Making After-School Cool Podcast

Ep 36 Jerry LeVias Overcoming Racism

This episode of Making After-School Cool Podcast features Mr. Jerry Levias who became a civil right pioneer in 1965 as the  first African American scholarship athlete to play football at for Southern Methodist.

Guest

My guest today  Mr. Jerry LeVias, retried professional players, civil rights pioneers,  a youth advocate and a living hero among us.

During this podcast you will learn more about the:

1. Experience of being one of the first African Americans to play football at a major college in Texas
2. Importance of a mentor or a support system during a difficult time
3. Impact of professional athletes speaking out about social inequalities
4. Decision educators must make on whether they should discuss racism, discrimination and injustice towards oppressed people with students
5. Activities beyond reading that out-of-school practitioners can involve students in to learn about social justice issues

Resources

 

Harris County Department of Education

https://hcde-texas.org

 

CASE for Kids

https://hcde-texas.org/afterschool-zone

 

 

Ep 35 Teaching Diversity through Language Arts

This episode of the Making Afterschool Cool Podcast focuses on strategies for creating effective dialogue with youth regarding race relations and social injustice? My guest today is Andrew Simmons, who is a high school teacher who shares strategies for using literature to guide discussions about race with students who would rather avoid the topic.

 

Guest

Andrew Simmons is a high school English teacher, and a contributing writer for The Atlantic, The New York Times, The Beli, San Francisco Chronicle, Slate, and other publications. His forthcoming book for educators, Love Hurts, Lit Helps (Rowman & Littlefield publishing), addresses how English class literature can help improve the relationships of high school students.

 

During this podcast you will learn:

1. An educator’s opinion regarding returning to school during Covid19
2. His motivation for writing the article entitled “Engaging White Students in Conversations About Race” published in Edutopia
3. Why it is important to introduce students to curriculum which present racism, discrimination and social injustice of oppressed people
4. How can youth serving organizations facilitate conversations regarding race with youth
5. works of literature would you recommend youth read to better understand how significant race is in this country’s history
6. Beyond just having students read books dealing with social inequalities what other types of activities can out of school practitioners involve students with to learn about these issues

 

Resources

Andrew Simmons

http://www.adlsimmons.com/

 

Engaging White Students in Conversations About Race

https://www.edutopia.org/article/engaging-white-students-conversations-about-race

 

Harris County Department of Education

https://hcde-texas.org

 

CASE for Kids

https://hcde-texas.org/afterschool-zone

Ep 34 Understanding Special Education Services For OST providers

This episode of the Making Afterschool Cool podcast explores the start-up of the 2020-2021 school year. Many are wondering what will the new year look like. This is particularly true for families with students in special education who need additional support. To speak on this topic is guest Sharaya Hill. Sharaya is a certified special education educator and the host of the podcast Sped Street. 

 

During this podcast you will learn about:

1. The purpose for creating the Sped street podcast 
2. How to combat negative stereotypes about special education 
3. How to reduce parental anxiety about having a studenteligible for special education services 
4. The controversy surrounding the number of children of color diagnosed as in need of special education services 
5. The information parents and school staff should provide afterschool staff regarding their students’ special education needs
6. How out-of-school time programs assist in providing services for special education

 

Guest

Sharaya Hill is a special education teacher hailing from Houston, Texas.  After graduating from Howard University with a Bachelor's in Psychology, she ventured to Spain where she taught impoverished children for a year. Upon her return the United States she was a behavior therapists for children with autism before stepping into her current role as a early childhood special education teacher. In May, Sharaya  graduated from the University of North Texas with her Master's in Special Education. She is the host of the Sped Street podcast where she celebrates those who are differently abled and gives others tools and resources to bridge the gap between neurotypical and atypical persons. Sped Street can be found on all major podcasting platforms.

 

Resources 

Sped Street podcast

‎Sped Street on Apple Podcasts

 A space for families of persons with special needs

 
Harris County Department of Education

https://hcde-texas.org

 

CASE for Kids

https://hcde-texas.org/afterschool-zone

Ep 33 Children’s Museum Summer Services during Covid19

In this episode of the Making Afterschool Cool podcast, we continue our series of interviews exploring the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the out-of-school time field. Today our guests share information on the available summer services at the Children’s Museum of Houston.

  

During this episode you will learn about:

 1.  Safety procedures for the facility and staff

2.  Steps the Children’s Museum of Houston is taking to minimize the probability of youth being exposed to COVID-19

3.  Procedures for OST providers and parents who want to visit the museum 

4.   Steps the Children's Museum of Houston is taking in the event someone get sick while visiting

5.    Adjustments the museum made to practice social distancing while allowing youth to participate in fun activities

Guest

 Dr. Armando X. Orduña has served in formal and informal K—12 education for over 20 years. He currently serves as the Director of Outreach Programs for Children’s Museum Houston where he has filled various roles in its Education Dept. for the last 12 years. In 2012, nominated by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Orduña was honored as a White House Champion of Change for his classroom service for urban Hispanic youth.   

Tiffany Espinosa  

 

Tiffany Espinosa, Manager of Community Partnerships at Children’s Museum Houston, has a Bachelor of Art in Spanish and History from Stephen F. Austin State University. Tiffany has 15 years of experience in bilingual education and community outreach. Her work at Children’s Museum Houston includes 9 years of experience managing the Museum’s Para los Niños program and serving as Educator for the Parent Stars program, both of which provide bilingual, hands-on workshops and events for families throughout Houston. Currently, she manages the Open Doors program, maintaining partnerships with over 1,091 organizations and providing free admission to families who would otherwise not be able to visit the Museum.

Ep: 32 YMCA Summer Services during Covid19

This episode of the Making Afterschool Cool podcast explores the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the OST field. Featured is an interview with Curtis Lemieux, Executive Director of Youth Development for the YMCA of Greater Houston.

During this interview you will learn:

1. Preparedness of the YMCA management to address providing services for essential workers at the beginning of the pandemic
2.  Safety procedures established by the YMCA for staff and the facility as well
3. Steps the YMCA took to minimize the probability of student exposure to COVID-19
4. Procedures the YMCA put in place for drop-off and pick-up as well as daily interactions on the facility
5. Procedures established by the YMCA in the event a student gets sick while attending programming
6. Adjustments the YMCA made to practice social distancing while allowing students to participate in activities
7. Advice for other OST programs regarding providing services during this new normal 

Guest

Curtis Lemieux has worked with the YMCA for 20 years serving in multiple capacities. For the last 10 years he has worked with the YMCA of Greater Houston. He is currently the Executive Director of Youth Development working with a team of individuals who plan and implement the afterschool and summer day camps throughout the city of Houston.

Resources

YMCA of Greater Houston

https://www.ymcahouston.org/SeeYouSoon

 Harris County Department of Education

https://hcde-texas.org

CASE for Kids

https://hcde-texas.org/afterschool-zone

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ep 31: The COVID19 Academic Slide Impact on Students’ Achievement

This episode of the Making Afterschool Cool podcast focuses on what educators describe as the COVID-19 Slide. This year, most students have been out of their classroom setting since early March. Now that summer break is here, many students will not be getting any form of academic instruction. How will the COVID-19 Slide impact students’ academic achievement? Is there anything OST staff and parents can do to lessen academic losses? To discuss this issue we are joined by guest Dr. Cedric Stewart. During this podcast, you will hear some answers to these questions and the following:
• Definition of COVID-19 Slide
• Subjects with the largest incidence of learning loss during summer
• Tips and strategies for parents and OST providers to help enhance students' learning during summer
• Methods for parents and OST providers to encourage engaged learning
• Strategies to minimize students' math anxiety
• Resources for parents and OST providers with math anxiety

Guest

Dr. Cedric Stewart has served families in Harris County as an educator, consultant, and administrator since 1992. During that time, he has held many roles simultaneously, accruing over 20 years of educational experience with a fierce commitment to equity for all students. Dr. Stewart was recently appointed to serve as the new Instructional Leader of Jewel Houston Academy. He is a veteran of the U.S. Armed Forces and holds 6 degrees in Criminal Justice, Educational Leadership, and Counseling.
.

Resources
Dr. Steward
Cbsteward@aldineisd.org

Khan Academy
https://www.khanacademy.org/

Code.org
https://code.org/

Sesame Street
https://www.sesamestreet.org/

PBS for Kids
https://pbskids.org/

Cool Math
https://www.coolmathgames.com/

We Are Teachers
https://www.weareteachers.com/free-online-learning-resources/

Fun Brain
https://www.funbrain.com/

 

 

 

 

Ep 30: Houston public library services during COVID-19

This episode of the Making Afterschool Cool Podcast is a continuation of the series of interviews exploring the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the out-of-school time field. Today, Mary Wagner of the Houston Public Library will be discussing summer youth services offered through the library.

During this episode you will learn more about:
• Adjustments implemented since the COVID-19 pandemic began
• Action steps if you have books or other items checked out
• Return for checked out items and fee assessment for overdue items
• Summer services provided through the library
• Resources available for all age groups

Guest
As Youth Services Advocate for Houston Public Library (HPL), Mary Wagoner, M.L.I.S., has a combined 28 years of Library Management, Project Management and Youth Services experience at Houston Public Library. Mary served as Project Director for two Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) grants, the Fountain of Youth grant in 2009 and Pop Up Library grant in 2012. In her former role as Special Project Manager, she served as the Project Lead and Steering Committee Chair of several Lean 6 Sigma studies, including the Library Materials Selection Division which resulted in reorganization of the division, a new Holds print solution and new Holds labels. Mary was the Project Lead for TLA Award Winning Children’s Zone in response to Hurricane Ike.
Mary served as President of Texas Library Association’s TALL Texans from 2010 to 2011. She belongs to, and has made professional presentations at ALA, ALSC, PLA and TLA on various topics, including: Disaster Response (Katrina, Ike & Harvey), the Pop-Up Library, YPQI (Weikert’s Youth Program Quality Improvement) and Library Collections. In her current role, Mary and her team strive to meet the challenges of providing cohesive and innovative free youth programming and services for children of all ages and parent education as part of a dynamic organization that serves 2.2 million Houston residents and 4.3 million residents in the greater Houston metropolitan area.

Resources
Houston Public Library
https://houstonlibrary.org

Harris County Department of Education
https://hcde-texas.org

CASE for Kids
https://hcde-texas.org/afterschool-zone

Ep 29 OST supports Working families during Covid19

This episode of the Making Afterschool podcast explores the impact the COVID-19 pandemic has had on the connection between OST providers and families that need support. The guest for this episode, Kimberly Woods, is a working parent and designated essential worker. She shares her family’s experiences adapting to the new normal, as well as, how childcare provided by the YMCA of Greater Houston has helped her family.

During this episode you will learn more about:
· Her response to uncertainty and questions since learning about COVID-19
· The YMCA childcare program and its impact on her child
· The special precautions the Y had in place to keep children, staff and parents safe
· The procedures the Y has in place to connect parents with students during the day
· Questions parents should ask when choosing an OST provider

Guest
Kimberly Woods is an occupational therapist on the Spinal Cord Injury Unit at the VA hospital and has been for the last 14yrs. Prior to COVID-19 she was full-time in-hospital, however currently M-F teleworking at home; and in-hospital treating patients two days a week. For years, her sons have been cared for by YMCA facilities when not at home, with one son attending the Medical Center YMCA since 12wks old and the other attends summer camps there as well. Her husband works for the city of Houston and has also been an essential employee during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Resources
YMCA of Greater Houston
www.ymcahouston.org

Harris County Department of Education
https://hcde-texas.org

CASE for Kids
https://hcde-texas.org/afterschool-zone

 

 

Ep 28: Motivating students to learn during COVID-19

This episode of the Making Afterschool Cool Podcast features Dr. Dan Vollrath. We will be discussing strategies for motivating students to learn during the COVID-19 pandemic. Remote learning has brought many new challenges, but the need to effectively engage students remains constant. Today’s topic focuses on keeping students motivated during COVID-19, especially those with learning disabilities. During this episode you will learn about:

1. Strategies parents and teachers can use to keep students motivated, especially those with learning disabilities.
2. Best practices for dealing with student procrastination
3. Movement breaks and exercise and their benefits for students completing schoolwork
4. Benefits of reflective time for students during learning
5. Mindful-hyper focus and the importance of practicing it

Guest
Dr. Daniel Vollrath is a special education teacher at Hunterdon Central Regional High School in New Jersey. In addition, Daniel serves as a U.S. professional development trainer with the Institute for Habits of Mind. With a strong passion for developing curriculum, building student relationships, and fostering executive function techniques infused with the Habits of Mind, Vollrath has created a more responsive and mindful classroom culture. Dispositional thinking, reflective techniques, and instructional procedures connected to Habits of Mind serve an integral role in his daily pedagogy. Feel free to email Daniel at danvollrath44@gmail.com. Follow him on Twitter @HabitsofMindInc, LinkedIn, and Facebook.

Resources
De-escalation with Habits of Mind Video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UETaYQnXO28&t=4s

De-escalation Exercise article
https://www.edutopia.org/article/de-escalation-exercise-upset-students

Building Resilience in Students
https://www.edutopia.org/article/encouraging-students-develop-resilience

A collection of blogs and articles through the Institute for Habits of Mind
https://www.habitsofmindinstitute.org/category/authors/daniel-vollrath/

Harris County Department of Education
https://hcde-texas.org

CASE for Kids
https://hcde-texas.org/afterschool-zone

 

Ep 27: Out 2 Learn Resources during COVID-19

This episode of the Making Afterschool Cool Podcast features the Out 2 Learn resource network. Initiated in 2017, Out 2 Learn is a collaborative initiative dedicated to increasing access to and improving the quality of out-of-school time (OST) opportunities in Greater Houston. This is a collaborative effort led by Houston Endowment, the City of Houston Mayor’s Office of Education, Harris County Department of Education’s CASE for Kids, and United Way of Greater Houston. Out 2 Learn is a valuable resource for parents in Houston to find out-of-school and afterschool programs that will benefit and engage their children.

During this this podcast you will learn about:

· The purpose of Out 2 Learn
· Other similar quality initiatives in Texas and United States
· Out 2 Learn as a resource for youth service providers
· Out 2 Learn as a resource for parents
· Future funding opportunities related to COVID-19

Guest
Tiffany Echevarria has served the community for over seven years through various capacities. She is tremendously grateful for the opportunity to have served as an AmeriCorps member implementing an afterschool program. She credits that experience for inspiring her dedication to the OST field. Tiffany currently manages grant processes aimed at strengthening programs that support youth ages five to early adulthood. She also supports several projects that convene partners to work collaboratively, including Out 2 Learn.

Resources
Greater Houston COVID-19 Recovery Fund
https://www.greaterhoustonrecovery.org

Greater Houston COVID-19 Recovery Fund -- Inquiry Fund
https://www.greaterhoustonrecovery.org/covid-19-nonprofit-inquiry-form

Out 2 Learn's Website
www.Out2LearnHOU.org

Harris County Department of Education
https://hcde-texas.org

CASE for Kids
https://hcde-texas.org/afterschool-zone