I teach at an urban alternative high school. The majority of students we serve come to us because they have fallen behind on credits and are in danger of not graduating with their peers. Others come to us because they were kicked out of another school. Each student comes to us with unique needs and challenges that can range from substance abuse, learning disabilities, negative home issues, apathy, or a combination thereof.
To address these issues, we begin by offering rigorous, culturally relevant curriculum and smaller class sizes for more individualized attention. We also offer services such as health, drug, academic, and general counseling. The vast majority of our students are incredibly talented, but with the challenges they face in and out of school, formal schooling is not a top priority for many of them. It becomes difficult for them to see the connection between their daily classwork and their goals of graduating and moving on past high school.
About my class
I teach at an urban alternative high school. The majority of students we serve come to us because they have fallen behind on credits and are in danger of not graduating with their peers. Others come to us because they were kicked out of another school. Each student comes to us with unique needs and challenges that can range from substance abuse, learning disabilities, negative home issues, apathy, or a combination thereof.
To address these issues, we begin by offering rigorous, culturally relevant curriculum and smaller class sizes for more individualized attention. We also offer services such as health, drug, academic, and general counseling. The vast majority of our students are incredibly talented, but with the challenges they face in and out of school, formal schooling is not a top priority for many of them. It becomes difficult for them to see the connection between their daily classwork and their goals of graduating and moving on past high school.