Options for Youth

This morning I had the opportunity to meet with the principal and some teachers of Options for Youth, an alternative school that caters to at-risk youth who are making a decision to finish up their graduation requirements and get their diploma. I found that there are a lot of reasons that students come to the school. Some found little success in the regular high school setting and needed a different rhythm, for lack of a better metaphor, for their education. Some came from problem situations and needed to be outside the traditional school so they could focus on their school work without the needless distractions. Others finally realized that if they were to lead a successful and productive life, they needed their diploma and the only thing stopping them from achieving this possibility was themselves. So, no matter the situation, there was a marked attitude of determination with these students that was probably a new trademark in their life.
I arrived at the school around 7 a.m. and found several of the teachers already there and preparing their lessons for the day. As we talked about the school, its successes and its challenges, I was also struck by how dedicated these educators were about their students. They practice a regimen of training, mentoring and evaluation on a regular basis. They teach school year round and do not enjoy the traditional summer recess or longer vacations. Even the regular holidays afforded them are fraught with concern over whether they’ll see some of their struggling students on the other side of the break. They may even keep contact with a youth who has not quit committed completely to the mission of the school by calling them over Christmas break. They find fulfillment even when only a small percentage of students walk during graduation because they know they made a impact in someone’s life. These students who don a cap and gown and cross the stage either in the winter or at the end of spring, know that they overcame some substantial odds and the decisions they made will prepare them for a productive life. The reward is not immediate, but it almost reflects that whole idea of counting the apples in a seed. One student finishing high school, with whatever marks, dings or scars associated with it, is a student prepared a little better for life. And it is more likely that these young people will have families in the future that will be all the better off because of those few indelible years they spent getting a diploma.
The program works because there is something expected of these students. Booker T. Washington said it well, “Few things help an individual more than to place responsibility upon him, and let him know that you trust him.” I think we need to give our students more and higher hurdles to overcome and give them the tools and exercises to achieve their goals. And when they fall short, we do what we can to help them bridge the gap. Because if we don’t close the gap now, and do so with their strengths, any weakness they capitulate to will only create a chasm of failure for years to come that our strongest muscles will be useless to contain.
This is a little heavy with metaphor, but the point is—let’s care enough about our kids and community to get them across the finish line.