Closer connections: factors such as homelessness, limited-English proficiency and difficult relations with others can cause students even in the best schools to feel alone

Leadership, Sept-Oct, 2002 by James Lovelace, Linda Salah

Bret Harte Middle School, a 2001-02 Blue Ribbon school, sits in the affluent Almaden Valley, one of six middle schools in the San Jose Unified School District. Standardized test scores are in the top 10 percent in the state. We offer a rich variety of extra curricular activities and athletics. However, some Bret Harte students are isolated.

Factors including poor grades, homelessness, limited English proficiency, low self-esteem or difficult relationships with peers and/or adults can cause a student even in one of the best schools to feel alone in a crowd of 1,300 students.

Our school offers a number of support services to meet the needs of these children. One that can be replicated easily and inexpensively is the Time-In program.

The goal of Time-In is to make available a supportive and connective environment for the at-risk middle school student. The Time-In room, a safe place for at-risk adolescents, is the middle school extension of the play room in the primary intervention program at our local elementary schools. The room is stocked with a variety of age-appropriate board games to prompt interaction. Under the one-on-one guidance of an adult mentor, each student develops self-esteem and addresses the conflicting behaviors of dependence and independence.

The volunteers

Many parents who work tirelessly in our elementary schools as volunteers feel left out when their sons and daughters enter middle school, with its morass of schedules and changing classrooms and teachers. These parents offer a wealth of experience that can be used to meet the needs of students who traditionally fall through the cracks. These are the men and women who make up our Time-In program.

After fingerprinting and tuberculosis testing, adult volunteers, who knowingly accept a student-oriented, long-term commitment, are trained in non-directive play techniques and become confidants who are good listeners, have a sense of humor and are not easily shocked by adolescent statements. This adult is a role model who values teenagers.

Ongoing professional development for the volunteers in the Time-In program is achieved through workshops led by both internal and external facilitators. We hold periodic seminars for informal discussions and formal presentations. At these meetings, Time-In parents reflect on their interactions with students. The volunteers share ideas, triumphs and challenges. Formal presentations have included the topics of anger management strategies, child abuse reporting, reflective listening, grief counseling, asset development and self-esteem enrichment activities.

There is one strict rule for Time-In. After volunteers master a thorough understanding of the child abuse reporting law, confidentiality is paramount. We assure that the volunteers do not know the Time-In students with whom they are partnered outside of school. Only the coordinator and the school administration know the identities of all the student participants. Time-In volunteers only know the name of the student with whom they meet. The students feel safe knowing that what they share is heard and kept private.

The coordinator

The sole expense of The Time-In program is the modest stipend paid to the program coordinator. Our program coordinator is an experienced Time-In parent who is active in the community.

The coordinator has the following duties:

* oversees the selection of parent volunteers and the scheduling of the Time-In room, where the volunteer and student meet for an hour each week;

* serves as a member of school site leadership committees to represent and advocate for the program;

* collaborates with school administration to provide linear tracking of students in the program to determine the duration and the success of the program;

* conducts and organizes training workshops as well as providing supplemental reading materials; and

* develops a handbook of resources for the volunteers.

The students

There is no ideal formula to identify the student who will benefit from the Time-In environment. These students may be the ones for whom the traditional support programs have failed. We often remind our volunteers that the investment may not reap reward for years after the student has left, and we may never know the impact we have. In that light, every child can potentially benefit from this program. In the past few years, more than 50 students have participated.

Adrienne (all names are changed) lives in one room of a residential hotel that she shares with her parents and two older siblings. She has lived there for more than 10 years. Before Time-In, she had a 70 percent truancy rate and failed all of her classes. After many months of mentoring in the Time-In program and participation in other programs, Adrienne's school life is better.

Her Time-In parent developed rapport with Adrienne through modeling love for her own child. The Time-In parent brought her infant to the weekly scheduled appointment. During this hour, the Time-In parent listened to Adrienne while modeling and encouraging grooming habits, social skills and the importance of education. Now Adrienne regularly attends school, completes her assignments and has better relationships with her peers.