How CSMA staff is supporting Somerville students, parents, teachers, and the community
Despite school closures, Massachusetts Teaching Fellows remain steadfastly committed to service. In between participating in virtual professional development modules, Teaching Fellows are supporting our students, public school teachers, and school communities through a variety of different avenues.
One of the most troubling downfalls to closing schools is the implication it has for students that rely on school to receive meals. Somerville Public Schools has looked to our AmeriCorps members and Campus Leaders to assist them in the undertaking of keeping the community fed. Our staff members help coordinate food and diaper distribution at our school sites.
In addition to providing physical resources, our AmeriCorps Teaching Fellows are joining forces with school teachers to support students learning from home. For one Teaching Fellow at Winter Hill Community Innovation School, daily discussion questions on Schoology (a learning management system) help her remain connected with her students. 5th and 6th grade teachers pose questions like, “What superpower would you like to have?” and our Fellow is able to engage with students via their responses. “It’s been revitalizing and comforting to hear from my students in any capacity, knowing they’re okay,” says one Fellow.
Another Teaching Fellow in Citizen Schools’ Teacher Residency program (our partnership with UMASS Boston for a Master’s Degree in Education) has been collaborating with her mentor teacher at East Somerville Community School, assigning daily work to her 7th graders through Google Classroom. In the first few days of the closure, the priority was ensuring that students had access to technology that would allow learning to continue. Now, students are working on a Social Studies project modeled after the I Survived book series, in which they are journaling their experiences living through a pandemic. Our Fellow even made a Tik Tok video to explain the project, knowing the app is extremely popular with our students.
Lastly, all Teaching Fellows will be accessible via our virtual tutoring platform starting late April. Students in grades 4–8 at our partner schools will be eligible to sign up for group or individual tutoring slots with our Fellows. Our Teaching Fellows are eager to be face-to-face with students, helping them with homework, continuing lessons, and generally checking in on well-being.