From Voices to Action: Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) Families’ Responses to Pandemic and School Reopening

Young-chan Han:

Okay. So let’s get started. Yeah. Thank you. So good afternoon, everyone. [Foreign language 00:00:13]. My name is Young-chan Han, a senior family engagement specialist at MAEC and I am your moderator today. Before we get started, we’re going to review some webinar etiquettes. So just a couple of points here. First, please use the chat box to engage with panelists and other participants. Please click on the chat icon on the bottom or top tool bar on your screen.

Young-chan Han:

For questions you want the panelists to answer, please use the Q&A box. We also received questions from the registration, and we will address these questions during Q&A at our last segment of the webinar. For interpreting services, please select the interpretation icon on your webinar controls at the bottom of your Zoom window. There should be a picture of a globe, as you can see on the screen. Please select the language. We have Chinese interpreting available today.

Young-chan Han:

Next slide. So to enable enabling or disabling live captions, live auto captions should show up on your screen by default. To turn them off on your webinar, control at the bottom of your Zoom window, select the live transcript, or closed caption button. Again, you can see the icons, the picture. And then select hide subtitle to view them again. Repeat step two and select show subtitle instead.

Young-chan Han:

Next slide. So this is our web support team today. We Nikevia Thomas, who is our live program director, and she’s overseeing the webinar logistics and tech support. And she’ll be in charge of QA and chat. We have Jessica Lim, finance and bookkeeping assistant. And Marianna Stepniak, program and communications associate, both supporting behind the scenes, including interpreting and tech support. We also have Kathleen Pulupa, communications coordinator, monitoring our Facebook Live. So if people are not on the webinars through Zoom, they can watch through Facebook. Next slide.

Young-chan Han:

Here is our AAPI webinar planning team who helped develop the AAPI family survey questions, also help disseminate the survey to greater communities, and was instrumental in planning today’s webinar together, including identifying and recruiting today’s panelists. Most importantly, the committee members made it possible for us to receive a critical mass of over 450 survey responses.

Young-chan Han:

So we have, on top row next to me, Catherine Siris, Dr. Lieny Jeon, Dr. Sadia Batool, Kate Kim, Pastor Stacy Hun on the second row, Min Woo, Richard Li, Alex Kim, YJ Kim, and not pictured is Felis Sian Kim. So a big thank you to our planning team and our webinars support.

Young-chan Han:

Next slide, we would like to share quick background information about MAEC. MAEC was founded in 1992 as an education non-profit dedicated to increasing access to a high-quality education for culturally, linguistically, and economically diverse learners. MAEC envisions a day when all students have equitable opportunities to learn and achieve at high levels. And our mission is to promote excellence and equity in education to achieve social justice.

Young-chan Han:

So CAFE, Collaborative Action for Family Engagement is a project of MAEC, and we are a Statewide Family Engagement Center for Maryland] and Pennsylvania. We help build sustainable infrastructure to support healthy family, student, and community engagement. CAFE serves all educators from state agencies to school districts, to school staff and early-child care providers, and families to promote high-impact culturally responsive family engagement.

Young-chan Han:

Next slide. So during our time together, we will highlight key things from the AAPI family survey, have a panel discussion, and identify practical strategies to support AAPI students and families. And we will end with Q&A.

Young-chan Han:

Next. The AAPI family survey was administered by MAEC for two weeks, from mid-July to the end of July. I want to thank everyone who shared the survey with AAPI families and parents and parents and family members that submitted a response. The purpose of the survey is to better understand AAPI family’s experiences during the pandemic, challenges and concerns about school reopening, and identified important topics to consider as schools reopen.

Young-chan Han:

We hope the survey results will inform our educators, administrators, community leaders, and families to develop strategies, to make plans to support our API students and families. So for this webinar segment, we have Min Woo, an educator and Alex Kim, a parent leader, two of our distinguished AAPI webinar planning committee members. And from MAEC, Claire Willman research specialist, and I will present the survey results. So the first slide.

Claire Ruhlman:

So yes, in regard to the survey that Young-chan was speaking about earlier, overall, we were super pleased with the number of responses we received. To increase the accessibility of the survey, the survey was translated into three languages in addition to English, as you can see in the upper-left graphic, that was Chinese, Korean, and Urdu. In total, we received 466 responses, around 10% of which were in Korean and 15% of which were Chinese.

Claire Ruhlman:

Moving on to the upper-right graphic, the survey was disseminated across the U.S, but we found that most participants came from our region one states, where MAEC holds its equity system, et cetera. These states span the Eastern Seaboard, as you can see in the map, and in particular, Maryland and Pennsylvania, where CAFE operates its two statewide family engagement centers represented about 87% of total responses.

Claire Ruhlman:

Additionally, most survey participants, about 45.09%, indicated that they were answering for elementary school aged students. The survey auctions range from pre-K to high school, with an option for other. And now Young-chan will speak a little on how the survey was distributed and some of the specific demographics of the survey participants.

Young-chan Han:

So when respondents were surveyed on how they received the survey, the top three most popular channels were revealed to be school systems or schools. Number two, from friends. And number three from email listserv. So AAPI webinar planning committee was very intentional about disseminating the survey directly to API communities within their circle of influence, and reached out to AAPI faith-based communities and ethnic organizations, such as language schools and Islamic community centers. Our group also share the information using the apps that many Asian-Americans use, including Lichat, KakaoTalk, and WhatsApp. And I also want to thank everybody who’s in the space who have helped disseminate the AAPI family survey. Thank you.

Young-chan Han:

So the graph on the bottom-left shows the years of residency for the survey participants. Our sample shows that majority of parents have more than five years of residency, which means that we did not reach new AAPI families who may have experienced more challenges during the pandemic. Responses were submitted from parents or family who have access to technology as the mode of survey was through online only. Due to COVID, we could not go directly to families with no access to technology and help them respond to the survey using printed copies. And for safety reasons, we did not pursue this option, which could have increased the number of survey participants representing five years or less, U.S. residency, and the families who face technology challenges. Next slide.

Claire Ruhlman:

Thank you. To set the basis for our study, the first question we asked was about which mode of learning participants schools offer during the pandemic, as you could see from the label. Please note here that no specific information was requested here or throughout the survey. Rather, this survey was a general investigation and we did not perform specific analyses.

Claire Ruhlman:

From the slide, you can see that virtual learning was the number one response. Of course, this question allowed for multiple responses. So please note that students may have experienced a combination of in-person, hybrid, and/or virtual learning models.

Claire Ruhlman:

Next slide, please. We furthermore asked participants to rate their level of satisfaction with their children’s pandemic schooling. From the responses, we see that 10.84% of participants reported that they were very satisfied, and 31 point 19 reported that they were satisfied. Which indicated to us that most survey takers were satisfied, overall.

Claire Ruhlman:

Next slide, please. The next slide considers some of the common challenges families face during the pandemic. The results were as follows; 39 point 24% reported that they did not experience any challenges, 31 point 21% reported that they could not spend time with their children due to work, and 19 point 15 reported that, due to language barriers, they had difficulty supporting their children. And now Young-chan will speak a little on these results.

Young-chan Han:

Thank you, Claire. So over 50% stated that parents or family members could not support children’s learning and spend time with them due to work commitments and language barriers. Overall, it is known that the general U.S population could not spend time with their children due to work commitment. However, the language barrier is unique to immigrant experiences. 81 people selected the language barrier as a challenge, which is almost 20% of survey participants. In addition, there are many immigrant parents family members in our school community that are limited English proficient. These families need language support to effectively partner with schools to ensure their children’s success. Claire?

Claire Ruhlman:

Yeah. Thank you. And lastly, because our list was nowhere near exhaustive, we also asked families to provide additional challenges in a follow-up open-ended question. In this space, parents offered several challenges not captured here in this survey. These were predominantly related to the quality of education they experienced, the lack of opportunity for socio-emotional development, and the increased need for resources for students receiving special services. And now Min will present on some more technology-related challenges.

Min Woo:

Thank you. If you will see on your screen, we asked, what did you and your children experienced any of these following issues related to technology? And we asked them to state all of the challenges that you might have. And you will see that a huge majority said they did not experience any challenges. So as Young-chan alluded to, the people who are able to access the online survey because they had language support or they read English proficiently and had access to technology, and then you will see that 10% were not able to support their children because of either them or their caregiver’s lack of computer literacy.

Min Woo:

And there was a small percentage, over 4%, where they said that school did not provide adequate, either internet access or the technology. So again, we want to speak to the fact that those without the language or technology barriers were the only ones that were able to complete this online survey. So we did not hear from families who might have experienced the challenges with the lack of the internet access.

Min Woo:

Next slide. So we asked also how comfortable are you in your child or children about going back to the classroom, starting this fall? So we had our correspondence saying some are comfortable, 13%, very comfortable, sorry, and then comfortable. And then you’ll see that there is over a quarter of the people who said that we’re neither comfortable or uncomfortable. And then the huge majority, almost 40%, they’re uncomfortable or very uncomfortable.

Min Woo:

And some of the comments that they wrote in were they were very concerned about the spread of COVID-19 and increasing cases of the Delta variant. Children under 12 are not able to receive the vaccinations. There were also fears of anti-Asian hate and/or discrimination. And lastly, the mandating or not mandating masks in school. Next slide.

Alex Kim:

This question explorers AAPI families’ challenges and concerns about school reopening. The question is what are some major concerns about school reopening in the fall? Please select all that apply. Since there was a multiple-choice question, there was a total of 562 responses. And I would like to highlight the top four. 81.09% said, I am concerned about the spread of COVID. And in numbers, it’s 326 responses. Next states, 31.34% said, I am concerned for how my children will get back on track academically. In numbers, it was 126 responses. 24.38% said, I am concerned for my children’s social anxiety, such as interacting with other people in person. And in numbers, it was 98 responses. And the response that we wanted to highlight is that 22.89% said, I am afraid my children will be bullied. And in numbers, it was 92 responses. Next slide, please.

Min Woo:

So after that, we wanted to know what are some important things to keep in mind as schools reopen. And you’ll see on the bar graph that the top three were, they want support for our students, social, emotional, and mental wellbeing, and preparing for either a virtual or hybrid options if the COVID numbers rise. And last, the third one was supporting the students’ academic needs.

Min Woo:

And let’s look at the further descending water. There’s concern that communication is very clear about health and safety protocols. And the two pieces that are important for educators to keep in mind is, are there training or will the educators be trained on discrimination and/or instances of hate that AAPI children may experience? And are we training educators on the children’s social and emotional needs as they return? And you will see that people are able to select all that apply. And this had a huge response of 1,882 responses. Next slide.

Alex Kim:

The question was, would you like to see some type of online and/or at-home virtual learning continued even when school reopens in the fall? And 63.54% said yes. And 36.46 said no. And some of the comments from that said yes were, they want the online learning because there is concern for COVID transmission, and children are not vaccinated yet, and concerns about children being bullied or discriminated due to misconception of COVID-19 as Asian virus. And some of them answers who said no, they were concerned about too much screen time. Next, please.

Alex Kim:

The question was, if you had an option, which method of learning, we just select for you and your children? And this was also another multiples selection question. And 41.43% selected in-person, 36.05% selected in-person with options, 30.18% selected hybrid learning, and 6% selected virtual learning, and at 1.53% chose others.

Alex Kim:

Some of the comments saying that even with options, the parents or the participants wanted to have opt-out option, opt-out choices. And some selected high rate were concerned about the format of hybrid learning. They said taking devices into classrooms, they were not really well received as hybrid. They perceived more as virtual learning. Next, please.

Claire Ruhlman:

Yes. Thank you for that. These next few slides inquire further into families decision-making processes in response to the question posed above. So for the majority who selected in-person, we observed that 78.06 respondents identified the need for social interaction as the justification for their decision. Similarly, 71.61% of respondents identified too much learning loss while at home is the basis for their reasoning. And then lastly, 19.35 express that they could not support their children at home. Next slide, please.

Claire Ruhlman:

For those who selected virtual, 100% of respondents had concerns about the spread of COVID-19. 60.42 respondents stated that their home was safer than school. And 23.96 were fearful of bullying harassment upon returning to school. Next slide please.

Claire Ruhlman:

And lastly, among those who selected hybrid, we saw that 90% of respondents wish to minimize the spread of COVID-19 68.18% of respondents were interested in the flexibility that the hybrid model presents. And 45.45 stated that their home was safer than school. And with that, we wrap up our discussion of the survey results.

Young-chan Han:

So next slide. We added a question to learn about how well-informed our AAPI parents are in regards to a recent American Rescue Plan Act enacted on March 11th, 2021. ARP ESSERF, which stands for American Rescue Plan Act Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund, known as ARP ESSERF. This funds provided a total of nearly $122 billion to states and school districts to help safely reopen and sustain the safe operation of schools and address the impact of the pandemic on the nation’s students.

Young-chan Han:

So as you can see it on the screen, not surprisingly, 75.07% of survey participants have not heard about the ARP ESSERF funds, and over 10% have heard about the ARP ESSERF but do not know what it is. So only 15 survey participants out of 381 showed that they are familiar with ARP ESSERF. So majority of our parents have little or no knowledge of the funds that are available to support schools reopening. One of the CAFE’s goals is to build parent capacity, parents and caregivers, including available resources and policies, and help parents and family members become more knowledgeable with their rights.

Young-chan Han:

As districts have already identified their priorities for using ARP ESSERF funds, the educators, administrators, and district staff can ensure two-way communications with all families on how the funds are used to support students and families in a language that our families understand. So with that said, we will now transition into the next segment of our webinar. So actually, if you want to take a little break here, and if participants have any comments or questions about the survey, do we have anything to Nikevia or comments that we can read?

Nikevia Thomas:

I’m just looking at the comments right… Oh the chat right now to make sure-

Young-chan Han:

Yes, please. Thank you.

Nikevia Thomas:

And to make sure I didn’t miss anything. So I don’t see any questions or comments rather in the chat, but other than great job on the survey. Yes, it was a very, very great job.

Young-chan Han:

Thank you. Thank you so much. So let’s go to the next slide. So are we ready for our amazing panelists and discussion with our panel members? So we have distinguished panelists who will respond to questions that connect with the survey results. I am honored to introduce our three panelists, a student, a parent, and an educator.

Young-chan Han:

First in the center is Isabelle Lee, a student. Isabella is a student at Upper Marion Area High School in Pennsylvania. And she has been entirely advocating for the inclusion of all kids, with her brother, since she was a baby. She is passionate about teaching the world the importance of inclusion for everyone in every setting. Isabel, can you please wave to everyone? Are you able to do that? If not, I’ll continue.

Young-chan Han:

Okay. So on our left side of the screen is Pastor Stacy Huh. Ms. Huh is a parent from Maryland, and has served as a pastor at a local immigrant church for many years. She has two children in elementary school. And she is one of our AAPI parent leaders and a today’s webinar planning committee member.

Young-chan Han:

To the right of the screen, we have Ms. Consuela Robinson, Ms. Robinson is a licensed clinical social worker with over 20 years of experience working in schools. Ms. Robinson currently coordinates school-based mental health programs for the Hara County public school system, and is also pursuing a doctoral degree in educational leadership.

Young-chan Han:

So at this time we will stop sharing the screen and start our round table discussions. Can we see everybody? So Isabelle, Stacy, and Consuela, welcome to our space. Thank you for joining us today as we discuss and share strategies to best support our AAPI students and families to prepare for school reopening.

Young-chan Han:

For the next segment of the webinar, we would like to hear our panelists voices regarding how students, parents, and educators can prepare to return to school. So we generated panel questions, there highlights survey results, and some comments that were provided by survey participants. So we’re going to start with our student panelists, Isabelle. Isabel? Could we have her on the screen?

Isabelle Lee:

Yeah, I’m here. [crosstalk 00:27:18].

Young-chan Han:

Here’s my question from the survey, we learned about families concerns regarding school reopening, including how children will get back on track academically and also students’ social anxiety, example, interacting with other peers and educators. So, from a student perspective, how can parents support their children for school reopening? The mic is yours.

Isabelle Lee:

I would say that the best thing that parents can do is just to be understanding. I think every child, regardless of who they are, had a rough time through the pandemic. And especially as Asian students, they may feel less able to share these struggles and feel more pressure for perfection. No kid does badly in school because they choose to. There’s always something else that’s preventing them from succeeding. Even kids who have done well in previous years have been failing this past year. And that’s okay. Majority of the kids were the same just because of circumstances outside of their control.

Isabelle Lee:

So above all, I would just ask that parents support their child through whatever they may be dealing with and understand that they’re going through a tough time. I know that each child has different struggles, but just as an example, for me personally, I have a lot of anxiety about going back to school. And I’m scared. I haven’t talked to anybody in a year.

Isabelle Lee:

Along with that is the anxiety of going into junior year when the last normal year I had was eighth grade. These worries are just a few of many that I know and everyone else are feeling to varying degrees, which is okay. And I know this experience is not universal for all Asian students, but many are less socially connected than their peers, whether it be because of more restricted phone access or more conservative families.

Isabelle Lee:

And a lot of Asian students already feel social anxiety to a degree because of growing up more reserved and feeling different and being less able to just have friends over or go to sleep overs. The pandemic has not helped this. And with the added responsibility that many feel towards their family or the need to be careful because of a multi-generational household, many Asian students experienced more isolation than their peers.

Isabelle Lee:

I know that understanding is something big to ask for, for parents, but it’s a really good first step. I think each student needs something different to support them. And so I think the most important thing would just be to listen to them. Because I, personally, wouldn’t even know what kind of support to ask for. And even working through these feelings myself is difficult.

Isabelle Lee:

As an Asian person and the eldest daughter, I have a serious type of embarrassment and shame when I have moments that I feel are weak. It’s hard enough being open about them and ask, but asking for support or help on top of that is even worse for me personally. And it’s something that I have to learn to move past, but right now I know I feel overwhelmed and withdrawn if my parents tried to force things on me when I’m not ready for them.

Isabelle Lee:

And on top of that, I hear from friends that it’s very difficult to tell their parents about their own struggles because of language barriers. Or in households where the parents are working so hard that they don’t have the time to rest, it feels incredibly difficult to bring it up at all. And it’s all these things that I feel are very important for parents to keep in mind as the new school year approaches. And I would stress, again, just to listen to your child and hear them out.

Young-chan Han:

Thank you, Isabelle. Thank you for reminding parents of the importance of listening to our children and the understanding that we all experienced rough times through the pandemic, especially Asian-American students. And thank you also for reminding us about language barriers between parents and their children in AAPI families and in many immigrant families in general. I think for our immigrant population, it’s, in addition to the language barriers, we have cultural barriers, we have… There’s layers of barriers that we really need to make sure that we address, but I am so glad that you pointed that out.

Young-chan Han:

So yes, let’s listen to our kids and the understanding of what we all went through. Thank you, Isabelle. Yes. Yeah. Very well-articulated. Thank you for wonderful comments in a chat. So I am going to now turn to our parent, Stacy. So Stacy, according to… Stacy?

Stacy Huh:

Hi.

Young-chan Han:

Hi. According to our survey results, one of the top concerns about school reopening is the children’s social anxiety. From your perspective as a parent, what can parents do to support their children for school reopening as it relates to social anxiety and need for social interaction with others?

Stacy Huh:

Yes, that’s something that I, as a parent, am also concerned about for my own children. As Isabelle mentioned, our children really have been through such a difficult time of being separated from friends, and not only have they been distanced learning, but they’ve also been distanced from a normal life in general. And so as they go back to school or as they begin this new school year, many of them may feel extra anxious or isolated, but they might not be able to fully even express this to their parents with words.

Stacy Huh:

And I think one way that parents can really understand their children’s struggles as they reenter school life would be to actually prioritize helping them make friends and deepen their friendships. And this would be best done through in-person play dates or hangouts. And of course, I say this cautiously because everyone should make sure to play in a way that is COVID safe. And of course, playing outdoors at a playground would be safer than having a play date at home. But if you do a home play date indoors where everyone would be wearing masks, especially all the kids and un-vaccinated adults.

Stacy Huh:

And I want to emphasize that this might not be the most natural thing for Asian parents to prioritize play, because most of us come from a culture that is just a hard-working and studying-hard kind of culture, and playing with friends is good, but it’s not usually considered an actual priority. Even in the survey question we saw in the question where it said, what are some major concerns about school reopening? More of the parents answered that they’re concerned about how kids will get back on track academically than they answered about their kids’ social anxieties about interacting with other people.

Stacy Huh:

But the reality is, for me, I believe that if our children are doing well socially, they would actually do much better with their academics too. And with motivation to even go to school. I do believe that many kids are struggling to function within social interaction. And I’ve noticed that sometimes it even seems like they’ve forgotten how to play with other kids. They play in ways that are more conflict-based and sometimes they are not sure how to even interact and imaginary play. This might be especially true for younger children.

Stacy Huh:

My children, personally, they’re a rising third grade and rising first grade, and the older one only had kindergarten as a normal school year. And my younger one did up to kindergarten online and didn’t get to experience in-person elementary school life at all. And last spring, something they mentioned was that they have no friends. They kept saying, we have no friends, we have no friends. And at first I wondered why they would say that since they talked to their classmates almost every day on the screen, but I think for younger children seeing a person on the screen just doesn’t mean the same thing as friendship.

Stacy Huh:

And even for the older kids, any friends that they used to have before pandemic, as Isabelle mentioned, they might not be as close and comfortable anymore. They might have become awkward acquaintances now who’ve just grown polar. And so it’s awkward to meet again in person. And so they might need some extra help to make these new friendships and maintain deeper friendships, too.

Stacy Huh:

So my main suggestion to parents really is simple, it’s that they would prioritize play in the new school year to help younger kids, especially, and maybe helping arrange play dates. And for older teens, allowing for more in-person hangouts that are COVID safe. And to do that, I guess once school begins, parents would need to really pay attention to who your child is connecting with and who they want to play with after school and really make it happen for them.

Young-chan Han:

Thank you, Stacy. Wow, the social interactions, absolutely, we need. And I love that you are prioritizing play for young kids. That’s exactly what they need. And I am a little sad to hear that kids don’t, especially your children don’t think that they have friends. And I think sometimes even adults might feel that way. We’ve been inside indoors for so long, our friendships have also kind of straightaway. So thank you for your advice. And even for in-person hangouts that you talked about for older students, I think that’s right on. But, of course, social distance and make sure that the kids are staying safe but not to forget the need for our social interaction with other peers. So thank you very much.

Young-chan Han:

For now I’m going to turn into Consuela. Consuela, are on? I have a question.

Consuela Robinson:

I’m here. Thank you.

Young-chan Han:

Oh, hi. Now, we also learned that the significant concern for the school reopening is the spread of the COVID-19, which is not surprising. This is true for general population, too. So your thoughts? And can you share some strategies that parents and educators can use to keep students safe as children return to school?

Consuela Robinson:

Yes. Thank you very much. Good afternoon, everyone. I would say the main strategy, really, is for parents to partner with their child’s school, regardless of what part of the country you live in. It’s very important to work with your child’s school, meaning teachers and administrators, on following the practices that schools are putting in place in terms of wearing mask, and social distancing, and hand-washing.

Consuela Robinson:

Here in Howard County, we are following the recommendations of the CDC and the American Academy of Pediatrics. So all children will wear, all students will wear masks when in buildings. We will observe social distancing. And also have frequent hand washing. So I know that this is very difficult and not typical of school that we were used to over 18 months ago. And it can be even more difficult for very young children who just, by nature, want to be close to one another.

Consuela Robinson:

So that is very difficult. And it’s important for us as adults, and as parents, and as educators to acknowledge that. And to work with our children to acknowledge that although this is not typical, we want to do as much as we can in a developmentally appropriate way to explain why to children. I think that’s very important.

Consuela Robinson:

And there are also just a wealth of resources that we can access in terms of making, this I don’t want to say normal because there’s nothing that’s really normal about this situation, but we can make it more part of a child’s routine for the time being in terms of going to school. So practicing mask wearing at home. Practicing hand washing. There are videos which I can share later on that you can share with younger children about the importance of wearing masks.

Consuela Robinson:

The other very practical thing is, if your child is sick, to please let the school know and to keep your child at home for their safety, as well as the safety of others. So that physical safety is important, but also just keeping your child safe, I think, in terms of looking out for any changes that they might be experiencing emotionally, for some children, they may become more talkative, for some children, they may become more withdrawn. So I think it’s just very important to be aware of any behavioral changes. But also in terms of safety, just really partnering with your child’s school and making sure that you as a parent are following the requirements that the school system is putting in place to keep the children and staff safe.

Young-chan Han:

Thank you, Consuela. I really appreciate you sharing, at the beginning of your comment, about partnering with child’s schools. I think it’s been a while. And the way we partner with our schools now is all virtual and online, and they’re there, but they’re not really there. So I think we really want to make sure that, especially AAPI families can be very… I mean, they could often just kind of stay back, but we want our families to be proactive and getting in touch with teachers and just to putting our child in center to make sure that they are doing well.

Young-chan Han:

And I do appreciate your very practical tips, practicing wearing a mask. That is so true because we don’t really wear it in the house. And also just keeping social distance and frequent hand-washing. So I really appreciate that. So thank you for those practical tips. And I will share with my daughter and my grandchildren this weekend. All right. Thank you. So we’re going to move to the next question. And this is for Isabel. Isabel?

Isabelle Lee:

Yeah.

Young-chan Han:

Hi. Okay. So as a student representative, right? How do you think educators can support students for school reopening?

Isabelle Lee:

Well, as I mentioned before, the kids are going through a lot and I think it would just mean so much if educators just took some time to acknowledge that. No kid going to come back to school ready to fly into a full-blown year. And especially with the fact that they haven’t had a full school year in two years, if kids were struggling in a virtual setting, there’s no way that they’d be successful if thrown into a full force in-person setting.

Isabelle Lee:

Additionally, I have had friends who have had straight A’s and then found themselves failing this past year. And similarly, many have gone through many drastic changes, whether it be academically, or within their family, these changes are obviously going to bring a lot of anxiety. And it’s the fear of just not being able to turn things back to the way that they were. I think it’s really important for teachers to work to help build confidence and reduce stress in whatever ways possible. Because students are already dealing with heightened stress in all aspects of life outside of school.

Isabelle Lee:

I think it’s important to realize that students’ lives don’t revolve around school, especially in the time that we’re going through a pandemic. I only mentioned this because I’ve seen teachers who have said to us, before the year started, things like don’t expect us to go easy on you. We’re going to be going into a full-blown year as soon as you walk in. Or expect a full-force class. Or, even don’t think you can slack off just because you had a virtual year. And I think this is just one of the worst attitudes to take, because it only stresses the kids out instead of encouraging a new year and a new start.

Isabelle Lee:

On a different note, I also feel that it’s important to help create a sense of community for Asian students as a whole to share their unique struggles during the pandemic. And otherwise, as other conversations about racism and minority issues take place. I think it’s so important to create a distinct support system for Asian students. That gives them a space to speak. And these conversations should be not only centered around East Asians, but they should also center themselves around South Asians and the rest of Asia as well.

Isabelle Lee:

And just, once again, I think the most important thing is just a sense of understanding and listening to the students themselves.

Young-chan Han:

Thank you, Isabelle. I think we are hearing your message loud and clear, which is to listen and understand what we have all gone through. So thank you. And I really appreciate that. I really think just taking time to acknowledge that we all went through so much during pandemic and not rush into things, I thinK that’s a good advice. So well said.

Young-chan Han:

Well, one of… Okay. So let me go ahead and ask another question for Consuela. Consuela?

Consuela Robinson:

Yes. I’m here. Can you hear me?

Young-chan Han:

Okay. No, I can hear you now. I can see you.

Consuela Robinson:

Okay.

Young-chan Han:

I was waiting to see you. Okay. So the comments from the survey also captured parents’ concerns about the increase in Asian hate crimes and their impact on their children. And I know Isabelle said something about providing a safe space for AAPI students to share their unique stories and have conversation about racism and other issues. So it’s a good segue. And just this morning, Stop AAPI HATE National Report announced that the number of hate incidents reported to the center increased from 6,603 to 9,081, during April and June, 2021. So as an educator, how can schools and school districts support AAPI students and families feel safe this school year?

Consuela Robinson:

I appreciate that question so much. And Isabelle, you just said so many profound things in terms of how teachers can support students in terms of not rushing back to things. So I do want to acknowledge that before answering this question. The teachers really need to focus on the whole child and making sure that the child is okay socially and emotionally, and building that relationship before focusing on academics, because when you are in a better place socially and emotionally, you’re better able to focus on academic.

Consuela Robinson:

In terms of keeping students safe and acknowledging B bias and discrimination and racism that AAPI families have experienced during this pandemic. I think it’s, it’s very important for school systems to make it a priority to take a stance against bias and racism. I can speak for Howard County. We have a very proactive superintendent that is dedicated to diversity, equity, and inclusion.

Consuela Robinson:

One of the things that we have done or that our superintendent has done rather is that he has developed a task force to really look at system-wide belonging and to mitigate any bias towards racial and ethnic groups that have been adversely impacted during COVID-19. He has also worked with our board to increase funding to have additional race equity and diversity staff. In the schools, we are providing training for all teachers. We have a very clear policy around bullying and how parents can report that. Again, our superintendent has taken a stance against just intolerance and bias and acts of hate against Asian-American Pacific Islanders against minorities that have been adversely impacted and treated with racism and discrimination during this pandemic.

Consuela Robinson:

And I think also the big piece is just really on educating members of the school community, as well as the community at large, and really focusing on that sense of belonging and creating a sense of belonging for all students and families within the school system. And just focusing on student voice as well, I think is extremely important to understand the experiences of youth so that we as educators can be a better support to youth and families that have been through so much during this pandemic.

Young-chan Han:

Thank you so much, Consuela, for your practical strategies and suggestions. I really appreciate your thoughts. And I’m glad to hear that there are a lot of trainings for teachers in our county school system and you have a very clear policy on bullying as well. So thank you. I’m wondering if we can read some of the comments. So, Nikevia, do you want to do that or… Let me know. Because there was some really good comments.

Nikevia Thomas:

Yes, I will read one. And [Yustice 00:48:45] says that social and emotional learning must be the basis for any and all learning, no matter what age the learner. Laura says she liked what Isabella was saying. She also says, “I also appreciate her point about South Asian community. They need to be included in these conversations.” Marine thought Isabelle’s message was amazing and that the messenger was also amazing. And [Men 00:49:24] wrote, every district and jurisdiction should have a human rights commission. They may be holding a bystander training, which is crucial in responding appropriate to AAPI hate and discrimination.

Young-chan Han:

Thank you to, Nikevia. Great conversation. So please feel free to add on. We will periodically take a break and share your thoughts, share your comments so that everybody can hear it and see it. All right. So let’s move to the next question for Stacy.

Stacy Huh:

Hey.

Young-chan Han:

Hey. I’m just waiting for you to appear on the screen.

Stacy Huh:

Yep. I’m right here.

Young-chan Han:

Excellent. Okay. So same question is what Consuela was asked, but from a parent’s perspective, how can educators in school support AAPI students and families feel safe this school year? Yes.

Stacy Huh:

So as Consuela mentioned I do live in that county where the superintendent has taken a very clear stance against racism and other equity issues. And every once in a while, anytime something happens in the country, ours is always writing an email, that day, to kind of comfort that community and just help us to feel seen and known. And so now, as we continue to prepare to go back to school, I think if individual school principals and also educators and teachers within those schools could continue to take that stance and stand alongside that kind of approach, that would be really great.

Stacy Huh:

And so what I would want to ask is for them to really speak up and educate the student body before something happens. As we all know, prevention is so much better than damage control. And so maybe to start the school year with a recap of what this pandemic even was and how it came about, and to directly address it by just saying that the coronavirus has in fact been unfairly called an Asian virus and how there’s been an extreme increase, just like what Young-chan mentioned, there’s hate crimes. There are numbers that say that these increases in these hate crimes are not just a little bit, it’s exponential, and that it’s very stressful for Asian families to be even sending children to school.

Stacy Huh:

And so I think it would be helpful if educators could kind of shift the focus from where the virus started, rather to shift it and emphasize on how it even spread across the world. Because it was a new virus that didn’t have any treatment or a vaccine. And now how some communities of people have refused to listen to the medical community about the importance of masks and vaccines now that we have them. And I know this is a little bit of a touchy subject, but as a parent, I would love to see more educators who could help students to have a sense of ownership and empowerment about what they can do to help stop the spread of the virus.

Stacy Huh:

One thing that I’m concerned about as a parent sending my kid back to school is just thinking of the reality of how polarized our country has become about this pandemic and what it is and how we can even beat it. And from top government officials to community leaders, even just to everyday citizens and friends, everyone seems to have a different opinion about what needs to be done, even simple things like wearing a mask or getting the vaccine. And those things have somehow become politicized. And so I do understand as a parent that to take a stance is not an easy thing to ask of educators and parents and the teachers in the schools, but I really would want them to take a stand that would err on the side of caution.

Stacy Huh:

I think it’s the same way with violence against Asians. I think it would take a courageous heart for educators to even publicly acknowledge that Asian hate crimes have increased. I know that back in 2020, when a lot of the protests with Black Lives Matter were going on, many educators didn’t mention anything, but I’m thankful to live in a school district where our superintendent had taken a very clear stance that all of our black students and brown students really do matter to us. And so I would expect the same for anti-Asian hate issues. And I really do hope that our school systems will make sure bullying doesn’t happen.

Young-chan Han:

Thank you so much, Stacy, for such powerful stance on educator’s role to educate students before anything happens, and also to address the issues of how the coronavirus has been called an Asian virus and that there has been an extreme increase in hate crime against Asians. So thank you for pointing that out. And also to really take a stand not just parents, educators, community leaders, but also perhaps our students. We can empower our students to be a change agent. So thank you for your powerful stance on how we can support our students.

Young-chan Han:

And we hear you, Stacy, right? We don’t want our children to be teased, in any way, that this pandemic is our fault. Because we’re Asian. So for schools, school districts, this is an issue that all of us have to engage, to be engaged, to ensure our students’ safety. Thank you. Now we’re gonna move to the next question and I think it’s for Consuela. Thank you, Stacy.

Consuela Robinson:

Yes.

Young-chan Han:

Just waiting to see you.

Consuela Robinson:

Okay. Can you see me? Or can you hear me?

Young-chan Han:

Yes, I can see you now. So, Consuela, according to the survey, [Tonda 00:55:18] 93 survey participants, that is 63% of responses, selected supporting students’ social, emotional, and mental health as the most important topic to consider as schools re-open. We kind of touched upon this already. As an educator, a licensed clinical social worker, what coping strategies can educators and parents use to support students’ social and emotional wellbeing?

Consuela Robinson:

Thank you for that question. So I will go back to, first and foremost, just allowing grace. And for yourself as parents and for children and coming back to school, I know that sometimes there can be pressure to succeed academically, but I think right now before students can even be in a place to move back towards academics, we really do have to focus on that social, emotional learning piece.

Consuela Robinson:

So I know that here in Howard County, part of our professional development for teachers returning to school is that teachers will have training as part of their pre-service on delivering social-emotional instruction and lessons to students. That will be the core focus during the first few weeks of school, is just helping students to build those skills in terms of putting a name on feelings, talking about feelings, coping strategies for managing change. So that is something that will be part of the regular curriculum. And it’s not something that is just an add on, it is something that is a necessity.

Consuela Robinson:

The other thing I think is really looking at mental health services available in schools here. In Howard county, part of the work that I do is bring mental health services into the school buildings. So there are… In 30 of our 77 schools in the district, we do have mental health services available within school buildings. We are increasing that at the start of this school year, so we will have enhanced mental health support available in schools.

Consuela Robinson:

So I think that in terms of what parents can do practically, is just be aware of the lessons that are taking place in school regarding social-emotional learning, and trying to enhance those lessons at home as well. Encouraging your child to build their social-emotional vocabulary. So naming feelings. Moving away from words such as happy and sad, but really looking at defining that a little bit more. Depending, of course, on the child’s age developmentally. So maybe looking at words like frustrated and asking your child to define that a little bit more in terms of what that feels like.

Consuela Robinson:

Again, paying attention to where your child is developmentally, but going back again to that issue of partnering with the school. Know what those lessons are so that you can be enhancing those at home as well with your child. And parents, you know your children best. So your child, if they don’t want to talk, you don’t necessarily want to force it, but when they are ready to talk, you definitely want to be there to be able to listen. I think that is so important, that communication piece.

Consuela Robinson:

And again, just partnering with your child’s school and focusing more on the social emotional right now. And that’s not to say that the academic piece is not important, but I think that in order for children to be in a space of being able to really function well academically, you have to look at that social-emotional piece first.

Young-chan Han:

Thank you can Consuela. Absolutely. I think there is a theme with all of our responses, how we really want to make sure ensure that our social, emotional, and mental health of our students are met first before anything else, and not to delve right into academics and whatnot. But I think that’s what is so critical. And I appreciate you for talking about partnering with teachers. So whatever the children are learning at school, then we can support from home and it enhance the lessons they’re learning.

Young-chan Han:

And I also appreciate the fact that, in her county school system, that first few weeks, the schools will focus on students social, emotional, and mental health. So kudos to you and the work that you guys are doing in your school system. So thank you for sharing. I think we have a time for one more question. So I’m going to move to the next question. And I would like our student, Isabelle, to respond. Isabel?

Isabelle Lee:

Can you see me?

Young-chan Han:

I can see you now. Thank you. So our survey focused on all AAPI students and their families, and based on the comments we received, we understand that students with disabilities have had additional challenges navigating school during the pandemic. So my next question focuses on finding ways to support our special education students and their families.

Young-chan Han:

So, Isabelle, you have been tirelessly fearlessly advocating for the inclusion of all kids, all your life. From your experience, your personal experience, what are some of the ways educators and schools can support students receiving special education services and their families during the new school year?

Isabelle Lee:

To be honest, I’d say one of the best things that the schools could focus on would, again, just be working to build student confidence again, as the new school year rolls in. There’s definitely going to be a huge shift in routine with the return to school, which will be difficult for all students, not just students with disabilities, but it would be especially so for students with disabilities, because many find a lot of comfort and stability in routines.

Isabelle Lee:

And I think this is true, at the very least, for my brother, Alex, who has a disability. To be honest, with the whole virtual schooling, he was a lot more resilient than I was throughout the year. And looking at the two of us, he had talked did much better than I did once the school year got rolling. He’s just such a creature of habit, that once he gets used to something and familiarizes himself, he’s a total pro. But this was in the Zoom setting.

Isabelle Lee:

And I know that Alex is going to do wonderfully, once he’s back in school and once they’ve got the year rolling level. But with just the new environment and the heightened anxiety of going back, it would be great if his teachers and us as a family did whatever we could to create a sense of continuity for him. And a sense of familiarity and things that he might find daunting. I think it would also be important for the school and educators to focus in on the strengths of each of their students and use those strengths to help build confidence as well as a new routine as the new year starts.

Isabelle Lee:

I think as much as teachers are focusing on building the confidence of their students, above all, of those teachers themselves should be confident in the abilities of their students. It just makes a huge difference for teachers to go into the air presuming competence and believing in their students, despite the year that they’ve had.

Isabelle Lee:

Another thing I would say is incredibly important is just having communication with the team and the teachers from home. Alex has been fully included since preschool. And every year we found that keeping in touch and really working as active part of the team works wonders. And every year when we learn what team of teachers Alex will have, my mom reaches out to them in the email and just sends them a video of Alex’s story. And does whatever she can to just hype them up and make them excited to have Alex. She always figures that the year will be off to a much better start if the teachers are excited to have Alex instead of being scared after looking at the IEP.

Young-chan Han:

Wow. Thank you, Isabelle. Focus on building student confidence as the routine greatly shifts from virtual to in-person. You’re right on. And I love the fact that you are saying ongoing two-way communications with the IEP team, teachers, and home families. Right? I just absolutely love your mom’s strategy to proactively reach out to teachers and shared by your brother and Alex’s stories, which will help teachers to know who Alex is and be excited about having him in the classroom. So thank you for sharing your story. And thank you to your mom, too.

Young-chan Han:

Okay. Do we have time for one more question? Our tech support, time-wise, are we okay? I want to leave about 15 to 20 minutes for Q&A. [crosstalk 01:04:11].

Marianna Stepniak:

We have about… We’re at 3:36. So we have a couple of minutes.

Young-chan Han:

So let me ask one last question and then we will share the resources that Isabel will… Not Isabelle. I’m sorry. Consuela will share. So, Consuela-

Consuela:

Yes.

Young-chan Han:

Okay. Hi. From an educator’s perspective, what are some strategies that you believe will support students with disabilities and their families as they enter into the new school year?

Consuela Robinson:

Again, I can’t stress the importance of partnering. And, Isabelle, I love what your mom has done. Please, thank her. I think that is such an important part of building relationships, but I feel like it has to go both ways. So we as educators have that responsibility of building relationships as well. Reaching out to families even before school starts to, in some cases, build that relationship for the first time, in other instances, it may be rebuilding that relationship because we have all been out of buildings for at least 18 months.

Consuela Robinson:

So I think that the main thing that educators can do to support students, whether the students are receiving special education services or general education services, is to really make strong efforts to build those relationships with parents. Don’t wait until a time in the year where there may be some concerns. And that’s the first time that the parent is hearing from you. That should never be the instance. It is always best practice to get to know students and parents regardless of how that child is doing so that you can be partnering together to support the student in school.

Consuela Robinson:

So I think that’s the first thing. I think, really, helping parents to know the ways in which to advocate for their child, listening to parents, recognizing the expertise that parents bring to the table in terms of knowing their child better than a teacher. So I feel like parents are children’s first teachers. So I think teachers need to acknowledge the expertise that parents are bringing to the table as well. And just consistently work to build and rebuild those relationships with students and families.

Young-chan Han:

Well said. Well said. And that’s how we can end our panel discussion, to build that relationship with families have that partnership with our families. And I know there are a lot of our families who have language barriers, but knowing how our county has a really good support for language access, many interpreters speaking many different languages, and most of your publications is done in different languages thanks to Min and her office. So I know our families there are well cared for, but I do wish that other school districts and other states have the same or if not similar. And I know there are.

Young-chan Han:

So kudos for your county and other counties that are supporting our families for language. So before we wrap up, I want to share a PowerPoint slide that, Consuela, you have provided us with a list of resources. So I’m wondering if we can end our segment with that slide and you helping us understand what those resources are. Mariana, could you share the screen, please?

Consuela Robinson:

Absolutely. Thank you. So the resources here are certainly not an exhaustive list. I want to give a little bit of context in saying that this presentation was actually, and the resources were actually developed at various stages as we were entering schools again, at one point using a hybrid model and now moving to our students fully returning to school buildings in the next few weeks.

Consuela Robinson:

So the first is defined… Excuse me, designed primarily for elementary school students. You may recall that earlier I talked about just how difficult it is for young students, especially, to understand social distancing and wearing face masks. So this is a video that explains to younger students, in a developmentally appropriate way, the importance of wearing a face mask and hand washing and social distancing.

Consuela Robinson:

The next resource is from the CDC, Centers for Disease Control, and it’s on focusing on the wellbeing of children during COVID-19. It is a resource kit for parents, and it has resources based on the child’s developmental level. So whether your child is elementary, middle, or high school, there’s a wealth of information there in terms of focusing on wellbeing for your children during return to school.

Consuela Robinson:

Re-building routines for children is very important. We have to really note the fact that for many of our students this may be the first time that they’re walking into a building ever in their education. I think about young students who may be last year was their first year of kindergarten. And they spent the whole year at home and now this year they’re going into buildings for the first time.

Consuela Robinson:

So I think it’s important to really be able to establish routines for students in terms of getting backpacks together, going to the bus, getting your clothes ready the night before perhaps. So this next resource is just really something to help build routines for children and structuring. I think the other thing that is so important, both for students, as well as the adults who are caring for students, whether you’re a parent, a step-parent, a grandparent, or other, it’s very important for the adults to take care of themselves as well.

Consuela Robinson:

So this next resource is about self-care calendars. And what can you do to make self-care a part of your regular routine, not just something that’s a special treat that’s done once in a while, but something that you were doing consistently. Because if you are well, that is going to help your child to be well. So it’s very important for you to focus on self-care.

Consuela Robinson:

And the last resource here is through the National Association of School Nurses, and it is a video series on returning to school that is appropriate for preparing the young people in your lives for the return to school. There are Howard County specific resources, but I know that we have a very broad audience today. So I wanted to share the more general resources. So I hope that this will be of help to each of you. Thank you.

Young-chan Han:

Thank you so much, Consuela. Thank you for sharing the resources with our participants, but also to our panelists. If today’s webinar was in-person event, I’m sure all of our participants will be giving our panelists a huge round of applause for sharing your passion and commitment, and providing practical strategies to support our AAPI students and families. So I’m just going pretend that they’re all like really giving you a huge round of applause. So thank you so much. Yes. Clap, clap, clap. Thank you. Thank you, everyone. So at this time I’m going turn the Nikevia and see if we have any questions from the registration form or the Q&A, and then we’ll go back to our slide for the survey link.

Nikevia Thomas:

Yes. Sorry. I’m here. The joys of multitasking. I was typing a response in the Q and A as you were talking. So let me pull up the questions that we have. So here are some of the questions that we have from the pre-registration, I’m sorry, questions that we had in the registration.

Young-chan Han:

[crosstalk 01:12:43] the supports. What supports is…

Nikevia Thomas:

Yes. I’m just pulling up. So what supports can school systems provide to enhance AAPI parents’ voices and perspectives?

Young-chan Han:

As a family engagement specialist, I guess I could give it a try here. So to hear our families’ voices who want to engage our AAPI families in children’s education. So for school systems, I would ask have an office or staff designated to support AAPI immigrant or immigrant families and staff that speak the language of our API families and understand their challenges.

Young-chan Han:

Families need to know where to go for help and know that there will be support available in their native language. So if you don’t have it in your district office or staff that is designated, that’s a must. And provide meaningful language access. That means funding. Right? Certified, qualified, interpreters and translators to ensure what is sent home is in the language that our families understand.

Young-chan Han:

And we talked a lot about partnering between home and school, but in order to do that, we need ongoing communications and the language that our families understand. And also provide outreach opportunities for AAPI families to hear their voice, provide a space for them to share their challenges, and then together come up with strategies. Whether it’s outreach workshops, Zoom meetings focused on the needs of API families, but have an opportunity to bring our families together so that we can hear their voices and put their voices at the table, bring them.

Young-chan Han:

So create a leadership program specifically for immigrant or international families. This is something that some of our local school systems in Maryland are doing, where building capacity of immigrant or international families to build leadership. So in two of our counties districts, we have an outstanding leadership program that is building leaders of not only API families, but Maryland families to become a resounding voice for our families.

Young-chan Han:

So if anybody’s interested, I’m happy to connect you guys with the point of contact for two districts, Prince George’s County and Hart County, where they have an outstanding which and leadership programs to build parents so that they are the ones who could be a voice for other people. So I think those are the few strategies, few things that how school systems could provide to ensure that AAPI parents’ voices and perspectives are heard. Yeah.

Young-chan Han:

So another quick thing would be that as we build our families, make sure that you use their expertise, you use their leadership in places where the decisions are made. So make sure that when the decisions are made, that there is a AAPI or immigrant presence that could contribute to the whatever policies or decisions that’s being made. So that’s my response. do we have another question that we can entertain? Let me see if there’s-

Nikevia Thomas:

Yes. Do you want to take the next one Young-chan or should I?

Young-chan Han:

If you can.

Nikevia Thomas:

Okay.

Young-chan Han:

I just kind of lost…

Nikevia Thomas:

So I’m going to go down. So what kinds of professional development or trainings can schools offer to help address issues of… I guess this issue would be Asian hate. Yeah. So what are some professional development or training that schools could offer?

Young-chan Han:

To help address the issues? Good question. Consuela, do you feel comfortable? I know you talked a little bit about other trainings as well.

Consuela Robinson:

Sure, absolutely. I can answer this. I think that professional development is key in Howard County. We do have an office of diversity, equity, and inclusion. And they work primarily with school principals in terms of looking at, we have on bias and recognizing implicit bias. I think that is key to being able to work successfully with diverse families regardless of race, ethnicity, language. I think it’s very important for people to be aware of their own biases in order to be able to work successfully and effectively with all families and to foster that sense of belonging.

Consuela Robinson:

So I think that key is having an office of race equity, diversity, and inclusion in school districts so that staff has specific training to be able to work with all families. I think it’s important… Again, that implicit bias piece I think is very important. So would say that it really starts there.

Consuela Robinson:

I think it’s also important for schools to have very strong connections with community organizations so that you’re not just looking for learning from in-house, but they’re also partnering with organizations so that you’re learning outside of your organization as well. And hearing from families and community members in terms of just what the needs are and being respectful of that.

Young-chan Han:

Thank you, Consuela. Very well said. I do agree that connections with community organization is a key for a student success, because without our community organizations, we would not have been able to really launch our survey and get all the feedback. So right on. Well said. Any other question that [crosstalk 01:19:06]-

Nikevia Thomas:

Yes. So we have… Oh.

Young-chan Han:

Sorry, go ahead. Sorry.

Nikevia Thomas:

So we have questions from today that says, what anger management or conflict resolution skills would be included in class in order to, or could be included in class in order to proactively promote social inclusion and cohesion.

Young-chan Han:

Good question. Does any of the panelists want respond to that or other presenters from earlier? Let me know.

Consuela Robinson:

I’m happy to begin to answer. I certainly don’t want to dominate all of the time. I will say as a clinical social worker who’s worked quite a bit in classrooms before moving into administration, part of what we are doing in Howard County is starting at the elementary level. This year, we will provide social-emotional learning through circle time that students will have at the beginning of each day.

Consuela Robinson:

And that will really look at students recognizing emotions in themselves and others. They will look at how to manage particularly strong emotions that they’re having. They’re also going to look at how to control impulses, things such as having empathy for others. How to make responsible decisions problem solving, I think is huge. And then how to communicate clearly, but assertively not aggressively.

Consuela Robinson:

So those are some of the lessons. And then also just maintaining and building cooperative relationships with one another. So those are some of the key components that can be included in terms of social-emotional learning and coping skills and anger management as well.

Young-chan Han:

Good points. Thank you. I think cooperative relationships is going to be… When we as educators and parents really have to help our children, too, not only the training that is taking place in schools, but also at home. So we have not really been with other people and we have been socially isolated. So I appreciate your response. Do we have enough time for one… Maybe we have time for one more question. Min, can you see the questions and see if there’s one that you are able to respond? Let me know.

Min Woo:

I think all the questions that were asked in the Q&A and prior are on-point and everyone shared. What I would want to add to the conversation is that the concerns that we saw from the survey are not just isolated to the AAPI community. I know that all parents are concerned about the same things. And I would further say that being a member of the AAPI community has another layer to it.

Min Woo:

I remember seeing, in some parts of the survey, and weeding in other communications in nationwide journals and reporting, that we’ve had some AAPI community members who are afraid to step outside the door to go grocery shopping because of the rampant hate crimes that are being reported. And I think that each district needs to make sure that everyone has a seat at the table and that they work collaboratively to ask the community and the parents what it is that you need from us instead of the school systems or the decision-makers deciding for the families and the parents, what we think you need. So I keep bringing up Howard County, but I am a resident of Howard County, I’m a parent in Howard county, and I work for half the county. And I am delighted to share that in Howard County, our different community members have come together.

Min Woo:

We had a rally supporting one another back in March and April. And the things that were highlighted is they all said, we need to work together for all our children to benefit. And they had literally have a seat at the table, as Stacy mentioned, our superintendent, Dr. Martiran is very focused on making sure that he hears all perspectives. So he has created a advisory committee of AAPI community. But that also came about because community members stepped forward to say we need this format, this platform.

Min Woo:

And I saw Dr. [Chen 01:24:28] on the chats and many of the things that he spoke about. We agree. We have to have a seat at the table, not as a last-minute inclusion, but… Like Dr. Johnson had something in the chat also where we all need to work together because it will benefit all our children, not just the AAPI community, but all marginalized community.

Min Woo:

So wherever your school districts are, I would ask that you enter physically into the spaces when possible with precautions and that you demand a seat at the table so that you are speaking, not just for yourself or your children, but you’re speaking on behalf of all children. And it is when our children see that we are stepping forward, that they will also take from that and run with it. And I have high hopes for our future because we have students like Isabella standing up for us. So thank you.

Young-chan Han:

Thank you, Min. Thank you, Min. I think that will wrap up our webinar today. Mariana, can you take us back to the slides and I want to thank everyone of you who participated in today’s webinar. And I hope that you are able to clean some strategies, some practical strategies that you can share with your circle of influence. And if you have any questions, feel free to email me. Or if you need to get in touch with any of our presenters, let me know. I’ll be happy to connect our panelists with you. So feel free to do that.

Young-chan Han:

And please complete the survey. Here’s the QR code. But I think we also have it on our chat. It is really important that we receive your feedback in order to move forward and to continue to do things to support our AAPI community. So please complete. And this survey will also be sent out to everybody that participated, but if you can do it now in last one or two minutes, we would be very grateful and appreciate your support.

Young-chan Han:

So thank you. Thank you, everyone. And thank you, our panelists, our presenters. And behind the scenes, our webinars tech support, you’ve done an amazing job. So we hope to see you again sometime soon. So have a wonderful rest of the afternoon. And be prepared and we’ll be okay for as the school year opens. Thank you.