by Donna Swagerty Shreve
In 1982 Lodi Unified created a Gifted and Talented school for students who tested with a certain intelligent quotient and tested well on standardized tests. The students’ parents had to complete the process by signing up in person on a certain day. Parents lined up at midnight to be toward the front of the line to ensure making the first 30 to sign up at that special day. I was one of three teachers who had interviewed and got the privilege of starting the school from scratch. We were given an old school that had been vacant for a few years. It had an original old building and a newer classroom wing. The old building was not earthquake approved and was used as a teacher room and teacher rest rooms. The classroom wing had a small office for a secretary and the occasional visit from a roving principal. We also had a small library off the office. Then there were four classrooms to complete the wing.. The middle two classrooms had walls taken out and opened up to serve as cafeteria to satellite lunches and music room. Sometimes we even squeezed together for an assembly or two. More classrooms were provided by a row of used portables across the hall from the main classroom wing.
We had crummy housing but we made up for it with enthusiasm. We were determined to make this special school work. Meanwhile, the Lodi district was gaining more and more students. Park Lane school was overflowing with recent students who had just moved into the school district. We had empty portables available so these left overs were added to our campus. Obviously ghetto kids mixing it up with GIFTED students from throughout the district was not a good mix. Administrators were determined the mix would work because they had a housing issue and I am not so sure they were that convinced our program would succeed.
Three classrooms were GATE, fourth, fifth and sixth graders. The other side had a fourth, fifth and sixth grade of “overflow.” I am convinced some students were added to the list as they were problems at their home school. The “overflow” teachers were not there by choice either. One had even applied for a GIFTED teaching job and not succeeded. To add to the mess, the first month we had double session while they set up the portables. The overflow classes got the morning session and we received the afternoon. I always have tried to have classroom pets and our snake escaped during the night. I received a phone call from the school secretary to beg me to come early to find it as the other fifth grade teacher and principal were freaking out.
Into this difficult educational situation, Carlos arrived. Carlos was a big sixth grader in the overflow class. His teacher had bounced around from school to school as principals transferred him whenever possible. Mr. K was a bully and boring. Carlos was part AfricanAmerican and part Hispanic. His mother was a drug addict and fed her habit as a prostitute. The father was in prison. Carlos was what I called a feral kid. He was raising himself. He was also king of the playground. The poor GATE kids did not win at recess. All of the school smarts did not fare them well on the playground. School became a challenge in the classroom as designed but the worst challenge was the social element with very opposite students. Educationally and socially the two groups of students were different.
Class meetings were held regularly to try to deal with the playground problems. Carlos was well known by all. Meanwhile Carlos was in a war with his sixth grade teacher. Mr. K was a traditional teacher with rows and text as the sole curriculum. To give understand the interest level in that classroom, the floor gave the main clue. At the end of each day, the floor was covered with spit wads that accumulated during the day. Carlos maintained the war with Mr. K for maybe a month before he got bored with his game and became obvious enough to be caught. Mr. K would suspend him for a few days and then Carlos would return to start the war all over again. Our principal had several schools and he could only visit a few days a week. We were on our own. Mr. K enjoyed his days when Carlos was gone and suspensions increased. At this point the portables had arrived we all had the same schedule.
Finally the police called our principal and asked if Carlos could be given in-school suspensions instead of sending him home. There was a definite pattern developing where burglaries would increase in Carlos’ neighborhood whenever he stayed home. I was aware Mr. K was having his problems with Carlos as my door opened across the corridor from his door. Carlos spent a lot of time on the porch of his classroom when he was at school.
One morning our principal arrived in my classroom with Carlos in tow. He asked me to keep Carlos for the day as Carlos had an in-school suspension and it would not be fair to the secretary to house him in the office. The principal rarely stayed with our school more than a couple of hours. I didn’t really feel I had a choice in the matter but I certainly would have preferred a head’s up of at least the day before.
There we were, Carlos and me. I definitely felt Carlos sizing me up but to be fair I was doing the same to him. My students were waiting to enter their classroom. There were 30 students arranged in groups of four with two groups of just three. I gave Carlos a quick overview of the classroom. I showed him the schedule on the board of what was happening for the day. I told him he had a choice of sitting at his desk in the back of the classroom or he could choose to pull his desk up to a group and join in with the activities the class was doing.
I believe in active learning so there were no text books with the reading the chapters and answering questions at the end of each chapter. I pointed out to Carlos that I had extra copies of the novels we were reading if any of them interested him. The opening bell had rung so I opened the door and let the students file in. The chill in the room was instant. Again, I wish I had had more notice so I could have prepared my students.
I did my usual greeting of outlining the day’s activities. I then introduced Carlos and explained he would be with us for the day. I also mentioned he might chose to join their group at some time during the day. It took Carlos about an hour of observing the class before he moved his desk and joined a group. He chose a group of four and made it five but I had given him a choice and he had decided to join us. No student gave him any trouble or resistance. Carlos for his part did not hassle anyone. The day went better than I anticipated. Part of his previous problems in his regular classroom was the boredom. Carlos now arrived in my classroom with more regularity. I never found any spit wads on the floor nor did I have any confrontations with Carlos. I did not assign any thing or expect any thing from him expect respect.
A small miracle happened on the playground in short order. The usual bullying and other harassments stopped for my students. When an over-flow student would start on any of my students, Carlos put a stop to it. He became their protector. When there was any questions from various tormentors, Carlos explained they could not pick on his friends.
I wish I could now give a happy ending to my experience with Carlos. Finally Mr. K had had enough with Carlos and I suspect Carlos was putting more pressure on him. The following incident was told to me by a parent that told me of the final straw. Mr. K baited Carlos until Carlos finally threw a football at Mr. K. Battery. Assault. Mr. K immediately called the sheriff and had Carlos arrested. I was unaware of all of this until I received a phone call from a parent of a student in Mr. K’s room. I still do not know how she knew to call me. She worked at the court house and she saw Carlos brought in. She was quite upset because she thought it was so unfair. I shared with all I thought she could do: a note to the judge with background information from the parent’s knowledge from her child and observing what she did when she interacted before and after school. She never got back to me but I am sure Carlos was put into the system.
How sad the public education could not provide for a child who had obviously had intelligence, leadership skills, athletic abilities and enthusiasm. He also had a miserable home life with little to no support. I have forgotten the last name of Carlos so I am unable to check public records for whatever happened to him. I can only hope a miracle happened after he left our school.
Swagerty-Aldrich Family Web Site 