The Sheltered Program
In reviewing the document simply entitled, Rothesay Junior High School , I was immediately taken with the statement, "In dealing with these items separately, it gradually became apparent that the best solution was to deal with them together." The statement resonated with me as I reflect on how often, as educators, we begin to attempt to deal with a problem or issue within our classrooms or schools only to quickly discover that we are dealing with a Hydra. Faced with such a monster of mythical proportions often leaves teachers disheartened, disillusioned and frustrated; and in some cases thinking that perhaps we should be looking for some other line of work where the hero is not required to slay anything quite so large. Where education is a complex series of interlocking disciplines, mandates, agendas, goals, and personalities - to have expectation of a single issue/single solution is at best naive.
The Hydra threatening to devour Rothesay Junior High was an ugly four-headed beast. The heads consisted of over crowding, special education that loomed at 20% of the student body, communication with home - especially reporting, and curriculum. Now, as in most cases, because the Hydra was of a specific composition to the realities of the Rothesay area it is easy for nay-sayers to dismiss the program as being a specific solution to the problems that they faced, "We do not have a split shift here - so that won't work for us." mentality. I am not for an instant suggesting that the entire package that constitutes Rothesay Junior High's response to its Hydra is a "fit all" scenario. I do, however, believe that several key things that were done in facing the special education and counseling head of their hydra could be readily modified and implemented in modern schools faced with the ongoing struggle with how to assist students at risk.
The Sheltered Classroom consisted of classes where size was held to 26 students. It was, though, not the size as much as the composition of these classes that truly speaks to ingenuity on the part of the staff at the school. Each of these classes was made up of a core group of learners, numbering about 20. These pupils were selected, in advance, from the feeder schools for RJHS. These learners were drawn from grade 6 class rooms where they demonstrated solid work ethic and steadiness in the classroom. They were not necessarily the most gifted or advanced students, though many did obtain solid academic results. It was for their personal traits that they were selected. The remaining 5-6 students were those that were being integrated from SPED classrooms.
As a side note on the selection of students; it is important to keep in mind that these students were approached in May and June of their Grade 6 year. The students were selected through consultation with their respective elementary school teachers, guidance counselors and parents. In this way, on the first day of Grade 7 all students, parents, and teachers involved were on the same page with respect to what was going to take place.
The classrooms were set up in such a fashion that the majority of the time the students would work cooperatively, in today's terms triads etc., group work and as a class as a whole. This allowed the teacher, as required, opportunities to pull students that were struggling aside in order to give them more one-on-one attention.
To get a mental picture of these rooms ticking over in perfect harmony constantly would be erroneous. No matter how much pre-planning, selection, preparation of curriculum staff do, there will be times when the student(s) and staff have trouble meeting the goals that they have set for themselves. It is to this sheltered or stable classroom that the staff recognized the need for, and implemented, a program of Crisis Counseling in conjunction with efforts being made in the classrooms; we will next be examining the impact of Crisis Counseling and its role in tackling the hydra - stay tuned!
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