SCHOOL FOR AT-RISK IN TAAL HIGH SCHOOL: AN EXPOSITORY PAPER[1]
Adeline C. Mendoza[2]
In a class, only 10% are regular attendees, 40% are truants, 30% are low achievers, 10% are seasonal and 10% are failures. This is the normal class situation in our school, Taal High School.
The 40% truants are not attending their classes regularly because they prefer to stay in computer shops, they spend most of their time with their peers in their “tambayan” drinking liquor, smoking, or they simply stay there to pass their time. Others spend their time in basketball courts, while others spend their time practicing their dance steps. Some of them are inside the classrooms but they are unruly, or they simply don’t care what is going on inside the classrooms. When they enter their classes the following day, they do not have accomplished assignments, projects or even their bags are empty, they only have their combs, cologne or perfumes, cellphones or their make-up kits for the ladies.
The 30% low achievers are by nature slow learners and have difficulty of coping or complying with their tasks and requirements in their respective classes. Some of them are non-readers and non-numeric. In short, they have not mastered the basic skills that should have been acquired in the elementary level.
The 10% seasonal are the students who only appear during periodical examinations and the like. After the tests, they are not anymore visible in school.
The 10% failures are those who drop-out from school and others are those who have enrolled but have not presented themselves in school.
These are the kind of students that we deal with in our school. For three years that I had been in the school, there were various measures taken and implemented to solve this problem but it seems that the problem is the attitude of most students and so with some parents and a few teachers. Now, I think to remedy or even to solve this problem is to come up with a school for these at-risk students.
An alternative school for the young designed to meet the needs of the truant students, the low achievers, the students who cannot regularly attend their classes due to lack of finances and students who become uninterested to learn due to the unkind and inconsiderate parents, teachers and classmates and students who are influenced by peers and as a result they get hooked into vices and even prohibited drugs.
The Career Academy would be beneficial for most of them, especially so that most of our students only aim for a high school diploma and only a few would pursue their college or even technical or vocational courses. After high school, they will look for a job to help support their families. In this case, the career academy is a good alternative for our students at-risk. They can choose a certain career in which their skill or interest is suited. They will be trained to develop their skills so that after their training and education in the career academy, they will be able to land in a job or even to start with a small business using the skills and expertise they have mastered. In this case, the student will not be a liability to his family and the community but is a contributor to the development of his family and the community.
The Talent Development for High Schools can also be a good alternative learning system for our students. This school aims to tap and develop the potential talents of students. Many of our students who are unruly in class are talented. They are good in dancing, in acting and even singing. Some of them are members of dance troops while others are band members. So if this alternative can be aligned or integrated in our school, I believe many of our students will be in the school. They will not only learn the regular subjects taught inside the classrooms but they will also be excited to share and develop their talents during their Talent Classes. As I have observed and experienced, most of the unruly students if given the chance to show and share where their talent is and they are appreciated, they also work on their academics. Actually, from their exposure to programs and activities showcasing their talents, they were able to qualify to join in competitions in National Televisions.
If only our traditional public schools are well-funded and well-facilitated, we can incorporate or align schools for at-risk students such as Career Academies and Talent Development for High Schools. If this happens, there will be more students in school, very few if not, no student will drop out from school.
Aside from the alternative learning systems mentioned, I would also like to recommend other alternative programs designed to help students in their educational needs.
1. Night and Weekend School. This school can cater to the needs of working students and also with the out-of-school-youths to go back to school. This school can also help the adults who have left school and would like to go back to school and finish their education.
2. Teen Parents School. This school is good for the teen-agers who get involved in relationships and get pregnant. In most cases, early pregnancy is unplanned and in this case, unexpected changes can cause disruption in the teenager’s education. Teen parents school should provide prenatal and child care services and should emphasize on the well-being of parents and children.
3. Substance Abuse Programs. This program will cater to the needs of our students who are drug addicts, heavy drinkers and smokers. This program can help them by providing medical services and other needs which are not provided by traditional schools. Education will be provided in a manner that suits the needs of the students.
These are other alternatives to address the needs of our students who are at risk and they are in need of special care and attention.
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