A Fish in the Wrong School

I took this picture at random while visiting the zoo this summer. As I was looking through the pictures the other day, I noticed the fish in the middle on the left and suddenly thought about the kids I work with at my alternative school.  Our education system pushes all students in the same direction, and from outside the tank it looks pretty and cool, but on the inside, some of the "fish" know they are not in the right "school."

All of our students come from various backgrounds and no two are alike. One of the upsides of working in an alternative school is I see that kids who come here are unique and different from the school where they felt like a fish out of water.  I recently attended an alternative school forum and got to meet some counselors and administrators from other alternative schools.  One of the things I learned is that all of us who work in alternative schools have the same goals for our students who come there: to help them learn and thrive in the way that fits them best. Isn't that what the Learning Styles movement of the 90's in education was all about? While many teachers work towards this end (and I must brag that our school district does an extremely good job at this), many are still not adjusting to figuring out a student's learning style and many schools across the country have high drop out rates.

So many of our kids who have been with us for awhile (more than 9 weeks) often say they feel at home in our school, our teachers care, and they never want to leave until they graduate. It amazes us how their mindset changes from the first day they arrive. Their attitude is often, "I just want to make up my credits and get back to my own high school." I guarantee that in the last 2 1/2 years, we have only had approximately 3 students go back to their home high school. For most who come, it is a perfect fit.  Our challenges are hefty- often the students are wrapped up in their social world of friends and family and sometimes they fail some classes during their adjustment period, and we often work harder than the students do to move them toward success.  Overall, though, the struggles end up being worth it when students display maturing attitudes, develop a sense of urgency to complete their courses, and ultimately graduate.

Success ultimately lies in building the relationships it takes for students to want to do better.  I am deeply grateful for the alternative school concept and the innovative people who started them.  When students find the right school, they are able to thrive and show their beautiful "fish" colors. (I had to tie in the picture here at the end!)