Groups try to keep students moving forward
Lauren Yu has a question for the half dozen fifth grade students joining her for an online language arts instruction session: “What is a conundrum?”
It is a timely question, both for stretching the vocabulary of students and for almost everything about education currently. A conundrum is “an intricate and difficult problem.”
Yu is a member of City Year, a nationwide effort that places teams of young adults for a year of helping in schools with large numbers of low-income students. The City Years, as they are often called, tutor, mentor and generally try to boost the involvement of students with school. City Year is in its 11th year in Milwaukee.
Relationships with students are a key to City Year. More than a year without in-person education in Milwaukee Public Schools has made building relationships intricate and difficult.
A second organization, College Possible, has been working since 2008 with high school juniors and seniors from Milwaukee to get them on track for college. It also stays in touch with participants who have moved up to college, helping them navigate college life. College Possible coaches, generally young adults, are assigned to schools, both within Milwaukee Public Schools and outside the system. Individual coaching and relationships are keys to the effort. Another conundrum, right?
I like to check up on these two efforts about once a year. They each are on the front lines of making a difference, right there in school, for a lot of students. Both rely on federally funded Americorps workers to do the hands-on work.
So, given the circumstances, what’s the report when it comes to building the relationships central to success?
It’s challenging but positive, say leaders of each organization and several members of this year’s teams. It’s not easy. But you can still connect with students — and sometimes there are even pluses.
The students Yu was working with when I observed a few days ago were from Alexander Mitchell School, 1728 S. 23rd St. Principal Kim Malacara said Mitchell’s 640 students are generally doing well and the school is still emphasizing good learning climates. She praised the additional help that City Year brings to the school.
Yu said engagement with students “looks a lot different this year, but we’re working on it.” The fictional “conundrum” story she was reading with students involved the discovery of a comet and competing claims over who should pick the name of the comet.
The computer screen showed most students did not have their cameras on, which might indicate a range of things, including limited participation. But comments posted in the chat indicated at least several were engaged.
Yu said it was common for students not to turn on their cameras. When they do, “It’s such a joyful moment.” It probably means better participation — and she gets to see what they look like. She has never seen some of the students. But she and other City Years who were interviewed said they felt they were having a positive impact.
One corps member, Martin Gonzalez, said the reason he thinks so is “the students are very honest and they will let you know.” He said relationships with students have warmed during the year. “I can tell I’m definitely missed in the classroom when I’m not there,” he said.
Another member, Mary Kate PaetowFanning, said an important part of her work with eighth graders is being “a cheerleader” for the students, “just kind of hyping them to get involved in the classroom.” And that can still be done virtually.
Victor Amaya, interim executive director for City Year in Milwaukee, said things were somewhat rocky when the school year started but were going well now. (This could be just in time for inperson classes to resume in MPS for at least some students, which will mean another period of major adjustments.)
At College Possible, Executive Director Kellie Sigh said the work with juniors and seniors has been similar to prior years. Corps members coach students on preparing for college admission tests, help with scholarship applications and selecting a college, and generally support the ambitions of students.
Nationwide, there has been a decline in the number of students filing scholarship financial forms called FAFSAs, but the number has been up slightly among College Possible participants, Sigh said.
But students are showing the strain
and fatigue of this school year. “A lot of our scholars are going through struggles,” said Esmeralda Garcia, one of the corps members.
Garcia took part in College Possible when she was a student at Milwaukee Hamilton High School. She went on to graduate from college and now is coaching students at Hamilton. “I want to give that same support, that same partnership, that I had with my college coaches then,” she said. Is she succeeding? “Definitely.”
Amanda Platt, in her second year as a coach, said there were some advantages to being virtual, compared with her inperson work last year. “While I definitely miss being able to have that face-toface connection, I’m able to connect to my scholars more than I did last year,” she said. Her in-person visits were often brief. Now, she sometimes has hourlong conversations with students she works with from the Milwaukee High School of the Arts.
It’s intricate and difficult work, which makes it a conundrum. But sometimes, even conundrums can have encouraging outcomes.
Alan J. Borsuk is senior fellow in law and public policy at Marquette Law School. Reach him at alan.borsuk@marquette.edu.