During my observation at Kitsilano, I got to spend some time at the alternate program that is associated with Kits, and I wanted to let everybody know what it was all about. The program is called the Vinery program, and it is for students who have difficulty working in a normal school environment. The program is in a separate building just up the road from Kits, and has about 20 or 22 students in grades 8-10 involved who had dropped out or were in danger of dropping out of school. The program is set up so that the learning is self paced, and students work on only 1 or 2 subjects at a time so as not to become overwhelmed. The students will complete Math 9 entirely and then move onto socials, for example. The students are also able to take different grades at the same time, so if they are at a math 10 level but only an english 8 level, they are able to take both those classes. There are 3 or 4 teachers or resource workers who work with the students every day. The program seems to work really well, and the teachers have made each student accountable for their own learning, so that almost all of the students are there on time everyday and complete their work for the day before they leave at 3. The students also take turns doing chores in the building like making lunch for everyone and cleaning the kitchen and desks. The teachers have really made the place a community that the students are proud to be a part of.
The person who leads the program, kind of the lead teacher, is an amazing guy. He is on a first name basis with all the students and you can see that he is totally invested in all his students. He is friendly with all of them and for many of the kids, he is probably a stable adult figure that they really need. Even though he is friendly and more of a colleague with the students than a teacher, he still holds their respect and can lay down the law if a student is not doing their work. It was really interesting to see him walk that fine line between being a 'friend' and a disciplinarian, and is probably something that we will all need to figure out as we become teachers.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
wow sounds like a great school. would we not all like to work in a place that values the environment of the school and the life situations of the students. i believe in this system very much and i also believe that this is the future for education where students creativity can flourish and teachers can be allies with the student. seems to me the idea of linear education is a thing of the past. we are the new generation of teachers. lets listen to our students and let them have say in their education. power to the student!!and amazing things can happen.
ReplyDeletesounds like a really inspiring environment! that's fantastic you got to see that!
ReplyDelete