July 10th, 2020 - Laurel Cahoon teaches Art to students at our West Valley 2 campus. Like many teachers, Laurel experienced similar frustrations with the distance learning challenges but is making proverbial lemonade out of life's lemons.
During the dismissal, Laurel made art supply boxes for her 3D Art students to sculpt at home. She loaded up her car and went to all 23 of her students' houses to say, "Hi!", from a safe distance, and tell them how much she missed them!
The biggest obstacle for many of my students is the lack of structure and support they usually get at school from teachers and staff. We are all in our bubbles, and it's easy to forget that everyone is on their own schedule with its own challenges.
I asked them if they like school online. It wasn't a shocker to find out that they don't! They miss their friends and teachers! I think we're all realizing that we took our daily interactions for granted.
My absolute favorite thing about teaching art during Distance Learning is seeing the totally unique and personal artwork that students are creating.
They told me what they're doing to fight the boredom, and many of my students were eager to show me the art they were creating.
Because of the open-ended prompts, a lot of introspection while separated from their peers, and the need to use what they have around the house, they are getting more creative and making more personal artwork, and therefore more powerful.
I've loved my seven years at APA, but unfortunately, this is my last year as I recently moved to Farmington and will be teaching closer to home. It was a special bonus to be able to see a few students before the move- I will miss them more than anything! I'll miss my APA family, but I'm excited about the future.
April 25th, 2020 - Chad Golsan - High Standards and Perfect Work
Chad Golsan's Latin class is a testament to our teaching staff and the high standards of our APA students. Under the challenge of our new learning-from-home environment, he has continued to see positive attendance and performance from his students.
As a Latin teacher at West Valley 2, Chad knows how difficult his subject can be. He teaches a special High School class introducing Latin to new APA students that are still learning our school's culture. Some of these students are still learning to trust their teachers and classmates while learning Latin at the same time, which adds an extra layer of complexity to his course. Chad's other classes include High School 2, Latin 3, and AP Latin.
Chad's journey to APA is intriguing. As a student, he sought out degrees at elite schools and was named a McNair Scholar, which afforded him the full funding to grad school. Chad submersed himself in classical poetry. He even tutored at his university. Earning two Classics degrees, one in Latin and one in Greek, he is an expert in his field.
There is no doubt that Chad could teach anywhere. Our students are fortunate that he chose American Prep and that leaders like Administrative Director, Craig Peterson and Executive Director, Carolyn Sharette, saw Chad's talent right away, and offered him a teaching position at West Valley 2 in 2010.
When school dismissed in March, Chad was concerned about the connection he would have with his students in an online setting. To keep his kids engaged with homework, lessons, and tests, he scheduled online calls like other teachers. Chad wasn't sure how many students would participate and attend class.
Knowing that ancient languages are challenging on their own, especially for high school students, Chad has developed a particular teaching style and rapport with his kids. He incorporates humor and opportunities to succeed. He sets clear expectations about their responsibilities and explains why they should participate. What they receive, in turn, is one-hundred percent sincerity and commitment from their teacher.
Chad is known to say funny things, quotable phrases to help his students retain and memorize information. One of his students records his witty quotes and types one in the virtual chat at the start of class each day. The chemistry of his Latin classes is working. What's more remarkable is that his students are attending at a high level.
Chad has been hosting Zoom conference calls since Day One of the school dismissal. His class attendance is impressive, with 100% attendance in AP Latin and 95% attendance in Latin 3. He reported that his High School 1 and High School 2 classes are still connecting even though their participation is lower. To improve attendance and homework completion for these two classes, Chad had to change his approach.
"Many of the students in my High School 1 class can seem apathetic and disinterested in school. This class is for students that are new to APA post 9th grade, and it's tricky to get them engaged sometimes," he said.
Chad shared the class agenda, homework, and expectations for the students as usual. What was different is that he also connected with several kids individually, urging them to come to class, explaining what they would review if they attended - the lesson, quizzes, and the tests. He asked them to share this with their classmates.
This word-of-mouth approach is working. Attendance from the High School 1 and High School 2 students is improving, although there is still more work to be done.
Chad's AP and Latin 3 classes are incredibly close-knit, consuming Latin poetry and prose while accomplishing perfect grammar in an ancient language. Chad has reported another peculiarity with his advanced class attendance. There are 59 students in his Latin 3 classes, so Chad holds two Zoom meetings per day, at 9 am, and 11 am. Students are only required to attend one class; however, Chad has recorded 30-45 students attending each class every day. There are approximately 10-15 students that attend both calls consistently.
Reliable attendance is one of the reasons Chad wasn't surprised when he received an example of "perfect work" from one of his Latin 3 students in early April. He forwarded this example to Craig Peterson as an encouraging reminder that even after a few weeks into the dismissal period, his students were still maintaining a high APA standard. This "perfect work" wasn't the only one, though. He received several from his students.
Why would a Latin teacher that could work at the university level, instead proffer to high school students that are sometimes difficult to encourage and inspire? "The kids at American Prep are our future, and helping them to think and believe in what they can be is fulfilling for me," he said.
The work Chad does at APA is impactful and influential, as seen in the results of his students. Chad frequently has former students come to sit in his class to observe even after they've graduated. One of his former students is currently enrolled in a Classics program at Utah State University. Chad's class so inspired them; they hope to teach Latin professionally.
In addition to being a phenomenal teacher, Chad is also a judge for the Sterling Scholar Awards each year. "One of the biggest honors a teacher can receive is for their student to be recognized for their hard work," Chad shared.
One of his former students, Jacqueline Hancock, was a Sterling Scholar State finalist in the category of World Language in 2019. It was a great honor for her to be able to compete for these awards, but there was a catch. For her to participate, she needed to be tested in a spoken language. The problem was that Sterling Scholars didn't have a spoken language test for Latin. While Chad had to bow out of judging Jacqueline because of an apparent conflict of interest, he had the honor to create the Latin test portion that enabled Jaqueline to participate in the category, in which Jacqueline performed very well.
Chad has also received kudos from two students this year. In April 2020, two APA seniors, Jazmin Miramontes and Joseph Anthony Torres earned the prestigious Daniels Scholarship, a comprehensive, four-year college scholarship. Both Jazmin and Joseph credited Chad Golsan as well as Brittany Kempema, another outstanding West Valley 2 teacher, for their support. Chad knows how significant scholarships are for his students, so when asked for help, he was sincere and honest about the work these students needed to do. Both Jazmin and Joseph reported that they had to rewrite essays many times based on the feedback from their teachers, but the effort was worth it. Jazmin and Joseph have earned a fully-funded four-year scholarship that may change the trajectory of their lives for good.
There is a lot to be proud of as an American Prep community. We are so thankful, in these uncertain times, for teachers like Chad Golsan and the "Perfect Work" he is doing.
April 17th, 2020 - Jen Walstad - Mastering the Three-Ring Circus
Trying to find success in being a parent, a homeschooler, and an employee all at the same time…
I never went to the circus as a child, but I look around my home during this pandemic time, and I wonder if this is what it would have felt like. More happening than you could possibly take in. Everyone yelling, desperately trying to make their voice heard among the chaos, children throwing food on the floor, and of course, wild animals running loose while the ringmaster's eyes were elsewhere.
I have five children. Two are in school, and three are pre-school age.
I thought my life was busy when I was a parent and a full-time employee, but I was managing. Then the third hat, homeschooler, got thrown my way, and it has taken some time to adjust to three rings in my family circus. I would like to share five things that have helped me become a better ringmaster.
1- Create consistency
Consistency can come in many forms. We know our children feel safe when things become predictable for them. Consistency can come in the form of a work station that they use every day with the same supplies that they can rely on being there. It could be a school uniform (crazy, but it works) or even their special school slippers. You can have the same time frames that they operate in, with a posted schedule that becomes reliable and predictable for the week. We always have agendas up in our classroom to give the students the needed information to know what is required of them that day. Posting a schedule (with breaks) will cut down a lot of questioning and whining. Breaks are critical. Both for you and your children. It would be great if they could just push through and get it all done so you can focus on work the rest of the day, but those recess times are still critical. During their break times, you can work. If you can't get to a full schedule every week, even something as simple as doing math first every day can create a consistency that helps your children find rhythm in the chaos. This becomes difficult when you have to work around meetings or checkout calls, but as much as possible, create routines/systems/locations that can be their safety net.
2- If your children need it, give them your full attention during their work times
This is so hard! We are constantly being pulled in so many directions, bouncing between children when we are trying to help. There is so much to do. Earlier this week, I was in a district meeting with the 6th-grade team. I was expressing my gratitude for their amazing work while my 6-year-old son was waving his hand in front of my face blocking the camera and literally diving through the meeting. I got off the meeting call, and with more force then I wanted to express, asked him what he thought he was doing and how dare he interrupt in that way. Through my emotions, he managed to squeak out the words, "But mom, you said I couldn't go on a break till I finished my math, and I didn't get it…". Well, that halted me in my tracks. But I didn't learn. It wasn't until two days later while I had an earbud in my left ear listening to a meeting, my phone to my right ear taking a call, one child whining that the math problem didn't make sense, and trying to walk him through it while responding to an email. I was trying to be some multi-tasking superhero for some crazy reason. This was when the other child came to me in tears because her Google form wouldn't let her type on it. I told the math child to pause and took the i-pad from my crying child's hand. I clicked and nothing. I clicked again and nothing. I double-clicked—nothing. I moved to my computer and started clicking—still nothing. I clicked harder like that would make a difference. I finally had had enough and set the laptop down, threw my arms wide, stating, "I can't do it all!". To my surprise, I was standing right by the wall, and my thumb was smashed into it. It broke. My thumb broke (just a small fracture – I'm all good!), but I sat down on the floor and just gazed at the wall while my thumb throbbed. This was when my child said, "Mom, I think it is because I accidentally hit the "Turn in" button…". So, then I started crying, but I learned from this! My children needed my attention while they were doing school. I could wear the mom and homeschooler hat together, and I could wear the mom and employee hat together, but trying to wear all three of them at the same time led to failure. So, I decided to structure each day where I was only wearing two hats at a time, and it resulted in faster work completion for both my students and myself. I have to work weird hours sometimes to keep caught up, but when I lay my head down at the end of the day, I am happier.
3- Have motivation systems in place.
I was a workhorse as a child. I have always been a little bit of a workaholic. My children, not so much. Though I had been trained and trained many employees on motivation, it was a shock to me that my children didn't just snap to and get their work done because "I was the mom and I said so." It just makes me laugh now what I expected from them for the first few days of pandemic learning. It has taken me more time than I would like to admit, but we now have systems in place.
We have rewards for finishing each subject, including treats, breaks, two one-on-one alone minutes with mom or dad, facetime grandma or a cousin, or even family dance parties. We have a family treasure box and use dot sheets every day.
I love walking down the hall and saying, "Look at that amazing focus, give yourself two dots!". We have a card chart for the home that allows me to give unemotional reminders and unemotional consequences. We have a secret motivator envelope that can only be opened once everyone has finished their work. On Fridays, if they have earned enough points through the week, I lay out blankets in the tub, and we do reading university in pirate costumes in our tub boat.
It took me about an hour to get everything in place and about 5-10 min of prep each day, but the HOURS it has saved me in arguing with my kids is so worth it!! The joy that you miss in watching your students during these happy reward times can be replaced by the joy of your children. A little joy goes a long way.
4- Focus on the positive.
I am sure we all have that person that we vent to when things get hard. We want to make sure people understand how difficult our load is to carry so that they can appreciate how hard we are working. Or we are trying to give way to emotions that are bottling up inside of us. It is a very self-validating and natural human process. An old proverb goes something to the effect of, "a problem shared is a problem halved." Over the years, I have come to the realization that this proverb needs to go with a giant IF. If you are sharing the problem to gain feedback, correction, advice, or a solution that you then plan to implement, then the problem is halved. If you are sharing the problem to vent, feel bad for yourself, or self-validate that the reason you are not having success is outside of your control, with no intent on truly learning or changing then the problem is not halved, it is doubled.
Years ago, I had the opportunity to work for the summer with an outdoor pageant. It was the first time this pageant had been done, so we were all in the storming phase! It was in the mid-west, and it was hot and humid like I had never felt before. We were working 18 hour days in the sun with the oppressive weight of water in the air. We worked with untrained actors in groups of about 100 and had a week to teach them the entire pageant. It was hard, to say the very least. A very wise director explained to us that in situations like this (referring to the brand-new pageant process), it is critical to understand that EVERYONE is carrying burdens, and EVERYONE is dealing with things being hard. He taught us that if we allowed ourselves to focus on the hard and give vent/voice to those negative thoughts and feelings that it could destroy what we were working so hard to create. I watched this in action one day. A new cast of 100 got into town, and due to a bridge closing, half the cast missed the orientation meeting where they learned these precious principles.
They went straight to rehearsal. In the middle of that rehearsal, someone said, "Wow, this is hot. I can't believe they make us rehearse in this."
The person standing next to them would quickly added, "It's unbearable. My feet are on fire." The child standing next to the women groaned and stated, "This is the worst vacation ever." It spread like wildfire. And we learned. This could never happen again. Everyone was trained. And when someone stated, "It is so hot," it was a second later when someone else added, "Isn't it great? I can feel myself losing pounds by the minute. This is the best workout plan ever!". Up until pandemic learning, I have never worked harder in my life and been so happy with all the time. I spent a summer in a place where everyone worked, and no one complained, and it was heaven!
We are in hard times. Everyone is carrying burdens. If you need help and you are willing to learn from other people and implement what they are saying, then reach out and get help and feel better.
If you are venting with no intention of changing or growing, then that just leads to more venting, which leads to more unhappiness and more of your precious time being used with no return for yourself.
5- Be okay with failure moments.
We are a classical education school. Growth is a significant part of that. Not being perfect and always having more that we can improve on is a major part of that.
Many of us have now been pushed to a whole new territory of growth here. AND ONE WE DID NOT ASK FOR! I know it is hard to think about, but that can be exciting. It is hard now, but the hope is that we will look back and see that we are a better person for it. That can only come through failure, reflection, new learning, new trying, and new growth. It is okay to not be perfect at this. This isn't what we normally do, and we had no prep and no user manual for it. When my husband held our first child for the first time, he laughed and asked the doctor, "Is there an app for this?" The doctor laughed and replied, "This is something you have to learn as you go. You will find your own way through it."
There is no user manual for parenting, and there is no user manual for parenting while working, and there is no user manual for parenting while working while trying to homeschool your child. This is something we have to learn as we go, but we will find our own way through it. That path will have failure moments in it, and that's okay. That's how we stretch ourselves to be better parents if we are open to learning from those failures. It is okay to have a cry. It's okay to say, "Well, I blew that." It's okay to smash your thumb against a wall (I don't recommend that one, but hey, growth experience!). Do your best and be kind to yourself! No one expects you to do this perfectly. Humbly admit to your children when you make mistakes and be open to their correction.
They will be more endeared to you for it. Take the pressure of perfection off and laugh and learn a little more each day and tell your kids what they are teaching you through these troubled times!
Please know that this is still not 100% in my home (HA!), and I have learned most of these ideas through failure, lots of failures. We have good times and hard times. But we keep moving forward and aim for more good times. I am learning every day, from my children, how to be a better mom, a better school teacher, and a better boss. Our children can teach us so much if we are open to it. Don't be hard on yourself. Smile, laugh, cry, ponder, pray – do whatever you need to do, but be determined to keep growing and keep learning. Don't waste this growth opportunity – it is hard, but it can make us better at the things that matter the most to us. If you ever need a good laugh, call, and we can swap stories, learn something new and smile together.