“We can’t just pick up today like we left off yesterday and everything is ok- education has changed.”

David Lee Dickerson

Welcome to Navigate STL Schools, a podcast.  

Today is a special episode with three guests, David Lee Dickerson, Addie Boeving and Joyce Sutherland-Wade. They are all working in the St. Louis Public School system and are the winners of the Navigating the Classroom Content.  In this episode, the teachers sit down with Staci to discuss the future of education in St. Louis, the challenges due to COVID-19, the impact of COVID-19 on children’s emotional and social well-being, and the high hopes they have for STL schools.

• K-12 Stories
  • Addie grew up in Illinois in metro east and attended public school K-12 for her whole life. Basic public education school story
  • David wen to the St. Louis school public schools for his whole life. He attended a magnet school, and graduated from Roosevelt High School. 
  • Joyce was also a product of the St. Louis public schools, and in high school she transferred to the Normandy School District. 
• Roles in the Public School and Sources of Inspiration 
  • Addie started at her school eight years ago as an ESOL teacher, which she loved, but decided reading was her passion. She went back for her Masters degree in reading and now she’s a reading teacher at Melanphy Elementary School.   
• David is the lead program facilitator at the Confluence Learning Center (CLC), which is a focused learning environment for students who are deficient in credits and need a focus place to complete their studies to graduate. As a previous student who had “life issues,” David feels inspired to lead a program for students who need additional support. 
  • Joyce isn’t a teacher, she works with the students of Portstaff. She helps counselors coordinate resources and works as a parent liaison. 

• The pandemic’s impact on children’s emotional and social well-being 
  • Students were traumatized by the pandemic. Having nearly two years outside of the classroom environment. Students have forgotten the value of going into the classroom and being a stakeholder.
  • Once students got the hang of virtual learning, some students really thrived. The classroom can be filled with distractions. If a student had a good quiet home environment to do their work, did well. Bringing them back in the classroom, the transitions, are the hard part. 
• Resiliency During the Pandemic
  • Students have shown how resilient they are throughout the experience of COVID-19; however, they still need the support and guidance from their teachers and school administrators. 
  • It’s harder for students to just “bounce back” after trauma than we think it is.
  • A lot of students and families aren’t sharing their trauma. They need to be asked.
• The Greatest Challenges Facing Education in St. Louis
  • One of the biggest challenges is getting students and parents to understand the value of a good education. 
  • As educators, part of the challenge is defining what success looks like and realizing that not all of our students can be doctors or lawyers, but they can still be successful. 
  • In the pandemic world, another challenge is, some students in elementary school  have never stepped foot in a classroom. This affects not just their academic performance, but their behavior and social skills. 
  • Another challenge is getting students to dream and to think outside the box. They can get help with reaching for the stars with the Upward Bound Program, but since the onset of COVID-19, it’s been harder to enroll students in the program.
• Motivating Students with Real World Skills and Lessons
  • David teaches classes like business math so students can immediately apply what they’ve learned. They talk about signing contracts, their paychecks, taxes, and more.
  • Joyce coordinates college fairs and career day, career day. Students bring resumes, and the school brings in employers who are hiring now and in the future.
  • Addie teaches elementary school, so naturally, many of the students she teaches want to become professional athletes. She encourages them to learn math so they can negotiate contracts and to always have an education to fall back on. 
• Encouraging Parent Engagement
  • Parents need to be a stakeholder in their child’s education and success.
  • Joyce works as a parent liaison and always makes parents aware that their input is welcome and needed. 
• What should parents consider when they’re looking for a school for their child?
  • Addie encourages parents to look at their own lives and think about how to get a quality education for their child that also allows them to maintain their own mental health. This means considering things like transportation, after-care, and other real-world concerns. 
  • David believes that there are excellent, passionate teachers in every school in St. Louis, and that every school should offer students a chance to be successful.
  • Parents need to put in the time to do the research and honestly reflect on what their student needs. 
  • It’s important to listen to your child, observe what they enjoy doing, and make individual choices based on each child. 
  • Joyce encourages parents and students to visit the schools they’re considering. There is an option to spend a day at the school. 
  • The panel also recommends that parents find out what activities the schools offer, because education goes beyond academics. 
• How can parents support teachers? 
  • Be engaged and ask questions.
  • Don’t wait to get the report card to check in and get involved. Make sure that the teachers have your correct contact information.
• Hope for the future of STL Schools
  • STL schools have amazing teachers and mentors who are willing to give their kids all the resources they need to succeed. 
  • STL is one of the hubs for a lot of new technology and new businesses and a lot of students have the opportunity to participate in this. 
  • When you google problems with urban education it’s always about a lack of quality teachers, but that simply isn’t true. STL schools have quality educators who want to stay and help each other succeed.
  • There are many teachers who are the product of STL public schools and have come back to teach. It’s a place that a lot of people want to stay.

Resources:

• Navigate STL Schools Website