FriendshipPCS

Fatima Coy, Kindergarten Master Teacher

October 8, 2019 By FriendshipPCS

I love giving back. Teachers should not feel like they have to do it all alone. Oftentimes, I will proactively go to other teachers and ask, “Hey, do you need anything? How are things going?”

Can you talk about your journey to your current position?

I started here at FPCS Chamberlain as a Pre-K paraprofessional. Prior to that, I had gone to school, pursuing a biology major to move into the medical field. Life sometimes takes us in new directions we don’t anticipate. After graduating 11 years ago, I met a principal who told me, “You’re a really great teacher. Have you ever thought about working with kids?” To which I replied, “No, I’m trying to decide what to do with my major.” She suggested, “Just try it. Go into the classroom and see if it’s something you like.” There was a charter school not far from where I lived, and so I started subbing. I started to prefer subbing over the other job I had at the time. Then things started to fall into place when I was working in a Pre-K classroom; I fell in love with teaching. Since then, I’ve been at FPCS Chamberlain for 11 years.

I have seen so many teachers grow here, just like I did. When you need help, there’s always someone to go to for coaching and support. Once I got to a place where I fully understood how to navigate the classroom, I knew I had the responsibility to give back and help other teachers. That’s why I became a master teacher. I am thrilled to finally do what so many did for me while I was growing as an educator with only a background in biology.

I love giving back. Teachers should not feel like they have to do it all alone. Oftentimes, I will proactively go to other teachers and ask, “Hey, do you need anything? How are things going?” Who doesn’t want someone to come in the door and ask that? I want them to know that my door is always open and to never be afraid to ask.

Are there any strategies offered to you that stand out as you transitioned from being a biology major to a Pre-K classroom teacher?

Build solid relationships with students and parents. When I first started, the first thing my coach said was, “Get to know your students.” Yes, you have teaching standards to follow, but the way you teach and all of your activities will be based on how your students learn best. Their families will reinforce what you’re teaching at home.

Recently, I pursued a certification with the Gurian Institute. They study the brain and learn how boys and girls develop differently. I learned different approaches to ensure I keep my boys engaged-more than I had in previous years.

What are some ways to get boys to engage in learning?

Movement is critical. I make it my mission to add movement to most of our activities. We’re getting up and doing some sort of moving activity every 10-15 minutes. Even when we’re reading books, I will sometimes ask them to mirror me when I stand up and sit back down as I’m reading. To the observer, it might look really weird. At the end of one story, my principal said, “They actually sat down, got up, sat down, got up, and sat down again. If you did some other type of movement, they copied that too. By the end of the story, everyone was focused, everyone understood, and everyone answered questions.”

I also make sure I have books that interest both girls and boys. I make sure we have plenty of boy-friendly books about motorcycles, rocks, and other things typically based on their interests.

I also lead many lessons about empathy and understanding feelings. Boys learn to recognize how they feel, as well as the people around them.

What’s an example of a lesson about feelings and empathy?

There are a lot of boys who are not comfortable with the range of their emotions. The only emotion they feel comfortable expressing is anger. There’s so much beneath the anger: You might be anxious because something that happened that day. You might be sad. So yes, anger might be what you display, but we learn that there is something else underneath it to better understand our feelings. We read books about students and explore emotions beyond “I am happy” or “I am mad.” We expand our vocabulary. We learn to appropriately express these emotions and recognize what they look like in oursleves, in the classroom, at home, and in the community. And guess what-even if you’re a boy, it’s okay to be sad, to cry, and to let it out.

Do you have any favorite resources or books that you would recommend?

Strategies for Teaching Boys and Girls, by Michael Gurian. This book explores brain research, how boys and girls develop, and the different strategies you can use for teaching – whether in preschool, elementary, or middle school.

There’s also another book that shares activities for getting students moving-no matter what subject they’re learning. Those have been my go-tos when I’m planning.

Is there a fun fact you’d like to share?

I guess a lot of people don’t know that I’m from California. I ended up going to college in North Carolina. When it was snowing people always asked me, “Where are you from?” Because it was snowing outside and I was wearing flip flops.

Brandy Winchester, 4th Grade Teacher

October 24, 2018 By FriendshipPCS

The culture of this school is amazing. I feel supported. If I need anything at all, I know who to reach out to. If I’m having a bad day, I know who I can reach out to. It’s one big family. To work in this environment means a lot to me.

Can you talk about your journey to your current position?

This is my fifth year here. I started with the Friendship Cares Program and an opportunity became available soon after. The former assistant principal recommended that I apply for a fourth grade co-teaching opportunity. It was an amazing experience. I learned a lot from my colleagues. I enjoy having the autonomy to be creative.

Our math coach, Ms. Richardson, is phenomenal and offers great ideas. She has truly made an impact on my professional experience as a math educator.

What do you like about Friendship Chamberlain?

When I talk about it, it brings tears to my eyes. The culture of this school is amazing. I feel supported. If I need anything at all, I know who to reach out to. If I’m having a bad day, I know who I can reach out to. It’s one big family. To work in this environment means a lot to me.

My daughter also goes here. She started out in pre-K and is now in 2nd grade. Just seeing that growth itself has been phenomenal. Her teachers have been amazing. On the weekends or during spring break she asks me, “Are we going to school today?” She wakes up every morning and wants to go to school. I want all my students to feel that way.

Beyond academics, it’s also rewarding to watch children grow both socially and emotionally. For example, one of my students from years ago was very shy and wouldn’t talk. After developing a relationship with her, I watched her come out of her shell. I showed her that I cared. I spent time with her after school. Our families attended outings together. That really helped. She’s now in 7th grade, and every time I see her, I give her a hug and say, “I’m proud of you.” Little things like that matter to kids.

What do you like about Friendship Chamberlain?

Helen Price, Paraprofessional

May 30, 2018 By FriendshipPCS

Friendship is a family. It’s something that you have to invest in, and that’s precisely the reason why I’ve been here for 20 years. It is deeply meaningful to know that I have touched so many lives.

You have been at Friendship Chamberlain since 1998. What has your experience been like?

I learned a lot and I have filled many roles. I started out as a reading tutor, and then I moved to support a kindergarten classroom.

I heard about Friendship when I was looking for a school for my daughter. After attending an open house, I decided to enroll her in first grade. I came every morning to bring her to school and I enjoyed helping the teachers. Whenever they needed assistance they often remembered, “Ms. Price can help!”

When the principal heard about me, he said, “I want to hire you! Be here Monday morning at eight o’clock.” So that’s what I did. I have enjoyed it so much that I stayed for 20 years.

What I love about Friendship is that if you have specific passions, you can apply them here. I wanted to work with special education children, so I was given the opportunity to go into a class and assist special education teachers. Now, after all these years, I concentrate on seventh and eighth grade special needs students and help them with their class work, homework, projects, and anything else I can do to help them move forward academically.

During this time, I helped to establish the afterschool program, Friendship Cares. I supported it for many years while working with Michael Robinson and Gail Sivels. I also supported Gail with the Saturday program called Smart Cookies. I have been supportive in several various capacities over the years, and whenever anything needed to be done, I did it.

What have you found most rewarding?

Working with children at every level. I love supporting scholars and finding them what they need. One of my previous scholars who I met in first grade just graduated last year from high school with honors and I went to her going-away college party.

It is rewarding to see what can happen if you give kids time and love. The staff at Friendship genuinely embraces all children – it’s not just a job. Many have spent additional time with the kids and bought them clothes and food.

Now I tell them I am retiring and they reply, “But I have a grandchild that’s coming next year. Can’t you stay one more year?”

But it’s time to go. I’ve done a lot. I’ve learned a lot and it has been good. Friendship has been good to me. There are good people here who I will dearly miss when I leave.

DeMark Bowman, Recruitment Manager, Former Teacher & Alum

February 7, 2018 By FriendshipPCS

I have enjoyed this opportunity to give back to my community.

Can you talk about your journey to your current position as a middle school math teacher at Friendship Chamberlain?

I started at Friendship Blow Pierce in 8th grade. My mother took me out of public school because it wasn’t a good fit for me academically or socially. I had a great year at Blow Pierce, and from there I went on to Friendship Collegiate. I participated in the Early College Program and was part of POSSE. I received a Friendship Scholars scholarship. If you had asked me ten years what I wanted to be, I would have said “an architect.” After leaving DC for college at Lafayette College in Pennsylvania and then returning, I saw my city differently. That was when I began to consider teaching. Then my mentor, Rictor Craig, helped to make this decision final. He introduced me to different teaching training programs including the DC Teaching Fellows, Urban Teacher Center, and Teach for America. After a lot of research, I decided that UTC was the best fit for me. It was a 4-year program and it included a dual master’s degree and placement in a school. I graduated from that program in 2015.

I have enjoyed this opportunity to give back to my community.

What has it been like to teach Eureka Math?

This is my fourth year at Friendship. During my first year we taught Go Math, which was less holistic. When we switched over to Eureka math it was overwhelming at first because it was a new way to teach math. Eureka requires students to know conceptual versus procedural. Growing up, we learned procedural, “This is how you solve it,” but not necessarily, “This is why it works.” I tell parents that Eureka is probably the best thing to happen to our children for a couple reasons. It introduces the correct vocabulary to students, like “decompose/compose” versus “borrow,” etc. It starts with place value which is required to truly read, understand, and manipulate numbers. Even my own understanding of math has deepened because of Eureka.

What do you like about teaching math?

I wasn’t always a math person. Growing up, I was a big reader and writer – poetry, reading stories, Harry Potter, fantasy fiction. I was all about books, all about words. I was a philosophy major and a religious studies minor. However, I believe that reading helps you become a better mathematician. Many math problems are simply word problems, applying skills in a real world context.

The greatest joy that I receive from teaching is knowing that my students are learning and look forward to coming to my class.

As much as it is about each student getting better at math, it is also about me improving my craft, too. Every year I am getting better. Not only at teaching math, but at building relationships with my students, the way I communicate with parents, and the way I work with my peers. I give all of my students my number and tell them to call me if they need help with their homework. I enjoy being a male role model for my students. I recognize that some of my students are missing something in their life that I am helping to try and fill. When students feel comfortable sharing the personal struggles they are experiencing with me, I know that I must be doing a good job.

Sometimes in class I say, “Alright, story time.” “Story time” means that Mr. Bowman is going to tell you something about his own life when he was your age, as well as lessons learned from mistakes. I believe this makes my students feel more comfortable with me because they know a lot about me.

This is my favorite sound of all time: “Oh!” We could be taking a test when everyone is supposed to be silent, but if I hear a student say, “Oh!” I am ecstatic. It lets me know you just had an “Aha moment” and something illusive now makes sense to you.

Recently we were talking about the metric system, and I realized I was not explaining it effectively because they were not getting it. I thought about what I was saying and how I could change what I was saying so that they could understand these concepts. I sat down with my math coaches and the special education teacher and we discussed the kind of language we needed to use for students to understand. I went home for the weekend, and the next week I told my class that I made a mistake – this is how I should have taught the lesson. And every 45 minutes after I started explaining something with a new approach, I saw face after face light up with understanding. They may not have completely grasped the conversion process, but they were beginning to understand. We need to think about our end game. Do we want students to only be able to convert the units or do we want them to understand why we are converting units? Sometimes I ask students, “Based on these questions, what operation should we use to solve this?” A lot of learning happens through discourse and trial and error. It is the struggle with knowledge that helps you to retain and internalize it. You don’t learn if I give you the answer. You learn from trying it yourself, making a mistake, and trying again.

Are there any tips you have for new teachers?

Absolutely! The first one would be, “Don’t do this work if you’re not ready to commit to it.” In addition to being a teacher, am I ready to take on the role of “social worker, father, brother?” Am I ready to stretch myself for the betterment of other people?

My mom was the type of person who would give everything she had to others. She sacrificed so much without ever looking for anything in return. She always went out of her way to be there for other people and that trait definitely rubbed off on me. I want to do meaningful work, and I want my work to be impactful to the world around me, not just myself. My mother was a big inspiration.

What is special about Friendship?

We have a lot of autonomy at Friendship. We are also provided with benefits to make our life easier. If I am able to worry about fewer things, I can be a better teacher. Friendship helps you to be in a good space overall. Now I am excited to wake up at 5:45 a.m., drive for twenty minutes, and wait three minutes for the building to open at 6:30 a.m. I plan to stay in education for the rest of my career. Had I stayed at my previous school, I would not have stayed in education. I have never felt so happy and at ease with a job.

Bharti Bhasin, A.P. Calculus Teacher

January 31, 2018 By FriendshipPCS

What was your journey to your current position?

I’m originally from India, and I completed my Master’s in Mathematics from Delhi University. I also completed a second Master’s in Curriculum and Instruction from the University of Maryland, College Park in 2013. I started teaching at the private high school in India where I had attended all those years ago. My husband, Vikrant, encouraged me to explore teaching options outside of India. In 2009 I found an opportunity to teach middle school math at Prince George’s County. Even though I had nine years of teaching experience in India, the teaching style, culture, and the new system was very different and made the transition a bit challenging. My husband asked me if I wanted to go back. I said, “No, I didn’t take up this challenge just to quit. I will not give up. I will learn every day and develop my expertise.”

I knew that I had strong content knowledge, and students had always been receptive to my teaching style. I knew my strengths, I knew my weaknesses. I tell my students today that it is very important to first identify the problem. If we do not know what the problem is, we cannot fix it. I started observing my colleagues. I even took notes on every statement they made in response to what a student asked if my responses were not working. After this, my teaching greatly improved, and students began to respect me and became more receptive to my teaching. I also structured my lessons to be more activity oriented, whereas in India, we practice more direct teaching methods. I taught at Prince George’s County for three and a half years, but because my expertise was in higher level math, I took the opportunity to teach at Friendship Collegiate in 2012.

After five years at Friendship, my students have become like a family to me because when we came to this country, we didn’t know anyone. It is rewarding when my students come back to visit after having started college. They say, “Ms. Bhasin, we are enrolled in a calculus class and know the content well. Now we are helping out our peers.” When I hear this, I feel like I have made a real difference. Last year, I was a Teacher of the Year finalist for Friendship Collegiate Academy. Needless to say, I have grown a lot from when I first moved to the United States.

What strategies have helped you to be successful?

There are so many factors which have contributed to my success. These are the main factors:

1. Consistency
I tell my students that the process on Day 1 will also be the same process on Day 180. The procedures and rules will never change.

2. Organization
I tell my students that they have to be highly organized in order to be successful and properly prepare for exams.

3. Relationships
We need to make students know that we care about them, and we want them to be successful. I offer afterschool tutoring two or three times a week. I also share my own personal story with them. They know that I came from a very different world, and that I was able to overcome large challenges. This motivates them.

Are there any resources you would recommend for teachers?

Khan Academy is a great resource because they have connections with the College Board. It is a personalized, free program for students to prepare for AP exams, SATs, and PSATs. It is also a helpful support system for the content covered in class.

What do you like about Friendship?

Friendship is very close to my heart because my colleagues and supervisors are all great people. We offer each other support and appreciation regularly. I am so grateful to have been allowed the opportunity to grow both professionally and personally at Friendship. I am especially grateful for the support I have received from Dr. Shairzay, my academy director. Dr. Shairzay has guided me through every step of my journey at Friendship.

Brett Gotlib, Manager of Alumni Retention and Support

December 6, 2017 By FriendshipPCS

We check in with students regularly so that we can build relationships and let them know that they can come to us at any time. We connect them with resources on campus.

What was your journey to your current position?

I moved to DC from New York in the summer of 2008. I knew right away that I wanted to work in education because I love working with kids. An agency in D.C. connected me with the College Success Foundation, where I worked for nine years. I advised students in multiple schools through the Achievers Scholarship Program, and one of those schools turned out to be Friendship Collegiate. This January, Maya Foster, our previous Alumni Manager, reached out to ask if I would be interested. My passion is in helping students navigate college, and this was the natural next step for me.

How do you support students who are in college?

It is important to foster a relationship where students know they can reach out if they need anything. We want them to reach out to us before they feel overwhelmed. We check in with students regularly so that we can build relationships and let them know that they can come to us at any time. We connect them with resources on campus. I always tell students, “Go to class every single day and make a connection with your professors.”

What advice would you give teachers to support students?

It is important to teach young scholars positive study skills. Sometimes this is not explicitly taught, but it can make a huge difference in terms of a student’s college success. How do you take notes? How do you review your notes and paraphrase them? How can you avoid cramming the night before a test? Also, encourage students to write college-level papers. Academic research and writing are very important skills for college.

What makes students successful in college?

Students are more successful when they have a guide or mentor that can help them navigate college life. Students appreciate hearing from former Friendship teachers who check in on them periodically while they’re in school or even after they graduate. It helps them to know that there are people out there rooting for them.

Angela Das

August 24, 2017 By FriendshipPCS

I love seeing children walk through our doors and have the same opportunities as students in Georgetown. They need to know you care about them and you have high expectations because they can do it.

What has been your journey to becoming an Math Instructional Specialist at Armstrong? Did you startas a teacher?

Yes, and the journey began when I was younger. I was a horrible math student, but when math made sense, I loved it. I remember loving the order of operations and that it turned into a pyramid at the end. It was actually my struggle with math that made me a great math teacher. I understood where kids could go wrong.

Do you have any tips for math teachers?

Do the work as if you were one of your students, and then ask yourself, “What do I need to do to teach this?”

You mentioned Harry Potter inspired you. How?

I listened to the Harry Potter series last year. I love that Hogwarts is a magical and mystical place, and in every single classroom the learning is hands on. I want our classrooms to look like that–a place where kids work together to apply the math.

What do you love about working at Friendship?

I love seeing children walk through our doors and have the same opportunities as students in Georgetown. They need to know you care about them and you have high expectations because they can do it.

Also, you can be your authentic self at Friendship. If you have a great idea and it’s going to work with your children, you can do it. At some high-performing charters, everyone does the exact same thing, at the exact same time. We need to remember we’re not building robots! We are preparing our children for jobs that don’t exist yet. That means they need to be innovative and creative.

Students need to practice the conversation and thinking to grapple with hard skills, and they need to be able to talk with their peers about different ways you can get answers.

Morgan Sydnor, Human Resources Manager

July 11, 2017 By FriendshipPCS

Friendship teachers always went above and beyond.

I grew up in Northeast Washington, D.C., and I went to Friendship Blow Pierce and then Collegiate Academy. Throughout my educational journey, Friendship teachers always went above and beyond. My only plan was to finish high school, but our teachers pushed us to apply for college. With their support, I decided to go to Bennett College for Women (on a full scholarship)!

Even once I started Bennett, Friendship teachers continued to support me – coming down to Bennett to help me settle in and sending care packages during finals week. Several Friendship teachers even attended my graduate school graduation in 2015.

Now I work within the HR department as HR Manager. I love it because I am able to meet different people and give back to the Friendship community.