem,

I’m starting this year at a new school that has a large Spanish-speaking population, but I don’t speak Spanish. Most of the kids speak English, but I’m nervous about trying to communicate with their parents.

What would you do in my situation? — Lost in Translation

Dear Lost in Translation,

You have a case of what I call the pre-worries.

Given the demographics of the teaching profession and the increasing number of diverse students, you are not alone as you try to communicate with those in a culture different from your own.

My school participates in foreign exchange programs and as an English teacher, I have taught students from Germany, Spain, Liberia, Jamaica, and other places around the world.

My first experience was a lot of pointing, smiling, and being utterly confused. It took me a while to learn the following advice — use the resources available to you.

Contact the district English Language Learning teacher, if there is one. This teacher can help you translate notes and phone calls between you and the non-English speaking families.
Students tend to be helpful when they know you have limited language skills. They will be your greatest resource for understanding not only language but cultural barriers. For example, they will alert you about traditional foreign holidays when they may be absent from school or may not be able to complete a project.
Make no assumptions about familial commitment to education. It can be easy to fall into the trap of believing that non-English speakers who do not initiate contact care less about their child’s educational experience.

Do whatever you can to invite these families to events, have special reading and math nights equipped with translators (coordinate with school counselors), and send home grade reports with summary comments to let them know how their child is progressing.

By the end of the year, you will have learned more than an app or even a semester in college can teach.

[Are you a teacher? Submit your question for our advice column here.]

Dr. Kem,

I know there are A LOT of apps out there for teachers to communicate with students and parents. Do you have one you like best? — Techy Teacher

Dear Techy Teacher,

As much as I would like to jump on an app to communicate with families, I only use communication methods provided and approved by the district.

In my career, I have seen teachers who have used methods not approved by the district and the result has caused problems with parents and administrators. Specifically, I have seen teachers use social media to connect with their students and too many conversations can be misinterpreted in an informal setting.

If you’re hungry to use technology, look for ways to use communication technology inside your classroom.

Learning Without Tears suggests teachers create a podcast. While starting one can seem like a daunting task, Teacher Vision provides a step-by-step guide on how to get started.
Elementary school educators use apps like Class Dojo because it provides behavior reports that families can view in real time.
All teachers can use Google’s “schedule send” feature to plan emails in advance.
When I taught summer school, I set up a free Google voice phone number that was connected to my cellular phone to text and leave messages with parents.

Whatever communication method you choose, set your boundaries and make it clear to parents what platforms you’re available on at the start of the school year and avoid the temptation to allow exceptions.

If you have a rebuttal or additional advice you’d like to share with either Lost in Translation or Techy Teacher, please email afterthebell@chalkbeat.org

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Back to school, fellow teachers! Here are 7 tips to handle our angst.

2022-09-01T13:00:00+00:00

As the new school year begins across the country, teacher and columnist Dr. Kem Smith offers advice for teachers at every stage of their careers. She’ll return to answering your questions next week. You can submit them here.

A cartoon by the late James Estes in “Chicken Soup for the Teacher’s Soul” shows two kids standing in their shiny new school clothes and backpacks outside a classroom door. There is a sliver of the teacher’s head visible through the small window. The caption reads, “We know you are in there, Ms. May - we can see you. Open the door.”

While the cartoon is meant to be funny, new school year worries can be debilitating to even the most seasoned teacher. But, there are ways to avoid that angst.

As teachers, we must remember to consider what we can control. We are faced with so many challenges. If we get bogged down in every detail of every problem, we will never be able to create the teacher work-life balance we need.

How to navigate new-year angst

- If you’re a new teacher, get help! New teachers often think they can operate on the same level as 10- and 20-year veterans. The benefit of being new means you know what you learned in school and what you experienced as a student teacher.

Having your own classroom is a different experience. You have to talk through your thoughts about learning (metacognition) with a person who can brainstorm solutions.

- If you’ve moved to a new school, hopefully, you were able to get unpacked and settled before the new school year. Step out of your comfort zone and find a way to make new friends at work. Teacher friends are the best; they will show you how to win in the classroom and with parents. When they invite you to lunch, go.

Use all the skills we teach our students to make connections. And, don’t forget to connect with the staff. Stay late and meet the night custodian; come in early and greet the cafeteria workers, librarian, and coaches. If you win them over early, these colleagues will be your allies with students, families, and the bosses.

- If your classroom environment feels chaotic, be attentive to possible solutions. As the practitioner, you have the front-row seat to learning loss and can often determine when connections are broken.

I have gone home feeling defeated after a long day of trying to teach a new concept. Before bed, I meditate on solutions asking myself, “How can I relate this material to something familiar to the students?” When I wake in the morning, I have at least 2-3 ideas I can implement to improve my classroom success.

- If you’re teaching a new subject or grade level, it doesn’t mean you need to reinvent the wheel. Talk to other teachers about the class. They will have a stack of resources that could fill a football stadium. It’s a mistake to try to read through everything in one sitting. Tag the resources that look interesting and group them by theme. Use planning time to read over and incorporate whenever possible.

- If this is your first time back in person since the pandemic, incorporate safety measures that matter the most to you. There are over 100 teachers in our building. Some wear masks, some don’t. Some use personal air purifiers or take other precautions.

Your health is your personal business. No one should pry into what you choose to do.

- If you have a new supervisor/administrator/department chair, give your new boss the opportunity to gain some experience and familiarize themselves with the building. Also, consider being flexible with any changes they propose. Organizations may operate under a “that’s the way we’ve always done things” mentality, while outsiders can see the error in maintaining the status quo. Allow new leadership the chance to learn for themselves that your way may be best.

- If your best teacher friend left your school, cry! No, I’m kidding. You may feel like crying, but part of being a healthy, whole individual means accepting change.

The pain of losing a friend can be reduced with all the technology available at our fingertips. Wouldn’t it be great to become pen pals with your former co-worker? If your friend took on a corporate position, can he or she use volunteer hours to assist your class? Think of all the ways you both can benefit from a continued relationship even if it means you meet for brunch or snow cones.

I hope these tips will help you in the new school year.

There has been a surge of comedians with stand-up routines about teaching. Everyone finds a way to laugh about what we take seriously every day. Maybe, we can find some humor in our profession as well.

I have learned that what frightens you in August and September will make you laugh in June.

Even in the moment, find and choose joy.

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How do I set boundaries for student-teacher interaction after school?

2022-08-25T13:00:00+00:00

Dr. Kem,

Do you have any advice for setting boundaries when it comes to students reaching out after school hours?

I want to be available for my students but I’ve also had parents complain when I don’t email a student back right away, even if it’s late at night.

How do I find a balance? — Access or Excess

[Are you a teacher? Submit your question for our advice column here.]

Dear Access or Excess,

In 2002, the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) was passed. (It was replaced by the Every Student Succeeds Act in 2015.) As a parent and an educator, I remember telling myself that NCLB also applied to my own children because I needed to prioritize my role as their mom and their first teacher.

Early in my career, I experienced more challenges with administrators than parents who did not understand my familial boundaries. I was often required to stay after school and work on weekends as a regular part of my job.

For years, I would leave work, pick up my children from school, then drive them back to work with me. When they became teenagers they explained how awful it was for them feeling forced to be my teacher assistants. In fact, they despised teaching as a profession. They held me accountable for putting them before my work.

I learned from them to be intentional about my boundaries.

As much as I would like to be available for my students and their families at all times, boundaries are important for work-life balance. Not setting boundaries can lead to fatigue and a strain on personal and professional relationships. It can also lead to students calling at inappropriate times like when a teacher is asleep (that happened to a colleague).

Think about college professors. On their syllabuses, they list office hours and what to expect during the course. Consider using the same method for your students and their parents. In your beginning-of-the-year materials, list the times you are available and when you will respond — then commit yourself to sticking to those rules.

If you do not have a syllabus to distribute, use your email. Place your office hours in your email signature and communicate that information to your students and their families at meet-the-teacher nights, parent-teacher conferences, and throughout the school year. I have found all of the above methods to be effective.

Then, everyone will know what to expect.

Despite my best intentions, I have answered parent calls during class or first thing in the morning when I needed to prepare for my students.

Sometimes, parent or student calls can be challenging. I usually end those conversations by setting up meetings with parents. Emails and phone calls can be barriers to communication. In-person meetings can be facilitated by an administrator or team lead and alleviate those barriers between teachers and parents.

Remember, you have the power to teach people how to communicate with you. Do not be afraid to hold that power, and if you find your boundaries are not being respected, ask an administrator or a school counselor to support you.

If you have a rebuttal or additional advice you’d like to share with Access or Excess, please email afterthebell@chalkbeat.org

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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.

How can we just go back to the way it was before the pandemic? Life is different now.

2022-08-18T13:00:00+00:00

Dr. Kem,

It feels like teachers are expected to go back to the way things were before the COVID-19 pandemic, without recognizing how differently everyone experiences life now.

I teach at a school for emotionally impaired students and we had really poor academic outcomes this past year. Our school was incredibly understaffed, to the point that I had to combine all middle school students into one room when others were out sick. I don’t blame my admin or the district — it’s a trickle-down effect — but I’m burnt out.

Administrators and the district are heavily focused on addressing learning loss and conducting academic data review check-ins, but it doesn’t feel like that’s speaking to the heart of the issue. That’s been the most frustrating.

Our youngest students have never had a normal school year, and we’re seeing increased behavioral challenges compared to other years. As educators we know what we need to do to support students, but we’re being asked to prioritize their grades over their emotional needs.

Dr. Kem, I know changes to the system are needed, but how can teachers ensure the changes being made are aligned with what students actually need? And how can we make sure the changes are sustainable when we are under-resourced? – Chasing Changes

[Are you a teacher? Submit your question for our advice column here.]

Dear Chasing Changes,

You are not alone.

America’s education system was driving with its check engine light flashing BEFORE schools closed in 2020. Someone needed to stop and ask teachers what to do years ago. Instead, the push to keep rolling along until the wheels fall off was heightened by the pandemic.

Understaffing and the need for more resources happens daily in schools all over the country. Schools need better funding to increase teacher pay and provide equitable resources, de-politicize curriculums that provide autonomy for teachers, and improve professional development programs.

Education is not a fundamental right under the constitution. The establishment of education is one of the powers reserved to the states under the Tenth Amendment. We have to be active on the state level to challenge legislation that is designed to undermine public education. As educators we have the ability to invite legislators to our classrooms and allow them to hear our voices and those of our students.

One thing teachers can do collectively is vote. The entire ballot matters, from the local school board and district committee members to the United States President. Engage in this fundamental right to create a better education system.

Along with voting, you can ensure your classroom is equipped to meet your student needs by participating in social media movements like #clearthelist. Teachers and their communities raise funds to ensure that under-resourced classrooms get the supplies they desperately need.

To participate, go to Amazon.com, create an account, and add a wish list of items you need for your classroom. Once your list is created add it to your profile on platforms like Twitter and Instagram. Then, search #clearthelist, and share your list with other teachers who will amplify it with their followers until your list is cleared. You can repost other teachers’ lists, too.

Within your classroom walls, focus on what you can control by creating consistency, routines, and patterns for students. Help them understand expectations when they arrive, throughout the day, and as they depart. Focusing on problems instead of solutions sets you up to worry about what’s wrong with education, instead of what is right.

Here’s how I ensure my sanity and put student needs first, even when change is the only constant.

– Every day is a new day. Practice a fresh start policy. Everyone, including the teacher who may have participated in an unproductive act the day before, gets a clean slate. There are no carryovers. If the day needs to start with a restorative circle instead of coursework, give yourself permission to pivot.

– Pursue progress, not perfection. Consistently show up for students who are chipping away at their individual Big Hairy Audacious Goals (B.H.A.G.s). That teaches them the perseverance to accomplish even the most difficult task. The old saying goes, “how do you eat an elephant?” One bite at a time.

– Look for ways to make a positive impact. There are children whose home lives are less than ideal. What brings us to tears is their norm. Sincerely look for ways to plant seeds of greatness without being condescending.

I painted “Intelligence is your birthright” and “Today, I will walk in my power” on the wall in my classroom. I have had to explain to an astonishing number of high school students what those two phrases mean.

A difficult part of our job is helping the people around us see how life is an opportunity to pursue greatness. We show them when we transform our school communities with positivity.

Chasing Changes, things are different now. While we can’t go back to the way things were before the pandemic, and in reality, they weren’t much better, focus on actions you can take with the teaching community and what you personally can control in the classroom.

Thank you for writing this letter. Composing your thoughts is the first step in helping other teachers who are facing similar situations.

I want to encourage all educators to use their voices. I am here. “After the Bell” is here.

We can unite in the power of our collective voices.

If you have a rebuttal or additional advice you’d like to share with Chasing Changes, please email afterthebell@chalkbeat.org

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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.

I’m starting my fifth year of teaching. Will it ever get easier?

2022-08-11T13:00:00+00:00

Dr. Kem,

Teaching has always been my calling. The classroom is my domain, where I feel the most me — I feel so fulfilled. I love kids and interacting with them. I love science. Teaching is a perfect fit for me.

But four years into my career, I didn’t expect the constant drastic shifts. I’ve already taught at three different schools, and navigating new schools in a short period in the middle of the pandemic has created a feeling of instability.

Teachers have always worn 10,000 hats: we’re teachers, coaches, therapists, mentors, college counselors, in-school parents, etc. It’s a lot for one person to handle. I’m a structured person. I aim for perfection, and there are a lot of things that I can’t control. There is no space to really sit down and process these feelings — I just have to get through it.

While things may go perfectly one day, I still have to be ready for anything the following day. Teachers always have to have Plan A through Plan E ready every single day, but all of them could still fail and we have to adapt in real time.

It feels like there is no stability as students and teachers still get sick and have to stay home. When I had COVID at the beginning of the school year, I still taught virtually. There was an inherent feeling that I wasn’t doing my best if I wasn’t present.

While people often equate teachers with superheroes, we’re human and we need help. I need more resources for myself as a teacher. But, too often, administrators and parents make it seem like advocating for better treatment (for both students and teachers) equals complaining.

A school fails when teachers, parents, and admin don’t collaborate. Instead, I wish we could create a space where everyone feels welcome, heard, and seen.

Dr. Kem, how can I adapt to this job that requires making multiple plans and wearing different hats? How do I support my own mental health needs to adjust for the instability in teaching right now? — Instability in Ed

[Are you a teacher? Submit your question for our advice column here.]

Dear Instability in Ed,

Congratulations are in order. In the spring of 2022, you completed your fourth year of teaching. Under the current circumstances, you have accomplished something great.

Ten years from now, you will look back on these times and say those were the good ole days. You will talk with colleagues and reminisce about when you first started virtual teaching and how challenging it was switching from one plan to another.

I have learned from years of being a teacher that if something is not working right, give us time and resources, and we will fix it — it’s clear from your letter you have that ability, too.

Though my first four years of teaching were challenging, I remember them as my glory days. So much happened I could barely keep up, and I was the world’s best actress in front of students all day.

My mother died on the first day of my first full-time sixth grade teaching assignment. I had no time to mourn her loss or help my own children process the loss of their grandmother because, as a single mom, I had to get to work. I felt there was no way I would survive that year, especially without my mom.

I was wrong.

My co-workers became my support system. Looking back, I realize that I learned so much that year about who I was as a person, how amazing teachers are, and what the students meant to me.

Three years later, I felt instability and a sense of loss again when our school closed, and all of our positions were eliminated. I loved many of the people I worked with who helped me through those first years of teaching.

I eventually found a new job, moved, and even started planning my wedding – all while operating as an utterly confused middle school teacher.

As chaotic as my life was, I would not change any of it. It is in the instability where teachers find their footing. I realized not knowing what I was doing was making me better at my job.

I know working as an educator can be hard for people who crave perfection as you do. In people management (and that’s ultimately what we do with our students), too many variables cannot be controlled. Instability is the nature of our work.

Here’s what I would tell my younger self – pandemic or not – to help me maintain my sanity in the early years and beyond:

- Set annual personal and professional goals. I live in the same town where I grew up, yet I use my GPS for most of my destinations. Why? Because I like knowing where I am going and when I will arrive. I am re-routed if there is a detour, and I can see my route from multiple points of view.

Being a teacher and having a personal life are the same way. You own your route and your point of view.

Work with a mentor to maintain control of your professional life. Find someone to help you set specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound goals each school year. Most districts assign mentors or you can connect with someone who smiles at you in a staff meeting. Oftentimes, you’ll instantly know they are the “one.”

The saying goes, “when the student is ready, the teacher will appear.” Around October, when it feels like you are failing because you are one unit behind, your mentor can help identify your route and decide where to detour.

- Make sure your skills as a teacher are matched with the grade you teach. Teachers often are placed in a grade that does not match their skill set. I aimed in college to teach first grade but I was placed with older students. But, teaching middle school made me miserable. I felt out of place trying to provide the type of structure middle schoolers needed. I found my happy place with 12th graders. Helping students transition to adulthood worked for my creative nature.

I have found that improper placement can cause teaching frustration. Administrators will often place teachers according to building needs and not necessarily that teacher’s skill set. That is why it’s crucial to set personal and professional goals. Take note of the things you do and don’t enjoy with the grade level you teach. If you want to switch grade levels, obtain proper credentials. Plan properly to move forward in your career.

- Find something every day that energizes you. We become overwhelmed with semester grades, parent-teacher conferences, required contacts, committee meetings, and clubs. Losing your identity as a teacher can lead to teacher burnout. Think of what energizes you and is personally fulfilling. If roller skating is it, skate. If dancing is it, dance. Find your “thing” and add it to your calendar. Set a date and commit to yourself.

- Put something on your calendar that you can look forward to. I have a secret tip that only those closest to me know. I survive every semester because I have a trip planned. I am a travel junkie. I love going to new places and experiencing new things. Last year, I took 11 trips. And, no, I do not advise you do the same! You have to plan for retirement, and travel is an expensive habit.

But what can you do that’s affordable and that every time you look at your calendar, you look forward to it? Whatever that is, it will keep you going.

- Listen to your body’s signals. Fatigue is a sign. Hunger is a sign. Thirst is a sign. I teach 85-minute blocks per day. My body is always asking for something.

On my best days, I listen. I drink water. I go to the bathroom even if I have to ask another teacher to watch my class. I do not skip lunch. I also eat with other adults. Even if the lounge is full of Negative Nancys, you need a break from your room and students all day.

A new teacher’s workload is so demanding that it can be hard to imagine looking back on the beginning of your career with fondness.

I hope sharing my experience and advice proves that though our work as teachers has always been challenging, it will get easier and you will find yourself getting better at managing the chaos.

If you have a rebuttal or additional advice you’d like to share with Instability in Ed, please email afterthebell@chalkbeat.org

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My students don’t seem to care about their studies. How do I reach them?

2022-08-04T13:00:00+00:00

Hi, Dr. Kem,

It’s heavy being an educator right now.

While I have a good handle on what I need to do for myself to stay in a good headspace, there are more demands on the profession and a challenging worldview toward teachers right now.

As a department chair with over 20 teachers in my department, I need to be the mental health support for the rest of my teachers. I am transparent with them and listen with a nonjudgmental ear. If extra resources need to be brought in, I can do that for them.

I also still teach, and am transparent with students about what they need — I strive to be a safe person they can come to.

That being said, we’ve all felt some lack of motivation recently. I teach students both in person and online, and many times it feels like my students just don’t care anymore.

I give my online students a questionnaire after every unit that asks them, “Are you on track?” and “What do you need?” Many of the students answer, “I’m not on track because I don’t want to do this” and that’s it. They don’t give a reason.

It’s frustrating because most of the time I don’t have the contact information for their parents, caretakers, or guardians, and the students don’t want me to have it since they aren’t doing well in my course.

I don’t even know how to identify the problem. Because it’s a virtual setting and there are over 100 of them, I don’t have time to call every single student. I usually send a note back to them after reviewing their questionnaires to say, “Hey, I know you don’t like this class, and I know that it’s summer, but you need this to graduate.” But it doesn’t seem to change anything for them.

This apathy is happening in-person, too. I don’t know if this stems from assignments and expectations being excused at the height of COVID. In our district, we were told to “give students grace.” While I agree there’s certainly a time and place for grace, I worry this language puts our students in a mindset that there are no consequences. And, when teachers at my school reach out to administrators about students refusing to do the work, they tend to side with the student.

While I try to make lessons engaging and relevant, the lack of consequences is an added challenge for motivating students who are struggling. My students lack perseverance and grit — if things get hard, they just stop.

Dr. Kem, how can I motivate my students after three years of school disrupted by the pandemic? How can I get them to buy into their education again? — Missing Motivation

[Are you a teacher? Submit your question for our advice column here.]

Dear Missing Motivation,

You are the reason America loves teachers. If no one has said thank you, I will. Thank you.

Every day you go above and beyond the call. Missing Motivation, look at all of this work, yet you continue to push. Based on your letter, this is a summary of your typical day:

You teach students both in person and online; your virtual classes have over 100 students.
You work to ensure lessons are engaging and relevant.
You advocate for your students’ long-term success by checking on them.
You survey and read questionnaire responses from students, and provide written feedback for each one.
You take care of your own mental health.
You are the department chair for over 20 teachers. TWENTY teachers! And, you provide mental health support, resources, and supplies for them.

You are already doing so much and I am sure there is more you can add to the list.

Part of enjoying life’s journey is to remember what you can and can not control. A student’s honest response about a lack of desire to complete coursework can be startling. This generation of students possesses more autonomy to express their emotions even if the adults around them dislike what is being said.

Every day, Generation Z grapples with competition for their attention which makes them believe that school is optional. I know it is nearly impossible to capture the attention of my students for a meager five minutes of direct instruction.

Remote learning over the past two years seems to have intensified their need to escape into their electronic devices. The sad reality is that we, as teachers, cannot compete with such enticing distractions. Daily, they see students as young as 15 who have become YouTube stars, social media influencers, Amazon resellers, or well-paid gamers. Those challenges are outside our control.

I empathize with students who lack motivation for school. They gave up so much – prom, school football, basketball, and soccer games. They missed seeing their friends, and many more pivotal experiences. They deserve time to grieve even if we need them to hit the ground running.

Here’s my list of what I believe we can control as teachers. I hope one or more of these recommendations will resonate with you and can be adapted into your daily practices.

Tap your community

My district superintendent says there are two types of school employees: teachers and those who help teachers. Building administrators are in place to support you.

Reach out to administrators with a list of students whose families you have been unable to contact. Partner with leadership and those who were responsible for enrolling the student in school. The administration’s role includes monitoring attendance and reporting that information to agencies. They can also create outreach plans to reach struggling students. I once worked with an administrator in Missouri who tracked a student to Kentucky, and enrolled him in a program that allowed him to complete high school.
Document student files with correspondence. Student apathy is a community affair and failure should not be an option for virtual or in-person students. When administration does not respond to multiple intervention requests, begin to document your attempts to engage with apathetic students. This information will be helpful for future planning and progress monitoring. For example, I have former students who were not successful in their home schools but thrived in alternative environments. When placing students, notes from teachers provide valuable insights.
Find mentors. Edutopia.org provides step-by-step guidance for any teacher who has never implemented a mentoring program. Avoid developing a program like this individually. Use the team of teachers to power through together.

Examine equity issues

Create a safe space for students by coordinating with school counselors and social workers to help them feel included in the school’s culture both inside and outside the classroom.

Are there any groups of students who, based on their identities, feel isolated and disconnected from other students? You have an amazing tool at your disposal with your questionnaire. Find out if there are areas where students do not feel welcome and work with them to build connections.

Tap into what students already love

Edglossary.org defines student engagement as, “the degree of attention, curiosity, interest, optimism, and passion that students show when they are learning or being taught, which extends to the level of motivation they have to learn and progress in their education.” In order to engage students, we have to pique their interest.

Locate programs that support student desires. When you create your questionnaire, include a question that will prompt students to tell you about their interests. Then, scour the internet to find community resources. For example, a student who has an interest in the arts may consider free classes available through the local art museum. A student who likes discovering how things work can enroll in an engineering summer camp through a local college. Most of these campuses offer full-tuition summer camp scholarships to cover fees.

Bring in outside speakers. As the department chair you may be able to recruit your teachers or librarian to help bring in speakers. Consider local authors, politicians, fire and police department personnel, and business leaders. If cost is a challenge, consider arranging for alumni to speak. This article provides tips on how to plan an engaging alumni talk.

Help students envision their futures

Teenagers are notorious for not being able to see the steps to success. While they can envision themselves as rich and famous, they struggle with how to get there.

Plan virtual college visits. Higher education institutions have created virtual tours for prospective students. These 360-degree tours make students feel as if they are on campus. Princeton Review has a list of colleges with virtual tours.
Petition the school district leaders to require students to complete volunteer hours. Civic engagement can alleviate apathy and develop character. In my district, there is an annual Special Olympics where the entire student population can volunteer to serve. Students can also serve as camp counselors, tutor younger students, volunteer at food pantries, help with beautification days, organize blood or donation drives, and more.

Use tech to your advantage

Help students break down their dreams into digestible goals and see how their lives could look in the future.

Review the virtual student orientation process. Research indicates that when students have little to no experience with the virtual learning environment, the onboarding process significantly impacts their experience. Speak with the counselors and technology department about ways to improve how students learn and interact with teachers and technology.
Understand that teachers who teach virtually have to take on a new role as supporter and instructor. Know that when you teach virtually it is more like taking on a second job than adding another class. Get as much support as possible from software tools. Automate as much as possible.

Missing Motivation, I know student apathy can be discouraging. When their choices don’t match our instructional aims, we can feel like we are failing. I hope my response helps you recognize that the work you do for every student under your charge matters. It is obvious that you care. Consistency fights apathy! Never give up.

Eventually, your students will graduate. You’ll be invited to their class reunions and they will tell you how you helped them through the most challenging time of their lives.

If you have a rebuttal or additional advice you’d like to share with Missing Motivation, please email afterthebell@chalkbeat.org

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How do I speak up to get more support from the administration?

2022-07-28T13:00:00+00:00

Dear Dr. Kem,

I’ve been an elementary school teacher for 15 years. I know a lot of teachers feel underappreciated right now, but what’s bothering me is the lack of appreciation from those who should be supporting us most: our administrators.

I’m taking care of the mental health of all my kids. I’m covering my colleagues’ classes due to a lack of substitutes. I’m adopting new textbooks and websites before I’ve had time to fully digest them. And I’m acting as tech support for my colleagues who don’t know how to access the myriad of virtual tools we’ve implemented over the last two years. Meanwhile, we often hear discouraging messages from administrators like “you should be doing more” and “don’t complain, you have a job.” It’s taking a toll on me.

I’d like your help with a difficult dynamic in my school. If I reach out to someone in the district who is more knowledgeable than my administrator, or who would quickly answer my question, it creates tension with my admin. Administration expects us to know answers that they should be able to help us with (e.g. what is the passing i-Ready score for a third-grader this year?), and when they don’t know, they get upset with us for reaching out to the district for help. Instead of dealing with this, I usually try to solve my problems on my own.

Another point of tension is the monthly award our administrators hand out to staff to honor their efforts at school. In the two years since this started, only two teachers have been recognized. The rest of the recipients have been staff members, like custodians, office personnel, or school security. While I know they work hard, too, it’s disappointing to see teachers who will never be recognized for their dedication to their students. I wish administrators saw how much we actively manage in the classroom each day.

Dr. Kem, I know my colleagues and I deserve to be recognized by our administrators, but how can we voice these issues and concerns when I worry they will just get upset with us? Is there a way we can communicate our needs and be heard by our admin? — Annoyed with Administration

[Are you a teacher? Submit your question for our advice column here.]

Dear Annoyed with Administration,

When my children were small and had birthday parties, I limited the party size to five children. We would head to the nearest event space with a paid hostess. Inevitably, things would get wild for the children who consumed too much sugar and were overstimulated by arcade games. More than one child’s behavior would have to be redirected; others needed parental intervention because they would no longer listen to me. By the end of the night, I would be exhausted.

For my non-teaching friends, imagine that birthday party with 30+ children, every day. That’s six times the above-mentioned number of partygoers, and there’s no event planner or fun venue. You are the hostess, and every adult at the party at the same time. And, you have to consistently plan, execute, and deliver an engaging event.

That is what we do as teachers. We deliver exciting lessons to a variety of learning styles without enough resources and supplies for each student. Then, the only person who should be assisting you instead comes to observe your teaching on random days of their choosing. In many cases, they are paid more than you to critique you. Whoever created this dynamic clearly had no idea how terribly these things could devolve.

Teachers all over the world can identify with your annoyance.

The tension between building administration and teachers is built into this system. We, the teachers and administrators, need to partner to alleviate this “us” vs “them” dynamic. We need to model a cooperative working environment to benefit our students.

The best administrators get us resources to better do our jobs. They give us relief from extra duties, help us find money to fund our projects, and keep snacks handy. They recognize our hourly, daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly, and annual efforts. The book, “If You Don’t Feed Teachers, They Will Eat The Students,” serves as a reminder for school leaders to nurture teachers.

Yet, not everyone automatically has the insight and ability to create effective high-quality administrator-teacher relationships.

Here’s how to communicate your needs to the administration

Annoyed with Administration, you can maintain a professional relationship with your administrator even if there are challenges. I have outlined some steps to help you communicate your needs in a way that will get them to listen:

- Align yourself with teacher colleagues to create an open communication plan between administration and staff. In our building, we have an Organizational Leadership Team (OLT) that meets monthly to discuss general concerns about the building as an organization. The OLT was created by the district when we adopted the Professional Learning Community format. The team got buy-in from fellow teachers by creating a vision plan for our building, and got admin involved because they could see the benefits of the committee. The committee members are volunteers, and all teachers can submit agenda items to the committee for open discussion. An administrator is required to attend and reply to agenda items.

If you decide to create something similar, know it will take time and hard work to do, but the investment will be worth it and will help get everyone on the same page. The power of partnership and participation eliminates the back and forth between teachers and administrators or the need to seek outside help. I know that some days as a teacher are more difficult than others. Use your teacher support system to create change.

- Begin to document the one to three most urgent matters that need action. If you are feeling overwhelmed, identify the areas where you need the most support. Explain in writing the type of assistance that would most help. For example, you mentioned you have been helping colleagues access new technologies. Is it possible to get release time or compensation for creating virtual tutorials for your co-workers?

A teacher in our district assisted so many teachers with the new learning platform that she created a job for herself and was promoted. She had been one of the first teachers trained and received a certification from the company. We were all so impressed by her knowledge but her promotion didn’t just happen. She advocated for herself and leadership responded.

- If you are in the union, involve your representatives in conversations about covering classes for teachers and implementing new curriculums while learning new software and programs. Ensure that labor laws are followed. Be sure to consider your relationship with administrators when involving the union. The representative may ask, as they should, have you spoken with your administrator first? The union is there to protect you and amplify your needs. Often policy changes need to be made and the union is critical in that process. However, there are certain situations that are specific to administration.

- If the administrators are unable to provide a positive climate, the student council along with the parent-teacher association can help change the atmosphere in the building. One year, our student council wrote positive messages like “I am grateful for what you have taught us this year” on sticky notes and placed them where the teachers could see them. In elementary school, students can draw themselves with their favorite teachers. Those drawings can be posted in various places throughout the school.

Teacher burnout is real and it’s also avoidable with help from those who have the ability and leadership to ensure you are getting support. Administrators are under pressure from the district, parents, teachers, students, and the community. Be gracious while advocating for yourself. Your work is valuable and you and your co-workers are stronger together.

If you have a rebuttal or additional advice you’d like to share with Annoyed with Administration, please email afterthebell@chalkbeat.org

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What can I do if teaching feels like I’m ‘a browser with 100 tabs open?’

2022-07-21T13:00:00+00:00

Dear Dr. Kem,

I love the classroom and I love teaching — I always thought I’d work until 70. But in September 2020, there were so many changes coming down the pike from the Department of Education, and teachers were not being included in the decision-making process. We were scared, anxious, didn’t know if we’d be remote or in-person; and mandate after mandate kept coming. Decisions were made for us, without us, and we had to suffer the effects of those decisions without having a voice. It was the first time I started to think about retiring early.

I have spent the past two school years in a state of worry. I often wake in the middle of the night in a restless, uneasy panic. There is so much extra work now, but I cannot retire yet because my husband is retired and we need a full-time income. I need support.

With my health plan from the school, I tried to seek mental health services, people I could talk to. I went through all the steps — intake forms, therapist matching, initial interviews. After being turned away from a provider, who was matched to me, due to “scheduling issues,” I am still waiting to be connected to someone new. I decided to give up on this.

I used to practice self-care through dance classes, but the studios closed during the pandemic. I’m lucky to have friends and family I can talk to, but at the end of the day teachers are dealing with intense stress and tough decisions. We’ve faced low morale, feel exhausted all the time, and our needs have not been met. At this point, if the Department of Education offered something now, I’m not sure that I would use it. I’d ask myself, “What’s the catch?”

So, Dr. Kem, I’m reaching out to you with a few questions on my mind. After more than two years of being left out of decision-making processes in my district, how can I advocate for the mental health resources I need? Where else can I turn for these resources when it feels like I’ve exhausted all my current options? And, as the extra work keeps piling up, how can I carve out time for my own mental and physical health? — Ready to Retire

[Are you a teacher? Submit your question for our advice column here.]

Dear Ready to Retire,

Two things can be true at the same time.

For teachers, the last few years have been brutal with mandates and the loss of autonomy. Simultaneously, we learned how resilient and strong we are — because we had to support our students.

Collectively, we survived, you survived.

Teachers now are less certain they will work in the classroom until retirement. In March 2020, 74% of teachers said they expected to work as a teacher until retirement, but the figure fell to 69% in March 2021. In a study on British teacher’s mental health and well-being conducted during the COVID-19 pandemic, one teacher described life in pandemic teaching: “My brain feels like a browser with 100 tabs open.”

Improve work-life balance by setting boundaries

To support your mental health, establish reasonable boundaries to create a better work-life balance. In my earlier years, a wise teacher told me you can either stay late, come in early, or take work home – but you cannot do all three. Choose one and stay committed to that choice.

I, too, struggle with setting boundaries. For example, in my school district we are mandated to check our emails twice daily. I, however, check mine throughout the day and on weekends because the expectation is teachers are always available. Are you checking work emails after hours and on weekends? We need to set boundaries around our actual work hours. Constantly putting out fires and being reactive to every message in our inboxes puts a strain on our mental health.

Overorganize and create automated systems to respond to your specific classroom needs. If you are struggling in an area where you find yourself working harder than the students, then you need a system.

As an English teacher, I spend a lot of time collecting work, sorting alphabetically, grading, subtracting points for late assignments, and then returning that work to students. Recently, I have begun to allow technology to change the way I process:

Students submit time-stamped work electronically.
I use the pre-loaded answer key to grade.
Students get immediate feedback.
The paper is returned as soon as the grade is released.

‘Find the good’ and find self-care that works for you

I understand your exhaustion. Early in my teaching career in the midst of a redundant professional development training with yet another “expert” non teacher, I started to have an “I’m sick of these meetings” temper tantrum. I was sketching on the handout and displaying aggressive body language. At the first break, my mentor looked over at me in all her wisdom and 2.5-magnification reading glasses. She took the notebook I was doodling on and wrote, “Find the good in everything.”

Her statement became my mantra. No matter how difficult teaching becomes, take time to find the good.

I also had a hard time finding a therapist and getting appointments. When I scanned the internet and ended up with a counselor who did not understand me, I decided there was even good in this experience. First, I learned that better was available. I knew what I wanted from therapy. I should not give up. Instead of accepting the first person the insurance company recommended, a family member suggested a therapist who matched my needs.

The techniques I learned in therapy were worth the hoops I jumped through to find a therapist who understood those needs. I was pleased with how my therapist helped me balance my doctoral studies, work, family obligations, and church commitments. The power to balance comes when you take time to find the good.

Ready to Retire, reconsider pursuing a therapist who is a better match for you.

In addition to therapy, make time for hobbies that can serve as affordable self-care options. I partake in the magic of journaling, which helps me manage emotional shifts because I can track my progress and growth, find inspiration, and achieve goals. I found helpful resources to manage mental health using a bullet journal on fellow teacher Nichole Carter’s blog. Like Nichole, when I read my older journals, I remember what I survived as a teacher, laugh at the mischievous antics of former students, and marvel at the lessons I have learned from them. Reflections remind me that I can continue to persevere.

There are also other self-care options such as taking a walk, playing music, gardening, and watching a great movie. During dark moments of mental exhaustion, I paint. Putting my thoughts on a canvas keeps them from racing at night when I am trying to sleep. When I realized people actually liked my paintings, I set up a website and sold them. I also use these paintings to decorate my classroom.

To retire, don’t wait. Plan ahead.

I also heard you say retirement is not available for you right now. Take comfort in knowing it will be. Today’s education landscape with the Department of Education’s constant testing mandates, strained parent and community relationships, local politics, superintendent turnover, and inconsistent administration make 40+ years in the classroom nearly impossible. My own predecessor taught for 42 years before she retired, but those days are gone.

Fortunately, other teachers have lobbied on our behalf and you will not have to spend a lifetime in the classroom, if you have a plan. Consider creating a money management map.

The steps to retirement planning start with contacting your school district’s teacher employee retirement specialist. In my state, the Public School Retirement System offers retirement webinars and can prepare a personalized retirement outlook. Also, check with your building representative about low-cost or free personal financial advisors and tax advisors.

Don’t forget to consider all of your options for healthcare coverage. Also, research possible additional revenue streams for after you leave the classroom.

Until retirement, I hope my response has provided you with some options for self-care and support through these tough times. Summer is an excellent opportunity for us to breathe and let go of whatever burdens we are carrying, regroup, and plan for the future. Find a studio. Find a YouTube video. Dance again.

If you have a rebuttal or additional advice you’d like to share with Ready to Retire, please email afterthebell@chalkbeat.org

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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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Meet Dr. Kem: Her new column will be your go-to spot for teacher conversations

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

Teachers, you are doing better than you think.

Along with teaching through these unprecedented pandemic times with so many impacted by COVID-19, consider the student lives you have touched. You survived countless professional development hours, adapted to online environments, taught hybrid classes, conquered the curriculum while facing chronic absenteeism, and prepared students for standardized tests. Your resilience is incredible.

I want to acknowledge your strength first because I have to admit that I am also worried. As a 20-year veteran teacher with preschool through college-level experience, I have witnessed many shifts in education as both a student and teacher.

I have heard your doubts about your practice due to high-stakes testing, the ability to meet the social and emotional needs of your students, and the need to understand technological changes that impact learning. I have seen you question your core values. I have lived your physical and mental struggles. And, I have seen you work for gift cards and smiles for far too long. I will be honest: too many of you are barely hanging on.

There is too much work to be done and too many students who need us. Yet, the relationships you have with students are worth today’s sacrifice. As a teacher, you have the opportunity to nurture the curious nature of students. You teach them how to become critical and creative thinkers. One day, because of your efforts they will become lifelong learners. Let’s get back to what you love about teaching.

“After the Bell” is my new advice column in which we teachers can explore ways to reconnect with the magic of teaching without losing our marbles. I decided to write this column for the teachers who are considering walking away from their calling.

I know how difficult this work can be. Trust me. I tried quitting.

When I had 10 years of experience, I decided to leave the profession to be a full-time mom but also because I was fed up. Ten years of working with increasing class sizes, ever-changing testing requirements, Response to Interventions, Individualized Education Programs, a new administration team, and supporting students with learning gaps all while nursing a newborn was exhausting. I left for five years and promised myself I’d never return.

Yet, during that time, I missed teaching. I missed the positive relationships I developed with my students and co-workers. I missed the spontaneity of kids and the autonomy of creating engaging units.

Dr. Kem Smith has been teaching 12th grade English in St. Louis since 2016.

That eventually brought me back to the classroom in 2014, where I found my passion again. Only now, I was more fueled to make a difference in the lives of students because I recognized the 21st-century skills needed to survive beyond the classroom. I was determined to impart those skills to my students. When I returned to the classroom, the first lesson I learned was that neither the gift nor the calling goes away because you leave. I even wrote an unpublished book, “Why I Quit Teaching and Why You Don’t Have To.”

Teachers, you don’t have to quit.

The state of education today may cause you to question your calling. Universal education-related issues such as virtual learning, poor working conditions, and testing and teacher evaluation systems make the work of being an educator difficult. However, what you do each day for students’ future and the future of our country is too important.

I believe teaching is a calling. Some people are aware of this calling early in life. For others, it takes time for them to recognize their gift. I am part of the latter group.

I began the journey to become a teacher in 1997 while working in insurance. I took a spiritual gifts test at church and the results overwhelmingly pointed toward teaching as my gift. I worked at the office during the day and finished my bachelor’s in business administration at night. After graduation, I immediately enrolled in graduate school, intending to become a teacher. I left my insurance job and began to substitute teach. I did that for three years in many classrooms, multiple buildings, and across three different St. Louis County school districts until I finished my master’s in education.

Then, I landed my first full-time teaching assignment for a fifth-grade classroom in 2001. In the years that followed, I taught sixth, seventh, eighth, 10th, 11th, and 12th. Then, I began teaching adjunct college-level courses. Early in my teaching career, I also discovered my passion for writing. I returned to school and earned a master’s degree in creative writing while teaching during the day.

Since 2016, I have been teaching 12th grade English. There was a gap in my understanding of higher education and how I could help my students prepare for the rigors of college. I returned to school and earned my doctorate in higher education administration leadership.

What keeps me going? Every day, I experience the joy of watching learning happen. My secret confession is that I am a learning junkie. Every time I have a down moment, I use it to soak up some form of information. Not to store it, but to share it with those who will benefit.

A few years ago, I accompanied a group of students on a college visit a few hours from our hometown. We were on lunch break when I heard my name called above the crowd noise. I turned and was immediately enveloped in a hug. A former student had found me. She exclaimed she could not believe it was me. She was with her friends and told them who I was. She explained how she loved my eighth grade English class so much and that I was the reason she had chosen to major in journalism.

Her excitement made me realize I was on the right path. The work I was doing impacted my students for a lifetime. The energy of hundreds of students eager to learn and hoping for someone to point them to their life’s purpose helps me persevere. It has been wonderful to watch children I’ve taught in preschool graduate high school and say, “thank you.”

Even though the pandemic’s high absenteeism rates negatively impacted student-teacher relationships, I received a message from a student on May 23 that touched my heart. The student wrote:

“You don’t know how much you have helped me this school year. I wish I could express how hard it is trying to break generational curses and still be child-like. Having you as a mentor, I feel, was God’s plan, and I needed you to help guide me on the right path!”

Before the summer break, I learned this student had lost three close loved ones this year — one from COVID-related complications, another from gun violence, and one from suicide — and the student was the one who found the person’s body.

Teaching is more than content. Our students face unknown struggles and rely on us to see them as individuals who require compassion even when they are unable to return the emotion.

In this column, I will be intentional about finding the joy in teaching. Your mental health will be the main focus. While I am not a psychologist, counselor, or mental health expert, I will consult with those trained to support the varied needs of educators.

There is so much good in this world. Choose to see that today. Choose to be kind. Choose to love and if you need support, read this column.

As you reflect on the last school year and prepare for 2022-23, send me your questions, testimonials, and stories.

Starting today, I will read them all and respond to your questions every week.

Dr. Kem Smith is Chalkbeat’s first advice columnist. She is a full-time 12th grade English teacher in St. Louis, Missouri. Submit your question via this submission form, and subscribe to How I Teach to receive her column in your inbox.

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Chalkbeat

NYC after-school contract shakeup sparks fury after beloved, long-term providers are ousted

New rules, little transparency

Particular after-school programs are often a draw for families

Report: Many Metro Detroit families want their kids in after-school programs but don’t have access

Students find motivation, purpose after-school

Cost, location are barriers for kids to attend after-school programs

NYC schools have 176 days of class, not the required 180. Here’s why.

NYC high school admissions and the SHSAT: Here’s where the mayoral candidates stand

These 30 NYC schools will get help starting student publications through Journalism for All

Journalism initiative will support internships, student curriculum

New York City tries cash transfers as a way to improve the health of homeless moms

A ‘moral’ intervention from city government

The research behind cash transfer programs

Fair game? NYC school basketball coaches cry foul over forfeits caused by strictly enforced rules

This Tennessee teacher brings lessons from the ocean to her landlocked students

How does teaching ocean science to middle schoolers excite you?

Why sixth grade?

What’s your favorite lesson to teach?

Describe your role on the expedition this time.

How do you use what you learn to help students relate to their immediate environment?

What’s the best advice that you abide by?

How do you spend your spare time?

MSCS leader wants to position schools as ‘pillars of hope’ to fight youth violence

Teachers are leaders. Each one of us makes an impact in the classroom and society.

How do I set up a comfortable classroom to meet students’ needs as well as my own?

Pandemic learning loss has affected students. Should we push to lower standards?

How do I compete with cell phones for my students’ attention?

Here’s how I manage cell phone use in my classroom

My colleague doesn’t share curriculum changes. How do I approach them?

How to break the ice

How do I build relationships with students who are culturally different from me?

Practice culturally responsive teaching through classroom leadership

I’m a first-year teacher. How do I become successful in the classroom?

Here’s how to get through your first school year

I want to be a teacher. What do I need to know for my first interviews?

The basics

What you might not know yet

​​It’s college application time. Here’s how to help students make their picks.

Here’s how I help students navigate each category

Get organized

We do so many jobs, it’s exhausting. When can teachers just teach?

Here are five things we can both commit to trying this week:

How do I help fellow teachers who are ready to leave our profession?

Here is how my peers and I support each other

I’m not a licensed teacher. How do I do a good job when I have to sub?

How to feel comfortable and build trust with students quickly

In this political climate, how can I teach the U.S.’s diverse history?

After 23 years in education, I’m frustrated. When is it time to quit?

1. Who will be your successor?

2. What will your mentor say?

What’s the best way to communicate with my students’ families?

Back to school, fellow teachers! Here are 7 tips to handle our angst.

How to navigate new-year angst

How do I set boundaries for student-teacher interaction after school?

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

How can we just go back to the way it was before the pandemic? Life is different now.

Event: Back to School with Dr. Kem

I’m starting my fifth year of teaching. Will it ever get easier?

My students don’t seem to care about their studies. How do I reach them?

Tap your community

Examine equity issues

Tap into what students already love

Help students envision their futures

Use tech to your advantage

How do I speak up to get more support from the administration?

Here’s how to communicate your needs to the administration

What can I do if teaching feels like I’m ‘a browser with 100 tabs open?’

Improve work-life balance by setting boundaries

‘Find the good’ and find self-care that works for you

To retire, don’t wait. Plan ahead.

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

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

Meet Dr. Kem: Her new column will be your go-to spot for teacher conversations

It’s college application time. Here’s how to help students make their picks.