Next in our series of #ASpotlight Interviews is Learning Resource Specialist and Fifth Grade Section Leader for the 2020-21 academic year, Venesha Cashdollar. Read her full interview below to learn about her professional trajectory, how she and the rest of our Learning Resource Center team support our boys’ learning, and about her use of technology during A-S Bridge 2.0.
What was your professional trajectory, and how did you end up education as a Learning Resource Specialist?
I originally went to college for sports medicine. During my senior year, I did an internship working for a physical therapist at a school for children with special needs and loved it. That experience changed my mind and inspired me to transition into working with children with learning differences. So, after college, I went straight into a Master of Education in Special Education.
I started at a school in Florida, working in a resource room for children with different needs. My family then moved to Connecticut, where I worked at Eagle Hill School, a boarding school for children with language-based learning differences. After that, I came to Allen-Stevenson and have been here for 14 wonderful years.
Can you describe how you support the boys’ learning as a Learning Resource Specialist?
My role as a learning specialist is multifaceted. I work with boys in small groups during reading and writing classes for Fifth and Sixth Grades doing direct teaching, and I also work on individual learning plans with the boys one-on-one.
Learning Resource Center Director Anne Meyer uses the phrase “point of need,” which I think is really the key to the Learning Resource Center. We identify our students’ unique, individual needs and provide the appropriate support by meeting them where they are. These needs cover a vast range, from executive functioning to reading or math skills. After assessing their needs, we formulate a plan for that specific boy. Sometimes it’s a quick fix, like homework help on a specific unit, and other times we need to support the boys for multiple years. In deciding the best plan of action, we consider things like how to get them one-on-one time and how to work with and educate parents on helping boys be successful in and out of the classroom.
How do you collaborate both internally at the LRC and with teachers to help our boys live up to their best potential?
We are very collaborative with teachers across divisions at the School. We meet at least twice a week to talk about specific boys’ learning plans, and often teachers will come to us outside of those meetings. Teachers are comfortable coming forward and advocating for their students’ needs.
Internal collaboration between members of our LRC team is also a huge part of what we do. It’s so important and beneficial for the transition between Lower, Middle, and Upper School. Our division specialists work closely together, so we know the needs of the students in rising grades and are prepared to help them do their best learning.
At Allen-Stevenson, our entire faculty and staff make a conscious effort to know each individual boy as a unique person. It’s part of what makes us such a special community. It’s also what makes us so successful at identifying their needs and creating a learning plan. These relationships let us go below the surface to really know and understand our students.
We have built in time during the day, both in person and during A-S Bridge 2.0, for every grade where all teachers are available to work with students as needed, one-on-one or in a small group on an as-needed basis.
You have taken on the role of Fifth Grade Section Leader during the 2020-21 School Year. How has the transition into the classroom for more of the day been for you?
When I first came to Allen-Stevenson, I was a fifth-grade homeroom teacher for eight years before moving to the Learning Resource Center. Being back in the classroom on a more full-time basis feels natural to me, and it made complete sense when this opportunity came about that I would take it.
What do you think are the advantages of our virtual learning platform, A-S Bridge 2.0?
I am loving being back in the homeroom setting for so many reasons – one of which is A-S Bridge 2.0! Our virtual learning platform has many advantages. Because I only have nine boys in my group, I’m able to “read the room” more efficiently. I can tell who is struggling with a concept and reach out to them to make sure we are all together. I’m also able to get more in-depth on specific topics.
Allen-Stevenson is unique because, as teachers, we have a lot of freedom in the way we teach and can bring our individual flare to the classroom. We can bring our own creativity and passion into the classwork, which is even more true during A-S Bridge 2.0. We have four section leaders and smaller groups, allowing for even more collaboration. We all teach the same curriculum, ensuring boys are equally prepared as they move up in grades, so we can share lesson plan ideas and bounce ideas off one another. From there, we can be innovative in how we develop units. We learn from one another in a way that benefits all of our students.
How have you been utilizing technology in your remote classroom during A-S Bridge 2.0?
Besides using Canvas, which is our learning management system, we use all sorts of fun online platforms that the boys love and that increase engagement during class.
One tool I have been using is called Floop, an online platform where the boys can upload handwritten work. Then, as a teacher, I can make comments digitally. The boys can see my comments and reply with questions, creating a valuable feedback loop. This tool is particularly useful during remote learning because it keeps the penmanship component in our classrooms. We are using this tool as a whole Fifth Grade Team for subjects ranging from writing to math.
I’ve also been using the platform EdPuzzle, which lets the teacher “puzzlify” a lesson. You can take a reading and incorporate videos or have interactive questions pop up on the screen. These features assist in creating a smoother flow to lessons, engaging the boys, and enhancing reading by letting the boys really puzzle together information in the exact way you want.
I also have started using Flipgrid a lot. I know the Spanish Department uses it, so I want my boys to be familiar with the interface. I can put in an assignment asking the boys a prompt – for example, I asked them to introduce themselves and say which animal they are most like and why – and then it populates on our class page so we can all go in and watch one another’s videos. It’s a great way to build community online and make sure we are all seeing one another’s faces during remote learning. Another assignment that you could do in Flipgrid would be to have the boys read a chapter of a book and then go into Flipgrid and record a video of themselves giving a summary.
All of these tools are great ways to work different kinds of learning into the classroom. Students are speaking answers, writing answers, and typing answers. Even though we are on the computer, we can keep all the main components of classroom learning. On top of that – it’s fun! The boys love bringing technology into their learning.
You lead a Fifth Grade Reading Group. What kinds of reading skills are most important for our boys to develop at this age as they prepare to move on to more advanced reading levels?
At this age and stage at Allen-Stevenson, it’s not about learning to read, it’s about learning to be a reader and learning from reading. We start to get into deeper comprehension skills like analyzing literature, synthesizing vocabulary, comparing and contrasting, and summarizing.
We always try to incorporate empathy and social-emotional learning. We choose books that have familiar, relatable characters who are in these extraordinary situations. The characters are realistic enough to have the boys consider how they would act or behave if they were in that situation. We have them ask themselves: How could you empathize with these characters? Is this ever happened to you? We incorporate a lot of role-playing to help them develop empathy skills.
Do you have a favorite book or unit to teach in your reading group?
We have been teaching Maniac Magee by Jerry Spinelli for years – we taught it back when I was a homeroom teacher the first time. It was written a long time ago, but it’s still so relevant. It’s about a white boy who runs away from his life for various reasons and comes across a racially divided town. He does all sorts of crazy things and doesn’t understand why these people aren’t friends. There is so much figurative language to discuss while simultaneously teaching them about a really important concept – one that’s very relevant for our lives today.
After this book, we read The Watsons Go to Birmingham – 1963 by Christopher Paul Curtis. It’s a historically accurate story about a family who drives from Michigan to Birmingham, , in 1963. We have open dialogues with them about difficult topics. We also read a non-fiction book with them about the civil rights movement. So, we get pretty in-depth about race issues with our boys.
Human rights are incorporated into our curriculum outside of reading as well. An Allen-Stevenson parent developed something called The Peace Project, which we have brought into our classrooms. Over six weeks, the boys are educated about a range of human rights issues, from women’s right to child labor. They’re always shocked to learn that children can legally do farm work from the age of thirteen. At the end of the project, the entire grade visits the United Nations, which we are planning to do virtually this year.
