Inside a School of Choice.

1987; SAGE Publishing; Volume: 68; Issue: 10 Linguagem: Inglês

ISSN

1940-6487

Autores

Robert L. Fizzell,

Tópico(s)

Parental Involvement in Education

Resumo

BY ROBERT L. FIZZELL W * r WHEN STUDENTS are allowed to choose schools they will at tend, they have a com mitment to those schools and an investment in learn ing experiences that those schools offer. As one of my students recently put it, you choose to be here, you will work hard and make a lot of good friends. You will get involved in school's activities and within com munity. Yet many schoolpeople view schools of choice, or alternative programs, as dumping grounds for problem young sters as places that offer inferior education to inferior students. That may be case in some locales, but not in programs of choice in which I have taught or been a consultant. No young ster wants to be a failure. No youngster wants to spend years in a punitive and degrading environment. If a program does not offer opportunities to succeed within a supportive environment, stu dents will not stay. When word gets out, they will never even enroll. Thus schools of choice must offer valid edu cational experiences or go out of busi ness. I do not mean to imply that schools of choice serve only the best and brightest. I have had students who en joyed success in their regular schools but who chose to enroll in an alternative program because they felt they could do even better there. I have also had students who were dropouts, truants, troublemakers, youngsters with serious emotional problems, and youngsters who were simply turned off. But per haps largest number of students en rolled in schools of choice are those who fell between cracks who were neither serious problems nor great successes in their regular schools. One of my current students at Al ternative Learning Center in Vancou ver, Washington, is a former dropout and alcoholic who lived on streets for more than a year. The freedom and excitement might easily draw her back to streets again, but at moment she would rather learn. By spending as much as 10 hours per day on school work, she is progressing at a rate nearly half again as fast as average high school student. Another of my students is a national class skier who chose Alternative Learning Center because it allows him to be away from school for extended periods without being penalized. As an added bonus, however, he has found that he really enjoys self-directed learn ing and is good at it. In his regular school he was often restless and a nui sance in class; now his classmates and teachers see him as energetic and fun to have around. Some students are enrolled at Al ternative Learning Center because they prefer independent study. One such young man spends no more than three hours per week in school, coming there only to have his work reviewed and to gather suggestions for further work. He studies rest of time at home or in library, often weaving into his day practice on bass guitar or art activi ties. He was a fairly good student in his regular school, but he is more thorough ly involved in his studies these days and -thanks to a flexible schedule hap pier with his life. Students who have been extremely successful in their regular schools often find transition to an alternative pro gram very difficult. One honor student who came to us in search of enrichment and freedom to be self-directing was soon considering a return to her regular school to avoid risk of failure. Dur ing her first two months at Alterna tive Learning Center, she waited for in structions or for approval before mov ing ahead. Since teachers could meet with her only a couple of times each week, she progressed very slowly. Over time, she became more self-directed and began to produce high-quality and excit ing work. After her first semester at col lege, she reported to center staff that her independent work in our program had made college far easier for her than for many of her friends. Other students find that element ROBERT L. FIZZELL (Mt. St. Helens Washington Chapter) is a teacher at Alternative Learning Center, Evergreen Schools, Vancouver, Wash.

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