We will emphasize the establishment of a homelike atmosphere in the class. Because our students are potential dropouts, we will work to establish and retain their interest and involvement. At the beginning of the school year we will concentrate on helping our students develop regular attendance patterns. Even though our students often look like young men and women, most of them are insecure, failureridden, emotionally and academicallyarrested children who crave love and attention’ they have never known success in school, and they hate school.
Reading
,
Writing and Relating
is virtually their last chance to be integrated socially and academically into high school and to master some very basic social and academic skills.
For the first couple of months we will stress attendance first, accomplishment second, individualizing performance expectations for each student. Many of our students have developed eccentric, nonconformist behavior patterns to divert attention from their inability to achieve academically. Rather than throwing these students out of the room which is what they expect and often unconsciously desire, we tolerate eccentric behavior as long as it is not abusive or extremely disruptive. We often incorporate a discussion of such behavior into the regular academic lesson. For instance if a student is talking loudly out of turn or staring other students down or refusing to sit with the group, we will stop the lesson and have a five ten minute discussion on how that student’s behavior affects the rest of the group. We also talk to such students individually as a way of getting to know them. Once students come to believe that we will not reject them for their inappropriate behavior but instead will give them room and support to change their behavior, they become willing to evaluate and discuss with us their feelings and actions. Most students have developed their behavior patterns as a result of having been put in competition with other more successful students in the past. Their actions, which appear to be eccentric, are actually quite adaptive. When they talk loudly, isolate themselves from the group or stare down other students, they are protecting themselves from the devastating effects of repeated failure and loss of face in front of other students. When we as teachers take away the competition and humiliation that they have faced for so many school years and substitute a relaxed atmosphere and recognition of their efforts to achieve, most of our students are ready to learn more appropriate social behavior and will adopt it as they become more comfortable.
As the year progresses, we will make more demands on our students in terms of holding them responsible for their social and academic behavior. We will expect them to modify the behavior patterns that are bothersome to the class and to be more considerate of other people’s feelings. We will expect them to achieve more academically. We will also count on them to contribute to the care of the room. They will keep folders, pens and pencils and other classroom projects in their own assigned spaces and decorate the walls of the room with their string designs, macramé and their names and astrological signs written in calligraphy. To enhance their investment in the class, we will include science projects such as the incubation of chick eggs where students will have a chance to observe, record and be responsible for the maintenance of the growing process. We will stress the importance of both individual responsibility and group responsibility to the classroom.
No verbal or physical abuse will be tolerated. Our students, who are extremely low in academic and social skills, often seek to enhance their own selfimage by putting someone else down. We plan to work with students who create a negative classroom atmosphere by showing them bow to relate to others in a more positive manner. We will emphasize caring for the feelings of others, caring for the classroom, plants and pets, and caring for oneself.