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These were the sort of questions discussed amongst new and veteran Penny Harvest Coaches at the October 17th Professional Development Training Session, one of 11 held by Common Cents this October. Common Cents runs these sessions to train and prepare nearly 1,000 Coaches for the year ahead, and also to get valuable feedback and fresh opinions from the Coaches themselves.
Myron Cohen, a veteran Coach from P.S. 276 in Brooklyn, spoke on behalf of his table. They chose youth voice as the most important method because “it gets the kids involved, and switches the roles so that we are listening to what they have to say,” he said. Cohen’s group also talked about the link between the program and school curriculum as an important standard, as well as the inherent diversity of the Penny Harvest, which surpasses “socio-economic boundaries and encourages a better understanding of one another,” Cohen said. Another Coach, Gen Berretta of P.S. 119 in Brooklyn, spoke about the impact of meaningful service on her students. Last year, her Penny Harvest students donated money to the Christopher Rose Community Empowerment Campaign, dedicated to spreading awareness of gang violence. Christopher Rose was a student at P.S. 119, killed by gang members for his IPod in 2005. “I know for my students, [their involvement in the Penny Harvest] really changed them. They rose out of their sadness to put a face to the pennies. It was beautiful,” Berretta said. The room then split into break-out sessions separating the new and returning coaches into two groups. Monique asked the returning Coaches to share common challenges they face in running the Penny Harvest and brainstorm different ways to address them. New York Program Director Adam Seidel spoke with new Coaches, and discussed different strategies to get the whole school involved and build enthusiasm for the Penny Harvest, such as organizing kick-off events and creating a “wheel of caring.” When the two groups came together again, veteran Coaches offered advice on what worked for them in the past and new Coaches offered fresh insights. One new Coach was worried about how she would have time to fit lessons on the Penny Harvest and community service into her already jam-packed schedule. The other teachers in the room had plenty of advice to offer her… “Make it a part of your social studies lesson!” “Incorporate it into art class. The kids can make posters about issues they care about and the art teacher can tell them about the Penny Harvest.” “Ask the librarian to lead the lesson. Maybe the kids can read books about other people who have given back to the community.”
The teachers were excited about the year ahead as the session came to a close. One teacher even stayed behind to play interviews she had recorded with her students about the best part of the Penny Harvest last year. Common Cents staff gathered around to listen to these students talk about how the Penny Harvest turned them into leaders. One 10-year-old girl said: “It changed me mentally. It made me feel powerful, like I could actually make a difference.” “Isn’t that just amazing?” the teacher sighed. And the Common Cents staff smiled, knowing that it is exactly this type of enthusiasm that makes the program a success year after year. |
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A group of teachers huddled around a lunchroom table, magic markers sprawled out between them. They spoke seriously, their brows furrowed in concentration, their hands gesturing in the air for emphasis. Sometimes, one would pick up a marker, scribble down a word, and then underline it twice. Words like: “lack of self-confidence,” or “apathy” or “no motivation.” These teachers were discussing something near and dear to their hearts—their students. They were sharing the biggest barricades to academic achievement their students face, and trying to brainstorm ways the Penny Harvest can help resolve them. They were asking questions like: “How can we build a student’s self-confidence?” or “How can we combat apathy in the classroom?” Or maybe, “How can we motivate students to become leaders?”
Monique Achu, Common Cents Education Associate, led the Coaches in a series of exercises to get these educators thinking about the different ways the program can benefit their students. In one exercise aimed to introduce Coaches to 