In this captivating episode, we were joined by the insightful Teri Wilson, who shared valuable strategies for boosting student engagement through innovative programming and the use of cultural capital. The discussion centered around practical advice for site directors and educators looking to integrate youth voices in their planning process, ensuring that activities are both educational and enjoyable.
Key Takeaways:
- Maintain Educational Goals: Always keep the core message or educational objective intact while making activities fun and engaging.
- Use Trends and Social Media: Leveraging current trends and social media content can make learning more relatable and appealing to students.
- Student Engagement: Encouraging student involvement in planning ensures activities are relevant and interesting to them.
- Role of Innovation: Innovation should wrap around core educational goals, making them stand out and capture students' attention.
- Practical Tips: Utilize resources like Pinterest, engage directly with students for feedback, and don't be afraid to test new ideas.
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#studentengagement, #culturalcapital, #youthvoice, #innovation, #engagingstudentsactivities, #studentengagementtips, #buildingrelationships, #podcast, #education
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Teri: We are doing an injustice by not preparing them for real
00:00:03
world experiences.
00:00:04
So we're either doing things for them or shielding them from
00:00:07
things.
00:00:08
And I'm not saying expose them to all kinds of crazy things
00:00:11
Lord knows they're exposed to enough but really having those
00:00:15
conversations, having that exposure, teaching them of how
00:00:18
to deal with stuff, because right now they're going to
00:00:20
TikTok and Instagram on how to deal with conflict or they're
00:00:23
watching their shows and loving hip hop and how to deal with
00:00:26
conflict and that's not the proper way of going about it.
00:00:29
That's not real life.
00:00:35
J. Lee: Hello, hello everyone.
00:00:37
Welcome to School After Hours podcast, where we talk about all
00:00:39
things related to out-of-school time programming and education.
00:00:42
I am your host, jaylee, and we have the wonderful Terri Wilson
00:00:45
here with us.
00:00:46
She is an out-of-school time programming and education.
00:00:47
I am your host, jaylee, and we have the wonderful Terri Wilson
00:00:48
here with us.
00:00:48
She is an out-of-school time program professional.
00:00:49
She has done a lot of things, from assisting in programs to
00:00:53
helping build curriculum for programs, so she has a lot of
00:00:57
knowledge and she's also on the administrative side of
00:00:59
out-of-school time programming.
00:01:00
But I'll go ahead and give her a chance to give you all that
00:01:03
information in a moment.
00:01:04
So, as we go ahead and get started, let's go ahead and
00:01:08
welcome our guest, ms Terry Wilson.
00:01:10
Hi, terry, how are you?
00:01:12
Teri: Hello, I am great.
00:01:14
How are you?
00:01:15
J. Lee: I'm doing well, so I get a little bit about.
00:01:17
You, know what you do and I shared it with the people.
00:01:19
But go ahead and spill this tea .
00:01:20
Go ahead and tell the folks who you are and what you do.
00:01:23
Teri: Sure, so my name is Terry Wilson.
00:01:26
My official role is Program Manager Youth Development at
00:01:30
United Way of Greater Houston, slash Out to Learn, which is one
00:01:33
of the out-of-school time intermediaries in Houston, and
00:01:37
so, aside from that, I also have my own consulting business
00:01:41
called Teak Consulting, where I offer professional development
00:01:44
and training, creating solutions for problem solving.
00:01:48
We do curriculum writing, any type of guest speaking, events,
00:01:54
nonprofit management, program management, grant management,
00:01:58
all the things that kind of help you run a well-rounded program.
00:02:01
About my background I'm almost 15 years in the game, which
00:02:05
sounds crazy to say, but I've done a variety, from, you know,
00:02:09
being a frontline staff to running my own program.
00:02:11
Now I'm on the administrative side and I've done it in a
00:02:15
variety of settings, from rural to suburban and urban, and
00:02:19
middle school, high school, elementary, all of the things.
00:02:23
All of the things I like to say I know a little something.
00:02:27
J. Lee: A little.
00:02:28
You know a lot of something.
00:02:29
Teri: A little bit of something.
00:02:33
J. Lee: So, terry, I know we talked about this a little bit
00:02:36
in Tell Us your Story.
00:02:37
For those of you that do not catch our Tell Us Our Story,
00:02:41
those are posted on our newsletter, when we send them
00:02:44
out monthly, about our guests that we're going to be having on
00:02:47
the show.
00:02:47
So if you have not signed up for our newsletter, go ahead, go
00:02:50
to the show notes or go to the description below.
00:02:52
Sign up for our newsletter so you know a little bit more about
00:02:55
our guests and what they do.
00:02:56
But, um, in the, in that sense of starting off in youth
00:03:00
development, what was your pull to youth development and what
00:03:03
did you want to do?
00:03:13
Teri: My pull.
00:03:13
I think it's really just the impact.
00:03:14
I live by a model of be the person that you needed growing
00:03:15
up.
00:03:15
I really try to make sure that I embody that in everything I do
00:03:18
, and I remember just me.
00:03:20
I was pretty smart growing up.
00:03:22
I was in the AP classes, but they didn't really let me be in
00:03:26
the creative classes.
00:03:27
I'm also very creative.
00:03:28
I'm probably more known for my creativity now than my book
00:03:32
sense in a way.
00:03:33
So I didn't get to experience a lot of the creativeness of
00:03:37
being in an after school program .
00:03:39
I was always on the math teams, the reading teams, all of that,
00:03:43
and so what really just kind of pulled me into it is just
00:03:47
creating a space where you could be but and so you can do more
00:03:51
than one thing.
00:03:52
You can be smart, you can get your academics, your studying,
00:03:55
your tutoring, but also be exposed to other creative things
00:03:58
, because we're all multifaceted , we all have other layers to us
00:04:02
, and so that's really kind of my focus is to help others kind
00:04:06
of pull that in and create experiences for kids where it
00:04:09
supports them academically, because that is the basis of it.
00:04:12
Everybody wants to make sure the kids are getting the grades
00:04:15
and the scores, but we want them to have fun.
00:04:17
We want them to be exposed to other stuff too.
00:04:19
Who knows?
00:04:20
We might be teaching them how to play guitar and they become
00:04:24
the top guitarists around the world.
00:04:26
You never know what what that could expose them to or what
00:04:29
that could lead them to, and so I think it's really important to
00:04:32
create an outlet for them to be able to explore all the factors
00:04:36
of them, and so that's really what got me into.
00:04:40
It is because I feel like I always had to choose between
00:04:43
being smart and being creative, and there wasn't a space for me
00:04:46
to flourish both until I became an adult, and so I really use
00:04:51
that as my be the person that I needed.
00:04:53
So I think it's important for people to see people that look
00:04:57
like them, a person that looks like them.
00:04:59
I usually have the long, crazy nails too, and so you can do all
00:05:03
of that and and be in multiple settings, and so that's really
00:05:07
just my drive for doing it and being pulled into youth
00:05:10
development is they need to see people with them right, exactly,
00:05:14
exactly.
00:05:15
J. Lee: representation is important everywhere, um,
00:05:18
especially within the education field.
00:05:20
So the thing that I have a question about as far as
00:05:23
engagement go because, like you said, you're known for your
00:05:25
creativity you started some things where you are in Texas,
00:05:29
which is great and got great notoriety from the people that
00:05:32
use them, so you have a very good focus in student engagement
00:05:36
.
00:05:36
So my question is like, over time, what have you seen
00:05:41
programs do to reengage their students, to keep them involved
00:05:45
in programming?
00:05:47
Teri: The biggest thing I would say is student voice.
00:05:50
Like right now you have to compete with TikTok and band and
00:05:55
dance practice and this and that, or I just want to go home
00:06:00
and now kids are wanting to work , I just want to go, get a job
00:06:03
and all these things.
00:06:04
So student voice, them having a choice in what they do.
00:06:08
I spoke a lot about me growing up how I didn't get to choose
00:06:12
the activities that I participated in.
00:06:14
They were kind of chosen for me .
00:06:16
So the biggest thing that I see , the biggest suggestion I make
00:06:19
and I see the greatest engagement or impact, is those
00:06:22
that really incorporate student voice.
00:06:24
And I'm not talking about letting them pick which paper
00:06:27
they write on or if they get to choose between using markers and
00:06:30
crayons or what part of the room they sit in.
00:06:33
I mean actually being able to sit and build the curriculum,
00:06:36
plan it out, recruit other staff .
00:06:39
Like this is what we want to do .
00:06:40
Okay, let's think about realistically is this something
00:06:43
we can do?
00:06:43
And if it doesn't happen, what are we going to do?
00:06:47
and then it also holds an accountability piece.
00:06:49
So when it gets to the not so fun parts or it doesn't give the
00:06:53
results that they thought, then it's like, well, let's talk
00:06:55
about it.
00:06:56
Nope, we can't quit now, like this is what you guys said you
00:06:58
wanted.
00:06:59
So let's figure out why this isn't working and how we can
00:07:02
make it work, and then I think that just gives real world
00:07:05
experiences.
00:07:06
Youth these days want to feel like they are having an impact.
00:07:09
They want to feel like somebody is listening to them.
00:07:12
We are doing an injustice by not preparing them for real
00:07:16
world experiences.
00:07:17
So we're either doing things for them or shielding them from
00:07:20
things.
00:07:21
And I'm not saying expose them to all kinds of crazy things
00:07:24
Lord knows, they're exposed to enough but really having those
00:07:28
conversations, having that exposure, teaching them of how
00:07:31
to deal with stuff because right now they're going to TikTok and
00:07:34
Instagram on how to deal with conflict or they're watching
00:07:37
their shows and loving hip hop and how to deal with conflict,
00:07:40
and that's not the proper way of going about it.
00:07:42
That's not real life.
00:07:44
And if it is real life, it's going to lead to a result that
00:07:48
we may not want or that they may not want, and so we've got to
00:07:51
be able to relinquish a little bit of control.
00:07:56
And control within means that we're comfortable with giving
00:07:58
right.
00:07:59
So if you're not comfortable with them making that decision
00:08:02
or doing that, then don't give them that control.
00:08:04
But we've got to be able to meet them where they are and to
00:08:08
give them experiences that are impactful.
00:08:10
I learned of a term recently, and I want to shout out my
00:08:14
friend and colleague, brenny Nichols, about cultural capital.
00:08:17
We've got to be able to give kids cultural capital.
00:08:21
They may not always have the money or the funds to travel
00:08:25
across the world or go here or go there, but they have lived
00:08:28
experiences that give them something to bring to the table,
00:08:31
whether it's they know how to code, switch, they know how to
00:08:35
create these videos because me trying to edit some TikTok
00:08:38
videos, sometimes I'm like, oh my God, when did it become that
00:08:42
hard?
00:08:42
But I could see my cousins who could do it in five, 10 seconds
00:08:45
and I'm like, show me how you did that.
00:08:47
But that's cultural capital.
00:08:48
We need to show them that what they do know how to do does have
00:08:51
value and it could bring them to the table.
00:08:53
So maybe they didn't study abroad in France and they don't
00:08:57
go to their parents' beach house in the summer, but they have
00:09:02
the ability to be able to multitask or to rally all of
00:09:05
their siblings and cousins and get them in one space.
00:09:08
That is a talent and that's cultural capital.
00:09:11
So that is the true gem or magic trick to getting them
00:09:15
re-engaged is putting some value in them, helping them see their
00:09:19
self-worth and saying that they contribute, they matter, they
00:09:22
have a voice and once they're invested, they're going to do
00:09:26
the recruitment for you.
00:09:27
They're going to be coming and let you cancel or not do
00:09:31
something on there.
00:09:31
I'm like why are we not meeting today?
00:09:33
When is this session coming back?
00:09:35
So once you really invest and show that you are there for them
00:09:39
and want to hear about them, listen to what they say you
00:09:42
might be cringing inside about some of the stuff that they tell
00:09:45
you, but you just got to be that safe space for them to be
00:09:48
able to feel like they can voice and they feel heard and valued.
00:09:52
And because they are our future , they are citizens.
00:09:54
You know they may not be able to vote, but they do contribute
00:09:57
a lot to the community.
00:09:58
So I give them some value and some say so and how they show up
00:10:02
as well.
00:10:03
J. Lee: Exactly, exactly.
00:10:04
That is a good point.
00:10:06
So you all give us a moment.
00:10:07
We're going to take a quick break.
00:10:09
This is a good spot to pause, so I'm very glad that we got
00:10:11
into this conversation.
00:10:12
We're going to pick it up when we come back.
00:10:13
This is your moment to go ahead and get something to drink, grab
00:10:16
your chips, go ahead and do your stretch, do whatever it is
00:10:18
that you got to do, but don't go .
00:10:20
Are you a program director or thinking of starting a program?
00:10:27
Maybe you need new curriculum that focuses on character
00:10:31
development or technical skills.
00:10:33
Maybe you need help establishing effective program
00:10:36
logistics to have an impactful program culture or, overall, you
00:10:41
just need a program evaluation.
00:10:42
Well, school After Hours Consulting is here to help.
00:10:46
Contact us at schoolafterhourscom and our
00:10:51
contact information is in the show notes.
00:10:53
Hope to hear from you soon.
00:10:55
Welcome back to the show.
00:10:56
We have the wonderful Ms Terry Wilson on the show sharing with
00:10:59
us some tips and tricks about student engagement, how to get
00:11:02
these babies involved, but also getting these babies to use
00:11:05
their cultural capital and programming.
00:11:07
So that leads me to a question that came to mind as you were
00:11:10
talking about cultural capital.
00:11:12
So, as we're doing all the planning as site directors do.
00:11:16
What are some of the things we should consider when we're
00:11:19
planning these activities to kind of incorporate that youth
00:11:22
voice?
00:11:25
Teri: First is the message, the takeaway.
00:11:27
Like what is it that you want them to learn or get?
00:11:29
That should be kind of the center.
00:11:31
Don't take away from that.
00:11:32
If the goal is help them to increase in math, we want that
00:11:36
to still be the goal, right.
00:11:37
So, of course, keep the message or the takeaway there, but also
00:11:41
have it fun.
00:11:42
Think about is this something that you want to do or
00:11:45
participate in?
00:11:46
I love using this as an example when we have conferences or
00:11:50
trainings and they're all day and we have the adults there and
00:11:53
you know they're all pumped and engaged in the morning and then
00:11:56
they have lunch and then 2, 30 comes and 3, 30 and 4 and the
00:12:02
energy goes down.
00:12:03
And then I always like to be like see how you're feeling
00:12:06
right now and imagine what your students feel like.
00:12:08
So you've got to make and imagine what your students feel
00:12:09
like.
00:12:09
So you've got to make it fun.
00:12:10
And I always love and always try to pick the workshops
00:12:13
afterwards that really are high energy or that you know will get
00:12:17
the spirits up.
00:12:18
So think about that like would you be bored after being in
00:12:21
class, being in meetings all day , having people talk at you?
00:12:24
You just took a long test, and now you got to come and do some
00:12:27
more reading, writing, math, like you want to make it fun.
00:12:30
So just think about is this something you would want to
00:12:33
participate in?
00:12:33
And then engagement we've been talking about that a lot.
00:12:36
That is really important.
00:12:38
Make it fun, do trends, search hashtags.
00:12:41
I always say that's what I used to do when I would make
00:12:45
curriculum and search different hashtags and trends and create
00:12:49
activities that way.
00:12:50
So make it fun, see what's trending right now, if it's a
00:12:54
particular dance.
00:12:55
I just saw a TikTok video focused around a popular rap
00:12:59
song right now and they turned it into a morning mantra.
00:13:02
Even things like that of just catching their attention and
00:13:05
being innovative and engaging.
00:13:07
I always use an example of an activity I created around the
00:13:11
time.
00:13:11
That might be telling my age a little bit.
00:13:13
The kids were like constantly flipping the milk cartons,
00:13:16
flipping the water bottles.
00:13:18
It was driving me crazy and I couldn't make them stop.
00:13:21
And so I was like you know what , since they want to do that so
00:13:24
much, we're going to turn it into a math and science thing.
00:13:26
So we started learning.
00:13:28
Are there different shapes of the bottle that contribute to
00:13:30
you being able to flip it and land it successfully.
00:13:32
Is it different types of liquids?
00:13:34
How far of the distance?
00:13:35
And we at that point I eventually they stopped.
00:13:38
Every time they flipped I'm like, did you measure the
00:13:40
distance and then they would test it?
00:13:42
So it didn't necessarily solve the problem of them stopping
00:13:45
doing it, but it turned into something educational because
00:13:48
they would walk around and track it and come back and be like,
00:13:50
oh, you got to put this much water and a little bit of soap
00:13:53
or a little bit of this.
00:13:54
So before you knew it, everybody was like they're still
00:13:58
flipping the bottles, but they got this concept in math or
00:14:01
science better than before.
00:14:03
So you really just got to make it fun.
00:14:05
Make learning fun.
00:14:06
See what's trending If you can turn into a dance or something.
00:14:09
I saw a teacher, a TikTok video of a teacher turning the wilding
00:14:14
out in the classroom trend to doing math facts.
00:14:17
So he went around the classroom doing math facts and he was
00:14:20
like nine times one is, and if the student got it wrong, they
00:14:24
did the same thing, like from wilding out.
00:14:26
And I was like, oh, that's so cool because it wasn't shameful.
00:14:29
Everybody gets out at some point, but then it also
00:14:31
motivates them.
00:14:32
I'm gonna know that from now on .
00:14:34
I'm gonna learn what nine times one is, because I don't want to
00:14:36
get put out the game again.
00:14:38
And the last thing is the thing I've been saying too is youth
00:14:41
voice.
00:14:41
If you want the kids to come, they vote with their feet.
00:14:44
Elementary maybe not so much, they don't have as much of a
00:14:48
choice, because their parents dropped them off, picked them up
00:14:50
usually, but middle school and high school, if they don't like
00:14:53
it, they're not coming.
00:14:54
So you gotta get them involved and let them tell you what they
00:14:58
want to do and be honest, be like look, we gotta do something
00:15:01
based around reading and writing.
00:15:03
I know that's not y'all's favorite, but how can we make it
00:15:06
fun?
00:15:07
Like we got to read Shakespeare .
00:15:08
I don't know if they still read Shakespeare, but we got to read
00:15:10
Shakespeare.
00:15:11
How can we make it fun?
00:15:12
Let's turn it into a rap song, let's find a beat.
00:15:14
How can we make it involved?
00:15:16
So, being honest, because that's also real life Like
00:15:19
sometimes you, these are the things you got to do, but how
00:15:21
can we make it work?
00:15:22
And so, when planning those activities, take all of that
00:15:25
into consideration and I think it'll really help you come up
00:15:29
with some really cool activities .
00:15:31
J. Lee: Right, and I know you mentioned using social media as
00:15:35
a tool when you're looking at these activities.
00:15:37
So do you feel like social media can be a resource in
00:15:42
something like this, or can it be a hindrance in something like
00:15:45
this?
00:15:45
When you're doing your planning , you're doing the activity.
00:15:48
Teri: I think it depends on how you look at it.
00:15:50
It definitely can be a hindrance I mean, there's not
00:15:53
all great things on TikTok and social media in general but it
00:15:57
can definitely be a resource.
00:15:59
I mean it's what the kids are engaged in.
00:16:01
So if you want to know kind of the source of the problem or
00:16:04
what information they're taking in, you need to be kind of
00:16:06
keeping up.
00:16:07
I remember I first got a TikTok account because there was some
00:16:11
drama happening in the school with the kids and they wanted a
00:16:14
couple teachers to kind of be on there to see what was happening
00:16:17
.
00:16:17
And that's how my TikTok got created.
00:16:19
I never planned to have one, but from there I started seeing
00:16:22
trends and they were constantly doing dances and doing this and
00:16:25
coming up with these phrases, and so I use that to help create
00:16:29
ideas and activities for what I needed them to do, so that you
00:16:34
get what you can use from it and make the most of it.
00:16:36
But it also helps you be aware.
00:16:39
So we also got to be able to make parents aware of like hey,
00:16:42
this trend is going around and it's not the safest, so be aware
00:16:45
of it, because not all parents are aware of what their kids are
00:16:48
doing, especially with.
00:16:50
I worked with a lot of Spanish-speaking families, and
00:16:57
so the kids are learning content or looking at things in one
00:16:58
language, but the parents may not speak that language, and so
00:16:59
being able to kind of be again going back to that community and
00:17:02
parent engagement and being able to be like, hey, if you see
00:17:05
this image it's not good.
00:17:09
So make sure the kid is not watching that, no matter if it's
00:17:10
in what language, because they could be telling the parent
00:17:12
something different.
00:17:13
But having that communication and being involved in knowing
00:17:15
what's happening helps in the long run.
00:17:18
J. Lee: Right, exactly, exactly.
00:17:20
So when it comes to innovation and doing things a little bit
00:17:24
differently, because social media is one of those things
00:17:26
that's popular how can innovation play a role in
00:17:29
student engagement and community engagement?
00:17:33
Teri: Innovation.
00:17:33
I think I look at it as, like, your purpose and your goal is
00:17:36
your core, your nucleus, right Like we talked about that, your
00:17:39
message, your takeaway, and then that core, that goal, that
00:17:42
nucleus, should be wrapped in innovation.
00:17:45
So look at it like a pig in a blanket, right, like you've got
00:17:48
your meat of the activity, and then it should be wrapped around
00:17:51
in the fun and the appealing things, because that's what
00:17:54
they're going to see first.
00:17:55
Right, if you see a pig in a blanket, usually, or a kolache,
00:17:58
you usually see the outside first before you see the inside,
00:18:01
and so the outside has to be appealing to you to make you
00:18:04
want to buy that or make you want to try that.
00:18:06
And so I've been talking about social media a lot, so I'll use
00:18:10
that as an example.
00:18:11
Think of when something goes viral or trending.
00:18:14
Right, whether it's on TikTok or Instagram or now even
00:18:17
Facebook, it's everybody doing that same dance or that same
00:18:21
trend, but it's something about that one person, that one video
00:18:25
that was a little different than made them go viral.
00:18:28
That's your innovation, that's your creativity, that's how you
00:18:31
stand out.
00:18:32
So think about how you can catch the attention of others.
00:18:36
Right, you're still pulling in some of those same pieces, those
00:18:38
same educational components.
00:18:40
They're still got to learn math , they still got to count, they
00:18:42
still got to learn to divide, they still got to learn
00:18:44
exponents.
00:18:45
But what can you do?
00:18:46
That's a little bit creative.
00:18:47
That's going to make it stand out compared to everybody else.
00:18:50
So that's how I look at innovation and the role that it
00:18:54
plays.
00:18:56
J. Lee: Awesome.
00:18:57
So for those that want to be innovative and incorporate those
00:19:00
things in their lesson, what tips would you give them?
00:19:04
Teri: I would say one don't recreate the wheel.
00:19:07
Pinterest is your friend.
00:19:09
I still have millions of Pinterest boards that I see
00:19:12
something and I I go and add it be inspired by what's around you
00:19:17
.
00:19:17
I'm not directly running programs anymore, but I used to
00:19:20
go hang out with kids all the time, like my cousins, other
00:19:24
students, like hey, what's going on, what y'all watching?
00:19:26
What's what's new now?
00:19:28
And I mean I still do it with my sister.
00:19:29
She's an adult but she's younger and I'm like what?
00:19:32
So?
00:19:32
What's?
00:19:32
What does this mean?
00:19:33
What are the acronyms mean?
00:19:34
Like, just immerse yourself in it.
00:19:36
One that builds the rapport and the trust.
00:19:38
They start to tell you stuff.
00:19:39
But then you can kind of pick up what's going on as well.
00:19:42
And so I talked about hashtags, finding those hashtags,
00:19:46
following them and'll start to bring, create an algorithm and
00:19:49
bringing things up on your timeline and just create
00:19:52
Pinterest boards or just things that kind of motivate.
00:19:54
As you see something, sometimes I might capture a picture of it
00:19:58
or do a voice recording if I get a thought and then I'll go back
00:20:01
and add it later.
00:20:02
So I just have in my phone a notepad of just different ideas
00:20:06
and things of like I need.
00:20:07
I need to turn this into a training or oh, this would be a
00:20:10
great idea for a curriculum activity and just really pull it
00:20:14
in and then test it out.
00:20:16
The kids be like hey, can you test this out for me real quick,
00:20:19
like during your lunch break.
00:20:20
Come test this activity real quick, grab a couple of your
00:20:24
friends and boom, you got them.
00:20:25
And then they're going to be like.
00:20:27
They like it, they're going to want to be part of it, and now
00:20:30
you've already got a small group and they're going to bring in
00:20:32
more people.
00:20:33
So it all works.
00:20:34
It all works.
00:20:36
J. Lee: I know that's right.
00:20:36
Well, thank you so much for sharing that information with us
00:20:39
, Terry, but before we leave, we're going to go ahead and jump
00:20:41
into our Professionals Lounge.
00:20:43
Professionals Lounge is a segment of the show that allows
00:20:46
guests to share advice with other practitioners in the OST
00:20:49
and youth development field about how they can begin growing
00:20:53
their gifts and talents but also develop themselves as
00:20:56
professionals in the field.
00:20:58
Here's our Professionals Lounge conversation.
00:21:00
All right, everybody, we made it to the Professionals Lounge
00:21:03
section of the show, and my question for you is what advice
00:21:08
would you give to new program directors planning their program
00:21:11
for the first time and trying to get not just their students
00:21:15
involved, but also they want to get families involved as well?
00:21:18
Teri: The biggest advice I would say is do a needs assessment.
00:21:21
Talk to the teachers, talk to the administrative staff, the
00:21:25
parents, the students.
00:21:26
What works, what didn't work, why?
00:21:29
What do they want?
00:21:30
Most schools have like a campus improvement plan or something
00:21:33
like that.
00:21:33
Utilize that.
00:21:35
See what goals the campus has, what goals they haven't been
00:21:38
able to hit.
00:21:38
Utilize that.
00:21:40
See what goals the campus has, what goals they haven't been
00:21:42
able to hit.
00:21:42
How can you help contribute to that?
00:21:43
That was how I always created.
00:21:44
My value and need for my program on campus was because I went to
00:21:48
that campus improvement plan.
00:21:50
So when I wanted to implement something, I'd be like hey, so I
00:21:53
see you've been trying for two years to raise your reading
00:21:56
scores from 80% to 90%.
00:21:59
Well, I have an idea for this program and this is how it would
00:22:02
help, and you've already done the work.
00:22:04
You've shown how it's of value to them.
00:22:05
They'll be like okay, what do you need?
00:22:07
I just need a space and this many kids, or I just need access
00:22:11
to a classroom.
00:22:12
So really, do your needs assessment One.
00:22:15
It helps you get to know the people and the stakeholders in
00:22:19
the community, who you can count on, who you can depend on, who
00:22:22
has buy-in and maybe who doesn't ?
00:22:24
But that'll help you kind of start building those that you
00:22:27
want to kind of be part of your program or support your program,
00:22:31
also paying attention to details.
00:22:33
I used to color code stuff and I remember my assistant was like,
00:22:36
why are you taking time to put the different papers on colors?
00:22:41
Because I would have those accepted into the program.
00:22:44
One color, those that were waitlisted, one color those that
00:22:47
were denied one color.
00:22:49
And at the beginning everybody be like, well, my child was
00:22:53
enrolled and I'm like, well, what color paper did you get?
00:22:55
They was like, oh, it was orange.
00:22:57
I'm like, oh, the orange is the wait list, but we'll get you in
00:23:00
as soon as we could.
00:23:01
And my sister was like I get it now and I'm like the little
00:23:04
details, it makes your life easier.
00:23:06
So find methods that work with you.
00:23:09
Plan in advance.
00:23:11
So don't wait until the last minute.
00:23:13
Start trying to think about your semester in advance.
00:23:16
You should be planning for your summer in the spring.
00:23:18
You should be planning for your spring in the fall.
00:23:20
You should be planning for your fall in the summer, if not
00:23:23
earlier.
00:23:25
And then I mentioned this earlier but think about what
00:23:28
stood out to you as a youth, what piqued your interest.
00:23:31
What made it memorable, if you think about any extracurricular
00:23:35
or out-of-school time programs that you stood out.
00:23:37
What was memorable about that?
00:23:39
A lot of times it was the staff or the environment or the
00:23:42
activities or all three, and so you want to incorporate that
00:23:46
into your program as well.
00:23:48
It's also important to have the right staff, and I know staffing
00:23:51
is that sore word.
00:23:52
It's hard to get staff and a lot of times we just take
00:23:55
whomever we can get, and I understand it, I get it.
00:23:58
But having the wrong staff can affect your program as well,
00:24:03
because if the kids don't trust that person, if they don't have
00:24:06
a rapport with that person, you may not want maybe have them as
00:24:11
a sub.
00:24:11
Maybe you don't want to have them in your program.
00:24:12
If none of the students like this teacher during the day, it
00:24:16
may not be a great idea to have them in your program over a
00:24:20
class that you need everybody in .
00:24:21
Maybe give them a class that is okay to have three or four kids
00:24:25
in.
00:24:26
But, really just building that rapport and don't be afraid to
00:24:30
get your hands dirty.
00:24:31
So I talked about building rapport, having that
00:24:33
relationship.
00:24:34
I used to sit down during homework time and do stuff with
00:24:37
my kids.
00:24:38
I used to have a binder of like worksheets, those kind of like
00:24:41
solving in color activities, and I would make it fun.
00:24:45
I hate it going outside.
00:24:46
I am not an outside person and they would always want to go
00:24:49
outside.
00:24:49
I'm like you know what, if y'all beat me and I'll let it be
00:24:52
10 of y'all against me, whoever fills out the whole sheet and
00:24:56
gets it correct and fills it in, if y'all do it before the time
00:25:00
is up, then we can go outside for the remainder of the time,
00:25:03
and if I beat you, then the next day.
00:25:05
So one and build report.
00:25:07
I'm sitting down next to them.
00:25:09
They're talking, they're laughing, they're trying to
00:25:11
distract me, to make me finish last, but I also got that
00:25:15
academic piece in there.
00:25:16
So they're still doing math, they're still doing reading or
00:25:19
whatever.
00:25:19
But then they saw me there during playground time.
00:25:22
Even as an administrator, I was outside too, engaging with the
00:25:26
kids.
00:25:26
I was running and playing, doing this show me how to do
00:25:29
this or I'm sitting and talking with the kids.
00:25:31
So really building that rapport and getting your hands dirty is
00:25:35
helpful for the kids, but also as a leader.
00:25:37
So you don't want to be that person that tries to tell other
00:25:40
people to do stuff but you don't do it yourself.
00:25:42
So you know, being involved and immersed in your program really
00:25:45
helps you as well.
00:25:47
And, as I've stated before, don't reinvent the wheel.
00:25:50
There's tons of ideas out there .
00:25:52
Teachers pay teachers, pinterest, tiktok, instagram.
00:25:56
I mean, y'all are fortunate to have TikTok and Instagram.
00:25:59
We didn't have that one.
00:26:00
We had to do the old school like make copies out the
00:26:03
workbook.
00:26:08
So don't reinvent the wheel.
00:26:09
Utilize the resources and the tools that are there.
00:26:12
There's all types of social media groups, facebook groups,
00:26:15
all types of things and most people are willing to share.
00:26:16
They may not give you all of their resources or all access to
00:26:19
all of their activities, but they'll at least give you enough
00:26:22
to get you started.
00:26:23
I have yet to meet somebody that I saw an idea and I
00:26:26
randomly reached out and was like hey, I'm trying to build
00:26:29
this program and I saw that you did it like could you share how
00:26:33
you did it or an example.
00:26:34
And I have yet to meet somebody that was like.
00:26:37
No, even if they were like.
00:26:38
I can't give you all of it, but this is my table of contents,
00:26:41
or this is my outline, and so don't be afraid to ask for help
00:26:45
reinvent the wheel, but also share the resources too, for
00:26:48
those coming up as well, because we, we got to stick together
00:26:51
because it's getting hard out here.
00:26:54
That part that part right there.
00:26:59
J. Lee: Well, thank you, terri, so much for your time and being
00:27:01
with us and sharing all this wonderful information.
00:27:02
So for anybody that wants to get in touch with you and you
00:27:05
know uh contact you for your services, for planning,
00:27:08
curriculum and all the program development stuff how can they
00:27:12
get in touch with you?
00:27:13
Teri: you can reach out to me on social media.
00:27:16
So it's Terry Wilson, t-e-r-i.
00:27:19
Wilson.
00:27:19
On Facebook is my Facebook page .
00:27:21
My Instagram is Terry Wilson O-S-T.
00:27:25
Again, that's T-E-R-I-W-I-L-S-O-N.
00:27:28
Or you can send me an email at Terry Wilson O-S-T.
00:27:32
At Gmail, and I'll be sure to get back to you.
00:27:35
J. Lee: Well, everyone, that brings us to the end of our show
00:27:38
.
00:27:38
If you like what you heard and you enjoyed our conversation,
00:27:41
make sure that you're following us on YouTube, but also hit that
00:27:44
like button so we know what you are enjoying.
00:27:46
You can also find us on other podcast platforms like Apple
00:27:51
Podcasts, spotify and Google Podcasts.
00:27:54
If you want to listen to our audio version as well, to get
00:27:57
more behind the scenes stuff, make sure that you're following
00:28:00
us on our social media accounts Instagram and Facebook, at
00:28:05
School After Hours.
00:28:06
Well, that's all I have for today.
00:28:09
In the words of Mr Arthur Ashe, start where you are, use what
00:28:13
you have, do what you can.
00:28:14
Until next time, y'all, bye-bye .
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