AN INTERVIEW WITH MAURICE (Part 2)
Meet Maurice McKoy. Maurice grew up in Baltimore and graduated from Baltimore City Public Schools. His focus is on helping scholars, parents, teachers, and schools be successful.
Since joining BELL’s team in 2007, Maurice has served as an Enrichment Instructor, Teacher, and Program Manager at the Dickey Hill Elementary & Middle School, and Harlem Park Elementary & Middle School, where he has led BELL’s summer and afterschool programs for the past two years.
BELL honored Maurice for his excellence and impact with the Peterkin Award for Educational Leadership. Maurice earned the award based on BELL staff nominations, scholar assessment data, scholar engagement metrics such as retention and attendance, program quality indicators, and feedback from parent and teacher surveys.
Describe a challenge that you have overcome in your work.
One of the greatest challenges I have faced in my role is engaging middle school students. Not only do you have to manage academic needs and other challenges that come with working in low-income, under-resourced communities, you also have to deal with puberty and pre-adolescence. One of the keys that I have learned by working with middle school students is that a big part of the challenge is helping them understand that they have to take ownership and responsibility for their own success. It starts with establishing a routine – you get up on time, you get dressed, you maintain your personal hygiene, you come to school, you strive to meet high expectations, and own your education so that you can be successful. At the same time, you as an educator have to stand behind the rigor of the program model and stay focused on building scholars’ buy-in and increasing their engagement. It’s ok if a scholar is tired and needs to take a break, yawn, stretch, walk around a little, and refocus. But the expectation is that they will refocus and they will choose to make an investment in their own lives. We build the culture and climate so that scholars can confidently make that choice and move forward.
What advice do you have for afterschool and summer program leaders?
Establish clear and high expectations with their staff, stakeholders, partners, and most importantly, scholars.
Engage staff in building a positive, supportive culture.
Be actively involved in the culture and climate of the school. Manage on your feet, visiting classrooms and clusters, talking to teachers and parents, engaging scholars.
Know your community. Know what’s going on in the community, know who’s who. And learn about the needs of your community.
Build relationships with parents, engage them as volunteers, and connect with your school’s parent & teachers’ organization.
Become a part of your school’s Instructional Leadership Team. Share knowledge about scholar performance and needs.
Be a part of scholars’ lives. Provide resources that meet their needs, and the needs of their parents. For example, we have partnered with the Maryland Food Bank to ensure that Harlem Park kids get breakfast, lunch, and dinner every day, and also go home on Friday with groceries to cover their weekend meals. By supporting scholars’ healthy eating, we increased attendance and built stronger relationships with parents.
What’s One Key to a Successful Partnership?
Your presence is what makes you a great partner. You have to be present. You have to be willing to let the school know that you are there to help everyone be successful – scholars, teachers, parents. I’ve held cafeteria duty. I have subbed in for teachers during the school day, served as a hall monitor, sat on boards, and analyzed data. And it’s all because I am here all the time. That also makes it easier to transition from the school day into afterschool time, so that scholars can gather, have a snack, unwind, and refocus efficiently. Time is limited; you have to make the most of it.