THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, October 15, 1995 TAG: 9510140103
SECTION: PORTSMOUTH CURRENTS PAGE: 12 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Cover Story
SOURCE: BY VANEE VINES, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Long : 143 lines
MOST ARE considered ``disciplinary problems.'' Some are on probation. Many come from a background that makes learning tough even under the best circumstances.
These are the students of the school district's New Directions Center. And for the majority, academic success has been the exception.
After a year-long hiatus, the center reopened this year in office space once occupied by Commonwealth College on Portsmouth Boulevard. A new location and staff bring new challenges, Principal Darnell Johnson said.
But the center, he said, still aims to encourage, guide and support troubled students no one else wants to deal with.
``First, I want to provide a safe and secure climate,'' said Johnson, who also is chaplain at the City Jail. ``Once we have those things, we can focus on self-esteem and getting the kids to view school and themselves positively. them in jail.''
Continually disruptive or violent students can be referred to the center throughout the year by the district superintendent's office, School Board, principals, court authorities or parents. Depending upon their progress at New Directions, they might be allowed to return to their old schools.
The center, which now serves about 100 sixth- through 10th-graders, offers small classes of up to 12 students; a nurturing, if sometimes strict, environment; and intensive instruction in basics: English, math, science and social studies. Like students at several city elementary schools, those at New Directions sport uniforms: white shirts or blouses and navy or black bottoms.
To parent Thelma Banks, the center is a refreshing change from school-as-usual for her 12-year-old son, Torrence.
``Most of the schools just don't have time to give kids the extra help they need; the classes are too big,'' she said. ``Here, there's no letting go. The teachers really get down to business. They keep the kids on their toes and they keep the parents informed of everything.''
Torrence marks the beginning of his school troubles with the time he threatened to hit a teacher in elementary school. He now says he ``feels good'' about school.
``The teachers are really nice and they like to help people,'' he said, referring to the New Directions staff. ``They call our house at night and tell my mama how I've been doing and stuff. They give you more chances than regular teachers. They spend more time with you.''
Although Johnson can provide anecdotes about students who later sought higher education or landed good jobs, it's hard to measure the center's success rate because the district has not systematically tracked how students fared once they left New Directions.
Last year, the former center lost its home at S.H. Clarke because the building was being converted to an elementary school. The School Board then farmed out alternative education to Richard M. Milburn High, a private company that handles alternative ed projects in Norfolk, Virginia Beach and several other districts across the state.
The board fired the Milburn staff earlier this year after parents and central office administrators complained about the company's failure to, among other things, closely supervise students or stay on top of record-keeping duties.
New Directions opened with other schools on Sept. 5. In some ways, however, the center has yet to pick up steam.
Only three of the center's eight full-time teachers asked to be reassigned there, Johnson said. The administration placed the others at the center.
Five teachers have less than five years of experience. One of the toughest goals will be getting everyone to understand and embrace a common mission, Johnson said. With the exception of the past year, he's been the center's principal since the 1991-92 school year.
Most of the 15 staffers wear multiple hats, a reflection of the district's recent downsizing. For example: The person who monitors students removed from class for ``in-school suspension'' also is responsible for the center's security. In addition to his regular duties, Johnson is the administrator of a dropout prevention grant for the district.
During the 1993-94 year, an academic guidance counselor worked with New Directions students, who also had part-time access to a ``student-assistance'' counselor. This school year, the district assigned one ``drop-out prevention specialist'' to the center to handle student counseling.
The new location also doesn't have a gymnasium, library or cafeteria. Lunch is delivered from Cradock Middle.
Johnson is now trying to rebuild mentorship programs and a network of businesses and service agencies willing to donate resources or time. He's already created a parent support group, which parents are encouraged to join to learn more about raising children, the center's efforts or special topics that interest them.
Like Sandra Smith-Jones, several teachers said they would work to meet the needs of children, despite the circumstances.
Ten students filed into her English class one recent morning. Smith-Jones - teacher-mother-bully - was pumped up about the day's lesson on sentence patterns. Although most paid attention, a few students tuned out early, staring at the wall. Others cracked jokes or held side conversations with buddies.
Smith-Jones frequently interrupted the lesson to get their attention or to remind them that she was the boss. But she never lost focus.
Even if students don't believe it at first, she says, they will learn in her class. A big part of her job, she said, is getting students to believe in themselves.
``These students really and truly want to learn and they want to know you care about them. . . . They will do their work for you if you show them that you care,'' she said.
Sometimes, negative attitudes persist.
On the same day, for instance, math teacher Leon Evans Jr. tried to get a student's attention while also urging the boy to stop talking. Evans called the boy's name and said, ``I don't want to lose you.''
The boy's reply: ``You don't want to lose your face.'' Evans, a former prison guard, brushed off the comment and went back to the lesson.
Despite such obstacles, the staff pushes not only to teach students, but also to train them to fit into society.
Kenneth Hawes, 14, says he gets the message. Hawes, who wants to become an architect, said he was bounced out of school after an incident in which a teacher spotted bullets falling out of his coat pocket. The bullets, he said, were left by a friend who borrowed the coat.
``They help you a lot here,'' he said, referring to New Directions. ``If you don't understand something, they're right there. But I want to go back to my zone school; I miss my friends and the girls. I know I have to have a good education.'' ILLUSTRATION: Color photo on cover by Mark Mitchell, Staff
Teacher Sandra Smith-Jones helps a student with his lesson at the
New Directions Center
Staff photo by MARK MITCHELL
Math teacher Darlene Brown, at right, asked to be assigned to the
New Directions Center because she likes working with troubled
students. ``It is a tough challenge, but the rewards are great,''
she said. ``A lot of these kids come in so frustrated, down on
themselves and feeling as though they have nowhere to go but down. I
try to give them some hope, show them someone cares.''
Staff photos by CHRISTOPHER REDDICK
Parent Deidre Brown supports the center because she says it offers
her son, Daunte, 13, more individual attention.
Darnell Johnson, principal of the New Directions Center, says,
``First, I want to provide a safe and secure climate. Once we have
those things, we can focus on self-esteem and getting the kids to
view school and themselves positively.''
KEYWORDS: PORTSMOUTH SCHOOLS ALTERNATIVE SCHOOL SCHOOL DISCIPLINE by CNB