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Kids at Risk

I work with a group of 30 kids.  They are in Kindergarten and First Grade.  They’re rad little people. I have had ups and downs with most of them, but there is one kid I have not been able to connect with all year.

When I try to discuss things with him, it is usually to help him process something he has done that hurt another kid somehow- physically or emotionally.  He has sexually harassed other kids, hit other kids, or just pushed their buttons until they freaked out.  When I am running “Circle Time” - a 15 minute daily group meeting- he will interrupt me so many times that I have to ask him to leave almost daily.  When I ask him questions, he just shrugs and says “I don’t know.  Can I have a snack?”  or “I’m just kinda tired… can I go now?”  I have not found any way to connect with him on a human level.

Some background info- he was adopted at an early age (his mom seems super cool),  and was born drug-affected.  I have worked with many “at-risk” kids, but I just haven’t been able to find a way to connect with this little guy.

Any creative ideas?

Topics: Help Wanted, Kids at Risk, Questions | 2 Comments »

A student taking this course for credit posted an interesting list of characteristics of a successful adult student. You can find the list on the DePaul Training Centers website

I think many of the points on this list are equally characteristic of successful young students, and, when missing, offer warning signs that might alert you that a student is at-risk of dropping out. My student points out that a key warning sign is the lack of desire to engage in the activities and interactions taking place in the classroom or program.
She says that “when a student begins to move away from the characteristics on the list, I am aware they are at risk.” 

THE LIST for Successful Adult Learners

The following is a list of some characteristics of successful students. Characteristics of a successful student transfer into positive work place behaviors. This list is a description of what a hard-working student does and what a teacher likes to see. By learning these characteristics, you may better understand the day-to-day and class-to-class behavior of successful students. The idea is to provide you with guidelines you can follow which will help you get down to the business of becoming a serious, successful student and future office professional.

·          Successful students attend class regularly and on time.

·          Successful students have the ability to work independently and monitor his/her own progress.

·          Successful students listen and train themselves to pay attention.

·          Successful students take responsibility for themselves and their actions.

·          Successful students turn in assignments that look neat and sharp. They take the time to produce a final product that looks good, and reflects care and pride in their work.

·          Successful students demonstrate that they care about their grades and are willing to work to improve them 

·          Successful students demonstrate a willingness to receive instruction/direction from an Instructor and follow through with the presented expectations.

·          Successful students ask appropriate questions and are active participants in their learning.

·          Successful students pay attention in class and are courteous and polite.

·          Successful students have the ability to apply reading strategies to extract important information from text and apply this information to their work. Our classroom textbooks are written at approximately a 9th grade reading level.

·          Successful students have the ability to apply upper elementary level English skills to writing assignments.

QUESTION: What do you consider the characteristics of a successful student?

High school

Middle school

Elementary

Please post your thoughts and ideas to this blog.

Topics: Creating a Positive, Kids at Risk, Questions | No Comments »

Odie in the snow -a  black lab on a white background. A picture of happiness.

Snow days are fun? Maybe, but maybe not.

These days, as I write this blog, I think more and more about the challenges of kids at risk, and kids in poverty. The more I learn, the more aware I become that what I always took for granted, such as snow days are fun, is not true for every kid.

When mykids were in school, snow days meant sleds and snowmen, hot chocolate and hot baths. Today in my neighborhood, a dozen kids, dressed in ski clothes, warm boots and hats, are building snowmen and dragging snowboards around in the well tended little park in the center of our community … definitely having fun.

Last week, looking for inspirations for this blog, I started calling around to some of the mentor organizations in Portland, asking about plans for kids over the holiday break. I am sad to say, I learned that there is not much out there. After school programs close, mentors take a winter break, there is no school lunch, no after-school programs, no activities, no learning, and … no warm and busy school to come to. Lots of kids, I realize, will be home, some alone, some bored, some hungry, some cold …

Today, as I enjoy the snow, and know how filled with joy kids and teachers around Portland are today, just thinking that tomorrow may be a snow day, (and only five, maybe only four more days till break)  I can’t help thinking that a snow day, or a much anticipated break from school, is not the same for everybody. Even holidays are just not as simple as black and white.

Topics: Kids at Risk | No Comments »