Despite a busy month of standardized testing, the Lana Learn team takes time to celebrate student growth by recognizing both student and staff achievements.
May was the month of standardized testing, but the Lana Learn team still found time to celebrate student growth. Over the last seven weeks, I conducted tutoring sessions at at IDEA Public Charter School as part of our High-Impact Tutoring (HIT) program. Our goal in implementing this OSSE-funded program is to help approximately 315 freshmen fill in academic gaps.
During this time, I had the help of two other tutors, Talib and Patience, to serve our caseload. I feel fortunate to have had their support, along with that of the administration and staff. This collaborative effort has allowed us to reach more students than if I were the sole tutor. I wanted to both thank the school staff and encourage those students who have consistently engaged in the HIT program. The instructional coach, Mrs. Barnes, and I planned a pizza celebration during students’ advisory time. Our students noshed on hard-earned pizza and snacks, but the most heartwarming moment was seeing a student who was initially wary of working with me text a picture of his certificate to a loved one.
While the next few weeks are sure to be a whirlwind, I am looking forward to finalizing summer school plans and revisiting our initial cohort of students. I will work with school staff to decide on which students are able to graduate from the program and how many students we can add. As I told the students during our celebration last week, the work is just beginning. This growth we are seeing is merely a harbinger of positive change to come.
