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     Welcome back to this weeks post, which deals with a topic that drives many school districts crazy; drop outs. Having dealt with many gang members over the years has provided me with a different view of why gang members drop out of school. In addition, dealing with many of these members has assured me of one thing and that is most members are quite capable of earning a high school diploma.

     It’s not that they are dumb and cannot complete the requirements to earn their degrees. On the contrary, what I found is many members are highly intelligent but often lack common sense. I also found they are often above intelligence with street smarts, which is a learned skill, to survive on the streets.

     So, if many of these members have the intelligence to graduate then why do so many drop out of school? The answer lies with how they view their educational opportunities. First and foremost is many members are mandated by their gangs to earn hardcore status, and with such a mandate comes a vast amount of suspension time from school. Couple this with their ineffectiveness at completing make up work, leaves them failing and falling behind on the semester curriculum.

     I know from experience that it is difficult to stop a lesson, to help a few students do  catch up work, because we see so many students in any given day. Quite often we are so busy we leave it to the students to hit us up for the make-up work. And I know we often badger our students to turn in missed work. But at the end of the semester you will often notice that the continually suspended gang members are failing with no hope of catching up, so they lose their credits for the semester.

     As you can already tell, this begins to lead into a vicious cycle with the member having no way of stopping the downward spiral. What eventually happens is you have an eighteen year old student with ten or less credits. With graduation criteria of credits often set at twenty eight or more to graduate, it is easy to see the dilemma. These students are also well aware of how they stand credit wise and will drop out of school before being asked to leave, because of Federal age requirements.

      Although the above is the main reason a member drops out it is not the only reason. Depending on how influential the member is in their gang will often play a role on whether they finish school. With a higher status in the gang they will have other responsibilities to fulfill, which often trumps school altogether.

     So what are the solutions to solving this problem?  Well, I can tell you these students need skills many school districts cannot supply, which are vocational hands on classes. I found that if I set up my curriculum with a lot of hands on projects they were more willing to make up missed work. Sadly, because of the way NCLB is set up it almost dictates that these members are destined to drop out. If a student who has not been in school often, because of suspensions, is mandated to take CRT tests they will not have the skills or knowledge to pass these tests.

     This presents another vicious cycle a member can not escape from because their test scores will eventually come back to haunt them. The only solution I see is to get them early on in their schooling and offer them an alternative to the rote education the other students are getting. At the very least they may stick around to hone the skills of their learned crafts and may even possibly graduate.

     For this and other tips and teaching strategies for gang members you can go to my book site at: gangsinourschools.com and following the Buy this book link for order instructions.

Thanks and come again for next weeks post on gang issues in education. 

     It seems that nowadays everyone is out to get teachers, be it for something you inadvertently said, to losing your temper and yelling at your class, to a parent who questions your every move in regards to their child. And I know the demands placed on us to meet AYP (adequate yearly progress) is tremendous, which can often leave you feeling deflated and defeated. But it is important to know that like everything in life, we will also experience the highs and lows in our chosen professions. But through it all, we have to know how to protect our own reputations. And doing so does a few things that helps you establish yourself as a professional.

     First, you have to know when to keep documentation on certain kids in your classes. It has been my experience that you will have to keep documentation on gang members, in addition to a few other students who push your authority. This is one of the most important things you can do as a teacher to protect yourself. You will always be in a better position when you can prove your interactions with any particular child. Know that at sometime in your teaching career you will be questioned about your teaching practices and documentation will always be your strongest ally.

     Secondly, never discipline a child alone. It is always better to have another teacher as a witness to collaborate your discussion with the child. This serves a few purposes, with the main emphasis on making sure you choose your words carefully. Plus if you were angry with the child, a colleague close by can help you calm down and also fill in the gaps while you collect your thoughts.

     And I think the most important thing you can do is to never touch a child in any manner, not even jokingly. I know that we often want to be a child’s confidant and be able to help them out in any possible manner. And I know that many students want to give out hugs, but I feel this can get you into trouble eventually. All it takes is an accidental stumble on your part and inadvertently touching the wrong part of child to catch your balance, to get you in hot water. I feel that if a child comes to hug you you must keep your hands held up high and not touch any part of the child. I think this is the best way to handle these situations.

     And finally, you must remember that you are in charge in the classroom no matter how hard a child tries to push your buttons and get you angry. If you are calm in dealing with that child, and you have your documentation in order, chances are high that the child will work their way out of the school, eventually.

I hope these tips will be helpful in your dealings with gang members or other troublesome children in your classroom.

     For more detailed information on how to protect your reputation you can go to my book site at gangsinourschools.com and clicking on the Buy this book link and follow the order instructions. 

If you need to contact me (Gilbert) you can do so by e-mailing me at gangsino@gangsinourschools.com

Thank you and come again for next weeks post.

Gilbert