"When School Is Not Enough"

At the Promising Practices keynote address today, youth development expert Dana Fusco shared some insights from her research about “when school is not enough.” She studied several afterschool programs and found that the successful ones had three things in common: an emphasis on the development of relationships, hands-on activities, and culminating celebratory events attended by members of the school, family, and local community. Hearing this affirmed what I knew about why my experience as a teacher at Breakthrough Providence this summer felt right. There was a student-to-teacher ratio of about 3-to-1 which helped students and teachers make genuine connections, hands-on activities like Arts and Science Exploration Day, and Celebration – where family and friends came together to see the accomplishments of the summer. Breakthrough Providence prides itself on these (and other) developmental supports.

Fusco also showed some colorful graphs that highlighted the shift in students’ perceptions of developmental support. She noticed that, starting in middle school, students in afterschool programs felt more supported by those programs than they did in their own schools. As an aspiring middle/high school teacher, this data screams at me as a call for action. If students are thriving in these kinds of environments, I need to make sure that these developmental supports are a part of my classroom. I need to make sure that the spirit of Breakthrough Providence is not merely an exception to the rule, but that it lives on during the school day.

I think that middle school, with the interdisciplinary team structure, can be such a powerful place to build relationships, plan hands-on activities, and celebrate success. In this practicum experience, I am curious to see the way in which these supports might already exist at Feinstein and if/how/why they are different from what I saw and did at Breakthrough Providence.

I am looking forward to keeping this framework in mind as Courtney and I observe and plan lessons.

I am looking forward to the opportunity to learn from another experienced educator who I have heard so many good things about.

I am looking forward to responding when students share their writing. Telling students to take out their notebooks, not asking “kind of, could you maybe, take out your notebooks for just a little bit of writing, please?” Incorporating reflection. Using my teacher voice. Being blown away by middle school brilliance.

Teach Week will be here before we know it!