Blog Posts - UNCONDITIONAL EDUCATION

UNCONDITIONAL EDUCATION

STAFF HIGHLIGHT: Rachel Machtinger

2/23/2021

Name: Rachel Machtinger
Position: Bilingual Clinical Intervention Specialist
What led you to your current position? I never wanted to do a job where I was working for a company selling a product. That left me with a service-based job. I love that there are ways to make a living in the world where your job is based around being in relationship with people. Being a therapist is one of a few very cool careers where your work is entirely devoted to supporting people in the deepest way, facilitating a space in which they can identify their most important human needs and explore themselves without pretense or shame.
What inspires you to do this work? I chose to work with kids because (I totally love them, and) they don't always get offered a space where they can be their true selves, as they are often put in situations where they are told to do things or accept things and don't get a chance to figure out how they feel about it. I think giving kids a space to fully have their own, authentic experience, and have that validated by an adult that sees them in their truth, is a mitzvah.
What is an important lesson you’ve learned in this role? This year, during Shelter In Place and Distance Learning, I learned the value of being with kids in person. I will never again take for granted that a kid is present at school, even when their hood is up and they are unresponsive with their head down at their desk. Being there in body--that is huge. I also learned that even when they are logged in to Zoom class with their camera and microphone off and not responding--they still logged in, and that is also huge. There is something they are getting out of coming to school, or logging in, even if they are not saying a word or doing a single math problem. We are still offering them something that is valuable to them, just by being there consistently and being our authentic, caring selves. And they are choosing to take us up on that.
Share your life motto: My life motto is "Part of the whole," which brings to my mind the image of a vast spider web. We are all connected and impact each other. We all have a small place (in the grand scheme of things) in which we belong.

Teamwork Makes the Dream Work: Thank You, School Communities!

2/17/2021

Wow, it's February? How did that happen?!?! That the school year is halfway over is probably just one of the many things that is hard to believe right now. Who would have thought a year ago, when we were reviewing the mid-year feedback from our schools and partners, that the work we do, the lives we live, and the world we know would be so fundamentally different today?

This time of year is traditionally used to step back and reflect on how things are going, and given the year we’ve all had, this could not be more important. Our staff have worked tirelessly to collaborate with schools and families to push the bounds of what is possible and redefine how this work is done in the virtual realm. Our UE Mid-Year Survey is conducted through the month of January and helps highlight our successes and, equally important, areas for improvement. These help us to focus our intentions through the end of the year.

Despite the challenges of connectedness and engagement during remote learning, we are excited to report participation in our survey held similar to last year’s reports: almost 90% of partner schools (so far) participated in the survey, with over 540 individual responses!

The Mid-Year Partnership Survey asks our partners how we are doing with components of the UE Model related to Culture and Climate, Direct Services and Progress Reporting. For students receiving direct services at our school sites, we asked our partners two questions:

If they found the provider(s) of these interventions to be professional and collaborative?
If the providers were knowledgeable and skillful in helping them to implement virtual classroom interventions to support students receiving this service?

This year, both questions averaged above our goal of 80% at 94% and 86% respectively! We are very excited by these positive responses; especially given the challenges this year has presented as both our staff and teachers have had to reinvent the ways that lessons are taught, and how staff-support is provided. There is a lot to celebrate here in the strength, skill, and perseverance of these teams.

Data collection and reporting continues to be a program priority this year and is no small task. Teachers, behaviorists, and clinicians have had to rethink how to capture, track and monitor progress data, working closely with students and families to rethink goals and measures that are both applicable to the virtual setting and meaningful as measures of progress. If this wasn't enough, they have also had to contend with the layers of scheduling and technological access barriers in collaborating with entire teams to share the goals being set and the progress being seen. Excitingly this is an area where, at this mid-year point, we saw an increase to 78%, up from 73% last year, and just shy of our goal for the year of at least 80%, which we are hopeful to hit in our End-of-Year Surveys!

The numbers themselves, while guiding and celebratory, don't offer the complete picture. We also ask for specific feedback and suggestions on our partnerships. In reviewing the constructive feedback this year, an interesting trend emerged: our partners want more. They want to know more about what the students are working on, they want to know more about how they can continue to collaborate as a team, they want to know more about our services and how we can continue to support staff, students, and families.

Here are some pieces of feedback we’ve received from partners:

“I would be open to check in with support staff and ways I could support the work Seneca is doing with our students.”

“One way to improve providing virtual instruction is to meet with teachers before the class to plan for when breakout rooms will happen.”

“I am not sure what I can do to help! I would like to know when a student is struggling in my class in particular so I can give more specific support.”

“Could we offer some workshops/work with parents and collaborate on that together?”

“I would love it if we could do more PD around differentiation and how to manage the different accommodations.”

“A growing number of students who could benefit from therapy at the Tier 2 or Tier 3 level. I wonder if Seneca can support our school with more Tier 2 therapy services, including students who do not have IEPs.”

While we seek and value constructive feedback, the open-ended responses were overwhelmingly positive, indicating that we are on the right track in our work to build collaborative, meaningful and supportive practices. We look forward to hearing from our partners again during our End-of-Year Partnership Survey.

While we wait, here are just a few of the incredible highlights shared from the year so far:

“Our [Seneca] counselor shows great energy when teaching a lesson to my students. The positive words he uses on his presentations, motivates students to participate in his class. Kids really like him.”

“Our clinician shares information that she can with us in order to support our students. The collaboration with her has been instrumental in order to best serve our students.”

“Seneca is always open to sharing resources to best serve our whole team and always willing and ready to thought-partner and problem solve around students.”

“I feel so lucky to have such a committed team. Distance learning is hard. I treasure the quick conversations and the newsletter information. I also appreciate the time we get sometimes during staff meetings.”

“I believe the partnership has made it possible to teach to all of my students and avoid leaving some of them behind.”

“I have had a wonderful experience building the support structure for our school site. Seneca staff have been very thorough and vigilant in making sure families are seen.”

“It's been challenging given the remote nature of everything, but I know the clinicians have done a fantastic job holding time and space for their clients. The way our students have been able to show up and engage in remote learning is a big testament to the work happening with Seneca staff. Additionally, Seneca staff have helped admin to consider how we are supporting the mental health of the staff.”

“Seneca affiliated staff have been instrumental in student socioemotional, behavioral, and academic growth. I am confident that they care deeply for our students, and I have personally learned a lot from interacting with these wonderful people.”

“Our clinicians are thoughtful, collaborative, and supportive! They truly care about the students they support and the students within our school as a whole. They show up to meetings and give helpful input, attend and provide data for IEPS, and take data to monitor the social emotional well-being of our students.”

“Our team is amazing. They are super knowledgeable and dedicated to our students. They have done an amazing job of supporting our school in the transition to online learning and continuing to support students with special needs.”

“Our Seneca Therapist does a great job working with students and families. She sends update emails to teachers and support staff so that we know how students are doing. She always wants to be integrated in family conferences, SSTs and other communication around student academic, behavioral and social progress.”

“Teachers feel more empowered and part of the school culture decisions and as a result seem to feel more ownership over the implementation of their plans.”

“The Seneca professional development sessions have allowed me to take a step back from my teaching practice and view it from a larger point of view. I appreciate the tools given to us (ex: the SCARF model) and how they encourage me to be more conscious of my lesson planning and feedback-giving. It is nice to pause and reflect on what we think we're doing well and what strategies might help us teach even better.”

And I could go on and on.............................

Blog Post Written By: Jordan Ullman, Assistant Director of Assessment and Evaluation

Anti-Racism is More than a Social Platform. It is a Way of Life.

2/17/2021

I wanted to share this blog post from EdWeek, in which Dr. Bettina L. Love, pioneer in Abolitionist Teaching, authors this article titled, “How To Make Anti-Racism More than Performance.” Bettina Love is a professor at the University of Georgia and has centered her work with equipping school communities the knowledge to develop anti-racist culture and climate. Here, Dr. Love highlights some of our country’s most recent endeavors around anti-racism policy, personal journeys to abolitionism, and practicing social justice. Racism is deeply embedded in the fabric of American society. Today, we are reminded far too often just how prevalent racism is in our country. To continue making improvements in our society, it takes collective effort to bring forth change. I believe education is a major component in generating social changes that will lead to a breakthrough in generational curses.

Blog Post Written By: Teneva Jackson, Student Support Assistant

Holding Our Families Through the Pandemic

2/17/2021

When the shelter in place started nearly a year ago, no one thought the pandemic would last this long. Our world quickly shifted to a virtual platform, and staff, students and families were forced to adapt to a new normal. Students were no longer able to attend school in person, and parents were now faced with keeping their children home full-time. In a program where much of our work is relationship-based and include tangible rewards, we were challenged to find creative and supportive ways to support our families.

One way the SOAPS Program has been able to support our families is through delivering theme-centered bags. Staff personally delivered Halloween-themed bags in October, winter break bags in December, and now will soon be delivering Valentine’s & Black History Month bags next week. The bags are filled with juice boxes, snacks, board games, crafts, and grocery gift cards. These bags are our attempt to keep some normalcy of the school routine where students may normally have classroom socials before the holiday breaks. In addition to providing some needed resources to the families, staff also have the opportunity for some socially-distance and face-to-face time with the students.

Another way SOAPS has supported our families is through providing some basic necessities for students during the pandemic. At the beginning of the school year, staff delivered bags of school supplies to each student to support them with distance learning. Our therapists also created individual therapy boxes for each client to use during their virtual sessions. We have also provided space heaters and other resources when families have been displaced or impacted economically.

Although these gestures may not solve all their struggles, they are our way of reminding families that they have not been forgotten and we are here to continue supporting them to the best of our abilities.

Blog Post Written By: Adeya Byrd, Program Director (Seneca Oakland Alameda Public Schools Program)

SCHOOL HIGHLIGHT: Bridges Academy

2/17/2021

Bridges Academy is a long-standing Seneca school partnership and we’re honored to have the opportunity to collaborate with them. In this uniquely challenging school year, we’ve continued to focus our collective efforts to best serve the community’s students and families in a holistic way. We’ve also partnered more intentionally this year around supporting teacher wellness, connection, resiliency, and joy.

Obviously, maintaining satisfying connection with colleagues has been particularly difficult during this ongoing pandemic. The Bridges Wellness Committee coordinates many virtual events that allow staff to build and deepen their supportive relationships as a professional community. In a recent professional development session collaboratively designed and delivered by Seneca and Bridges leadership, we focused on Cultivating Resilience and Self-Care. During the training, staff had time to share with each other practices they were utilizing (or wanting to increase) in order to maintain as much vitality and joy as possible in this difficult time. The training culminated with a lengthy Appreciations session, where staff had the time and space to reflect on the positive impacts their colleagues had on students, families, and each other.

Dr. Bettina Love delivered a powerful keynote address, Q&A session, and call to action in December, sharing practices and resources from her Abolitionist Teaching Network. During that training, Seneca Clinician Jesse Wiltey shared a link to Melanated Social Work, a collective that he co-founded with three colleagues. Since learning about the collective, I’ve deeply appreciated their inspiring and illuminating Instagram posts and podcasts. I recommend everyone checks out their resources, follows, and supports their work.

Blog Post Written By: Jason Keppe, Director of School Partnerships

STAFF HIGHLIGHT: Justina Wu

2/17/2021

Name: Justina Wu
Position: Unconditional Education Coach
What led you to your current position? During my time as a Mental Health Counselor at an NPS (Building Blocks) and public education, I was a part of teams that collaboratively worked together to create systems/routines and focused on building relationships with students that resulted in tremendous growth in our students. At the same time, I observed that general education staff were in need of support for students who mainstreamed into their classrooms. There were also misconceptions about our i-CEC classrooms, and how staff and the community identified these students. With both experiences, I desired to do more to not only support our i-CEC classrooms further, but to also support the inclusion of our i-CEC students and to build a positive school-wide culture and climate.
What inspires you to do this work? What drew me to join Seneca is the crucial work we do with students who have experienced trauma, institutional systemic barriers, and our agency's value of providing unconditional care. The kids are my "why" and continue to inspire me with the resilience they show daily.
What is an important lesson you’ve learned in this role? This work is relational. It's very difficult to be successful in this work without trusting relationships. We all need feedback and guidance to grow, for both adults and students, but we will never be able to receive and act on it if there is no trust established which takes our walls and defenses down.
Share your life motto: My life motto is that everyone just needs a place or a person where they truly feel seen, heard, and belong. The world would be a different place if that were true. I desire to create spaces where people can experience it.

SCHOOL HIGHLIGHT: The Primary School

1/27/2021

I started my work at The Primary School (TPS) in February of 2020--just six weeks prior to the school (and country) shutdown due to COVID-19. From my first day on site, I was blown away by the staff. The teachers at TPS are models of excellence in everything they do; from the daily morning greetings they give to each and every student entering the classroom, to the creativity they put into lesson plans to ensure learning and engagement of all students. They arrive each morning with joy and enthusiasm, smiles on their faces, and excitement at the prospect of teaching and spending quality time with their students.

As a UE Coach/Clinical Intervention Specialist for The Primary School, I realize that teachers are the lifeblood of our education system and of the schools in which they work, often serving not only as educators, but as mentors, surrogate caregivers, safekeepers, and more. In remote learning, teachers face unique challenges, “working tirelessly to solve inequities within their schools, create meaningful lessons in the confines of virtual learning, and build care and trusting relationships with their students,” (XQ Rethink Together, September 2020). This new normal requires school leaders to implement new ways to support teachers’ professional growth, to protect their emotional well-being, and to ensure that they get the support necessary to thrive, grow, and avoid burnout.

In partnership with their Seneca UE Team, The Primary School’s leadership have developed many ways to address teacher well-being:

Site Representatives: ‘Site Reps’ are nominated by their peers to represent their position and give input on decisions for the school. They connect with their peers before site rep meetings to gain a deeper understanding of the thoughts and ideas of their teammates, and share input on school wide issues such as:

Returning to in-person school
Planning for the 2021-2022 school year
School calendar
School-wide events

Reflective Practice Groups: This is a monthly group of 8-10 teachers that talk with peers about feelings related to work, personal life, and how one might be ‘showing up’ at work due to professional or personal challenges. Groups are facilitated by mental health professionals.
Grade-Level Team Meetings: A monthly space for teachers to meet with clinicians and behaviorists to discuss observations, concerns, and curiosities about their students’ social emotional needs.
Identity Work: Consistent professional development opportunities to work on exploring themes of identity, equity, and diversity & inclusion practices in hiring staff and in meeting the educational and emotional needs of students, families, and staff.
Staff Wellness Office Hours: Weekly office hours where staff can sign up to have brief phone conversations with clinical staff to address issues around burnout, personal and professional challenges.

These supports were started in order to address the needs of teachers and staff during a frightening time in our country. Ideally, our schools will see a return to in-person learning and a more typical school year in 2021-2022. Despite this, teachers will continue to need professional and personal support in order to engage in meaningful and effective teaching. The Primary School is well positioned to continue these efforts for the remainder of the school year and beyond.

Blog Post Written By: Amy Bryman, UE Coach/Assistant Director of School Partnerships/Clinical Intervention Specialist

Getting Creative in a Virtual World

1/27/2021

This pandemic has lasted much longer than anyone expected and has taken its toll, not only on the students & families, but on our staff as well. It is in these trying times that our leadership team has had to find creative ways to support our staff and keep them engaged. This year, I have had the opportunity to split my time between two different programs and share in their creative visions for staff participation.

The Light the Change (LTC) Program held their December Dine & Delve over a team Zoom meeting. To add a personal touch to the event, the leadership team personally delivered care packages with crafts, gifts, and GrubHub gift cards to staff. During the Zoom meeting, LTC staff had the option to decorate premade cookies or fill out holiday-sweater coloring pages, all while virtually sharing a meal together. This activity allowed staff the opportunity to have a little fun while learning about important program updates.

The SOAPS Management Team built on their staffs’ common love of cooking and baking by incorporating virtual Chopped Competitions into their staff meetings! The first competition was held in October, and the staff were tasked with creating a main course using Halloween themed mystery basket ingredients. The second competition was held in December, and staff were given the challenge of creating baked goods using sweet & spicy themed mystery basket ingredients. This competitive group thoroughly enjoyed the competitions and are eagerly awaiting the next challenge.

Both programs have taken on different ways to engage staff, and both programs have been successful in their efforts to increase staff morale. This just goes to show that with a little creativity and team building, we can get through anything… even during a pandemic.

Blog Post Written By: Joline Castaneda, Manager of Operations (SOAPS)

STAFF HIGHLIGHT: Brenda Larios

1/27/2021

Name: Brenda Larios
Position: Bilingual Clinical Intervention Specialist
What led you to your current position? I started working at Seneca in 2014 after gaining interest in providing mental health services to youth and families. Throughout my experience in multiple Seneca programs, I have seen the need for mental health/advocacy services in the school setting therefore sparking an interest in a school-based program. I am hoping that this position, allows me to advocate and provide a space for youth to focus on their emotional well-being.
What inspires you to do this work? After all this years, one thing that inspires me to continue to do this work is Youth’s and family’s resiliency despite all the challenges/stressors they have experienced. Additionally, being able to provide services in Spanish, inspires me to continue to develop my skill set as a clinician to continue to provide mental health services to this community.
What is an important lesson you’ve learned in this role? To continue to advocate for our youth and families in the educational system.
Share your life motto: Be present and enjoy the little things in life.

Community Care During Violent Times

1/19/2021

As we enter a new year, we enter another month of a global crisis and continued white supremacist violence. While holding the gratitude and reflections of entering a new year, I am also holding the collective grief of this time in our lives. For some, returning from this winter break might have highlighted the ways that working while caring for ourselves and our loved ones during a global pandemic can just be too much. What does it look like to truly care for ourselves and our communities during this time?

In adrienne maree brown’s book, Emergent Strategy, she asks, “Do you already know that your existence--who and how you are--is in and of itself a contribution to the people and place around you? Not after or because you do some particular thing, but simply the miracle of your life. And that the people around you, and the place(s), have contributions as well? Do you understand that your quality of life and your survival are tied to how authentic and generous the connections are between you and the people and place you live with and in?” By asking this, she highlights the ways that our wellness depends on our interdependence. How are we leveraging our relationships, communities, and connections, to make change and care for ourselves through love and empathy during such challenging times?

Through COVID-19, the importance of this community care, interdependence, and relationships, has been highlighted in some ways. This is seen in all the local community-led mutual aid efforts, community coalitions, Black-led grassroots organizing, and general access to wellness support from organizations that are pushing out information and mental health resources.

In this age of social media, zoom, and webinars, we have access to so much information. Talks and webinars from thinkers, activists, and academics that used to cost money to attend, are now being recorded and circulated for widescale access. Much of this information includes community wellness resources available on various platforms such as Instagram, TikTok, Zoom, and Clubhouse. Here are a few to note that center collective care, community, and healing:

BEAM “is a national training, movement building and grant making organization dedicated to the healing, wellness and liberation of Black and marginalized communities.” Check their website and Instagram for resources, and their graphic below for some journal prompts!

The Nap Ministry “is an organization that examines the liberating power of naps. We believe rest is a form of resistance and name sleep deprivation as a racial and social justice issue.” Check their website and Instagram for resources. Call their hotline for a moment of rest at 1-833-LUV-NAPS, they change their recorded message on a weekly basis.

Lama Rod Owens is an author, activist, and teacher who “has a blend of formal Buddhist training and life experience that gives him a unique ability to understand, relate and engage with those around him in a way that’s spacious and sincere.” He will be hosting a Love & Rage online course starting in February, and offers Medicine Buddha Practice sessions every Monday at 4pm. Check out his website for more information and his Instagram.

Melanated Social Work is a podcast that “is hosted by four men of color within the field of social work; Josh McNeil, Marvin Toliver, Michael Grinnell, and Jesse Wiltey. Join us as they discuss social work, mental health, politics, music, liberation and many other topics.” They also have an Instagram presence where they host live Mindfulness Mondays, and host book club discussions for BIPOC. Check out more information at their Instagram here.

The Body is Not an Apology “is an international movement committed to cultivating global Radical Self Love and Body Empowerment. We believe that discrimination, social inequality, and injustice are manifestations of our inability to make peace with the body, our own and others.” Founded by Sonya Renee Taylor, check out their website for blogs, resources, online courses, and community. Check their Instagram and/or buy the book.

Got other great community care and wellness resources? Add them in a comment below! In times of such overwhelm, stress, and open wounds, let us take care of ourselves and each other.

Blog Post Written By: Mackenzie Boyle, Program Manager (SOAPS)