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In my first year as a
teacher I was fortunate to land a position in a well-respected suburban public
school as a science instructor. Majoring in biology and chemistry gave me the
background needed to be effective in the physical sciences. After making the typical
rookie mistakes, I got into a groove and enjoyed my popularity, mainly because
I was the youngest member on the staff and anticipated a long and successful
career in that school as I bettered my teaching style. It took considerable
effort to devise lessons that engaged students but enjoyed
the collegiality of my peers and minimal discipline issues compared to my
practicum the year before. I was validated as a professional
and every appearance suggested that my hire was a good fit – for me as well as
the school.
Then, in April, the
principal handed me an envelope and apologized. It was a non-renewal slip. In
other words, I was not granted a contract for the upcoming year. I read the
letter three times wondering what I did wrong – a rejection I found
humiliating. Apparently, the individual I replaced decided to return because he
missed teaching after a few months performing mundane tasks in an industrial
job, and his contract stipulated that he could come back within one year.
To make matters worse I
could not find employment in any of the schools in my demographic. I had an
excellent credential, but the number of licensed teachers flooded the market in
that period. Oddly, an opening came up in June at the Adolescent Alternative
School, a county-wide institution run by the school district in
that region. Coincidently, my wife was a long-term substitute the year before
at this site and burned out when her service was over. The Adolescent
Alternative School was designated as a
residential facility for 'uncontrollable and runaway' adolescents in the county
area that were assigned cottages (dormitories) and attended the school on the
grounds. The 'uncontrollable and runaway' designation was used by the judicial
system for adolescents that were either too difficult to manage at home or were
convicted of a crime. I held off as long
as possible but did not land a job at any venue and resigned myself to this
uninspiring opportunity in an old building with the most challenged students in
the area.
Fortunately, the
principal and support staff (social worker and psychologist) were well
organized and accommodated the faculty to make the school day run smoothly. For
me, though, it was humiliating because I was so accustomed to the upper middle
class well-groomed suburban kids the year before and their sophisticated and
motivated spirit. I tried to make presentations to my five classes ranging from
seventh to twelfth grade but found the student readiness varied dramatically
from illiterate to a few that were advanced. I occasionally had to break up
fights (and got slugged a few times). As I taught in the lecture mode, engagement
fluctuated because the students were enrolled from one day to several weeks
depending on the family's social worker and court dispositions. Many were there
almost a month and then assigned a foster home or returned to their parents.
Many would get in trouble and come back for another stay.
How could I teach
content without continuity in attendance, and to six different grade levels? My
ego took a beating because there were discipline issues every day. I wanted to
be a teacher and would go to any length to be successful but could not achieve
it in this placement. Fortunately, my colleagues were experienced and suggested
methods that proved useful, though they were not in the paradigm I was
familiar.
The students found
lectures boring mainly because they were not validated cognitively or
personally. They had more pressing issues such as when would they get out of
the 'jail' sentence, when would they get to go home, or simply adapting to an
environment completely foreign to their previous life style. The fact that they
were there a day, a week, or a month before being reassigned by the judicial
system minimized continuity. Though noble in intent, the Adolescent Alternative
School was trying to be a
bona fide educational institution when it was to some degree a 'holding tank'
for adolescents. That was never my intent as a career option and I did not know
how I would last the year without getting depressed but nevertheless had a
responsibility to be an effective content facilitator and advocate in a
place that did not resemble the traditional settings I was accustomed.
There were a few books
in my room but not enough variation to meet the needs of such a diverse group of
students. The principal gave me a modest budget and applied a significant
amount at a local toy store, carefully analyzed education-related products that
covered the age range and aptitudes of my classes. My room was not a laboratory
facility, but I designed several procedures from those kits. I also received
books from the other member schools in the district and by the second semester
turned things around and developed a pedagogy that reduced my
stress and provided a means for success for my students. Here are the
specifics:
1
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Individualize
the lessons
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During the Thanksgiving
break I took home a wide array of textbooks and assembled worksheets covering several
science disciplines to cover a month's worth of lessons that approximated the
longest stretch a student would be at the site. The math teacher successfully
organized her class in this manner. I ran them off on the ditto master machine
and compiled them into three-ring binders. It helped that the periods were
relatively short (thirty-five minutes). The process ran smoothly in part
because every student had a personalized notebook that they picked from their
named divider upon entering the classroom and used the accompanying textbook to
answer the questions in the blanks. There was no need to call the class to
order. The tasks were simple, the students were preoccupied the whole period,
and I gave one on one help as needed. This was a terrific innovation that
solved the engagement issue and allowed the students to feel a sense of
accomplishment as they completed each lesson and subsequently an entire unit. A
major motivating factor was that they were graded immediately, and a
certificate was granted after a unit was done (five to ten lessons). They
checked off each lesson in the syllabus guide upon completion. The sense of
empowerment was enormous as they
accumulated several certificates with their name indelibly marked at the top.
For many, it may have been their first chance to set the agenda for task
completion in their academic careers, and the joy of finishing a unit was
obvious. The lessons were designed based on grade level and content (geology,
physical science, biology, chemistry, physics, environment) and done
individually. It was a relatively quiet and purposeful atmosphere with students
mentoring others in a few cases. I was pleased as the pressure to keep the
students attentive and in their seats dropped significantly. They were learning
something and felt good about themselves because they managed their progress.
Content areas did not embrace the same goals of a year-long
program and that realization was a relief to me. Furthermore, this was the
greatest academic accomplishment for several of them because of the day to day
consistency since the cottage supervisors eliminated truancy by making them
attend school every day. Many seemed to appreciate me because of the system and
the organization that let them work at their pace, liking the personal
attention as questions arose. What was my accomplishment? I created an
atmosphere where students were validated every day for their
effort and intellectual abilities!
2
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Provide hands-on
opportunities
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Students were now able
to perform experiments with the items purchased at the toy store. They were not
of the same caliber as the suburban setting the year before that had a full complement
of apparatus and chemicals for every discipline, but nevertheless provided an
assortment of psychomotor activities covering some of the subject areas. The
most abundant were the electricity kits, providing a great deal of excitement
for several of the students. I observed joy as many craved the hands-on experience, asking
for more each day. I now had a classroom where students were more attentive
with both their individual content worksheets and lab items than the
first months of the school year.
3
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Short films were a
nice diversion
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The school district had
an abundance of reel-to-reel films and I ordered them weekly from this
resource. Students could progress on their individualized workbooks if they chose.
Fortunately, the films covered a diversity of science topics, with animal
productions enjoyed the most. In today's classroom, online presentations are in
abundance and can be relevant when teacher-previewed. They can be custom
designed for each student with headphones.
4
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Music, movement, art
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The principal realized
the transient nature of the students as well as their social problems and
coordinated a full slate of afternoon activities he termed
"specials". The staff opted to join in on any number of them:
volleyball, basketball, art, swimming, music, and dancing. Again, the students
had opportunities to sustain engagement and derive positive relationships with
their peers and teachers. I participated in all of them and saw how these
engaging activities allowed the students to feel part of a community and build
trust with their teachers. These specials were an
entirely different realm of experience for these students. The proprioceptor
and vestibular functions were
stimulated and kept the students focused and motivated.
5
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Adult intervention
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The most significant
adaptation I made was working with students side by side, and not in the
front-and-center autocratic manner I had grown accustomed in my time as a
student and in my first year as a professional instructor. Most of my
encounters were in close proximity and often in conversation. A couple of
students either hugged or shook my hand daily, a huge transition given my
intimidation in the first few months, modeled by the social studies teacher who
built a strong rapport with the children and suggested that I allow their
advances. These students were not in their homes and had no parental support at
that time and relished the kindness from their teachers and greatly appreciated
the adult validation and solidarity! I
would never experience as much warmth from students the rest of my career in a
diversity of settings.
Conclusion
On weekends, my wife
and I visited the cottages and took a few students to the large shopping center
in that area. My Adolescent Alternative School tenure revealed the
power of trust in a teacher-student
relationship. It was only in this setting that an adult-child friendship would
prevail in a profound manner. The individualized lessons and lab opportunities
in my classroom dramatically changed attitudes and allowed many young people to
nurture an academic self-esteem. Getting feedback on those workbook
assignments along with the certificates were strong motivators and kept them
academically attentive. These young people brought considerable emotional
baggage, but this school-campus setting provided support and academic
possibilities.
Though I resisted
accepting the teaching position at the Adolescent Alternative School, the experience had the greatest impact in my career in
terms of understanding the emotional growth in children and the value of
individualized instruction. I had to cope with the fact that the school did not
have the amenities of many institutions with a student body consisting of the
most challenged young people in the state. However, my colleagues role-modeled
the personality, teaching methods, and patience required of such an alternative
education setting that helped me succeed. A significant element in my
turnaround was affirming the emotional and academic qualities of young people
in a special environment.
