HCSD connecting with new program ‘Capturing Kids’ Hearts’

HARLAN — This year, professional development for Harlan Community School District looked different with a new program called Capturing Kids’ Hearts.
For two days in the full week of their professional development, teachers became students, gaining tools for a program they will be implementing immediately at the start of the 2024-25 school year. While there is no escaping the heavy and demanding to-do lists, the teachers’ hearts have been captured with excitement and lifted with purpose. They are a strengthened team, as they look forward to creating a better and more consistent, empowered, and connected learning environment by capturing kids’ hearts.
Brad McCoy, father of Texas football player Colt McCoy, and Mitch Sorensen from Creston, IA teamed up to facilitate training for the district staff. Both McCoy and Sorensen, educators and coaches with a passion for education and its people, created the exact safe and optimal learning environment during the training that the program aims to establish within the school. Capturing Kids’ Hearts is a framework designed to build relationships and connections by placing students and their identities at the forefront. Many teachers shared enthusiastic testimonials about the professional development:
“I appreciated that Brad could connect with us on the teacher-side, and he also did an amazing job with relating to the coaches in the room- not all speakers are able to come into the room and do this. The level of participation and engagement was unlike any PD I have seen in a long time. It was captivating and it was easy to see how passionate he was and the impacts of the program.” - Michael Rueschenburg, 6th Grade Social Studies.
“It was the most fun I have ever had at a professional development. We got strategies in how to get kids involved and build relationships, and we actually did them as a staff. I cried laughing every day. It brought our staff closer. It was a great way to start the year.” - Stephanie Stork, 3rd Grade.
“Mrs. Ring told us there was a huge difference between Monday morning and Friday morning. There was a night and day difference in the staff. Usually everyone would be exhausted by Friday, but there was so much more energy.”-Alesha Baxter, High School English.
“A lot of what they presented are things we already do as teachers, but it was enhanced and affirmed with different strategies to connect those dots… To see the relational energy among staff members. We had to really expose ourselves and express our vulnerabilities. My wife was laughing because I said- I can’t believe I was crying with all of the teachers! We were all crying! We are a team, and we have to make sure we have that connection to go out and impact our students.”  -Bill Kearney, High School Band.
“It is not just about teaching our content, it is making them realize we care. Meet those needs of the student first, and it will be good for everybody and overall learning. We will have time dedicated to getting to know kids and supporting them. It’s exciting to know the whole district is in it together and getting the time and the resources. ” - Katie Arentson, middle school math.
The teachers, with shared enthusiasm, agreed that the training provided many useful tools. Activities like “Tell Me Something Good,” “Sentimental Items,” and the “Name Game” had them crying, laughing and just crying. They practiced what they would teach, eager to bring the activities into their own classrooms, as well as being intentional with affirmations, greeting students at the door, and building social contracts.
“There are a lot of affirmations. As adults, we are not used to that. Giving each other those affirmations as a staff really brought us closer together, and we are going to build that with our students” Carlie Hoffmann, Kindergarten Teacher, shared.
“Sometimes it is easy to focus on the negatives over the positive things. One thing I am looking forward to is starting my classes with ‘Tell me something good’. We are going to celebrate the positive things going on in their lives, and we can share as teachers too. Just building that positive atmosphere with three or four shares and starting every class with good,” Arentson stated.
“We teach six different classes at the high school, so we will have six social contracts. Every single class will make different contracts. They might look alike and have similar verbiage, but it’s important that each class creates it… When there is a point where there has to be discipline, we will go to the contract.” Baxter explained about the use of social contracts that all teachers mentioned from the training.
“A lot of it is students self-managing,” Kearney added.
“It is empowering the students,” Hoffman stated.
Support from the facilitators of Capturing Kids’ Hearts will continue to do check-ins and provide support with another visit planned for October to see how the program is going and give a “recharge” to the educators. The district understands fully implementing Capturing Kids’ Hearts will take time and consistency for success, but the underlying foundation of the program is based on some basic needs, many adoptable ideas, and teamwork that will help with some of the other demands of teaching, such as discipline and behavior management.
Teachers are the biggest students, seeking better ways to engage, to teach, to deliver ideas, to build their learning environment, to assess, to do all that is teaching. Most of all, and sometimes the hardest, they desire to reach students and make that difference. The team of HCSD teachers have experienced a lift of support. With teachers’ hearts having been captured, their students’ hearts are next.