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Today is an Opportunity to Change a Life: A Strength Model for Serving Challenged and Challenging Youth
Teachers,
counselors, probation officers, and social workers require new strategies for working with students who are culturally, linguistically,
socially, racially, and economically different. Understanding the unique issues confronting such youth, developing strategies
that are responsive to current disaggregate student achievement data, and providing students with hope are some of the components
examined through this session.
I would like to let you know that I thought that you both (Mychal Wynn and Dr. Mary Bacon) gave excellent presentations
that totally complemented each other. Personally, I feel that LACOE should require that all teachers attend your workshop
because of the mere fact that we are dealing with at-risk students.
Many
of the teachers teach from an outdated educational philosophy and we are bombarded with workshops that teach instructional
philosophies and strategies that continue to change over and over again.
Like
both of you said, "We don't need more specific teaching stuff," we need a philosophical construct on how to be effective teachers
with the tools we already have in dealing with our specific population. You both nailed it with your title, "A Strength Model
for Serving Challenged and Challenging Youth."
By
the way, in terms of STRATEGIES, what I observed was the best modeling of "culturally responsive and appropriate pedagogical"
strategies. I left empowered by knowing there is a "Strength Model" and I was affirmed that I was on the right track with
my teaching model. What both of you did was put a definition to what I have been doing and modeled how I can take it to the
next level.
Teacher, Los Angeles County Office of Education
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Making Positive Life Choices
Through analysis of the book, "Follow Your
Dreams: Lessons That I Learned in School" students examine their current life choices and and discuss future lifestyle
changes. As students examine Mr. Wynn's story of being born into poverty, being given up for adoption, attending low-performing
urban schools, and his resisting joining gangs or selling drugs, students examine parallels in their own lives. As students examine the challenges and obstacles
confronting them, they use the "My Dreams: Student Journal" to begin writing their own story as they set post-secondary
career and educational goals.
- Students examine their strengths and weaknesses
and the unique issues and obstacles confronting them.
- Students explore their talents and interests by examining how they can evolve into post-secondary
options.
- Students create their own autobiographies through illustrations, collages, poetry, essays,
research, and self-reflection.
- The completed, "My Dreams: Student Journals" provide a framework for engaging in discussions
with Transition Counselors and developing action plans for transitioning back into communities, their home school, and exploring
post-secondary college and career options.
- Students engage in critical-thinking discussions pertaining to such options as military service,
job corps, vocational training, trade school, community college, and 4-year college enrollment.
Recommended Materials: Follow Your Dreams book, workbook, and My Dreams Journal.
Up front, first and
foremost, I would like and just want to say that I really don’t have a dream. Even
if I had a dream, any dream, any real dream, I probably wouldn’t know
what it or they, was. Would you
like to know why I wouldn’t have or know if I had a dream? Are any of you
interested in knowing and finding out why this insignificant human being doesn’t
d have a dream and still so, not even know that he has one? Are any other
insignificant beings on this “wondrous” and “wonderful” tiny little green and
blue planet we all from birth call “our home,” interested in what he has to say
and state right now as of this very single moment?
Well I’ll help to let you
all know and help to fill you in the exact reason why. It’s a pretty general
thing but I would like to bring everyone on this planet to the table to let
them know that life is a twisting, confusing and miserable thing that we all as
human beings have to deal with, whether you or anyone else likes and/or
realizes and knows this one single concept.
My dream has been twisted,
corrupted, deferred, deflected, erased, reborn, but then destroyed by all that
life, in general, has thrown and delivered to him, which as of this moment he
has realized is really overbearing on his body, altogether mentally, physically
and spiritually. He wishes that he could just be able to create and find a
dream that will help me figure out all of life’s complexities so that he may
enjoy his time here on Earth. One
day I will be able to have found my dream and will create other dreams from it.
I really do hope I find it soon man, I really do. Student at Central Juvenile Hall in
Los Angeles
Our students were truly transformed through the "Mychal Wynn" experience. They read the book, "Follow Your Dream,"
wrote essays about their dreams, engaged in self-reflective activities regarding their attitudes and behaviors, and began
setting goals consistent with pursuing their dreams. For many of our students, today was the best day that they have ever
had in school. Ever!
Administrator, Charter Schools
Academy, Detroit, MI
Opening the Pathway to College for Latino Students According to the U.S. Department of Education Report, “The Condition of Education:
2008”: - Only 24 percent of Hispanic
high school graduates go on to 4-year colleges and universities
- 46 percent of students whose parents DID NOT go to college, are projected, not go to college
- 85 percent of Hispanic students’ parents DO NOT have a college degree
College
planning is a knowledge intensive process that few parents are capable of navigating--FAFSA, college essays, course taking,
extracurricular activity involvement, standardized test preparation, and choosing the right colleges and universities are
only some of the many decisions that must be made in navigating the kindergarten to college pathway. This workshop is designed to
demystify the college planning process for Latino students and parents and to assist parents in getting their children onto
the kindergarten to college pathway. Recommended Materials: College
Planning for High School Students: Spanish Version
Our Latino parents love Mychal Wynn. He helps
them to not only see the possibilities for their children, he helps them to develop practical, doable plans to help their
children go from kindergarten to college. He lets them know that there are many postsecondary opportunities for their children
to pursue and inspires them to encourage their children to pursue them. Staff Person, Los Angeles County Office of Education
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