"What we are learning Wednesday," Part II: Putting People First

During remote learning, we have prioritized people as our primary consideration, centering relationship building and creating ongoing connections between staff, students, and families. From the daily morning messages our teachers are sending out (see these great examples from G1, G3 , G10) to weekly phone calls to students and families to daily virtual hangouts, we have found numerous creative ways to build and maintain community. Thank you for centering our students and families during this time and making sure to maintain your connections with each other—I’m looking at all the staff who have played a rousing game of heads-up on an advisory call or pictionary in a team meeting.

While none of these structures are able to truly replicate the in-person experiences that are at the heart of our school, we have seen huge success in the amount of outreach to our students and families. It is a testament to the tenacity of our teachers, leaders, counselors, operations staff, deans, aides, paras, and tutors that we have consistently reached our students and their families in the last seven weeks. Daily morning messages, phone calls and texts home, virtual hangouts, and community building events serve as a way to prioritize our people and make sure no one feels isolated. Families shared in the survey we sent last week that their students are accessing these consistently, and they appreciate your communication. As the adage goes, no one cares how much you know until they know how much you care. Check out all these teachers showing their care with online videos:

We also have worked hard during this remote learning period to put people first by carefully considering the right volume of and methods for work. Both our students and our staff are working in a wide variety of conditions and contexts, many with younger children at home who need time and attention. We have attempted to adjust our work days, responsibilities, and tasks to provide more flexibility in terms of time and volume. While this is a work in progress, we have tried to scale our remote learning to provide more space and opportunities to fit a variety of home situations. Our staff also have provided great support to students in managing their schedules, calendars, tasks, and emails remotely (see this G7 example), many for the first time. Similarly we have modeled learning to work from home by sharing our new work spaces (see Pedro’s) and our own struggles, which have created more empathetic connections by acknowledging the adjustments we are all making. These efforts both consider our people and create paths to the amazing assignments that our teachers are developing.

When we return to school, it will be important to capitalize on the success of our video communications (like this amazing K1 example) and our robust student and family phone call program (SHOUT OUT G4 for your engagement levels). Even during regular school operations these points of personal connection and school-to-home unity could have tremendous benefits. Similarly, exploring the use of videos (like this G8 example) and online events (like this G12 example) as a way to communicate with students and families could potentially be useful during regular operations. We also can learn a lot about adjusting the pace and volume of work to ebb and flow with our changing context as health conditions evolve. 

Thank you for keeping our people front of mind as we engage in remote learning. Using these tools and lessons moving forward can make attendance at events more accessible, preview or review of content more possible, and provide better supports for homework and school work. And they will keep our community vibrant and connected. I can’t wait to be back in person and apply these amazing efforts to our work moving forward.

Emily Stainer, Chief Academic Officer

"What we are learning Wednesday," Part I

On March 12th Match made the decision to close our schools to prevent the spread of COVID19 in Boston. The following Wednesday, after three days of preparation we started our first phase of remote learning, including work like this morning message from Ms. Olukoga. 

Six weeks in, our staff, with the typical Match spirit of innovation, have found a rhythm, have removed a myriad of barriers as a team for both students and adults, and have learned a ton. Thank you for all you have done to be creative, flexible, and student-centered during this time. Because of your hard work each day our students are connected to our school and each other by your amazing outreach and support - check out these videographers at work:

While it is still uncertain what the summer and fall hold, we know that our community and world will be different. I am personally having trouble imagining the future, but I am hopeful that some of the changes to our community are for the better. We are now settling in for a longer remote learning period than first expected. With that in mind, we wanted to capture and share some of the lessons we are learning that I hope can inform the future of our school.

There are certainly still challenges we are solving, but our staff have done so much work of which to be proud. I am excited to celebrate it. Some stand out lessons learned so far are 1) put people first, 2) center student and family feedback, 3) embrace asynchronous learning, 4) slow the pacing of units, lessons, and tasks, and 5) get creative with format and offer choice. In the coming weeks we will share details on these lessons from across our three campuses with some examples to celebrate our work.

Until then, thank you for all that you’re doing to serve our students and families during these uncertain time!

Emily Stainer, Chief Academic Officer

SPOTLIGHT: Match Associate Teacher, Secondary

Name: Bridget Serpe

Title: Match Associate Teacher

School: Match High School

Why do you want to be a teacher?

For me, teaching was not something I always knew I wanted to do. In 2018, I was an AmeriCorps member working as a tutor at Match High School. I had planned to take a year off after my year of service and then go to law school. However, during my year as an AmeriCorps tutor, I fell in love with teaching and working in a high school. I was a study skills tutor working with kids on their executive functioning skills. I also worked as the US History teaching assistant, for which I helped 11th grade students learn the history of our country from an amazing teacher who helped to spark my love of teaching. As the year went on, I started seeing myself as a teacher more and more, so I applied to Sposato’s MAT program. Ever since then, my decision to become a teacher has been affirmed while enrolled in the Sposato and while teaching 12th grade history in my second year at Match High School.

Compared to the start of the school year, how have you grown as a Match Associate Teacher (MAT)? How is teaching similar or different from what you imagined?

I’ve grown immensely since the start of this year. Taking classes and practicing what we learn is at the forefront of that. Teaching is different from how I imagined because I thought it was just something you had to do for a long time to get better at. However, taking classes in Sposato has made me realize that is not the case. There is also pedagogy and things you learn outside the classroom that really help you with the balancing act that is teaching. 

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Bridget recently took over @MatchEducation’s Instagram to showcase a day-in-the-life of a high school MAT - check it out here!

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What is your favorite part of the program?

My favorite part of the program is working with my advisor and coach. My coach, Laura, comes into the classroom where I lead teach, observing me and coaching me on how to improve. We meet twice a week to game plan for the week and talk about what she observed. Sometimes we will role play solutions to problems I am having in the classroom, or brainstorm how to make my teaching more student-centered.

Any advice for those who might be considering applying to become a Match Associate Teacher?

When I started, I was not 100% sure of my life’s path, and I still am not. I did, however, have this notion that I had to have my life planned out in order to be teaching and in the position that I am in. That is not the case, and it is something I wish I knew before I started. I know I want to be teaching now, and for the next couple years. This program meets me where I am and helps me figure out my next steps. 

If you are interested in learning more about the MAT program and applying for the 2020-2021 school year, click here.

SPOTLIGHT: Match Associate Teacher, Elementary

Name: Ayanna Robinson

Title: Match Associate Teacher

School: Match Community Day

Why do you want to be a teacher?

Teaching is honestly a passion I happened to stumbled into. I worked my first job as a camp instructor during my sophomore year of college. I had one of the best summers of my life teaching computer science to girls. I didn’t understand the entirety of my impact until the next summer when so many of the girls told me they returned to camp that summer because of me. Since then I’ve spent every summer teaching my girls and watching them grow.

At the same time, I was beginning to fully understand the privilege I had been given with my educational opportunities. My mom struggled to ensure I could attend the very best private schools and participate in the most interesting extracurriculars. Education was made to be fun for me almost every step of the way, and I developed an intense love of learning. As I grew up, I realized that my experience was a unique one, but it shouldn’t be. If more students had the same access to loving teachers that I had, perhaps they would be better equipped to finish the race towards a college degree or even become more confident in whatever career they decide to pursue. Teaching allows me to be the adult I needed when I was younger. 

Compared to the start of the school year, how have you grown as a Match Associate Teacher (MAT)? How is teaching similar or different from what you imagined?

My class presence has improved exponentially. At the beginning of the year, I would get nervous whenever I had to teach in front of a class, but now I can do it at a moment’s notice. I think that I’ve also worked enough on my presence that I can command a room much more quickly than before, leaving more time for instructions and fun. Group of Six had us really dive deep and dissect the art of classroom management, so now I feel like I have the “cheat codes” to create harmony within my golden hour room. 

Teaching is pretty similar to what I expected. This is the youngest group I’ve ever taught, so it’s been an adjustment, but in terms of teaching strategy and approach, it’s been exactly as I imagined it would be. 

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Ayanna recently took over @MatchEducation’s Instagram to showcase a day-in-the-life of an elementary MAT - check it out here!

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What is your favorite part of the program?

The Residents of Color program within Sposato is definitely my favorite aspect. My mentor has worked on everything from planner design to stress management with me. I feel that navigating this year without her would have been impossible. She’s opened her classroom to me during the day to discuss any part of my experience that I’ve needed to, and she’s always ready with advice when I need her. 

What has coaching been like? How has it impacted your experience as a student in the Sposato Graduate School of Education?

Coaching keeps me from thinking too much about my teaching performance because I know (at least this year) I’ll always have an unbiased viewer to give their take. Working with a coach has been a great learning experience and tool for me, as someone who tends to get in their head too much. Hearing my coach’s feedback on my lessons has helped me to strengthen some of my stronger areas and become more aware of my weaker areas. 

For example, before coaching I wasn’t aware of how much time I wasted in my framing and transitions. I love thinking of coaching as my own personal instant replay. 

Any advice for those who might be considering applying to become a Match Associate Teacher?

Invest in really solid relationships with your host teachers. The year is difficult but can be made so much simpler by forming strong bonds with the people on your team. My team genuinely wants to see me excel, and their support has gotten me through 100% of my bad days.

If you are interested in learning more about the MAT program and applying for the 2020-2021 school year, click here.

Culture, Community & Context

Panelists at the final Culture, Community & Context class: Ariella Silverstein-Tapp (UP Academy-Holland), Anjali Nirmalan (UP Education Network), Edverette Brewster (Lila Frederick Pilot Middle School), Jawad Brown (Sposato), Simone Esteves (BB&N)

How should teachers have answered students’ questions the morning after the 2016 presidential election? When an unarmed black man is shot and killed by police, how’s a teacher to respond? In the wake of controversial policies, such as President Trump’s “Muslim ban,” what responsibility do educators have to help students process the news?

Teachers are trained to teach math or science, English or humanities, but the realities of the classroom – and our world – dictate that they end up navigating much more than the academic disciplines in which they are trained. Kids are exposed to adult issues through social media, the internet and television, no matter how much we might prefer to shield them from ugly, painful stuff in the world.

This year, Match’s Sposato Graduate School of Education (SGSE) included a required course in its curriculum, SPO 100: Culture, Community and Context. (The class is a refined version of a similar course that Sposato has taught for the last two years.) 

Case study used in SPO 100 for in-class discussion.

Taught by Sposato faculty Elena Luna and Jawad Brown, the purpose of the class was to train rookie teachers how to confront their own biases and prepare their students – who are overwhelmingly students of color from low-income backgrounds – to navigate the “culture of power,” that in our society is European-American, white culture.  

Over six three-hour classes, Luna and Brown lead Sposato students through a series of readings, exercises and frank conversations designed to help them understand inequity in education, interrogate their own biases, and explore how their personal identities influence their relationship to the culture of power. Rookie teachers were also encouraged to teach their students to identify cultural and institutional inequities and to advocate for social change. And they learned how to build relationships with students and families, by venturing outside the walls of classroom and into a student’s life, by spending time on their home turf – at a soccer game, a family party, shopping. “It’s amazing what information you can gather from seeing students in their own communities,” one Sposato student explained. 

The final class of the semester featured a panel discussion among educators who regularly hold courageous conversations about race. These conversations were often in response to an incident (such as a police shooting or the election), but also came about in the course of class discussion. The deaths of Michael Brown, Trayvon Martin, Tamir Rice and Eric Garner, the mass shooting at the AME church in Charleston, SC, the ongoing political debate about our country’s immigration policy – all events that occurred outside of Boston – were topics of discussion. 

Sposato students discuss a case study in class.

The goal of this final SPO 100 sessionwas to create a forum where Sposato students could ask tough questions and hear how veterans handled these situations from the real-world. 

Here are a handful of key takeaways from the session: 

Have the conversation. The overwhelming message from veterans was to give students the space to discuss difficult news and events. They are experiencing trauma, and need a safe place to emotionally process and understand what they are seeing in the world. Be prepared to dive in.

Help students understand the facts. All sensitive conversations should be grounded in facts (an increasingly challenging ask in a landscape ripe with “alternative” facts). “Emotions run hot in first grade,” Silverstein-Tapp said, describing some of her students’ reactions to news of the Muslim ban; some worried about what might happen to members of their own families. “I did a ton of reading to understand what was going on, so I could answer their questions accurately,” she said. “I wanted to be factual, but not neutral.” 

Be sure to listen and validate students’ feelings. Conversations about race can become emotional among adults; imagine trying to keep a classroom full of 12-year old emotions in check. “I encouraged students to express how they were feeling, instead of saying, ‘you guys are XYZ!’” Brown said. That approach cut down on finger pointing and made conversations more about an internal exploration. Brown also gave everyone two minutes to talk, even if they opted to remain silent.

Teachers can introduce complexity into the conversation. Veteran teachers said it was important to remain true to their own emotions – in a way that was honest and age appropriate– but to also help students lean into the complexity of these issues. “Your job is to facilitate a conversation, and to help point out misconceptions, fears and lack of knowledge, and information is power” Luna said. Esteves doesn’t shy away from allowing students to share their thoughts – and pushing for clarity – and then allowing them to be held accountable by their peers.

Positive classroom culture is essential. Unless a teacher has already established a trusting, safe classroom culture, productive conversations about sensitive and emotional topics just aren’t possible. “Teaching and learning should be reciprocal, and that should be transparent to students,” Anjali Nirmalan explained. “I start with the basic questions: do you know what happened? How do you feel? Can you explain why you are upset?” Brewster added. “I run lots of Socratic seminars in my class and want my kids to know that I am comfortable having these discussions.” 

It’d be unrealistic to think that one seminar course could prepare rookie teachers to successfully navigate the complexities surrounding race and culture in the classroom. But it’s a start. And we hope the sheer awareness of their own biases – and the biases inherent in white, European-American culture – will enable them to run more effective classrooms and build stronger, more trusting relationships with students and families.

If you’re interested in some of the readings we assigned in SPO 100: Culture, Community & Context, here is a partial list: 

•  “From the Achievement Gap to the Education Debt” by Gloria Ladson-Billings.
•  “An Appeal to Authority: The new paternalism in urban schools” by David Whitman
•  “The Silenced Dialogue: Power and Pedagogy in Educating Other People’s Children” by Lisa Delpit
•  “Beginning Courageous Conversations about Race” by Glenn Singleton and Cyndie Hays
• “Speak up at school: how to respond to every day prejudice, bias and stereotypes” by Teaching Tolerance