SURVIVAL GUIDE TO TEACHING ALTERNATIVE SCHOOL, PART I — THE FIRST DAYS
Out of the 16 years that I spent teaching in public schools, 6 were spent teaching in alternative schools. I know some stuff that might help.
This is my good news for you about teaching in alternative school:
You will become a far better teacher than you ever would have if you spent the same amount of time in a traditional school with seemingly compliant students.
But first, to survive those first few days, prepare to…
Understand the Institutional Realities
You will have to navigate through some realities of alternative school life that are there even before the first student walks in:
- Some alternative schools were formed decades ago, but suffer from a lack of institutional memory due to heavy staff turnover.
- Some have been started in a panic this summer and will be writing the opera as they sing it during this, and maybe even next, year. Not only have you just been hired in August, but your principal was hired in July.
- Some are choice schools and so students must apply, which means that some families will do that the day before school starts. This means the principal doesn’t know how many to staff for in the coming year. Choice alternative schools start with 10 to 100 and might end the year with 200+. Your mileage may vary accordingly.
- Some are mandatory, disciplinary, alternative schools, which are always on the verge of becoming toxic environments due to the students’ being coerced to be there for negative reasons.
- While some are housed in nice, purpose-built buildings, most are not. My first year of teaching was in an alternative school that met in a National Guard Armory still being used by the National Guard. Some are in an isolated portable. Some are in storefronts and old office locations.
The upshot of all of this variety is that flexibility about facilities, faculty, staff, furnishings, and student numbers is a MUST.
I’m not trying to be funny. It really is.
Understand the Students
The hardest part of any teaching is understanding the students. And in alternative school, developing an understanding of your students will be even more critical to your success with them.
The most important thing to remember, especially in the first few Survival Guide to Teaching Alternative School, Part I — The First Days | Life at the Intersections:
