Dont Be Left in the Dark The Paradox of Student Life at the BOCES Alternative School Criminalization and Disenfranchisement

Evan Warnock December 17, 2013 Education Studies 350: Ethnography of Learning Environments Professor Susan Mason Final Paper Assignment

The principal never gave me a chance. I was always the bad guy, the main bad guy. Marvin, Alternative School Student (Warnock, J.2.b)

You gotta want it. Teachers can only show students the door. Students have to want to do well in school. Ms. Albright, 9th Grade Algebra Teacher (Warnock, J.4.d.i)

Dont Be Left in the Dark The Paradox of Student Life at the BOCES Alternative School Criminalization and Disenfranchisement Next to sleeping, school arguably takes up the largest portion of the average U.S. students day; 8.7 hours compared to 6.5 hours respectively for the average high school student.1 In addition to being the proverbial site of learning for a developing child outside the home, school is the site of the convergence a diverse range of individual social, cultural, and economic backgrounds. Idealized by many as the great equalizer of society, many students and parents view public education as a means of social mobility and access to a future life better than their own. In reality, many public schools subtly foster the inequalities within communities that they seek to give their students the opportunity to push beyond. In short, a sense of irony of public schooling in America is disturbingly real. As a student observer at the BOCES Alternative School on the Oneida Herkimer Madison BOCES campus, I witnessed the paradox of an American public school institution first-hand; an institution built to create social equilibrium, but instead creating inequalities. Over the course of the fall of my senior year, I observed two classrooms and the lunch period at the Alternative School2 in accordance with the requirements of an upper level education course at Hamilton College. Specifically, I observed two sections of a ninth grade algebra class taught by Ms. Albright and teaching assistant, Mr. Schrader, and one section of a tenth grade English class taught by Ms. Bohling and teaching assistant, Ms. LaClara. At first, I also observed a tenth grade course recovery

These are the statistics of unemployed high school students. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Charts from the America Time Use Survey. Web. 21 Dec 2013. 2 Refer to Appendix A for exact observation schedule.

class taught by Mr. Boyd.3 Over the course of 12 visits to these classrooms, I spent a total of 36 hours at the BOCES Alternative school just enough to pick up on the rich subtleties embedded in the complex social processes of their program. Within the Oneida Herkimer Madison BOCES unit, the Alternative School (also called Middle Settlement Academy) provides safety net educational services for students at-risk of falling through the cracks of their district public education system. The purpose of this program is to provide a comprehensive educational program for students in grades 6-12 who have not succeeded in the traditional classroom setting.4 Students enrolled in the Alternative School program have been placed there as the result of serious disciplinary, academic, or attendance problems at their district public school. As one teacher conveyed, the objective of the program is to effectively transfer students back to their district school (Warnock, J.4.d.i). Although the majority of students remain at BOCES after being placed there, teachers argue that students district school will be able to provide them the resources they need as students, and their job is to move them towards returning. Although the Alternative School positions itself as a place of individual maturation and second chances, I gradually began to understand through my observations that the opposite learning environment is largely fostered for those students who need it the most. In a learning environment that strives to correct poor behavior and academic performance, I observed that students deemed as troubled by their school districts were only further made out to be troublemakers through systematic discipline strategies and constant surveillance by teachers and staff. Contrary to the slogan imprinted on the
3 4

I switch out of this course due to lack of observation opportunities. Tangorra, Mary Lourdes. Instructional Services: Alternative Education. Oneida Herkimer Madison BOCES. 2013. Web 21 Dec 2013.

lanyard I received at the front desk, Middle Settlement Academy: Dont Be Left in the Dark, students already pushed into the dark of the public school system were only further pushed down by the punitive systems of the Alternative School. Overall, through a complex network of forces created by the interactions between teachers, administrators, students, social workers, hired disciplinarians, and police stationed in the school, the disciplinary processes of the BOCES Alternative School criminalize and disenfranchise students, and eventually prevent them from actively and intrinsically engaging with their learning. Defining the BOCES Program Publically funded by New York State, the idea of BOCES (Board of Cooperative Education Services) is relatively simple; provide a centrally located education facility where districts can pool money to offer services that they normally would not be able to fund through their own financial means. Founded through the New York State Legislature in 1948, there are currently 38 BOCES campuses, incorporating 721 of the 730 school districts in the state.5 In addition to state and federal aid, BOCES is funded through districts levying their taxes to collectively buy into these additional services.6 At its core, BOCES seeks to effectively and equitably meet the diverse needs of school districts in New York State. The Oneida Herkimer Madison BOCES Campus, located outside of New Hartford, New York, is a three-division school program designed to facilitate additional education services to participating districts. Housed all in the same massive building, this

Madison-Oneida BOCES. Ed Management Services: What is BOCES? New York State Education Department. 2011. Web. Dec 21 2013. 6 Madison-Oneida BOCES. Ed Management Services: What is BOCES? New York State Education Department. 2011. Web. Dec 21 2013.

BOCES campus offers a Career-Technical Education (CTE) program, a Special Education program, and an Alternative Education program and serves 12 surrounding school districts7 According to the most recent data for the 2011-2012 school year, Onedia Herkimer BOCESs operating budget was over $58,000,000, and their CTE, Special Education, and Alternative Education served approximately 1,800 students.8 For lack of a better phrase, the BOCES Alternative School is at the bottom of their cache of educational services. Of all CTE students tested in 2011, 89.7% passed the ELA Regents Exam and 87.3% passed the Mathematics Regents Exam.9 Additionally, 91% of CTE students were employed, pursuing military service, or pursuing postsecondary education six months after attended their CTE program. In regards to the success of the Alternative School, the schools academic records are underwhelming. In the 2011-2012 school year, only 36% of the students tested for English/Language Arts passed at a 65% or above level.10 The results in basic algebra are even more startling; only 11% of the students tested for basic algebra passed at a 65% or above level.11 In keeping in line with their mission to return students back to their district schools, the Alternative School as a program is performing poorly as well. In 2011-2012, only 5 of 48 total students returned to their district schools in grades five through eight; a roughly 10%

These districts are Brookfield Central School District, Clinton Central School District, Holland Patent Central School District, New Hartford Central School District, New York Mills Union Free School, Oriskany Central School District, Sauquoit Valley Central Schools, Utica City School District, Waterville Central School District, Westmoreland Central School District, and Whitesboro Central School District. In total, Oneida Herkimer BOCES serves a 540 square mile area in Oneida, Herkimer, and Madison counties. 8 Madison-Oneida BOCES. Board of Cooperative Educational Services: 2011-2012 Report Card. Board of Cooperative Educational Services. 2012. Web. Dec 21 2013. p. 15 9 Ibid, p. 2 10 Ibid, p. 5 11 Ibid, p. 5

return rate.12 In grades nine through twelve, 28 out of 106 students returned to their district schools; 78 stayed at the Alternative School (roughly a 26% return rate).13 Thus, on the surface, it is clear that student academic life at the BOCES Alternative School is less than productive. However, these surface analyses beg further questioning and present a challenging paradox. Specifically, how can an institution fail its students whose core mission is preventing them at all costs from being left in the dark as public school students? The answer to this line of thought lies in their criminalization and disenfranchisement as students, and the subtleties of these processes begin with the emphasis on socialization embedded in teachers instructional practices in the classroom. Socialization At the Alternative school, an astounding amount of instructional time was spent trying to teach students how to behave. Teacher were well aware of this reality, as students were inherently marked as troublemakers by their district schools even before entering their classroom. Teachers were constantly faced with swearing, mouthing off, students creating distractions, and other forms of inappropriate classroom behaviors. They focused an enormous amount of their instructional time simply trying to keep their class together. During class, teachers emphasized the merit of behaving appropriately with comments like, guys, be nice! It gets you far in life! (Warnock, A.6.e). Some teachers used classroom privileges as a reward for good behavior, as evidence in the following exchange:

12

Madison-Oneida BOCES. Board of Cooperative Educational Services: 2011-2012 Report Card. Board of Cooperative Educational Services. 2012. Web. Dec 21 2013. p. 4 13 Ibid, p. 4

Kenny: Can I move up to a desk closer to the board? Ms. Albright, If you behave, thats the deal. (Warnock, A.7.b) Specifically, in Ms. Albrights room, good behavior was subtly reinforced all over. Posters hung on the walls, shouting quotes like, character is more easily kept than recovered and character is doing what is right when nobody is looking (Warnock, B.2.a). At the back of Ms. Albrights classroom, a student of the month bulletin board proudly showcased students who displayed exception behavior. Some of Ms. Albrights criteria included, good attendance, a positive attitude, takes responsibility for ones actions, and good role model (Warnock, B.2.a). Key to Ms. Albrights metrics for model students was her emphasis on behavioral traits and characteristics and not academic performance. It was continually clear that Ms. Albright and Mr. Schraders (her teaching assistant) favorite students were those who consistently behaved appropriately. However, in classrooms at the Alternative School, it was also clear that students did not internalize messages concerning proper behavior. This was largely due to students' passive relationship with their academic material. At times, I observed students literally copying materials to be memorized from one worksheet to the next. During a trip to the computer lab in Ms. Bohlings class, I observed a student literally copy/paste an entire Wikipedia article and turn it in as his own essay (Warnock, J.5.d). Apparently satisfied that one of her students even handed in an assignment, Ms. Bohling didnt bat an eye. More specifically, teaching and learning at the Alternative School was dominated by a culture of teaching to the test. The curriculum, especially in Mathematics, was based on drilling students for the New York State Regents Exams, and students

completed worksheet upon worksheet explicitly preparing them for the test. An omnipresent they, referring to the test graders of the Regents, constantly hung in the air (Warnock, C.1.b). In Ms. Albrights class, although students did seemed to be learning foundation skills in algebra, their learning was always redirected at preparing them for the test. Ms. Albright constantly stressed show you work, explaining that students would loose precious points on the Regents if they did not clearly spell out how they had found a solution. In one class, a student correctly completed a difficult problem on the board. Instead of outwardly praising her good work, Ms. Albright reminded her that she had forgotten to show all of her work, explaining, I want you to get all the points! (Warnock, J.4.c). By framing teaching and learning as an exchange where the ultimate goal is performance on a test, instruction at the Alternative School striped students of their intrinsic motivation to succeed. Instead, importance was largely placed on the ends of the learning process and not the means. I overheard numerous comments from teacher to students that strongly reinforced this idea: Ms. Albright: Do all the right things, and go back to district school. (Warnock, I.1.d) Ms. Bohling: Some of you could use this grade! If you want to get out of the tenth grade, you need to do some work! (Warnock, B.3.m) Ms. Bohling to Kenny, You need to just get through high school and move on with your life. (Warnock, D.4.d)

Implied in these comments, both Ms. Albright and Ms. Bohling saw their students learning as centered around fulfill the academic requirements they had previous failed to complete: staying in their district school, passing a Regents exam or passing a grade entirely. In addition to providing academic remediation, teacher viewed behavioral

remediation to be central to their job as well. The idea that their students were troubled and in need of correction was many times inherent in teacher-student interactions. Students understood their label as troublemakers and their teacher attempts to correct this. Despite teachers constant endeavors to change their behavior, this actually seemed to make them listen even less. Combined with a passive, teach to the test learning environment, it was not hard to see why teachers had such a difficult time with behavioral problems, and that attempts to teach students appropriate behavior were mostly ignored. Also essential to students disengagement with teachers socialization practices was how discipline at the BOCES Alternative School was structured, framed, and relayed to those students who behaved poorly. A deeper investigation of this point brings one closer to the underlying processes behind students criminalization and disenfranchisement through disciplinary processes that on the surface are aimed at placing students back on the path to success to their district schools. Disciplinary Processes: A Penal Institution Within the classroom, students were disciplined with short quick commands (Warnock, B.3.c), often with no formal explanations for why they were being reprimanded. This was especially clear in how consequences were given to students for poor behavior. If a student repeatedly acted out in class, they were written up by their teacher. A typical write-up situation is demonstrated in the following example: Selina keeps talking to another student about something going on at home, openly defying Ms. Bohlings requests to get back on task. After multiple opportunities to stop this behavior, Ms. Bohling simply writes her up using their computer database (Warnock, G.5.e). To complete a write-up, teachers filed a report on a students observed behavior in a online database that recorded a students disciplinary history. This process of discipline

broke down positive teacher and students interactions, and teachers simply wrote students up for poor behavior instead of actively reasoning with them as to why they were acting a certain way in the first place. Many students openly complained about discipline. One student, Matt, complained that teachers singled him out, and disciplined him for things that didnt warrant punishment (Warnock, I.3.b) Thus, instead of providing experiences for students to build on to develop better behavior, the disciplinary strategies at the Alternative School left students, like Matt, feeling more confused. Smaller disciplinary measures and write-ups were the seeds for larger disciplinary actions, such as suspensions and expulsions. More importantly, the disciplinary history that students accumulated at BOCES largely determined their candidacy for returning to their district school. I learned that a team of teachers reviewed individual students cases on a weekly basis and information on their disciplinary and academic standing was sent to their district school (Warnock, D.2.b). After a 70 90 day period, this team of teachers, along with the principal of a students district school and their assigned social worker at the Alternative School, determined whether or not a student was deemed fit to leave BOCES and return to their district school (Warnock, D.2.b). Ms. Albright showed me specific documents the Family Progress Update and the Family Conference Report that relayed information about students to their families and were included in the review of students cases as well (Warnock, G.4.a). Unfortunately, students reported that these cases were mostly not overturned, and they believed that their districts didnt want them back at their schools (Warnock, G.4.a). Part way through my observation time, I realized how closely the formal systems of discipline at the BOCES Alternative School resemble those of a penal institution

(Warnock, E.2.b). Akin to the proceedings of a criminal parole hearing, chosen professionals review students cases, and their everyday disciplinary records contribute directly to positive or negative standing. If deemed rehabilitated, students are given parole; they are allowed to reenter society and return to their district school. Instead of focusing on the possible benefits of the learning atmosphere at the Alternative School (smaller class sizes, low teacher/students ratios), teachers and administrators foster a prison-like system where emphasis is primarily placed on efficiently returning students back to public schools and not on productively solving the fundamental problems that place students at BOCES in the first place. The irony of the system is the majority of students (26% of 8th-12th graders)14 do not return to their district schools because of their disengagement with teach to the test academics and passive disciplinary strategies such as write-ups that quickly stack the odds against them. Argued to be a flaw in prison systems today15, there is a clear recidivism problem for the BOCES Alternative School program; students that make it back to their district schools quickly get into trouble and are promptly sent back to the Alternative School by their principals again. The results of this back-and-forth process is incredibly damaging on a student. Research shows that adjudicated youth in and out of the prison system are more likely to abuse substances and commit violent crimes.16 Because of their startlingly similar institutional structures, students at the Alternative School may experience similar effects. Although students who remain at the Alternative School lag multiple grade levels behind,

14

Madison-Oneida BOCES. Board of Cooperative Educational Services: 2011-2012 Report Card. Board of Cooperative Educational Services. 2012. Web. Dec 21 2013. p. 4 15 Alexander, Michelle. The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness . New York: New Press, 2010. Print. 16 Hkansson, Anders, and Mats Berglund. "Risk Factors for Criminal Recidivism -- a Prospective FollowUp Study in Prisoners with Substance Abuse." BMC Psychiatry 12.1 (2012): 111-8. Web. 21 Dec 2013

the psychological damage inflicted on these students is a far greater misfortune. Students labeled as troublemakers through this system come to internalize their position as troublemakers, and begin to believe that the world only sees them as bad. The Youth Control Complex and Students Disenfranchisement Sociologist Victor Rios studied the internalization processes of those labeled as delinquents or troublemakers, and developed an explanatory model called The Youth Control Complex.17 Rios defines this concept as the, the meanings produced by individuals interacting with punishment all around them coming together to criminalize, stigmatize, and punish them.18 He explains that public institutions, especially schools, play an essential role in the formal exhibition of the Youth Control Complex, in that the right arm of the state, the punishing arm of the state, embeds itself in the left arm of the state, the nurturing arm of the state, and into schools.19 Through the presence of policemen in public schools and subtle disciplinary processes, Rios explains that stigmatized youth come to perceive themselves as troubled children a label not easily dissolved from their thinking. At the Alternative School, the Youth Control Complex was evidenced both literally and subtly. Students were under constant surveillance immediately upon entering the building. Before going to class, they were required to report to the locker room where a school official wanded them down with a metal detector and searched their belongings. Policemen stood guard during the lunch hour and at dismissal and hired disciplinarians monitored students in the hallway throughout the school day. A strict dress code

17

Rios, Victor. Interview by Dalton Conley. Victor Rios and Dalton Conley Discuss the Youth Control Complex. n.p., 2010 Web. 21 Dec. 2013. 18 Ibid 19 Ibid

prohibited scarves and hats, primarily due to their perceived association with gang activities and symbols.20 Additionally, students thought to be especially dangerous were forced to wear a buzzer around their ankle to warn police if they lashed out (Warnock, E.4.c). This physical marker clearly distinguished those students at the Alternative School who were formally deemed by law enforcement officials as the most troubled in the school. When asked about the presence of police at school, Ms. Albright interestingly offered her outright approval saying, I think its a good thing. Kids see that authority figure and know that there are certain things they cant get away with. Weve had kids arrested in school, literally cuffed. It is good for them to know that if they cross certain boundaries there will be serious consequences. Weve had kids bring marijuana to school and they know they cant get away with that. It prevents violence; it prevents them from hurting each other. I think all public schools should have a policeman. (Warnock, J.4.d.iii) Imbedded in Ms. Albrights analysis, it the assumption that students at the Alternative School are liable to engage in violent, criminal acts warranting the presence of official law enforcement. While significant fights were reported to occur (Warnock, I.2.h), Ms. Albrights statement contains a deficit perspective of her students that seemed largely supported by her peers; students have underlying social problems that warrant teachers protection and students protection from each other. Nowhere in my interview with her did Ms. Albright demonstrate an emphasis on remedying the motivation for why students would want to commit a violent, criminal crime in the first place (Warnock, J.4.d). She was overly preoccupied with the necessary disciplinary consequences of such an act if it were to occur. Contrary to Ms. Albrights analysis, it seemed to me that the presence of policemen and the threats of criminal consequences
20

Nancy Lopez describes the hat rule in her ethnography, Hopeful Girls, Troubles Boys. L pez, Nancy. Hopeful Girls, Troubled Boys: Race and Gender Disparity in Urban Education . New York: Routledge, 2003. Print.

(students getting handcuffed in front of their peers) for particular bad behavior only exacerbated students perception of themselves as troublemakers and existing in a student community of fellow troublemakers. In addition to the literal manifestations of the Youth Control Complex at the Alterative School, more subtle dimensions became apparent through my observations as well. Through multiple conversations, it was clear that students understood the psychological ramifications of their label as troublemakers. One conversation that I heard in the Math support room illustrated this amazingly: A student brought up to the teacher that her uncle was incarcerated, and she was going to visit him in jail. She made the argument to her teacher that she thought it was not right that her uncle was in handcuffs when she saw him in court. This made him look indistinguishably like a criminal when he was brought into the courtroom for his trial. Lakesha: I just dont think its right chaining him up like that! Teacher: But he is a criminal. Its only safe! Lakesha: Yeah, but then everyone will only think that he is bad. (Warnock, D,1,b)

Through conversations like this one, students at the Alternative School demonstrated an acknowledgement and understanding of the oppressive forces working against themselves, their fellow students, and their families. Another student, Marvin, complained that the principal at this district school only viewed him as a bad kid. He explained to me over lunch, The principal never gave me a chance. I was always the bad guy, the main bad guy (Warnock, J.2.b). Furthermore, students like Lakesha and Marvin understood the gravity of their troublemaker, verging on criminal label. However, caught up in the business of their youth, it was not always clear whether or not they understood that once an individual was labeled a troublemaker through institutional forces

(handcuffing, suspensions, expulsions, or even their affiliation with the Alternative School), this badge was attached to them for the rest of their education career. Future Outcomes: Troublemakers for Life? Understanding their stigmatized status as member of the BOCES Alternative School student community, many students were not defeated by this label. At times, I witnessed impressive displays of resistance against their positions. A spontaneous conversation with a student during lunch on my last observation day provides a definitive example: Jacob: If you dont mind me asking, why are you here? Me: Im in a course training to be a teacher in a nearby college. Jacob: Oh. So you want to teach bad kids like us? Me: Oh. So you are all bad? Jacob: (laughs) No, we aint bad. We are just good kids who have made bad decisions. Me: Well, who calls you bad then? Jacob: Society! Me: What do you mean by society? Jacob: Public schools they label us as bad. Me: So, this is just a school of bad kids then? Jacob: No, its a school of good kids who have made bad decisions. (Warnock, J.3.b.i) In this brief interaction, Jacob demonstrated to me a remarkable grasp of the gravity of his troublemaker label and resilience against that label assigned to him by public schools. Instead of conforming to the label being fed to him by so many forces, Jacob rationalized his position at the bottom of the education system saying, we are just good kids who have made bad decisions (Warnock, J.3.b.i). During Ms. Albrights class, a student Kaicia demonstrated a fascinating example of resistance by pretending to be a disciplinarian teacher. At beginning of class, Kaicia hushed another students whenever she spoke, ordering her around and telling her to be quiet. Unbeknownst to Ms. Albright,

she was openly mocking her teachers disciplinarian style. When Ms. Albright asked her to be quiet, Kaica innocently responded, We are playing! (Warnock, I.4.c) In another example, disenchanted with Ms. Bohling as a teacher, a student, Anthony, demonstrated a small protest in the following classroom exchange: Anthony: What are we going to do after Christmas? Ms. Bohling: Im not sure. I have to look at the list. This last book I had never even done that before. Anthony: What list are you even talking about? (Warnock, I.5.b) Obviously frustrated with the monotony of the class material, Anthony quietly voiced his option to Ms. Bohling, hopefully forcing her to question the shallowness of her response to his question. These small rebellions - weapons of the weak21- can be extremely empowering for students like Jacob, Kaicia, and Anthony who can see the light of their situation even in darkness. Tragically, Jacob, Anthony, and Kaicia are just individuals, fighting against a system of oppressive social processes working to label them as a troublemakers and keep it that way. As Michelle Alexander identifies in her book, The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness, individuals systematically stigmatized by social institutions carry a burden with them for the rest of their lives. In her analysis of convicted felons, she found that these individuals are banned from vital supportive welfare systems such as public housing and food stamps.22 She writes, Once a person is labeled a felon, he or she is ushered into a parallel universe in which discrimination, stigma, and exclusion are perfectly legal, and privileges of citizenship such as voting and

21

Scott, James C. Weapons of the Weak: Everyday Forms of Peasant Resistance . New Haven: Yale University Press, 1985. Print. 22 Alexander, Michelle. The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness . New York: New Press, 2010. Print.

jury service are off-limits.23 At the Alternative School, stigmatization and criminalization were subtly legalized through the schools punitive disciplinary structure, leading to students stagnant academic progress and antagonism towards the institution of school. Like with felony charges in The New Jim Crow, I was exposed to the harsh reality how what a diploma from the BOCES Alternative school meant for these students on several occasions. Victor Rios explains that, It used to be in some of these communities [low-income] that you aspired to get a positive credential. You would get a high school diploma, go to college, and get a job. Today, a lot of these young men are actually given a negative credential before they even have the opportunity to get a positive one. So, the negative credential does not allow you to get a job. Like Alexander, Rios is primarily referring to criminal charges. However, his analysis applies directly to Alternative School graduates seemingly positive credential. Unfortunately, it is possible that the BOCES Alternative School reputation could transform this traditionally positive achievement into a restrictive label for its few graduates. One student, Lakesha, responding to a teachers repeated attempts to get her back on task, asserted, All those kids at Proctor are gonna think that I am dumb as shit. They are gonna be like, what was yall learning at BOCES? (Warnock, G.1.b) Although she was quickly reprimanded, Lakesha presents a valid predicament. Even if a student graduates or returns to their district school, they still carry their troublemaker stigma, formally branded on them by their association with the BOCES Alternative School.

23

Alexander, Michelle. The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness . New York: New Press, 2010. Print. p. 92

Additionally, Alexander explains that individuals on parole are under increased scrutiny by law enforcement officials; they are many times subject to random searchers by police while walking down the street.24 With one small violation of their parole, these individuals can easily fall back into the penal system, and a greater degree of monitoring for the police makes this significantly even more likely to occur. Similarly, students from the Alternative School who return to their district school are under increased observance from school personal, including hired policemen and disciplinarians. Labeled as a troublemaker, it is possible that these students are more likely to face disciplinary problems, and find their way back to the Alternative School. Left in the Dark The Alternative School is a place where a student can be putting treatment on his new tattoo in the back of the room and completely disengaged in the same moment that a student and teacher may be productively engaged in a math problem at the front of the room. It is a place of opposites, of paradox; engagement and disengagement, acceptance and stigma, and growth and stagnation all exist under the same roof. Through my observations, it became clear that the subtle processes of socialization, teaching to the test, a prison-like disciplinary system, and internalization of the troublemaker label collective criminalize and disenfranchise students as members of a school that on the surface strives to offset the educational inequalities of the districts it serves. Although some students productively resisted their labels, the majority of students come to internalize their position as separate from society, systematically ostracized as

24

Alexander, Michelle. The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness . New York: New Press, 2010. Print.

troublemakers. In short, the Alternative School pushes those who students need to see the light the most only further into darkness.

Words Cited Alexander, Michelle. The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness. New York: New Press, 2010. Print. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Charts from the America Time Use Survey. Web. 21 Dec 2013. Hkansson, Anders, and Mats Berglund. "Risk Factors for Criminal Recidivism a Prospective Follow-Up Study in Prisoners with Substance Abuse." BMC Psychiatry 12.1 (2012): 111-8. Web. 21 Dec 2013. L pez, Nancy. Hopeful Girls, Troubled Boys: Race and Gender Disparity in Urban Education. New York: Routledge, 2003. Print. Madison-Oneida BOCES. Board of Cooperative Educational Services: 2011-2012 Report Card. Board of Cooperative Educational Services. 2012. Web. 21 Dec 2013. Madison-Oneida BOCES. Ed Management Services: What is BOCES? New York State Education Department. 2011. Web. 21 Dec 2013. Scott, James C. Weapons of the Weak: Everyday Forms of Peasant Resistance. New Haven: Yale University Press, 1985. Print. Rios, Victor. Interview by Dalton Conley. Victor Rios and Dalton Conley Discuss the Youth Control Complex. n.p., 2010 Web. 21 Dec. 2013. Tangorra, Mary Lourdes. Instructional Services: Alternative Education. Oneida Herkimer Madison BOCES. 2013. Web 21 Dec 2013.

Appendix A Observation Schedule

Subject 4th Period (10:51-11:36) 5th Period (11:37- 12:09) 6th Period (12:10 12:55) Tutoring (occasionally tutored during this time) 7th Period (12:57 1:42) Algebra Grade 9th grade Teacher Ms. Albright, Mr. Schrader (TA) Average # of Students ~6

Lunch 9th grade

~100

Algebra

Ms. Albright, Mr. Schrader

~6

Regents

9th to 12th grade

~2

English

10th grade

Ms. Bohling, Ms. LaClara

~6

Field Notes Field Notes are divided by observation time (capital letter, bold, underlined) and then notes collected during that period (numbers and lower case letters). (A) First Observation - 10/24/13 1. Mr. Boyds Class a. Online Recovery Courses via Plato b. Students work individuals on laptop computers 2. Background on Mr. Boyd a. Taught in an all-white school, but was not satisfied b. Told me that he believes an underlying principle of Americanness is diversity, and that is what led him to the Alternative School c. Been teaching for 10 years at the Alternative school, before that he was an elementary school teacher in the Adirondacks 3. Asked him, What is the Alternative School? a. 13 different school district serviced b. students suspended, expelled for primarily behavioral problems c. BOCES as a whole Career Tech, Special Education, Alternative School 4. View into the Teachers Lounge a. place where all the gossip happens, complaining about kids, complaining about the administration b. most people talk about thing other than school, escape from the classroom c. Mr. Schrader admits that he got home from Turning Stone Resort gambling with his wife the night before at 2 a.m. 5. BOCES Pamphlet took one from the front desk a. Out of 91 figures, only 6 were black or Hispanic 6. Ms. Albrights 6th Period Math Class a. working on distributive, associative, transitive properties, simplifying simple algebraic terms b. Essential Question what is it that students are trying to do? (list of essential questions at the back of the room) c. Students are actually pretty engaged in Ms. Albrights class there is not a lot of calling out d. Mention of the Regents exam cause these will be on the Regents Exam, response to a question about math exam, students taught to show work in preparation for the Regents Math Exam e. Mike Schrader works as a TA, grader for Ms. Albright, work as a team, former banker in Utica, said that he wished he had gotten into teaching to begin with, quote from class, guys, be nice, it gets you far in life. 7. Ms. Bohlings 7th Period English Class a. Write ups: students are written up for bad behavior, their write-ups go back to the school where they came from, get in the way of them getting out of the Alternative school

b. Quote from Ms. Bohling, You know when I was in school, I didnt move around? I just listened to the teacher. c. Bell Ringer in Ms. Bs class What is your definition of an honest person, question that students are asked to answer in their work books at the beginning of class, TA (Ms. LaClara) or Ms. Bohling prompts students, but no body really answer it 8. Common Core in Ms. Bohlings Class a. Learned that Ms. Bohling was an ambassador for the common core, liason to the Department of Education in Albany, supposed to verse the rest of the teachers in Common Core practices b. She explained the three tiers of Common Core school administration to me (1) adapting: using standards, but making your own curriculum, (2) adopting: scripted, aligning past curriculum closely to common core standards and primarily using Common Core materials (3) aligning: using you own curriculum completely (B) Second Observation - 11/4/13 1. Mr. Boyds Class a. Students sit occupied on computers using the PLATO online system, seem to be all engaged in coursework b. However, Mr. Boyd doesnt really challenge them at all. He has incredibly low expectations. Chill, he says to students when he believes that a student has done enough during the period c. While students are working, Mr. Boyd plays music pretty calming actually ranges from Justin Timberlake to classical music and he is looking at CNN on his computer. Amazingly, he has it projected up on the SmartBoard really distracting for students trying to do their work d. It is interesting that Mr. Bohling has virtually no problems with poor behavior in his class I wonder why this is? students are plugged into computers, working autonomously, dont have to deal with participating a normal classroom atmosphere 2. Ms. Albrights 6th Period Math Class a. What does the classroom look like? Cheesy billboards, posters everywhere. dare to dream, character is more easily kept than recovered, character is doing what is right when nobody is looking do students internalize any of these things? Halloween decorations, American flag at the front of the room, student of the month bulletin board showcasing individual students, criteria: good attendance, good listener, positive attitude, support classmates, comes to class on time, appropriate behavior, takes responsibility for ones actions, good work habits, shows work, 100% effort in class, stays on task, good role model, pays attention => socialization is key, so much of the focus at the Alternative school is on teaching students how to behave, SmartBoard doesnt look like it is ever used, blinds are closed (sometimes students peek outside like they are trying to escape)

3. Ms. Bohlings 7th Period English Class a. Bellringer = what was your favorite Halloween costume? b. Field trips used as reward for students, group going to Hamilton college on this day c. Discipline quick short commands d. Ms. Bohling uses an article from a magazine called UpFront, tries to grab their attention through real world content, students (Nay), really disengaged, but interested superficially in articles e. Distractions are everywhere tapping pencils, other students throwing trash away, going to get a drink f. At 1:15, 2 of 7 kids are paying attention, TA is basically reading the article to the Ms. Bohling, At 1:17 (end of the story), only 1 student is paying attention g. Arent we that lucky to get to go to school? response to a comment by a student that kids in severely impoverished countries dont even get to go to school h. Makeout games, students play games with the teacher to get them off task i. It is so annoying all these children can read well, they are just so incredibly opposed to conforming to the rules j. Onnis really the brightest student in Mr. Bohlings class, really smart, great questions, seeks attention, but doesnt receive it, not challenged, asks: so the U.S. is actually helping Indian kids by providing them with the ability to make money through sorting electronic trash, right? really thinking about the problem deeply this question however is skipped over quickly by the teacher, Onnis is really taken off task, distracted by other students k. Teachers get to the point of pleading with the students to do their work, quote from Ms. Bohling, can you just wait to get on the bus to get into trouble? l. Individualized learning does this really happen? Ms. Bohling just gives them work and expects them to work through it, so much of the conversation is getting them to stay on task, not probing them to think more deeply about the questions m. Quote from Ms. Bohling, some of you could use this grade! If you want to get out of the tenth grade, you need to do some work! n. Use the SmartBoard to do a work roundup after class really engaged in this activity, helping each other out, more engaged than they were all class long (C) Third Observation - 11/12/13 1. Ms. Albrights 5th Period Math Class (switch from Mr. Boyds) a. Team teaching Ms. Albright & Mr. Schrader. In most BOCES classrooms, there is a main teacher and a TA I want to know more about (1) what is their relationship? (2) what is the primary purpose of a team teaching approach? (3) are TAs just supposed to be graders?

b. they regents test graders Ms. Albrights relates a lot back to this c. extra learning what is cool about the date today? d. Why do students seem to latch onto math so much in this classroom? pay attention by looking at teacher, actively participate in conversation, figure out problems, write things down, understand the steps, do they like the fact that things have one answer? e. Order of Operations PEMDAS (Please excuse my dear aunt sally) f. Ms. Albright works individually with one of the students while Mr. Schrader is working with the other two students in the class really effective g. Focus on the behavioral advantages of team teaching model, it seems that Mr. Schrader does not view his role as a TA with Ms. Albright to be primarily for academic reasons, quote from Mr. Schrader, you-know, having two teachers in one classroom ensures that everything just doesnt fall on to one person. If there is a scuffle, one of the teacher can go and get the police, disciplinarian. 2. Ms. Albrights 6th Period Math Class a. Far more distractions in this period, more students, more calling out b. Mr. Schrader shutdown, is just grading at his desk c. Students engaged with practice problems at the board d. So much instruction is spent on comportment and conformity, what the fuck Ms. Albright corrects them, saying, No, what the frig e. Kenny: Can I move up to a desk closer to the board? Ms. Albright, IF you behave, thats the deal. f. Students seem to be doing the work Kaicia pipes up, Im gonna be a teacher, Mr. Schrader! g. Is criminality just reinforced by this schools? Presence of police guards, huge guys hired just to be hall monitors h. curriculum drilling students for the regents exam, worksheet after worksheet after worksheet, preparing students both how to get a solution and how to show how you got there => test-taking skills i. write-up: Selina stabs Kenny with a pencil, Ms. Albright doesnt necessarily go crazy about this act 3. Ms. Bohlings 7th Period English Class a. What is team teaching like in Ms. Bohlings class? b. I dont really understand what the other teachers position is c. Teachers are only ones reading - why arent they doing popcorn reading that involves everyone? => pretty much everyone in the classroom is reading and interested, but becomes disengaged/bored because one person (the teacher) is reading the text the first students get to read AFTER asking her if they can read, she does not ask them d. reading for the day seems to be tailor to the population/demographics of students in this classroom => devil in the blue dress e. Kenny is so smart! insights about what is happening in the reading with every chapter

f. Nobody in the room really seems to be that below grade level in reading student are even taking on different characters and using their voices to read the text (D) Fourth Observation 11/14/13 1. Ms. Albrights 4th Period Math Class a. Placed in the support room today to help with tutoring students in math. The students that needs help (were in the support room) didnt want my help. Girl claimed she could work on her own seemed that my authoritative presence there made her work, or at least seem like she was doing work. Completed 3 of 9 math worksheets that she had not finished. b. A student brought up to the teacher that her uncle was incarcerated, and she was going to visit him in jail. Made argument that she thought it was not right that her uncle was in handcuffs when he was in court => looked overtly like a criminal when he was brought into the courtroom for his trial. quote: Lakesha, I just dont think its right chaining him up like that. Teacher, But he is a criminal. Its only safe! Lakesha, Yeah, but then everyone will only think that he is bad. 2. Lunchroom a. Interview with Kayla social studies teacher, 2 years in a special ed autistic program in New Hartford, 3 years in special ed at BOCES, asked her what the biggest problem for the Alternative School kids is? => 13% passing rate for NYS tests, outside the school there is violence and gangs b. Learned that teacher go through student cases on a weekly basis to determine who can go back to district, and who needs extra help (extra help usually comes in the form off after school remediation, Plato remedial class), Lots of students are told that their cases will be reviewed when they get to BOCES (or ten weeks afterwards) however, students quickly learn that their cases have little chance of being overturned and their districts largely dont want them back c. Constant supervision how does the domineering presence of adults clearly positioned in disciplinary roles make students feel? All supervisors have an ear piece and they are clearly observing behavior and ready to act on bad behavior if necessary 3. Ms. Albrights 6th Period Math Class a. Working on mathematical language sum, product, quotient b. Students, most of the time, are pretty engaged in Ms. Albrights class c. Many times, students seem so lazy, like they are helpless Gino asks for a pencil and waits until finally he realizes that nobody is paying attention to him and goes and get a pencil d. THEY the omnipresent regents graders e. Ms. Albright disperses questions around the room, calls on basically everyone f. most engaged students at the front of the room Kenny and Kaicia

g. I think it is interesting that students dont call me out more, ask why I am here, possibly related to the fact that students come and go at BOCES so often h. Kaicia leaves to go see Ms. Flarety, her social worker i. Scarfs and hats are banned at the Alternative School possible assumption that students could use these for violent acts? gang associations? j. Quote, Gino, Why do we have to hand stuff in? At normal school, you dont have to do that. Cause they think we are delinquents? Ms. Albright, no, because it is school policy Kaicia, well why does she get to wear at hat? how does she pull that off?! k. Teachers continuously seem embarrassed by how poorly behaved their students are when I am in the classroom => try to side with my outside world and separate themselves from the world of the students they work with, quote, shoot me now... Ms. Albright l. Regents 3 point question without work, but correct would only get 1 point Ms. Albright shows the students the Regents Exam from June, quote, this is easy!, Algebra II is when students take Regents exam, Ms. Albright only teaches Algebra 1, students have to take Algebra 2 and at the end of the year they take the Regents exam m. Teaching to the Test: students are learning foundational skills, even though in the back of their minds is taking a test, summative high-stakes, at this level, teaching to the test doesnt seem that bad, students are in need of learning basic algebra n. Team Teaching model model where Mr. Schrader and Ms. Albright divide and conquer, continues to be successful in keeping students engaged o. BOCES is a place where in the same moment a students and teacher may be productively engaged in a math problem at the white board, while a student is completely disengaged and putting treatment on his new tattoo in the back of the room p. Quote, Kenny: Why do you give us our homework during class?, Ms. Albright tries to use all of class time to get as much out of her students as possible. She knows that as soon as they leave her class, the chance of them doing their homework is pretty low. Quote, Gino: Ill do my homework at home. Ms. Albright, Yeah, but I wont ever get it back. Gino, Ill do it. Its homework. Its supposed to be done at home! 4. Ms. Bohlings 7th Period English Class a. Picking back up with Devil in A Blue Dress b. Ms. Bohling basically shakes off students puzzling questions c. Onnis responds to a question from a teacher aobut how much money a character in the story won - $30,000 Onnie pipes up, do you know what I would do with $30,000? Buy a bunch of shoes! Possibility for discussion about what you would do with $30,000, but Ms. Bohling shuts this down and keeps moving on. d. Quotes, Ms. Bohling to Kenny, You need to just get through high school and move on with your life.

e. Onnis prime candidate for interview opportunity, really interested to hear what is going on with him? how did he get to BOCES? (E) Fifth Observation - 11/18/13 1. Ms. Albrights 5th Period Math Class a. still working on order of operations b. student, Anquan, walking in late to class claims that he was taking a shower? what? c. not a lot of talking today... students working very quietly d. in response to students not be able to do order of operations this is sad e. Quote: Anquan, why cant we just say what we want in class? Ms. Albright, Im gonna have to report you! Just save it for the bus or lunch! f. Two students copying definitions of mathematical operations/terms form a glossary of terms so boring! g. Quote, Mr. Schrader, They arent going to listen to me anyway... teachers constantly doing this, they feel the need to separate themselves from the broken education system, and ally themselves to my prestigious academic background 2. Lunchroom a. Quote from a teacher (blatantly just called me out while I was sitting by myself at lunch) Are you conservative or are you liberal? b. HUGE realization: the Alternative school is essentially structured like a penal institution students are waiting for parole, waiting for their chance to reintegrate into society, waiting for their case to be reviewed so they can go back to their district school 3. Ms. Albrights 6th Period Math Class a. tutored a student named Alicia today senior in high school, studying for the living environments, global, and u.s. history regents exams b. This is really unfair - she hasnt taken life science since 8th grade, yet she is being asked to take the regents test to graduate high school c. she is taking no related courses this year, the only course she is taking this year is animal science, and she claims all the material is unrelated d. Talk of if you go to BOCES, later jobs, education opportunities will judge you 4. Ms. Bohlings 7th Period English Class a. working on the same story study guide and quiz tomorrow b. distractions my handwriting is best in red, students ask for pen from TA, ask to go get a drink students have to be accompanied to go get a drink c. Valeri buzzer around her ankle, why is this? d. Ms. Bohling keeps saying, you are both done, youre done. goes to write up Marquis and Kenny for this disruptive behavior => computer disciplinary database e. Students basically all disengaged while teacher make feeble attempts to get them back on task

f. Teacher refer to me as a genius, that that I have such a broad knowledge of content because I go to such a prestigious college (F) Sixth Observation - 11/19/13 1. Ms. Albrights 5th Period Math Class a. really quiet today b. Ms. Albright and Mr. Schrader just grading while students quietly work c. Ms. Albrights Binder(s) quote, these days in education, youve got to cover your ass, youve got to document everything. Ms. Albright keeps a bunch of different binders to keep track of her students progress. (1) daily conduct binder binder that records students daily behavior, whether or not they were written up, seems that this binder is the behavior binder (2) participation binder tracks students participation in class, weekly score, students graded on a 1-5 scale, given a total at the end of the week (3) meetings binder students who are doing well are reviewed by the other teachers, students who are not are assigned many time to after school programs d. Stress maths connection to high paying jobs, Ms. Albrights dad was an accountant, Mr. Schrader was a banker 2. Ms. Bohling 7th Period English a. Bell ringer: our past is a story existing only in our minds. What that mean and what do you think is the best way to deal with stuff that happened in the past? b. It is so interesting that in Ms. Bohlings class the teacher and student literally act like I am invisible really do not interact with me/talk to me c. Elijah wood student at the back of the classroom, what is his deal? Why is he so quiet? He usually just sits there and reads to himself quietly d. Huge discovery today discovered that Onnis is an incredible artist, he has an enormous book with hundred of drawings! They are incredible! Yet, Ms. Bohling said to me, You know what his problem is. He draws all the time. He drew all last year and didnt do his work. This year is better. (G) Seventh Observation - 11/21/13 1. Ms. Albrights 5th Period Math Class a. Tutoring in 5th period Lakesha Sook in Math, she did really well, and then all of a sudden she just got up and refused to do the rest of the work b. Quote, Lakesha, All those kids at proctor are gonna think that I am dumb as shit. They are going to be like, what was yall learning at BOCES. c. Lakesha got up from her desk and just walked out of the classroom teacher said of course she would be written up for that type of behavior 2. Lunchtime Interview with Onnis a. really enlightening, assumed that maybe he wouldnt find this place very stimulating maybe he would be bored quite the opposite: he likes it at

the Alternative School, like the smaller classes, and says that if he had the option he would not return to Proctor (Ms. LaClara told me that Onnis had some seriously hard times adjusting to BOCES at the beginning, but is much better now) b. Interview i. What do you think about the BOCES program? Me: Its not that bad? Onnis: No, not really. Me: So you learn? Onnis: Yeah, definitely. ii. Do you like BOCES more than your district school? Onnis: Yeah Me: Really? Where did you go to district? Onnis: Well... I did go to Donovan, and I would be at Proctor if I didnt go here. Me: So you like the environment here? Onnis, Yeah Me: What did you not like about Proctor? Onnis, It was a big school. Thats one thing I really didnt like. Im pretty sure Proctor is even bigger. iii. What do you want to do after BOCES? Onnis: (empatically) I really want to be a journalist. Me: Why do you want to be a journalist? Onnis: I dont know it seems like the most interesting job to me because they find the most interesting stuff that happens on the news. They get to find it out, go there. Its the stuff that usually nobody else like want to do. Me: You think that you will be able to achieve that goal? Onnis, Yeah, I think so. Me: Yeah, so that plan would be to like go to college somewhere after BOCES? Onnis: I might, maybe. Cause I really want to be a journalist. iv. If there is one thing you could change about BOCES, what would that be? Onnis: I dont know. I dont really complain that much. Me: Really? There is nothing you would want to change? Onnis: Not really. Cant really think of anything. Most of the rules I just deal with. 3. Lunchtime Conversation with Ms. LaCara a. Ms. LaClara: Im burnt out. Me: Long day? Ms. LaClara: Yeah... so tell me, what do you write in that notebook when you come here? Me: well... I am in this class called Ethnography of Learning Environments, and we have to record our observations. Like write everything down. This place is really interesting. Ms. LaClara: Yeah... tell me about it. Well you know I have a daughter and she went to a Christian high school and then a Christian college. I went to her graduation, and it was amazing there was no underwear hanging out of pants, no boobs... everything was put together. Then, I cam back to BOCES and it took me almost three days to readjust to this place. I wish people here could just understand that this is more than the small, trivial things in their lives. It is really easy to get depressed here to get down on everything. Me: Wow. Yeah. Ms. LaClara: You know I went to this talk last night at MVCC by a black astrophysicist. For three hours, he just talked about ideas. For three hours. It was amazing, and then I came here in the morning and people are

talking about yo! did you see that fight break out yesterday? You know that saying you can give a man the wood for a boat and he can build it. But it is even more important to show him the sea! How do you show these kids the sea? Me: Then why do you keep teaching here? Are there some gems? Ms. LaClara, I always find gems. And I just want to pull them in and reparent them altogether! There are so many talented students here whether its with drawing, singing or rapping (pulled a student over to make an example, this girl could twist her feet into a crazy position, could be a ballerina! b. When asked if they see a lot of kids returning to their district schools, Ms. LaClara and another teacher responded saying that, most do not return in fact there are some who have been at the Alternative School since 6th grade. 4. Ms. Albrights 6th Period Class a. Ms. Albright showed me some really interesting documents today Family Student Progress Update, Family Conference Report review both academic and behavioral standing of students in her class, given to the Safe School Coordinator as possible interview candidate, review mentioned a 90-day review process for students b. Gino and Selina extremely disruptive 5. Ms. Bohlings 7th Period Class a. Bellringer: How would your best friend describe you to someone else? Nobody really does this, the class talks about it, but nobody actually writes anything down b. Matt, African American boy, called Valeri, the only white student in class, a spoiled white girl for making a comment that she thinks her pen is cool c. I cannot imagine what some of these kids home lives are like, and how living in an impoverished family contributes to decreased performance in school hunger, sleepiness, anxiety, depression, abuse, neglect d. In the story that they are reading, there are clear instances of racial stereotypes, words like muthafucker, nigger, bitch e. Selina keeps talking to another student about something going on at home, openly defying Ms. Bohlings requests to get back on task instead of taking her outside and talking to her about the situation, Ms. Bohling simply writes her up using their computer database (H) Eighth Observation - 12/2/13 1. Ms. Albrights 5th Period Math Class a. Team teaching - Ms. Albright does grading work while Mr. Schrader moves through each worksheet b. Mr. Schrader mentions the Regents exam again c. A boy in the back, I dont understand this! Ms. Albright immediately comes over and help him out, Mr. Schrader praises Octavious get him engaged

d. Anquan starting to be really disruptive, not paying attention, doesnt even have a worksheet, mentions that he has lunch detention today e. Mr. Schrader is taking students through a problem where they have to work backwards creating a word problem from an algebraic expression f. Kids in this class are really disruptive, but Ms. Albright and Mr. Schrader work with them and still somehow keep them on task its takes a while, but eventually they pull answers out of them g. Quote, Mr. Schrader, Im serious as a heart attack. From here on out, I am going to write you up if I hear extra talking. For Mr. Schrader, this does seem like an effective technique. h. Ms. Albright pulls out large pieces of construction paper (project started last week), students have to write the definitions of math terms on this sheet i. Quote, Ms. Albright, I dont know what happened today, but we better see a different Anquan tomorrow. This isnt the Anquan I know. Anquan, Then, you dont know Anquan. 2. Tutoring - 6th Period a. Tutored Alicia again in 6th period. We worked on her living environments prep again. She was really difficult and hard to work with. Kept claiming that she didnt know anything. Would just pick out answers arbitrarily, and wouldnt give me a reason why she picked that particular response. Doctor called her in the middle of her tutoring session. 3. Ms. Bohlings 7th Period English Class a. Walkie-talkie, Ms. Bohling phones someone (disciplinarian to come to her class Anthony has a Gatorade, apparently not allowed in class b. Watching the movie of the Devil in the Blue dress, Denzel Washington, students really engaged with the movie, teachers trying to make students think about the parallels between the movie and the book (they read) what stuff is left out, how did they imagine the characters would look in their mind before seeing them => how these students in particular feel about watching a movie about criminals, getting in trouble with the law? Does this make a difference to them at all? (I) Ninth Observation - 12/3/13 1. Ms. Albrights 4th Period Math Class a. Only one student today, Anquan, Everyone one else is out. Anquan is working on a quiz basic algebra. Anquan is doing really well, of course not really distracted at all with no other students in the classroom. Mr. Schrader does back and forth from his desk checking in on Anquan, if he has a question, Mr. Schrader addresses it at the board and works him through the problem. Anquan having trouble with negatives. b. Really small class size seems to work. I can see how class size can really have an effect on learning, less distractions, easier control by teacher c. Top scores from Chapter 1 test written on the board

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d. Quote, Ms. Albright: Do all the right things, and go back to district school. Lunchtime Interview with Anthony a. What long have you been at BOCES? Anthony: 2 years, maybe 3 b. What school did you go to beforehand? Anthony: Donovan Middle School c. Why did you get sent to BOCES? Anthony: I got in a fight with my teacher. It escalated in the classroom. d. Do you like BOCES more than your district school? Anthony: Its better, especially the strawberry milk. The classes are easier. The teachers are nicer. The classes are smaller. e. What do your friends think about BOCES? Anthony: They dont really know about it. f. What are aspirations after BOCES? Anthony: I think I am going take a mechanics course in Career Tech. Me: What about in a perfect world? If you could do anything? Anthony: I would be a private investigator. g. If you could change one thing about BOCES, what would that be? Anthony: I dont know... better lunches? h. What do you think about there being policemen in your school? Anthony: They pretty much just stand there and talk to each other. They step in if there is a fight, like this morning two girls got into a disagreement. There is a fight like every two weeks. Lunchtime Perspectives from Matt a. different opinion about BOCES man, I gotta get out of here! b. Why did you go to BOCES? Matt: Got in fight in the cafeteria, two 8th graders jumped me. They pushed me first and I got sent to BOCES! They stayed at Donovan. Matt complains that teachers single him out, get mad at things that dont warrant getting mad at. Ms. Albrights 6th Period Math Class a. Solving one step equations Ms. Albright asks each student to copy not template from the board b. Selina has a buzzer around her ankle c. Awesome example of punishment culture Kaicia is hushing another students whenever she speaks (mostly happened at the beginning of the class period) ordering her around, telling her to be quiet, she is openly mocking being a disciplinarian, We are playing! she tells Ms. Albright d. Ms. Albright takes students though translating sentences into equations, students really quiet, engrossed in their work, Gino is the only student not working, constantly disruptive in class, not doing any work, looking out the window, Ms. Albright tells him to stop and he just looks for another distraction, bring a stick of deodorant to class (?), Gino tells Ms. Albright that he is not getting paid in his job outside of school, I think it is amazing that he has a job, saying he works until midnight on average Ms. Bohlings 7th Period English Class a. Bellringer nobody pays attention to it

b. Quote, Anthony: What are we going to do after Christmas? Ms. Bohling: Im not sure. I have to look at the list. This last book I had never even done that before. Anthony: what list are you even talking about? c. Watch Devil in A Blue Dress again not a lot of teaching going on (J) Tenth Observation - 12/9/13 1. Ms. Albrights 4th Period Math Class a. Students were unfortunately taking a test so I just sat in the back of the classroom and read a book 2. Lunchtime interview with South African boy Marvin a. Why did you come to BOCES? Marvin: I was with my cousin @ Proctor. We had a boombox and I stuck it in my cousins bag. The police accused me of stealing the boombox. I didnt steal it. There was a lot of confusion, and I ended up getting sent to BOCES. b. Marvin: The principal never gave me a chance. I was always the bad guy, the main bad guy. c. What do you not like about BOCES? Marvin: I dont like that they dont let you have phones, listen to music, and that there are cameras everywhere. 3. Lunchtime interviews other students a. (Angela) came to BOCES at the beginning of the year from New Hartford because of attendance problems and credit recovery. What do you not like about BOCES? You get wanded down in the locker room, always observed, people have to take you to the bathroom. b. (Jacob) supposedly a real troublemaker. Really, really interesting conversation. i. Jacob: If you dont mind me asking, why are you here? Me: Im in a course training to be a teacher in a nearby college. Jacob: Oh so you want to teach bad kids like us? Me: Oh so you are all bad? Jacob: (laughs) no, we aint bad. We are just good kids who have made bad decisions. Me: Well who calls you bad then? Jacob: Society! Me: What do you mean by society? Jacob: public schools they label us as bad. Me: So this is just a school of bad kids then? Jacob: No, its a school of good kids who have made bad decisions. 4. Ms. Albrights 6th Period Class a. Teaching algebra to find consecutive odd/even integers b. Kaicia seems to be especially engaged with the material, students really seem to be working hard c. However, Ms. Albright is continuously reference the Regents telling students how much certain questions will be worth, if you write certain things, you will pass the test, get all the points. Quote, Ms. Albright: I want you to get all the points! => Kaicia completes a problem on the board and gets everything right except for one thing, and on a test she wouldnt get all the points for that question.

d. Interview with Ms. Albright during the middle of class (Mr. Schrader takes over) i. Why do these students come to BOCES? Ms Albright discipline, poor attendance, lots of suspensions, super intendants hearing review the disciplinary history of a student and give them a second chance before coming to BOCES, kids that really want to change their behavior go back. She says that is it really good for kids to go back to their district school it has resources that the Alternative School cannot offer (clubs, AP courses). But you gotta want it. Teacher can only show students the door. Student have to want to do well in school. Clashing personalities some students work better on their own. She really sees that when lots of personalities come together, things get out of hand. ii. Student as role models she sees that she can use students as role model to motivate other students. iii. What do you think of the policemen being at school? Ms. Albright: I think its a good thing. Kids see that authority figure and know that there are certain things they cant get away with. Weve had kids arrested in school, literally cuffed. It is good for them to know what if they cross certain boundaries there will be serious consequences. Weve had kids bring marijuana to school and they know they cant get away with that. It prevents violence; it prevents them from hurting each other. I think all public schools should have a policeman. 5. Ms. Bohlings 7th Period English Class a. Bellringer! Create your own bellringer, write three complete sentences on any topic as long as its school appropriate. b. Continuing essay project typed essay about your dream car introduction, body and conclusion c. Class went to computer lab was literally chaos d. Matt literally copied a Wikipedia article, and passed it in as his own work. I dont think Ms. Bohling knew or said anything. e. Sat with Onnis really cool Lamborghini as his dream car