Today was a great day. My spirit is soaring. The students at Ballou STAY were so impressive! They were not “disconnected youth” in an alternative education program. Far from it. The students I met today were incredibly engaged and powerful creators. In one class the students were using digital platforms to create posters and digital animations. I asked one student to make an alteration to his animation on the spot so that his ears could wiggle and he did it flawlessly. I asked another student to show me how to manipulate images to add to his already impressive poster and he did it while walking me through his process. In another class I asked a student to answer the question if Hamlet was confused or conniving. She said confused and gave me 3 great supporting pieces of evidence. THEN I asked her to argue that he was conniving instead and she did it super thoughtfully. The students in the cosmetology program also created beautiful finger waves and even gave Dr. Bey a paraffin treatment!
The students had pride in their work and love for their school. I have so much gratitude for the awesome teachers of Ballou STAY who have shifted their practice to meet the needs of their students. They are in their 3rd year of using the Summit learning platform to meet each student’s unique needs and they are getting better with it each year. It was such a pleasure to spend the morning at this truly special place.
If anyone out there is questioning the capacity of “over-aged and under-credited youth,” come check out Ballou STAY. Spend the morning here and let our educators and kids prove you wrong
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Source: Mellissa Kim