Camelot Profile: Diana Rodriguez
Diana Rodriguez is the Director of Student Services at Buehrle Academy, a transitional Camelot Education school in Lancaster, PA. She has a Bachelor of Arts in sociology and criminology from Millersville University, and a Master’s in Administration of Justice from Shippensburg University. Born and raised in Lancaster, Diana joined Camelot Education in 2011 after ten years as a probation officer.
What do you do in your role of Director of Student Services?
My role at Buehrle Academy includes providing counseling for the kids, career exploration, preparing them for standardized tests, applying for colleges and exploring trade school opportunities. I also help with early career exploration for middle school kids.
I work on behavior and goal setting with the students. Sometimes I act as a mom; sometimes as a sister. All day every day, I counsel our students. Additionally, I work to engage our community so that we have local relationships. We like to have community members come in and meet with students. I’m also always working to build a report with Buehrle parents.
How does your role differ from the same role in more traditional school settings?
As a transitional school we get students who have been in violation of the student code of conduct at other schools; some of them are here for behavior issues. I think the biggest difference, and my biggest challenge, is to make sure that our students’ needs are being met outside of the school building. For many students there is no consistency of stability in home and school is an issue. Many of our students come from single-parent households, and a lot of times parents leave for work before the students go to school. We need to work something out to make sure the kids are getting what they need, to make sure they get to school and have breakfast.
Another important difference is that we have to teach our students that they can succeed. We are trying to teach them that they can do it, that they’re smart enough, and that they can understand the work with some extra support.
Some students, when they get to our school, have a lifestyle of disrespect and not being compliant. When they get here we have to break that mold that they may have created so they can find success.
You made a career change in coming to Camelot; what prompted the move?
As a probation officer in the area, I worked with a few Camelot students. While in the role, I took the initiative to work hand-in-hand with Camelot to make sure my kids were succeeding. I came in and met with Camelot Education leadership to figure out how we could collaborate best to make things work for the students.
For many of these kids, they found educational success for the first time with Camelot; I was hooked. A friend suggested I apply – and they hired me!
I love it – I love that I’m given the opportunity to expose students to things they may not have known about – like taking the SAT or the ACT, or how to fill out a college application. I love helping them to identify what they want to do after graduation.
You clearly believe in the Camelot model; what do you think makes it so successful?
The small environment is key for our children. That is what I see impacting students the most. Also, behavior staff also makes a world of difference in a building.
Camelot’s level system is also really effective. It motivates students to become more successful. Students are able to see the positive rewards for good behavior, and they are recognized weekly. In other schools teachers may say you’re doing well, but teachers don’t necessarily recognize progress each week. Our kids know each Wednesday they will be evaluated.
How do you measure achievement in your role?
I work to make sure that students have a plan after they graduate, and we are realistic about those plans. For those who are behind grade-wise, we recommend community college for a year before heading to college, or a trade school. We want to be realistic. It may not be the most ideal plan, but we had to take an alternate route to success.
I think sometimes schools are looking for big major changes and ignore the smaller victories. In my role, I work to celebrate the victories of each student. You have a truancy issue and you come to school five days per week? That’s a victory. You were in a difficult situation and you responded more positively than you would have before? That’s a victory. You don’t like math or science but you’re starting to answer questions and engaging in class? That’s a victory. We need to look for the smaller things in this environment.
