While many school districts across the country continue to announce continuation of e-learning practices through the end of the school year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, those decisions have not deterred Simon Youth Foundation leaders and teachers from championing students to success and graduation. SYF teachers are adopting new strategies for teaching, impact and staying closely engaged with their students.
Working without notice and fanfare, Simon Youth Academy teachers and principals have shared with us their best practices for helping students through this unprecedented time, while keeping them on track to complete their courses and reach graduation day. For many of our students, the Academy is their safety net for connection and education even in the best of times. Our Academy and Leaders know that given the state of the world, their students will need the knowledge that Simon Youth Academy is a place of support and a resource to help them through this “new normal”.
Simon Youth Academy at Burlington in Massachusetts is leveraging Google Classroom to not only disseminate and track students’ assignments; they are also keeping in touch with students and their families through Google Hangout sessions. In order to assist students with their academic and well-being needs, the Academy leader and school psychologist are checking in with students through text messages on a weekly basis. Additionally, the school psychologist shares a wealth of local mental health information and cognitive distractions for students through the shared technology platform to help them through this difficult time. Caring about the whole student is a critical part of the outreach of the Academy, and a strong core value of our partner districts who know that every student is sacred.
Simon Youth Academy at Outlet Marketplace in Orlando, Florida, also uses Google Classroom, Google Hangout / Meetings and other virtual meeting platforms to share weekly assignments and news, and connect with students one-on-one on a regular basis. The Academy’s lead teacher has also established a Google Voice phone number that allows students to contact her by phone whenever the need arises. As a fun way to engage with students, they’ve been using Flip Grid, which allows teachers to interact with students about a particular topic. This week’s edition of Flip Grid is “Unpopular Opinion” – students are sharing something that others love but they hate. It’s a lighthearted way to interact with students about something other than their school work. This Academy has also leveraged SYF grant dollars that were originally earmarked for end of the year in-person activities, into resources to help students with basic necessities, including that with the likelihood of graduation ceremonies being cancelled that a family can still create a celebration for their graduate at home with all the proper elements that otherwise would be affordable or available.
Simon Youth Academy at Northshore Mall in Peabody, Massachusetts, teachers and staff have increased their meetings to discuss curriculum delivery and increasing student engagement. Teachers also using collaborative technology to share academy-wide updates about the students’ progress, engagement and completion of their assignments and general well-being. Should early warning signs arise, the Academy’s principal will call or visit (at a safe distance) students and parents to check in, and offer assistance. The Academy leader says that keeping students motivated on top of everything else the student is facing has been the most difficult part of being physically removed from seeing their students daily. A reality for many of our Academy’s students is that they are now deemed essential hourly workers and are pressed into more work during the day to keep their job and support their families, and then still try to prioritize school work at night. Our teachers are now logging even longer than the previous longer than normal hours before CoVID was in their communities. School counselors have made themselves available to any students struggling with mental health via video sessions. In addition, school leaders have mobilized to deliver food and basic needs to students and families that don’t have access to transportation and qualify for have free or reduced lunch. Our teachers see a need and do what it takes to make sure that their students aren’t without necessities.
Simon Youth Academy at Old Cockrill in Nashville, Tennessee, has prioritized student needs since schools first closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. At the start of shelter-in-place and move to all virtual learning, teachers took time to make care calls to students to reassure them that there would be plans and strategies to help them finish their courses, make sure their basic needs were met, and then first hand from students worked to identify any barriers they may have with remote learning and not being able to come to the academy. Teachers then moved into problem solving mode and worked together to adapt their classes to a virtual environment, while aligning realistic expectations for students as needed. With their most recent school quarter ending on March 13, Academy staff worked individually with students to get them enrolled in the final set of classes for the final quarter of the academic year. Staff compiled a list of students who had technology needs, and worked with MNPS to make laptops available for students to use from home. To date, 30 Academy students have utilized this accommodation and continue on a positive path toward completing their credits and the school year. The Academy principal personally communicates to students and parents twice a week. Teachers and students are working closely together to ensure they are completed their classes and tracking towards graduation day.
Now more than ever #SYFmeansGraduation #NoMatterWhat. In our 37 Academies, in 22 districts across 15 states, SYF sees the work of our teachers. They are our front line; they are our heroes.
While you may read that schools are closed, that doesn’t mean that at education at Simon Youth Academies, or the needs of our students have stopped. For our teachers and partners, it just means that they now have found new ways to work with students, and like all of us at the Foundation, still SEE A GRADUATE.
SYF will continue to share stories and experiences of our students and teachers throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. Please join us in celebrating the successes and graduations in the weeks ahead by following us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and LinkedIN.
