Assistance in Slaying the Hydra
As indicated in the last article, the Sheltered Classroom plan was two fold. As discussed to this point the program focused on creating an environment where core students were selected for specific personal traits and to this was added the students that were to be integrated into mainstream programming. This process, however, required a very specific type of support. Many students experience difficulty focusing and working in a fashion that is always conducive to classroom productivity; experienced educators know that it is often doubly hard for those students that are developmentally or cognitively delayed. There are also a percentage of students that are working well above their cohorts anticipated zone of proximal development - here too boredom can lead to frustration and disruptive behavior.
To combat this the staff at RJHS retained the services of an extremely talented teacher/counselor by the name of Moshe Granick. Moshe was brought on staff specifically to develop a program that would alleviate some of the demands on the regular (Sheltered and normal) classroom teachers. The way that the program worked was that a student that was having difficulty focusing or who was becoming agitated in the classroom setting would be given a pass to the Counseling Center. Here Moshe would debrief the student on the reason for the referral and then permit the student to engage in a variety of activities. This included, but was not limited to, being able to read, play chess, checkers, or the like. This was not an all day play room by any stretch - students were carefully monitored by Moshe and at the appropriate time would be sent back to their regular programming.
As a child, I remember going into Moshe's room on numerous occasions to visit - I was in elementary school at the time. The Counseling room was in a portable trailer at the end of a long covered duck board walkway; there were many such trailers at RJHS at the time due to severe over crowding. While not remembering the details of the layout of his office; I, to this day, recall one unique piece of equipment. It was a machine that was designed to help students learn to speed read. It could be set to various numbers of words per minute and would then flash each line of text past the eyes of the viewer; allowing the student to challenge themselves at a pace that was commensurate with their ability.I had, as a child always felt that the chess and the speed reading tool were those items that had been placed in the center for the use of the more gifted and talented students. Of course I now realize that these devices were used by Moshe to engage all students.
The most important aspect or feature of this center was that while giving the student a safe place to go and take time out from a frustrating or overwhelming situation in a regular classroom, it continued to challenge and present educational opportunities of a different; but I would posit, equally valuable sort.
While many schools might argue budget concerns and the like in the face of this sort of counseling centre - it should not be readily dismissed. If a student is sent to the office to be dealt with by administration it means that a consequence, often negative in nature, will be assigned to the student. This in no way encourages an at risk student to be a vested member in their own education.
In speaking with the man at the center of the crisis intervention portion of the program at the school I have gained the following information on the role that the "Career Center" played in the running of the sheltered program. After the usual pleasantries that signify the beginning of any phone conversation; Moshe Granik, another of the skilled educators that my father managed to attract and hold on staff at Rothesay Junior High, got straight down to business. He indicated that the entire program required several key components: a magic number of students - in the case of the program 20-21 was seen as optimal, the classes required a specific number of students from a specific set of backgrounds, on-going testing, a particular physical space, a tiered or diversified set of offerings, and lastly a supportive administration.
The Magic Number 7-10-3:
As in most educational institutions there is a number where the system operates at its best. The number that the sheltered classrooms used was 20-21 students. The way that the number was broken down changed a bit over time. Moshe indicated in our conversation that in the years after my father moved on to other teaching assignments the classroom numbers were restructured as follows.
Seven, the maximum number of students that were to be placed in the program as learners with difficulties. These could cover the whole gamut, from learning deficiencies to emotional or physically disabled learners. To this were added, through consultation with feeder schools and all stakeholders, ten students in possession of the solid work ethic and ability to work without succumbing to distractions in their previous classrooms. Lastly, and this Moshe indicated was an adaptation that was created in order to remove sterotypical views of a sheltered classroom as just a SPED classroom by another name, was the inclusion of 3-4 gifted or high profile students. For instance those who were leading athletes or recognized as very talented students academically or in the arts. This last group was to add legitimacy to the classroom and also to allow them the same benefits as others in these classes.
More on this as we explore other elements in the development of the Sheltered Classroom system.
Next issue: testing and program accountability and the physical space requirements for crisis intervention.
