Learn&Serve: Week 5&6

Week 5 & 6

I'm combining Week 5 and 6 together because not a lot of students showed up either day and both days were relatively similar.

Patrick* was suspended and it wasn't for the newspaper incident it was something completely different. Mr. Castiglione left it at that and I felt as if it wasn't my place to inquire more, but he was gone both Day 5 and Day 6. In the "Current Events" class that consists of only Patrick* and Joe* on a regular day we did not do any type of current events. On Day 5 Joe* went to the gym to play basket ball and on Day 6 he watched television because he didn't feel like doing any work. Personally, that bothered me. I do not think that letting them do whatever they want for a period is helping them. I know for a fact that they do not have this class everyday either. So what are they supposed to do when they go back into the mainstream school? They don't have the option of doing whatever they feel like that day. Then in Joe's* actual global class all he had to do was a few definitions again. I don't feel like this is helping them. Mr. Castiglione says that it is hard with one student to have a traditional class and I understand that but I still feel as if there is something more that can be done.

On both Day 5 and Day 6 there were only 4 10th graders. Again, people were susspended. They worked on a power point where they had to follow along with what was going on and fill in answers on a worksheet. Some students fell asleep while others with a lot of pushing sorta answered the question. They were bribed with candy which I guess works but again what is going to happen when they get back into the mainstream district. These students do go back and then I feel like they just turn right around and come back to the Alterative school. Maybe I don't see it but I don't feel like they're being taught how to act in a classroom. It seems like the teachers just let majority of there bad behavior go. And when it comes to academics I wonder if the students will develop Learned Helplessness. Learned Helplessness is the belief that nothing they can do can stop bad things from happening. (Gallagher & Anastasiow: Pg. 199) These students could think when they are back in the mainstream school district and do poorly on something there is nothing to do to fix it. They could think they are "dumb," or "stupid" and act out there anger. When really it could be possible that because they aren't pushed especially in the Alternative School, or taught methods on how to aid to their needs they'll get further and further discouraged.

Hours Completed : 4

Kirk S. , Gallagher J.J. , Coleman M.R. , & Anastasiow N. (2009).Educating Exceptional Children (12th ed.). Boston, NY: Houghton Mifflin Company.