Challenge of Middle School
“Caught in the Middle” is a phrase that is used in a variety of contexts to describe the in-between world people find themselves in as well as the title of a newly released album by Heath Forbes. The middle describes the creamy center of an Oreo, the place you find lunch meat in a sandwich…
Read MoreSupporting Development of Character
Character, defined broadly as a person’s integrity and intent, has a place in the after-school program. Too often we work on specific skill development in school and leave character education for someone else to do. Recently, more and more schools have realized that simply helping young people develop intellectual capacity is not enough. As we…
Read MoreScope and Sequence Alignment
School day teachers are doing good work with students. After-school has an opportunity to support that good work by understanding how to align with the “scope and sequence” of both the English/Language Arts and Math curriculums. The scope and sequence refers to the material to be covered (scope) and the order it will be covered…
Read MoreEquity and Access
Equity and access—two words that are often seen together in reading about diversity, but what do these words really mean. Do they mean that everybody has to be treated exactly the same and that square pegs must be driven into round holes? Does it mean that everybody has to do everything, even if they would…
Read MoreWorksheets to Games
In after-school, we are always looking for ways to make learning more fun and engaging for youth. We look for the latest games and innovations to bring to the program with the hope each will “catch fire” with the students. We are committed to programs that are both relevant and rigorous, and encourage the development…
Read MoreProfessional Development
While professional development is more than simple training, training is an integral part of developing staff. Professionalism development refers to the steps taken by an employer to support the personal and professional development of staff, including but not limited to the skills and knowledge needed to provide exemplary performance. The training and educational opportunities of…
Read MoreDevelopmental Assets–Commitment to Learning
One of the most important things that young people can do is make a commitment to learning and developing the knowledge and skills they need to be successful as an adult. Commitment to learning is foundational in the 40 Developmental Assets and is the category of the first Internal Asset cluster. Many times, when young…
Read MoreWork Plans
Once you have set your goals it is important that you organize yourself and your team to accomplish those goals. So the questions are: How do you organize your work? Do you have a Task List or do you utilize a To Do List or both? Do you use a calendar to plan forward? Do…
Read MoreSetting Goals
There is a part in the story of Alice In Wonderland at which Alice has come to a fork in the road. The Cheshire cat appears and Alice asks, “Which way should I go?” The cat asks, “Where do you want to end up?” and Alice responds that she doesn’t know. The cat then remarks,…
Read MoreSharing Space With Teachers
If you grew up with a sibling and had to share a bedroom with them, you know how challenging it can be to share space. There is something about having your “own” space—where you are 100% in charge and the decisions about what goes where are yours, and yours alone. For years, classroom teachers have…
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