I must tell you: I never, not even in my wildest dreams thought that I would be teaching second grade; and remedial at that. I was trained to teach at the secondary level. I also had an Elementary credential. After all the years at the university I had amassed enough credits to apply for five credentials: secondary, elementary, supervisory, administrative, counselor/educational psychologist. My Master’s Degree was in administration. I was in top form when I began to teach at a very prestigious high school then a six year school. Grade levels 7 – 12. I loved every challenge; every subject that I taught was terrific. I enjoyed the diversity. I began my administrative career at this school as a part-time girl’s vice principal. Those were the years of gender differentiation. Then I was recruited by a school district to the north to be a full-time administrator. I took the job with the guarantee that I could return to my old position with a 39 month period. The school district did not appreciate my stand on racial equality. I was forced to resign. Then I found work as an OEO consultant. Offered a position at the Catholic school K-8 in the poverty area of this same district. The pay was also poverty but I was teaching.
Then finally I was offered a position at a school district in East Ventura County as a Child Welfare and Attendance Counselor. This is the time I write about in the David's story.
You’ve read David’s and the teacher’s story. No? Read it now. It’s my introduction to the founding of a unique remedial program: teaching non-achieving second graders. Remedial? Yes. At second grade? Yes. Get them as soon as possible. I wrote this story about David. It surprised me. It just came. Then I wrote the rest of the story. Originally, his voice comes before mine. My teacher advised, reverse the order. So there it is in brief, the program. David is one of over 150 that were in the remedial second grade program. Now, I want to share with you the particulars.
As portrayed in the teacher’s section of David, you read about this pirated program(there’s more to tell you later) reserved for children seriously below grade level in reading, which flowed over into writing (printing) arithmetic skills, behavior, either placidness or aggression.
A teaching technique I knew would work. I didn’t know of any other way to teach. How’d I know? From my own life as a student and from teaching all grade levels except Kindergarten. No flapping visual distraction like stuff hanging from the walls and ceilings, no auditory distractions, no holiday to holiday themes, strict adherence to rules, absolute quiet, no disruptions, daily routines, respect for one another. The teachers were the adults; the adults were in charge. It was stressed to the children their parent(s): learning is a business, just like at McDonalds; that working, tending to their business of learning; only this business is for profit, their profit.
In exchange: guaranteed success. These children had already experienced two years of failure, they knew it too. We offered them an opportunity to be “a somebody” who could listen, read, write, master basic math skills. Be a winner. We had 170 days to undo, redo and rebuild.
The program, the initial classroom environment: bare bones.
Let’s start with the classroom environment:
