By Lydia Okutoro-Seck, Head of Middle School, at The Harley School in Rochester, NY. This article originally appeared in the Rochester Business Journal.
This past year presented some of the greatest educational challenges endured by students, teachers, and parents across the globe. Many families struggled to navigate remote learning technology. Then there were the psychological, emotional, and physical challenges associated with schooling from home. As a middle school educator with a young learner at home, I was doing double duty teaching my students while trying to support my own child during a key point of his reading and math development. In some ways, I fear that I failed him. And sometimes, still, I battle with the nagging frustration that comes with that sense of failure.
However, despite the hardships, pandemic teaching and learning gave us all opportunities to make permanent, impactful changes to how families, communities, schools, and institutions approach adolescent education. While many people may speak of the pandemic’s resoundingly negative impacts, it’s important to also note the effective practices that were implemented. These “best practices” forced schools in the U.S. and around the world to adopt more efficient, holistic, and innovative approaches.
An effective exercise to process these changes is to use the “Rose, Thorn, and Bud” reflection structure. Viewing COVID-19’s influence in this way allows us to consider the positive outcomes (the “Rose”), the negative outcomes (the “Thorn”), and the opportunities (the “Bud”). This helps us to find hope in the hardships–which many continue to face almost two years since the novel Coronavirus first turned the world upside down.
The Rose
One of the most significant positive outcomes I have observed is the increased ability of students and teachers to be more adaptive, resilient, and innovative. I spent the past several years as an educator in India and the Middle East where many aspects of the education system relied largely on technology even before COVID. In those international schools where students and teachers represented 25, 30, or 40 countries in a given school, technology was a given. It was the currency with which you navigated your entire world. That was not the case on a large scale in the U.S. before my family and I moved abroad. Now, we have all been forced to learn the language of the “digital natives.” The American adoption of technology even in early education during the pandemic has been a welcome and essential improvement.
Not only are students now more comfortable using technology from an early age, but innovation provides endless opportunities for educators to enhance lessons, engage learners, and provide targeted, real-time assistance and feedback. Frankly, prior to the pandemic the U.S. was behind its counterparts in Asia when it came to appreciating the value of digital tools. That value has now been realized tenfold in helping to provide students with structure, language, and agency during remote learning situations and in the actual classroom. I had one moment of awe (among many) when I witnessed my 6-year-old give a 5-minute presentation and Q&A on Zoom using a few slides that he helped create. His teacher shared her screen, and as I hovered out of sight I could hear him say, “Next slide, please” and continued to address his first-grade peers, some of whom were tuning in from India and South Korea.
The Thorn
The thorns of the pandemic have unfortunately been particularly damaging for young and impressionable students. The most concerning of these include emerging mental health issues as a result of months of isolation from peers, anxiety about quarantining, and fear of illness (or worse). With the open and prolonged access to technology came visibility of all things. Almost overnight, kids became exposed to just about everything. And they did not have the proximity or immediacy of peers and teachers to help them process their experience in the ways they were able to pre-COVID.
As a result, some students still find themselves struggling to rebuild connections and reacclimate to in-person learning alongside fellow students. To address this, school counselors and faculty need to put systems and programs in place to help students overcome what may become lingering effects of prolonged remote learning.
The Bud
This brings us to the “Bud,” which represents the hope that came from the pandemic, the new ideas and processes that have the potential to bloom into lasting transformations to our education system. From my perspective, the most prominent (and promising) “Bud” coming out of COVID-19 is the idea of weaving social-emotional learning into the fabric of school curriculum worldwide. Now, we have the opportunity to put into practice what school counselors and health educators have preached all along and tried to get the rest of us to do: adopted practices that include checking on student wellbeing regularly and teaching coping mechanisms to better manage emotional, social, and psychological situations.
Social-emotional learning is just as important as academic learning, but we still have a long way to go to fully destigmatize this topic. COVID-19 was a catalyst that highlighted the urgent need to continue these “check-in” practices post-pandemic to ensure that adolescents are well adjusted individuals and able to process and understand their feelings. Having structured, routine conversations about these topics can make all the difference in students’ ability to develop a healthy sense of self and positive relationships.
With the uncertainty in recent news regarding what the upcoming academic year may look like, now is the time that educators and institutions need to be reflecting on these takeaways to best prepare for a safe return to school, both physically and emotionally. It’s in young students’ best interest to return to an environment that has adjusted to their new circumstances and unique needs, especially following months of stress and trauma. Our children deserve that.
While this “Rose,” “Thorn,” and “Bud” are applicable across most educational systems, every school has its own specific challenges and opportunities. Taking time to thoughtfully reflect on our children’s experience and unique contexts can make all the difference in how we not only survive this pandemic in the long run. It can help us thrive despite this unfortunate global event.
Photo by Edward Howell on Unsplash
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College Counseling
Harley’s Approach to College Counseling is highly individualized and student-centered. Students have direct access to college counselors throughout their Upper School experience, but really, each student is part of a team including faculty, administration, and staff. It’s our job to support each student and we want nothing more than to send students on to the next step of their journey at a right fit school for them. The student centered and driven process is wrapped in care, expertise, and professionalism.
We host college reps during times students are available (no need to miss a class) so they can make connections and learn more about potential schools. We also arrange campus visits for classes as field trips, host an alumni college day (where recent Upper School graduates return to share advice and answer questions), and help connect students with our international alumni network. In fact, representatives from schools all over the world actively seek opportunities to come to Harley and meet with our students!
Our college counselors are accredited and are part of national/global conversations on admission trends. They also attend and present at conferences across the country.
Beginning with our Grade 11 parent night, we offer informational sessions for parents, including one devoted just to financial aid. Our partnership with families is critical, as the college admissions world changes very quickly and having an expert to guide students and families through the process is essential.
Clubs
“Club Rush” is an afternoon every fall in the Upper School when students have the chance to sign up for clubs for the year, and each year it is very different because new clubs are created based on student initiative and enthusiasm.
A few of this year’s choices: Sports Media, Social Action Club, Journalism Club, Feminism Club, Student of Color & Allies (SOCA), Gay-Straight Alliance, Tri M (music honor society), E-Sports Club, Euchre, Key Club (service), Animation Club, Dungeons & Dragons, Sustainability Club, Jewish Cultural Club, Astronomy Club, Biomimicry, and Beyond Soup (social justice/service).
Athletics
Each and every year, students at The Harley School participate in HAC Athletics, and their success continues to be impressive, both as students and athletes. Our athletic program is an integral part of Harley, teaching student-athletes invaluable lessons about teamwork, time management, persistence, and competition. Our program allows them to develop physically, mentally, socially, and emotionally as they represent their school on and off the field. They grow, mature, and work hard to be the best teammate they can, while creating lifelong memories with teammates who often remain friends for life.
Helping our athletes to reach their potential are some of HAC’s best assets: our coaches. More often than not, they are drawn from the ranks of our faculty and have a deep understanding of the personalities and abilities of the student-athletes on their teams.
We strive to find the right balance of academics, exercise, and personal growth for everyone. By offering a variety of sports at many different levels, all student-athletes find a sport they can be successful in. It is with great pride and pleasure that my team and I work to enrich the athletic lives of all our HAC student-athletes. Go Wolves!
To learn more check out our athletics page.
Student Leadership
Our Upper School is filled with formal and informal opportunities for students to take on leadership roles. Whether following passions or learning new skills, student-driven opportunities take many shapes.
– Independent study: one trimester, full year, and multi-year projects have included automating our solar chimneys, coding handmade musical instruments, or developing a class on financial literacy for underserved high school students.
– Serving on student council
– STEM: Climate curriculum program, biomimicry program, NASA Hunch program
Clubs
“Club Rush” is an afternoon every fall in the Upper School when students have the chance to sign up for clubs for the year, and each year it is very different because new clubs are created based on student initiative and enthusiasm.
A few of this year’s choices: Sports Media, Social Action Club, Journalism Club, Feminism Club, Student of Color & Allies (SOCA), Gay-Straight Alliance, Tri M (music honor society), E-Sports Club, Euchre, Key Club (service), Animation Club, Dungeons & Dragons, Sustainability Club, Jewish Cultural Club, Astronomy Club, Biomimicry, and Beyond Soup (social justice/service).
Hospice
Unlike this class, death is not an elective. Although it is one of two universal human experiences, our culture often ignores, denies, or misconstrues the true nature of death and dying. What happens when we bear witness to this natural process in the cycle of life and develop our ability to be fully present with others when they need us more than ever? It has the potential to change us deeply and fundamentally while shining a brilliant light on the path of our own lives.
With the support of their classmates, teacher, and comfort care home communities, senior students are offered the chance to care for others who truly need their purposeful, non-judgmental attention. In the home-like setting of a comfort care home, opportunities for learning extend beyond a traditional classroom rubric and conventional methods of evaluation. In this course, students will certainly find tangible “learning outcomes” by studying the medical/physical processes associated with dying and the basic nursing assistant skills of comfort care. The ultimate goal, however, will always be rooted in true relationships and connection, which occurs only through empathy and compassion.
Learn more about the Hospice Program at Harley HERE.
Capstone/Independent Studies
This program utilizes environmentally-focused approaches to education and hands-on learning in order to foster the next generation of leaders through a lens of sustainability and problem-solving.
Food & Farm: These year-long and trimester-long classes are held outside as much as possible, allowing students to become leaders in our various growing spaces. They cover environmental justice issues as well as hands-on work such as planning and overseeing planting, harvesting, and preparation of the gardens.
Past year-long focus projects have included: Creating a native plant shade garden in the Wild Wood area, redesigning our hydroponic system, overhauling Harley’s high tunnel, and improving the irrigation system for the MicroFarm.
Culinary Arts: These classes have a two-fold purpose: to give students practical skills in cooking and the science behind different techniques in the kitchen, learning about food justice, food sourcing, labor topics, and sustainability.
Past topics have included: Examining a plant-based diet, looking at the carbon footprint of different meals and food preparation methods, proposing a low carbon footprint menu to the dining hall, links between food labeling and environmental issues of food production.
Beekeeping: This one trimester class provides hands-on training in beekeeping, how to be a beekeeper, and safety and other techniques for working with bees. Once trained students help with all aspects of Harley beekeeping such as hive inspections, honey collection and extraction, and teaching students in Lower School about our hives.
Students pick a research topic addressing honeybee health and the larger environmental picture.
Social Justice
At Harley, our students learn how to evaluate social systems in order to identify complex problems in society through a lens of social justice. They take a hands-on approach to working for a fair, equitable society by researching, exploring and evaluating different perspectives, and offering solutions—both theoretical and practical.
Our faculty integrate social justice into our broader curriculum to assist students in gaining a foundational knowledge about what makes a democracy function. By gaining skills in ideating supportive pathways they become more exposed and experienced to how communities can undergo healing and restorative actions.
Capstone/Independent Studies
Students may create independent studies with supervising teachers throughout their Upper School experience or, during Grade 12, they can design Capstone projects—intensive collaborations with Harley faculty and off-campus mentors—involving rigorous academic study and culminating in public presentations. They are empowered to create their own curriculum, set goals, and work on time management skills in order to accomplish their objectives.
Independent Studies run the gamut from The Psychology of Sports to Furniture Design to The Neuroimaging of Alzheimer’s Disease. Capstones, meanwhile, are as diverse as the students who pursue them: Fictional Rochester, Autobiographical Art, Biomimicry Education, Organic Fuel, and Rochester Refugees.
Indicative of Upper School curiosity and creativity, pursuits such as these distinguish our graduates in college. Through deep dives of this sort, Harley students master more than speaking, writing, and computing: they learn to communicate, advocate, collaborate, organize, listen, and empathize.
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