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I met Laurie Thurston at the Annual Conference of the Oregon Chapter of the National Association of Multicultural Education this spring. (Note: There is another conference coming up in November.) Laurie was presenting, and I was in the audience - dazzled by her energy, her passion and her incredible ideas about how teachers can work effectively with kids at risk.

We’ve gotten to know each other this summer, and I’ve asked her if I may include some of the ideas that she is currently developing into a book, in this blog. I know that you will find her thoughts about working with kids (and families) in poverty and in crisis as useful and compelling as I do. I think her ideas are the perfect way to start off the new school year – for teachers, and for mentors.

First, a little about Laurie, in her own words.
“For 20 years I’ve worked with kids identified as “at risk”, the last 17 of those in a large (1700 students, grades 9-12), comprehensive public high school just outside of Rochester, New York. It was here that I ran the Alternative Education Program, which later came to be called Crossroads. And it was here that I learned how to teach because my students taught me so well. They taught me how to listen and suspend judgment, how to respect their families and be a mentor, how to model what I taught and how to create classroom community. Most importantly, however, they taught me that I’d never be able to teach them until – first – I was able to reach them.

Today, I live in  Portland and work with the Oregon Small Schools Initiative. As a school coach, I assist teachers and principals in developing the school and classroom communities conducive to connecting with kids. Our goal? To close the achievement gap by ensuring equitable practices in order to make a difference in kids’ education and lives.  It’s because of these experiences that I’m sharing what I’ve learned (and am still learning) about reaching kids in crisis: those who’ve grown up in the context of poverty, who don’t ‘fit’ within the complex social hierarchy that thrives within the traditional public school system, and who don’t understand why they should even consider graduation when “no one in my family finished school.”  It’s for these kids that I want to help you work smarter - because each one of them matters.”

Over the next few weeks, and throughout the school year, this blog will focus on several issues that my learning leads me to believe are the keys to helping build the relationships that keep kids at risk in school. These are the ideas included in this course, and they parallel Laurie’s ideas as well.

So watch this blog for ideas, information and strategies that YOU can use – in your classroom, your program and your organization to make a difference in the lives of kids.  Laurie believes that if  all teachers started by connecting to their kids – all of their kids – discovering what makes them tick, uncovering what fears are holding them back while sharing their own passions and goals in order to reveal how alike we all are – everyone would benefit. So that ‘s where we will begin - by talking about the things that you can do get to know who your kids really are … and their families and community too. And, we will consider lots of ways to create a classroom/program community where EVERYONE feels welcome, comfortable and able to learn. 

Come to the blog often – and please share your comments, your ideas and your experiences. That’s how we can all work together to create the best school year yet.