Pathfinder: The Way Forward

Path nder

A Chat with Executive Director Errol Saunders

Errol Saunders said he is not “busy,” but rather, he is “scheduled.” “I would never describe myself as busy. Because by doing that, I think you’re actually obscuring your commitments.”

Semantics aside, let’s just say that the supremely organized new Executive Director of Pathfi nder Hopkins School, an enrichment program for New Haven–area public and parochial school children, doesn’t let the grass grow under his feet. A doctoral student at Columbia University Teachers College, a 15-year member of the Hopkins history faculty teaching two sections this year, and a Hopkins Junior School adviser, Errol is a passionate educator whose long history with Pathfi nder has gained him deep experience with every aspect of the program. He has served as a Pathfi nder teacher, as Dean of Students, Assistant Director, Instructional Coach, Co-Director of the Summer Program and now, Executive Director.

Originally called Summerbridge New Haven, Pathfi nder was founded in 1992 as a six-week, tuition-free summer enrichment program on the Hopkins campus for highly-motivated 7th and 8th grade public and parochial school students from New Haven, taught by talented high school and college students. It was later rebranded

as Breakthrough New Haven and expanded to include after-school core courses as well as summer enrichment, off ering rigorous academic preparation and high school placement counseling. Errol joined as a Teaching Fellow in 2004, while studying political science at Yale University. “In the fall of my sophomore year, I decided I would love to be able to stay in New Haven and do something for the summer,” said the California native. As it turns out, he stayed a lot longer than that. In fact, he never left.

“At the end of my fi rst summer, I was talking to my mom about all the work I was doing. She said, ‘You know, Errol, you have never worked so hard. I listen every day when you call and tell me what you did that day and what the kids are doing. You’re excited about what you’re going to do tomorrow.’” She suggested he might want to consider being a teacher.

And the rest, as they say, is history. “I just love what I get to do. One of the things I realized in grad school is that it’s really easy to get up in the morning when your job is teaching—when I know I’m going to work with students that day.”

Hopkins disaffi liated from the national Breakthrough Collaborative in 2017 and changed the program’s name to Pathfi nder Hopkins School, expanding to a four-year program by adding 5th and 6th graders, and deepening the school’s role in the academic development of middle school students. Professional educators were also introduced to teach core academic subjects, with assistance from high school and college-age Teaching Fellows. Th at is the model that exists today.

“Th e Breakthrough Collaborative model of students teaching students was not meeting our needs,” Errol said. “We felt strongly that students needed more time with dynamic, professional teachers, and we also realized that we could actually make the experience of the Teaching Fellows more enriched.” Core courses in the program are now taught by a team that includes a professional teacher and a Teaching Fellow. In this way, the program doubles as an intensive teacher training workshop for talented high school and college students who are either considering or pursuing a career in education.

“Th e way we are educating teachers to develop personal judgment is on the cutting edge,” he added. “Our summer teachers are able to experiment in thoughtful ways, receive mentorship, and take those learnings into their home schools. Pathfi nder is an incredible place to be mentored, to develop a common language to talk about what it is we want for our students, to be culturally responsive in our teaching, and to work for racial and socioeconomic equity.”

A SENSE OF BELONGING

In addition to academics, Pathfi nder places a strong emphasis on cultivating a sense of belonging among its scholars, many of whom are students of color and/or from low-income families. During the summer program, Pathfi nder students are welcome the moment they arrive on campus. “We greet the kids every day at the bus, yelling and screaming because we’re so excited that they’re here,” Errol said. Th e children also meet and eat lunch with their adviser group every day, have classes taught by their advisers in the afternoons, and get recess twice a day. “During the after-school program,” Errol added, “we make sure to include social time at the beginning and end of each session so students can talk to their friends, their teachers, and their Teaching Fellows.” Last summer, though the COVID crisis

posed major challenges, Hopkins was able to maintain all aspects of the program, including community-building activities, by hosting them in virtual format. Th rough the Pathfi nder Hopkins budget, scholars who did not have access to a computer, or to the internet, were provided devices and internet “hotspots.” Th e Hopkins tech team also provided ongoing technical support.

Errol believes the community-building activities that create a sense of belonging at Pathfi nder are critically important to students’ academic success, and one of his primary objectives as Executive Director is to maintain these experiences as the program expands. Head of School Kai Bynum has committed to increasing the number of students in the program from the current 120 to at least 200 over the next several years.

“One of my goals is navigating that transition, and core to that goal is maintaining that family feel,” he said. “School relationships are particularly important for brown, black, and low-income students. Th e more marginalized you are, the more important it is for your education to be inviting. One of the things that Pathfi nder kids can say they love most about the program is their peer group. It’s a great thing to be in a school where it’s cool to be smart.”