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Tools, Tips, & Tricks

Locating Our RPS Prioritized Learnings and Proficiency Scales

4/29/2019

 
A few months ago, Rochester Public Schools updated our public-facing website. As a result, some items were relocated while others were temporarily removed. One such item: our Prioritized Learnings and Proficiency Scales. 

We've been working hard to get these back online; ideally, in a way that will be even more user-friendly!

Below are a few tips for navigating the new locations of our Prioritized Learnings and Proficiency Scales, along with tips of what you'll find once you get there. 

Accessing from the Internet
Public-Facing Web Access

From any internet enabled device:
  1. Head to our Secondary C&I Online website (...and, done: you're already here!)
  2. Hover over "K-12 RPS C&I Links," found in the menu in the upper right section of the page
  3. Hover over "Prioritized Learnings"
You should then find yourself looking at four options (shown below): Background & Process, Middle School Prioritized Learnings, High School Prioritized Learnings, & Continuing the Process. 
Image of the access described above
Zoomed-in mage of the access described on the left
Where will these four links take you? Well, you'll find yourself here: 
  1. Background & Process: Here we lay out the 'why' of Prioritized Learnings (including a short, explanatory video) and the timeline we've followed thus far. 
  2. Middle School Prioritized Learnings: Here we list all the Prioritized Learnings for the middle school level, along with the directions for accessing their aligning scales.
  3. High School Prioritized Learnings: Here we list all the Prioritized Learnings for the high school level, along with the directions for accessing their aligning scales.
  4. Continuing the Process: Here we link (A) a form for submitting ideas for how to improve our Prioritized Learnings and Proficiency Scales, (B) optional formative assessments that align with the Prioritized Learnings, and (C) a form for submitting more formative assessments [you must be logged in to your '...@isd535.org' account to access these three elements]


Accessing from the RPS Intranet
District-Only Web Access

From any district connected, internet enabled device:
  1. Head to our the RPS intranet (this link will only work on district-connected devices)
  2. Hover over "Internal Documents"
  3. Hover over "Curriculum & Instruction"
  4. Hover over "Prioritized Learnings"
You should then find yourself able to navigate to  five types of PDFs (shown below): "Continuing the Process & Feedback;" "Background and Process;" and the English, Math, Science and Social Studies content areas, each with all 6-12 Prioritized Learning Statements in a table format at the top. Once in the desired content area, you can then navigate to a certain grade level/course where all Proficiency Scales will be linked (these can be accessed/printed all at once or one at a time). 
Image of the access described above
With what exactly will each of these five types of PDFs provide for you? You'll find:
Image of the access described above
  1. ​Continuing the Process & Feedback: Here we show how to access (A) a form for submitting ideas for how to improve our Prioritized Learnings and Proficiency Scales, (B) optional formative assessments that align with the Prioritized Learnings, and (C) a form for submitting more formative assessments.
  2. Background and Process: Here we lay out the 'why' of Prioritized Learnings (including a short, explanatory video) and the timeline we've followed thus far. 
  3. 6-12 Prioritized Learning Statements: These are located at the top  of each content area's list of items. Here each content area's prioritized Learnings, for all secondary grades, are listed in one spot and organized in an easy to navigate table format.
​
​Once in the content area you've selected, you can navigate to the desired grade level/course where all Proficiency Scales for that course will be linked. These can then be:
         4.    A
ccessed/printed all at once: All scales for this course in the same PDF for ease of use.
         5.    A
ccessed/printed one scale at a time: Each scale in its own PDF for one-at-a-time access.

If you have any questions about accessing or using the RPS Prioritized Learnings and Proficiency Scales, please reach out to our team, your building administrator, or your instructional coach. 
This post brought to you by the Secondary C&I Team

Culturally Responsive and English Learners

4/24/2019

 
Yesterday I walked into the Kellogg Newcomer classroom. Immediately I took in the lovely and soft hum of multiple languages simultaneously creating their own symphony. I heard Arabic, Somali, Spanish, and Chinese, each with a beautiful flavor of culture and diversity. As I smiled to myself I thought, "I wish more teachers and students could enjoy this harmony". The Newcomer teachers flowed beautifully and efficiently between teaching academics and supporting students' cultural and linguistic needs.

We have been on a journey this year as a district diving into the pool of culturally and linguistically responsive teaching and learning. We have had time to explore and implement strategies that help us to level the playing field and provide equal access for students. 

In the world of EL, culturally and linguistically responsive teaching and learning are at the heart of what we do. We see the assets our English learners bring with them and strive to help them to grow academically and socially in a sometimes new and confusing world of American education.

How then can we tie together the work we are doing in our classrooms and put a slight twist on it to assist our English learners? Here are 10 simple, and yet powerful things we can all do in our classrooms to enhance our culturally responsive teaching and learning for our ELs. The infographic below is from Tan Huynh.
10 Things Culturally Responsive Teachers Do
1. Pronounce ELs' names correctly.
I purposefully chose to put this as number 1 because I feel that this is the most simple thing any teacher can do, and yet can have significant negative effects if mispronounced. For many students, hearing their name mispronounced can make them feel alienated and as if their culture is not valued. There is a very funny, and yet poignant, clip from the Ellen DeGeneres show that makes this point quite clearly.
2. Refrain from substituting ELs first name with an English nickname. 
Does anyone want to be called a name that is not what they have chosen to be called? Simply ask what they would like to be called and then practice saying it repeatedly until it is as easy as saying "Jon Snow" (for all of you Game of Thrones fans).


3. Invite ELs to use their home language. 
Not only does it bring a beautiful new harmony to your classroom but students feel that their language and culture is valued. It is an opportunity for ELs who speak the same language to have time to connect with one another. 

4. Read books with characters who share ELs' experiences. 
Here is a great book list that provides books at different age levels. Also, check with your Media Specialist. He or she is a great resource for finding culturally responsive books.

5. Encourage ELs to share the connections between their lives and the topic. 
ELs bring with them a plethora of experiences. Create a community where students feel comfortable sharing their experiences through the content you are teaching.

6. Expect ELs to engage in the same learning experience and learn the same content as non-ELs. 
ELs can do the work. Our job is to provide them the scaffolds and supports to get them there. 

7. Have ELs work with non-ELs. 
We do not learn in isolation. Providing opportunities for ELs to work with non-ELs allows students to not only learn from each other academically but also culturally. ELs also have much more opportunities to develop academic language when they are with their native English speaking peers.

8. Explicitly teach students how to respectfully collaborate. 
Strategies such as Campfire Discussions and Gallery Walks provide students opportunities to collaborate and learn from each other.

9. Use ELs' experiences to activate prior knowledge. 
When building background knowledge or activating prior knowledge, provide many examples from different cultures. Do not assume that all students have the same experiences, but instead provide experiences and examples that many students can connect to.

10. Permit ELs to process content in their home languages in addition to using English resources.
Providing students the opportunity to clarify concepts in their first language provides comfortability in learning and also transfers this knowledge into learning English. 


Let's keep diving into the pool and creating harmony for our English Learners through culturally and linguistically responsive teaching and learning.
This post brought to you by Katie Miller, K-12 EL Implementation Associate

The Life-Changing Magic of Sparking Joy in the Classroom: ​the Art of KonMariing Our Courses

4/19/2019

 
If you know me, you know my husband and I are shopping for a new home. Wanting to downsize (I want a tiny house, he wants no yard, so we’ve compromised on looking for a condo), we’re slowly filtering through our belongings. We’re pulling items out of closets that we forgot we even had: placing in boxes the linens not used in years, the sweaters we no longer wear, and the camping gear we’re not even sure why we purchased in the first place.
 
Perhaps the hardest part of this downsizing escapade, is that we sometimes run into those items we should get rid of but struggle to part with. Those items that served a purpose in their time but no longer are of use. Items like:
  • The quilt I once bought on sale at Carson Pirie Scott—the one that covered my bed in the home I purchased when I was 24 but that now is ratted, faded, and buried under a new comforter.
  • The Lego sets my husband used to play with growing up—the ones his parents gave us when they were cleaning out their closets that now sit stacked in ours.
  • The extra wedding invitations that we ordered because ordering in bulk was cheaper, but now they simply sit on a shelf.
These items—these are the ones that are hard to donate or toss. These items played an important role once and are now, therefore, emblazoned in our memories and dear to our hearts. 
Again, if you know me, you also know I love a good extended metaphor. As I see it, downsizing our course content is much like downsizing a home. Fourth quarter, and on into the summer months, we often find ourselves with a bit of extra time to focus on what’s next—and with no fifth quarter on the horizon, this often means making adjustments for the school year to come.
 
In our classrooms, just as in our homes, there are items that are easy to donate or toss:
  • extra paper handouts
  • past seating charts
  • meeting notes about things that have since occurred
 
However, also like with our homes, there are items that are hard to part with, although maybe we should:
  • that lesson on ­­___ that didn’t quite work out as planned
  • that article I thought was great but that students didn’t get into
  • that teaching strategy that just doesn’t seem to keep students engaged anymore
 
To get inspired to downsize our home, my husband and I (along with much of the US), have been watching Tidying Up with Marie Kondō on Netflix. Having read her first book a few years ago--The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up—this new Netflix series has served as a reminder of many of Marie Kondō’s key ideas. Ideas that, of course, work great in homes, but that also can be used to help create even more magic in our classrooms. 
Images of Kondo's two books and Netflix show screenshot


​
7 Steps for Applying the
​KonMari Method to the Classroom:


​Getting Started--

|  1  |
Commit to tidying up all at once.

Marie Kondō shares that the KonMari Method is most effective when you do all the tidying in one fell swoop. She puts it this way: “From the moment you start tidying, you will be compelled to reset your life. As a result, your life will start to change. That’s why the task of putting your house in order should be done quickly. It allows you to confront the issues that are really important. Tidying is just a tool, not the final destination. The true goal should be to establish the lifestyle you want most once your house has been put in order” (Kondō).
With this in mind, when you decide it’s time to start tidying up your course content, consider doing it in one fell swoop. Rather than doing what I used to do, which was to set aside a day every week or so during the summer to restructure and revamp; try instead setting as aside a few evenings in a row, a weekend, or even a full week to really dig-in to the task. Just as with a home, perhaps this will help you reset your instruction, allow you to confront the most important pieces, and establish the course structure you and your students need most.

|  2  |
Imagine the ideal to prevent relapse.

Ask yourself: What is the purpose of tidying up my instruction?
  • Is there a certain skill your students consistently struggle with and you need more time to fortify that skillset?
  • Is there a certain group of students you struggle to connect with and want to add some material that might better engage them?
  • Are there new strategies that you’ve learned and want to try, but are not sure where they best fit?
 
Keeping the answers to questions like these at the forefront will help you stay on track, should the tiding ever get overwhelming. (And, if you’re anything like me, it will.)


​Discarding--

|  3  |
Ask yourself questions for each item.

Marie Kondō suggests a few simple questions, moving from a rational to a more emotional approach.
 
When working with home items, she suggests:
  • What is the purpose of this object?
  • Has it fulfilled its purpose already?
  • Why did I get this thing?
  • When did I get it?
  • How did it land in my house?
 
Since these questions don’t really work with our instruction; instead, we might ask ourselves questions such as:
  • What was the purpose of this activity/resource/ lesson/text/etc.?
  • Does it still fulfill this purpose?
  • Why did I start using this activity/resource/lesson/text/etc.?
  • When did I start using it?
  • Why has it remained in my lesson plans?

|  4  |
Sparking joy.

One element Marie Kondō is most famous for is the concept of discarding items that no longer ‘spark joy.’ (In fact, her most recent book is even titled Spark Joy.) Marie Kondō recommends holding each item with both hands and asking yourself: “Does this spark joy?” If it does, keep it. If it doesn’t, thank it for the purpose it once served and then set it aside to discard.
When it comes to course content and instructional practices, obviously this looks a bit different. We can’t easily hold up a worksheet we now only store electronically to see if it sparks joy, but we can open the file, look it over top to bottom, recall how it went over the last time it was used with students, and then ask ourselves:
  • Does this still spark joy in my classroom?
  • Am I still passionate when I teach ___ the way I’ve been teaching it?
  • When I use/do ___, is joy sparked in my students?
 
If the answer to these questions is ‘yes,’ then keep it around: teach the lesson again, use that text next year, and/or continue to utilize that strategy.
​However, if doesn’t spark joy, set it aside. Consider making three piles or lists for those items that no longer spark joy in you and your students:
  • Must keep, but need to revamp. This pile/list is for items that are critical to student learning: items that align tightly with prioritized learnings, help scaffold instruction for struggling learners, or that are specifically noted as a curricular requirement. However, despite them being critical, they are not sparking joy—so they need a makeover.
  • Donate. This pile/list is for items that no longer work with your course or student population, but that would still spark joy if used in a different course or with a different group of students. Maybe it’s a strategy you used to use with 9th graders that now would better fit 8th graders. Maybe it’s a book that used to work in the Contemporary Novels course, but due to its publication date may now fit better in American Literature. Share these gems with your colleagues!
  • Discard completely. This pile/list is self-explanatory, although it certainly can be challenging to let go of items we once used as a reliable activity/resource/lesson/text...
 
This, at least for me, is the hardest part of tidying up. It may help to keep in mind what Marie Kondō notes in her first book: “when we really delve into the reasons for why we can’t let something go, there are only two: an attachment to the past or a fear for the future.” 
Images of list
Image of boxes
Image of completed list

|  5  |
Finish discarding before moving on.

Marie Kondō notes that neat does not equal decluttered. It can be tempting to simply reorganize our material and call it good. But I can take all my pants from my closet, fold them into perfect KonMari rectangles, and move them to my set of drawers—but it won’t change the fact that they don’t fit right or that I never wear them anymore. For that reason, I have to purge items before I fold and rearrange. Only then, once I see what remains, do I really know where the best place is to store my pants. Only then, do I see if I have any gaps in my wardrobe.
 
Likewise, in our classrooms, we have to get rid of—or least commit to revamping—those items that no longer fit our students. Only then, once we see what remains, do we know what new format or structure might work best for the year to come. Only then, do we see if we have any gaps in our instruction. 

|  6  |
Organize by category.

Marie Kondō always notes to organize by category, not by room. Classroom translation: organize by prioritized learnings, not by instructional units or lessons. This helps ensure balance and eliminate holes. 


​Placing--

|  7  |
Designate a spot for everything.

Everything that is left, should fill a need. **Whew!**  Finally, the time comes to reorganize.
 
This step reminds me of what I did about ten years ago when I revamped the American Literature course I was teaching. After having purged a few novels and some grammar units that were no longer sparking joy in my students, I rearranged. Because I figuratively laid everything out on the table, I was able to then see that my remaining content, texts, lessons, etc. fit into six themes. Embracing that fact, I rearranged from teaching American Literature chronologically, as I had always done in the past, to teaching it thematically. But it also meant I had some holes to fill: I was suddenly able to weave in a new book group unit and adjust how I taught grammar by embedding into our reading and writing tasks. It was a lot of work, but, ultimately, it lead to more effective learning in the years that followed.


​​As my husband and I are experiencing firsthand with our home, the act of downsizing can feel overwhelming while in the process of discarding. However, we look forward to placing all our remaining items back in the best order (ideally, in our perfect-for-us condo in downtown Rochester).

​As Marie Kondō states, “the space in which we live should be for the person we are becoming...not for the person we were in the past.” This is true for our classrooms, too: we need to make them a place where students can grow into who they will become in this ever-changing world...not for the students we taught in the past.
This post brought to you by Heather Lyke, Secondary Implementation Associate
Work Cited: Kondō, Marie. The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up. 2014.

Grading for Learning: We Meme It

4/17/2019

 
Some of you may have read one or more of my previous blog entries related to Grading for Learning (linked below). As evidenced in those past posts, and supported by anyone who has ever ventured into a conversation with me about grading, I certainly am not short on words when it comes to this topic.  It is a passion of mine that I don’t hide very well!
 
For today’s post, I thought I would step outside of my comfort zone and go in the complete opposite direction: almost NO words!
 
Disclaimer: this blog entry and its contents are intended to be lighthearted; yet, on topic.  I did my best to find relevant memes with a low likelihood of offending readers. If I have missed either target, I do apologize.

Why Grading for Learning is important

Meme that say learning is cool
Meme that says I was told there would be points
Meme that says there is a big difference between people who are smart and the people who get good grades
Meme that says me trying to fix my grades

Grading for Learning, Big Idea #1: Homework, quizzes, and other daily tasks are formative practice and should not negatively impact a summative academic grade

Meme that says I don't understand and my teacher moved on
Meme that says hey girl, I saw how you used formative assessment to really drive your instruction
Meme that says finds all answers to homework on google

Grading for Learning, Big Idea #2: Reassessment is allowed on all summative assessments

Meme that says the plan is to make a new plan
Meme that says scientists do it repeatedly if you know what I mean
Meme that says so you're telling me there's a chance

Grading for Learning, Big Idea #3: Nonacademic factors are not counted in the summative academic grade

Meme that says poor attendance? You shall not pass
Meme that says students cheat in exams because our education system values grades more than students value learning
Meme that says caught cheating and teacher takes test away is this supposed to be a punishment?

Grading for Learning, Big Idea #4: Only evidence of student proficiency toward learning targets on summative assessments is used to reach a summative academic grade

Meme that says you want extra credit? Tell me more about how you don't do the regular credit
Meme that says "gets 0 on an assignment" grade goes from 87 to 56 "gets seven 100s on assignments" grade goes from 87 to 88.3
Meme that says you see. . .the evidence of learning lines up perfectly with the proficiency scale
If you’d like to read any of my previous blog entries focused on Grading for Learning (G4L), visit the hyperlinks below. (But do know, they’re much wordier than the post above!)
  • Grading for Learning
  • Homework and Extra Credit: Grading for Learning , Part II
  • Academic Dishonesty and Late Work: Grading for Learning , Part III
 
If you have any questions about Grading for Learning, please do not hesitate to connect with me. 
This post brought to you by Brandon Macrafic, POSA focusing on Career & College Readiness and administrator at CTECH

Spring Is a Great Time for a Classroom Makeover

4/9/2019

 
It’s finally happening!  Green grass is sprouting up, birds are singing, and our mammoth snow piles have melted.  Although all of these signs of spring are welcome,  anyone who spends any time in schools knows that spring can be a challenging time in the classroom.  Students may be more talkative than usual and it’s easy to let the consistent routines that were established in the fall go by the wayside. 

​Here are three quick tips and resources to help shore up your classroom routines and procedures so you maximize learning in the fourth quarter:  

|  1  |
​
Silent Start

Image of being
Greet students at the door with a sign that says I Love a Silent Start and train them to read the board and begin the entry task silently.  This is a great way to channel the high energy that may be coming in from the hallway and get students focused on the learning that they’ll do during the hour.  Some teachers do a quick write on the topic that you’ll be working on or a quick review from the day before. 

The Teaching Channel has this great video of the routine!  

|  2  |
​
Plan for Movement

Since we know students are going to be needing to move even more in the spring, plan this into your lesson.  Here are some of my favorite teaching moves that allow students to move and talk with one another: 
​
  • Stand Up, Pair Up:  After you’ve had students listen to directions, watch a video clip, or read something, ask them to stand up and pair up with a partner to talk about what they just heard or read. 
 
  • Four Corners:  Pose a question to get students thinking about your content.  Then ask them to move the four corners of the room labeled strongly agree, agree,  disagree or strongly disagree.  Once in their corner they can talk with others who share the same opinion and choose one spokesperson to speak for their group. 
 
  • Sole Mate:  After ten minutes of instruction, ask students to find someone who has a similar pair of shoes “their sole mate” and talk with them about what they just heard.  
Image of 2 people talking, a room with 4 corners, and 2 pairs of shoes

|  3  |

Be Explicit about Behavior Expectations

Teach your behavior expectations for each segment of your lesson.  For example, if you are doing whole group instruction you might say, “I’ll be sharing some examples with you for the next ten minutes or so.  I’d like you to clear off your desk, place your iPAD face down, and look up front for this next section.”   This is also a great time to practice your routines and procedures like you did at the beginning of the year.
Image of a teach/practice/reteach rotation
Here are some things you may want to practice (and reteach, if necessary): 
  • How should students enter the room? 
  • What should students do when they hear my signal? 
  • What should students do when they return from being absent? 
  • What are the teacher’s expectations for electronic devices in the classroom? 
  • What are my expectations for classroom clean up? 
  • What is our ending classroom routine?  

​If you would like help with any of these tips your instructional coaches are an awesome resource!  You could request that they support you with one particular hour that may need additional reinforcement or just do some planning with them. 
​
Here’s to an awesome and productive spring filled with learning and engagement.  

This post brought to you by Heather Willman, POSA overseeing Secondary Curriculum, Instructional Coaching, & Staff Development

Teachers Are More Than Just People

4/8/2019

 
When we share stories with one another we become bound together in powerful ways. Stories provide hope: they have the potential to shine a light into the darkness and challenge us to change our thinking. Stories matter. Stories are powerful. Each month, the Department of Curriculum and Instruction partners with the RPS equity specialists and American Indian Liaison to share the stories of those in our own backyard who are often silenced.

​All of us have those days where we wished we could press rewind and start over. But there is no rewind button. We just have to keep on keeping on and hope that whatever has crept into our day to sour it dissipates as soon as possible. I would like to share a recent experience I had with my dog, Walda. (Did you really think I would write a blog post without mentioning her?)
 
While this girl is no longer considered a puppy (she turned 3 on April 2nd), she does possess an endearing puppy-like quality. Man, this girl has done so much for me. She’s licked my face, rested her head in my lap, brought me her tug toy to play with, you know, all the typical doggie-companion stuff. But just a few days ago, I realized what she has done for me in the vein of personal/spiritual growth.
Image of blonde puppy
Image of Walda at age 3
I’m an introvert so I don’t speak openly much about what is bothering me. If at any point you and I have had a discussion where I’ve shared a piece of myself with you, I love you and I’ve watched how you react to myself and others. Well, this girl here is super friendly to everyone she meets (I’m pretty sure she’s an extrovert), so I’ve shared many things with her. She’s always super happy when I come home and it doesn’t matter how long I’ve been gone--5 minutes or 5 days--when I walk through that door, it’s always a reunion for the ages.
 
Now, back to what she taught me a few days ago. I came home and, just like clockwork, she got all sorts of excited: zoomies, pet my belly, here’s my tennis ball, tippy-tappy with her big-girl paws, circle-circle-circle.
And I walked right past her without acknowledging her because I was in my own head commiserating with my own thoughts. ​She came in the room, jumped up on the bed, laid down, and let out a big sigh. A mirror. I saw my reflection in that moment. I didn’t like what I saw. I had to own it because even though she had nothing to do with what I was dealing with, I still made her pay for it. I felt awful.

I asked Dr. Cecil White Hat (Rosebud Sioux Tribal Member, deceased) one time why it seems we suffer so much from historical trauma.

He looked at me and said, “We have forgotten how to use our natural medicines.”

Great. Now, here comes a discussion on roots and herbs. And, because I hold much respect and admiration for this Elder, I need to listen to what he is going to say.

He must have sensed what I was thinking, because he then said, “Our laughter and tears, we have forgotten how to use our laughter and tears.”
 
I know I always feel good after a laugh or a cry. But why? Our tears release cortisol. If that doesn’t come out during a good cry, it stays in the body and can cause all sorts of negative effects. Cecil was a very wise man. He never carried himself as if he were a walking library. He was a relatable guy. I am forever grateful to have spent time with him and I appreciate his words and lessons.
 
His brother, Albert White Hat (Rosebud Sioux Tribal Member, deceased), was also well known for his Lakota language and culture revitalization work on the Rosebud Indian Reservation. In this video, he talks about the importance of forgiveness and what can happen if you hold onto anger.
Image of author and her pup
Image by Dawn Bjoraker
We all get caught up in our feelings and emotions and there is nothing wrong with that. But if we stay stuck in our own thoughts, we may just lose sight of what is really important. Make a commitment to yourself to never allow your own thoughts to blind you to what you have in front of you. Tears come up to come out. Let them out and let go.
 
One more thing, if your dog brings you her slimy tennis ball, or does circle-circle-circle, or wants sporadic belly rubs: engage. These beings are in our life not by accident, of this much I am sure. I love you and your slimy tennis ball, Walda. 
This post brought to you by Dawn Bjoraker, American Indian Liaison for the Rochester Public Schools 
Fee
l free to contact Bjoraker at 507.328.4236 or to connect with her via email

If You Build It, They Will Come

4/3/2019

 
Growing up in the South Bronx, one of the five boroughs which make up New York City, poverty and I were very intimate.  My mom was a single parent raising three kids and did an excellent job meeting our needs.  However, that certainly did not come easily for her, nor did it come without the need of support.  

I was able to experience all the joy one experiences when walking into a neighborhood bodega with several food stamp bills stuffed inside my torn blue jeans.  And although everyone in my neighborhood, an area roughly few miles long but supporting over 80,000 people, were in similar situations as my family, I still found it embarrassing using food stamps.  I remember the feeling of shame and humiliation course through my body as I readied myself for the monetary transaction.  Truth be told, I hated that our family needed help.  Yet, like anyone living in poverty can tell you, the worst part is asking for it.  


Several years ago I had the pleasure of speaking to a parent volunteer, Donna Greason.  She had told me that if there were ever any student needs, she would be happy to help. I informed her that our school actually had a resource room for students who had clothing or food needs.  The only issue was that it was only accessible by walking through a teacher’s personal office and, to top it off, a key was needed. Not many students knew about the room and those who did were required to ask a staff member to open it.

Basically, if I thought using food stamps was embarrassing, I could only imagine how it must feel to be a high school adolescent having to find an adult to open a room so I may pick out food for my family while inadvertently being gawked at by the same person who opened the room up for me.  But like many of us are very well aware, space is limited in just about all of our school buildings. And, as is often spoken in my household, “You get what you get and you don’t throw a fit.” 


Yet, when I brought Mrs. Greason to the 7’ x 7’ Support Our Spartans Resource Room, S.O.S. Room, she had other thoughts.  She too had financial difficulties growing up and started questioning whether our school could provide a more appealing space.  Being the only school social worker for over 1,700 students, honestly, the S.O.S. Room was not particularly on my radar…at all. It had been established well before I ever stepped foot into the building and was a group effort, mostly stocked by the generosity of other Mayo High School staff members.  

Her idea was to move out of the space we were currently in and be more centrally located.  The other portion of her idea was to be more selective in terms of the items we were taking in, and lastly, “make it look like Target.”  ​
Quote:
I heard Mrs. Greason’s idea and had two main competing thoughts. Thought number one went a little something like: Sure lady, if you’re willing to do all the work, I’m all for it.  Thought number two was: Could we actually destigmatize poverty by changing our delivery? 

Growing up surrounded by poverty, many of my classmates would still manage to come to school with new Jordan sneakers, Guess Jeans, and Hilfiger sweatshirts, although they too were living in the same poverty stricken neighborhood as I was.  So, it was difficult for me to imagine students embracing walking into a resource room to grab a pair of pants and walk out with little shame. And yet, it was so much the opposite of everything most of us were brought up to believe that it might actually work!
​

With support from our administration, we were provided a larger room right across from the lunchroom. The room is left open, unlocked, and largely unstaffed throughout the entire school day. Meaning, students can simply walk in and out of the room at their leisure.  No more hiding in a small space, no more needing to ask for an adult to unlock the room, and no permission needed. Although we have no prior data to compare how many items are coming and going, I can gladly say we estimate it to be about a thousand items every month.  We count empty clothing hangers to provide us with a base number of how many clothing items are taken from the room. The difficult part of keeping track of everything is that we offer more than just clothing: we also have school supplies, hygiene products, college readiness information, shoes, water bottles, books, and--to top it off--we also have a food pantry room for our weekly backpack program.  

I have come to the realization this generation of young people have come a long way since I was a kid. Students seem far more open speaking about their sexual orientation, engaging in open dialogue about different faiths, and acknowledging the importance of mental health.  So, I’m not sure why it still strikes me to see just how well Mayo High School has embraced this room.

Within a year of implanting the new strategy, our room was so successful that we expanded into the hallway.  Many of our school supplies are now located outside of our room and regularly stocked. Three clothing racks are also located in the hallway where students can grab a winter coat when needed. This model has opened the room up not only to those who are impoverished, but to any and all of our 1,700 students here at Mayo High School.  It has really helped me reframe my initial position of what a student in need looks like. Because regardless of how much money your parents have, if you rip your jeans in gym class during 2
nd hour, straight down the crack, you’re now in need – true story.

The initial planning took more than simply receiving a centralized location.  In order to make the room look the part, it was going to take money. We enlisted the help of several Mayo students who were able to write grants for our room and generated about $2,000.  The money was used to purchase shelving, clothing rods, hangers, etc.. Recruiting Mayo students to write grants took the burden off of my shoulders and provided students with an opportunity to give back to their community as well as provided them with a life learning experience and an additional item to add to their resume.  

The next step was finding students who could be in charge of the daily maintenance and upkeep of the room. This was accomplished by soliciting the help of two student aides per semester. Simply put, there is no way any one person is going to be able to perform their job and effectively maintain a room of this nature.  The last piece of the puzzle was to create a club that would be responsible for all of the behind the scenes operations involving the room.


Most people don’t know the S.O.S. Room is actually run by a student club.  They meet every Tuesday morning for 40 minutes to discuss current and future needs, donations, monthly newsletters, and social media pertaining to the S.O.S. Room.  The last several meetings, however, have not been about our room but were spent discussing ways of establishing a resource room in every school across our district. They are willing to write grants, organize food drives, and donate clothing resources in order to help any school get up and running, or anything else that a school might find beneficial to establishing their own resource room.  

There are many myths surrounding a resource room that I would like debunked.  The most important one in my opinion is that we need to secure the room behind a locked door.  If I were to provide one bit of advice, it would be to make it easily accessible to any and all students.  Throughout the past several years I can easily recount only three instances where students disrespected the work put into the room.  When weighed against the thousands of times students have appropriately utilized the room...there is no contest. 

Some of my tips would include:
  • Get students involved.  Why? Because if you believe doing everything alone will have an impact, you’re probably right.  But if you embrace the student aspect it will not only have an impact, it will become a part of the school’s culture.  
  • Remember, neither Rome nor the S.O.S. Room was built in a day. It takes time and patience to get everything in order.  
  • You’re not in it alone. I have found our community and student body to be very responsive when asking for donations.  

​Outside of those three suggestions, any of the S.O.S. club members will be happy to do whatever it takes to help out another school because they all share the same common belief that all students can be more successful academically when their basic needs are met.
This post brought to you by Juan Vasquez, a School Social Worker at Mayo High School 
Feel free to connect with Vasquez via email or phone
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