Schumacher CLC Climate Team

The photo above is Schumacher CLC Climate coach Damien Jackson with students Sophia Kuczynski and Car'leiah Jones.

Staff members at Schumacher CLC start the day greeting students with hugs, handshakes, fist bumps and high fives. 

“Starting the day and trying to get students in the door on a positive note can go a long way,” said Damian Jackson, the climate coach at the school. “Catch me early to lift my spirits, and my day is going to go better.” 

Climate coaches are part-time APS employees who work in the elementary schools to help students understand what is expected in a school environment. They teach students that there is a time and place for all behaviors.

“When I was growing up, we used inside and outside voices. You could talk to your friends in a certain way in a more relaxed setting; but, while at home, you talked at the dinner table or church or in school a different way,” Jackson said. “Nowadays, kids talk the same everywhere: school, basketball, church, home -- everybody is called bro. I remind them, that is your mom, that is your teacher, they are not your bro.” 

At Schumacher, students are asked to make direct eye contact when talking to someone, acknowledge people when being spoken to and answer in complete sentences.

“Climate coaches are that extra layer of support on the non-academic side of education offering behavioral support, social skills and prevention strategies,” said Nicole Hassan, the Climate Team coordinator. “They help students who might have some social skills that need sharpening, like how to make friends or how to avoid conflicts. They also de-escalate students when they are overly frustrated by providing calming strategies.”

She said every building has different needs.

“The big piece is that climate coaches are there to provide support to the students,” she said. “They're the ones to get the students refocused and back to class.”

Hassan said it is reteaching students how to behave in school as well as teaching new students basic rules. For example, kindergarteners are learning in-school behaviors such as raising their hands to get the teacher’s attention. At home, some of them rather get attention by expressing what they need or want in a different manner; or sometimes they just have a meltdown because they are only 5 and 6 years old, says Hassan.

She said a lot of times de-escalation is needed after recess, which is a time when students' energy levels are heightened. The climate coach uses calming techniques and de-escalation to get the students refocused and back in learning mode. 

In the case of disruptive students, Jackson inquires what time they went to bed. He follows that by asking what they had for breakfast. He keeps granola bars, fruit snacks and dry cereal in his cabinet. He said it is hard to focus when you’re hungry. Then, he asks “How did you get to school today?”

He wants to know if something happened on the bus, or did they miss that last hug and words of encouragement from family members. 

“It helps me to frame the picture more clearly of where they are coming from, or did they come by car and something happened there,” he said. “Sometimes a snack, a 10-minute power nap, a drink of water and a game plan refocuses them.”

He also has the student do a self-examination of their behavior. He challenges them to define their anger and what caused their anger. 

“There are different responses when a person gets mad,” Jackson said. “Some kids get quiet and shut down completely, and others throw books or hit someone; they get physical. It is the responsibility of every climate coach to meet kids on their level at that moment. Once you meet them on their level, you can help them.”

Climate coaches help students to understand the impact of their behavior on others and restore the relationships broken by their actions. 

“The one thing you cannot get back is time,” Jackson said. “Money and other things you can get back but not time.”

Jackson has students repay their wasted time. If they disrupted 10 minutes of class time, they spend that amount of time reading to the kindergarteners or first-graders. He has also had students help with mediation tactics with his lead, talking to students who were fighting on the playground. It helps his students become more aware of resolving situations and recognize their own expectations. 

Jackson, who has been working at Schumacher since 2014, said sometimes disruptive students act out at school because of issues they might have at home.

“You would be surprised at what some students face in their home life,” he said. “Some talk about it, and some keep it bottled up inside.”

The climate coaches are part of a crisis team that does a check-in and check-out system every day. The crisis team is also made up of the principal, dean and school counselor. 

Hassan said the climate team is trained in a program called Reset for Success, which includes ongoing sessions on de-escalating emotions and strategies for restorative practices. 

The team meets once a month to look at data across the district. They exchange ideas and share what is working well in their buildings or discuss challenges, then come up with solutions. 

At Schumacher, Jackson flips the dialogue with his fourth- and fifth-grade students. He turns those inner aggressive emotions into leadership skills and teaches them life skills.

“I want my students to have a sense of community, a sense of giving back,” he said. “Our rent on this earth is community service.”

Every year, he sets up a business group with his fourth- and fifth-graders. He picks a local charity, has a candy sale and donates the money to the charity. For the last two years, a class has met its goal of donating $100 for both the burn unit and oncology ward at Children's Hospital.

Two of his students who participated in the projects the last two years said it was very rewarding. 

“We got to tour the hospital (Children’s Hospital) and talk to the doctors and nurses,” said Sophia Kuczynski. “It was fun.”

Car’leiah Jones said the classes sold Tootsie Roll Pops to raise money for the hospital. She is excited about selling candy again to raise funds for a food pantry, which starts one week after spring break.

“We’ll be selling the candy at lunchtime in the cafeteria on the stage,” Jones said. “We’re going to work hard to sell the candy. We’re selling the Tootsie Roll Pops, two for $1.”

Jackson said this year’s pantry project is an outreach program at a local church. The candy project gets the students involved with math, which enables him to create a business project. It is an opportunity to introduce marketing, advertising (they have to make signs) and philanthropy (giving back to their peers).

“I love what I do; it takes a lot of energy and empathy to do it right,” Jackson said. “For some students, we are the most consistent thing in their lives. They care when they know that we care.”

The photos below are Schumacher CLC Climate Coach Damien Jackson signing a check to Akron Children's Hospital and Schumacher fourth- and fifth-graders delivering a check to Children's Hospital to the oncology ward and burn unit. The fourth- and fifth-graders at Schumacher raised the $200 donation from candy drive sales to present to the oncology ward and burn unit.