April 19, 2021 | Jeffrey Good
These stories of surviving, of thriving amidst untold obstacles, remind me that what we are doing here is deeply human. The spreadsheets help us track progress, identify trends, but it’s the conversations that fill in the gaps and fill out the stories.
One of the joys of these past months has been my conversations with graduation candidates and their family members, and the way those exchanges have deepened my understanding of our impact at Bethel Acceleration Academies.
Until last fall, I supported the BAA team as their model fidelity coach, guiding data analysis and helping set action plans. I spent time, daily, populating spreadsheets with individualized data — how much time each graduation candidate was spending on their coursework, how well they were doing, how long it was taking to progress through a course, and how close they were to obtaining their high school diploma.
Most days, I could tell you, from memory, at least two data points on each young person at our academy. And with the spreadsheet open, I could regale you, at length, with their data story and my ideas for moving those trend lines upward. But it wasn’t until I started making calls based on that data last fall that those stories rounded out, full and rich and messy and real.
One day, I spoke to a young man whose chronic illness regularly interrupts his progress. We talked about hospital visits, the struggle to sit upright, and his commitment to earning his diploma anyway. On another evening, I listened as a mother of a newer GC shared about losing her adult son the day after Thanksgiving, how the family gathered via Zoom, miles away from him, roasting turkey and telling stories. He died the next morning. I’ve talked with our young people navigating parenthood while pursuing their education, and listened as those supporting families wonder how to make it.
These stories of surviving, of thriving amidst untold obstacles, remind me that what we are doing here is deeply human. The spreadsheets help us track progress, identify trends, but it’s the conversations that fill in the gaps and fill out the stories. In my time as interim director, I’ve begun conversations with one understanding, and ended up with quite another. It’s in the meeting of those two understandings where the truth rests — full and rich and messy and real.
Diana Solis served as BAA interim director from October-April, and is now returning to her role as model fidelity coach.