Students Learn Skills For Success At New School Club
Posted
Tim Robertson-trobertson@timesuniononline.com
WINONA LAKE - Thursday at Jefferson Elementary School, 7-year-old Isaac ran in a circle around a desk, arms stretched in front of him like he was driving a car.
Then, he veered and crashed into a wall.
Normally, behavior like this in a classroom could get a student at Jefferson in trouble, but Isaac was at a Discovering Club meeting. He was running around as part of a skit he and a few classmates put together about what would happen if we didn't have traffic rules.The Discovering Club is a pilot program for a new curriculum called Life Skills. Life Skills is aimed at helping children who may be socially or economically at-risk develop skills that will help them succeed as students, community members and members of the workforce. The curriculum includes six units: How to Make Choices, Kids with Character, Personal Care, Love Matters, Dollars and Sense and Personality & Potential.
Grace in Action USA Inc., a local non-profit organization dedicated to preparing children to become productive citizens, developed the Life Skills curriculum. GIA President Gladys Deloe said the Life Skills program focuses on helping students excel beyond challenges that sometimes come with socially or economically disadvantaged background.
In June, GIA received a $8,200 grant from Kosciusko County Community Foundation to publish the curriculum and another $2,000 grant through the KCCF's REMC Operation RoundUp Fund to pilot the program.
The pilot program at Jefferson began Tuesday and will run for six weeks. The class meets after school on Tuesdays and Thursdays to talk, play games and other group activities designed to reinforce the Life Skills curriculum. The classes will focus on the first Life Skills unit: How to Make Choices.
The program is run by volunteers. Currently, eight Grace College students, one Warsaw Community High School student and four adult volunteers from the community are involved in facilitating the Discovering Club.
Jefferson Principal Denny Duncan said he agreed to have the Life Skills pilot run in his school because he supports the program's concept. Duncan said he thinks extended-day programs are some of the most effective in helping students overcome gaps in academic or social achievement.
"When kids get extra time after school, it's just a great environment for them," Duncan said. "Extra work is key to closing that achievement gap."
Volunteers said they expected eight to 10 students to sign up for the program and were pleasantly surprised when 22 students signed up. Students said they signed up because the club sounded fun and they looked forward to interaction with the volunteers.
"I signed up because I thought it was going to be really fun," said Eric, 8. "And," he added, "it is. It's really fun."
Thursday, the club was focused on rules. The students split into small groups, each with a volunteer leader and made up skits with the theme "What if there were no rules?"
After the skits, volunteer Sheila Remington, a Grace College student studying counseling and sociology, talked to the kids about what they learned from the skits they performed.
"We have all those rules because, without them, there would be no order in our homes, schools or communities," Remington said. "Lots of people could get hurt."
The students discussed their ideas of what kinds of behavior are against the rules.
"No talking trashmouth to your mom," said one student.
"Don't throw trash in the lake," said another.
Patti Miller, a Grace sophomore studying counselling, is the facilitator for the pilot program. Miller said she's been surprised with how well the students have connected to the lessons.
"The kids are a lot more interested than we thought they'd be," Miller said. "They're really well behaved and interested in learning."
Life Skills is designed to be a long-term program students can participate in from elementary school through high school. The six-week pilot program is aimed at giving students a first-time exposure to the curriculum and volunteers a chance to teach the curriculum and assess what adjustments could make it more effective.
"It's going to take some time to see the impact of the program," said Miller. "The only way to make impact or change is to start when kids are young."
After the pilot program, Deloe said Life Skills is scheduled to continue in the fall semester with after-school programs at three local public elementary schools. Deloe said her organization is seeking more volunteers to be involved with Life Skills. She said she's looking for volunteers from area churches, local community professionals, active senior citizens or Grace College students.
For more information, contact Deloe at gdeloe@comcast.net or call 574-372-6317.
