Building trust and playing to the strengths of youth are keys to success in the classroom
The variety of Free The Children's programs have provided us the chance to work with youth from a gamut of backgrounds, including those who have experienced challenging upbringings. To successfully empower this group, typically deemed "at-risk youth", we sought the advice of professionals in the field.
We interviewed three outstanding colleagues in the education community who have proven effective in the empowerment of such youth: Jeffrey Kugler, Executive Director of the Centre for Urban Schooling at OISE/University of Toronto; Tom Walker, once an "at-risk" youth, himself, turned social worker and youth activist; and Scott Neil, classroom teacher at Archbishop Romero Catholic Secondary School who works primarily with students who have been removed from mainstream classes due to challenging behaviour.
Although their approaches vary greatly, all three agree that in order to successfully work with "at-risk" youth, an educator's mindset has to be characterized by compassion and patience. The teacher or mentor must also have strong professional knowledge, in order to create a classroom dedicated to learning that is relevant to the student.
Jeffrey Kugler says the first step is to "problematize" the labels we give so readily.
"What does this (title suggest) we're thinking about them?" he asks. "To label a youth as being 'at-risk' takes away the idea that they are actors in this world."
Tom Walker echoes Kugler's thoughts, saying, "Sometimes we look to labels instead of seeing what's underneath."
So, what is underneath?
The challenging behaviour of some youth is a reaction to a string of disappointments and letdowns.
"You have to acknowledge that the distrust is smart. A healthy distrust of authority is good. The challenge is to help youth develop strategies for dealing with authority that don't compromise their lives further," says Kugler.
In terms of tangible professional knowledge, Walker says that the trick is to get to know their strengths, and to build your teaching around that, in order to engage the student and make them feel cared for in the process.
Kugler points out that, from the first days of class, there must be a code of conduct that all students agree on, and have a hand in creating. It must also be understood that threats and violence are not acceptable, and will result in being removed from the group for a period of time.
Building strong relationships is a big part of success for Scott Neil. He jokes that "the first two weeks of school probably look like we're just playing games" to onlookers. This evolves from low-risk circle games to more complicated trust exercises. What Neil is really doing is building trust among the group, and laying the foundations for productive dialogue. Throughout the year, he begins each day with opportunities for open dialogue about what is going on in students' lives, conservations in which nothing is taboo.
"I am open about my family and my life. It's important that youth know that there's nothing to hide," says Neil.
In the case of youth that break the group's trust, teachers must be prepared with a code of conduct for themselves. Here, Tom Walker expresses concern with zero tolerance policies.
"Many kids are mirroring what they're taught at home. We're kicking them out of the one world that's safe for them."
In day-to-day activities, Walker is careful to acknowledge that "kids are going to have slips, but a slip is not a relapse." When a youth slips, they and their teacher need to form an agreement together, and in order to rebuild a sense of safety within the classroom. The student must explain to their peers their commitment to behave better.
These three educators left those of us who spoke with them with a strong impression of both compassion and aptitude. Free The Children is very fortunate to be working with such people on a regular basis, and to be able to incorporate their wisdom into our youth programs such as GO Local.
By coming in with the right mindset, building trust, establishing an agreed upon code of conduct, and discovering and playing to the strengths of youth, even those deemed "at-risk" can feel empowered to become active citizens in their communities.
