|
To
Make a Difference
May 2002
Andrew Hill High School used to be infamous for gang activity and drug dealing. The school is located in one of the most dangerous areas of San Jose. But after a concerted effort by the staff, working with social services providers, it has become an island of safety for students and won the Distinguished School Award from the California Board of Education. The complexity of social, personal, and family problems that many children bring to school goes far beyond the academic skills training that teachers receive. Many schools are turning to social workers for help, and these school-based social workers are achieving incredible results. No one understands the value of social workers on campus better than student advisor Bill Mustanich. Mustanich has worked in education for over 31 years and is an expert on gang activities. In the late 80s he was assigned to clean up Andrew Hill High School. The school was caught up in turf wars between African-American, Asian, and Hispanic gangs. He remembers breaking up nine fights in one week, and that doesn’t count the fights other faculty members broke up. He used an approach that combined bringing police officers on campus with the use of social workers and mental health workers. The result: last year there were only three fights on campus the entire year. And even more important are the students’ academic achievements. He brags that graduates of Andrew Hill attended major colleges and universities.
“Schools are about providing the 3Rs,” Mustanich philosophizes. “But what if the students aren’t ready for the 3Rs because of all the social and family problems facing the students and community? Teachers and principals are there to provide education to students in a safe environment, which means making decisions for the greater good, and not necessarily for the good of an individual. By having social workers on campus, we can do what we need to do institutionally, such as discipline or suspensions, but now the student is not just left out there to get in trouble again. We can send them to a social worker who can focus on that individual and give them the support to get them back on track. As a result, we don’t have as many fights because the kids have a place where they can talk to somebody with the skills necessary to address their needs.” Enabling Students to Cope Andrew Hill associate principal David Riley explains the extra help social workers offer. “Our counselors are trained to be academic counselors, to deal with careers and vocations. They are not trained to deal with interpersonal family problems. And most of them don’t want to because they know they are inadequate. All we can do is find out why a student is cutting up and give them detention. We don’t have the resources to deal with the family or interpersonal issues motivating the negative behavior. “There are kids who see a social worker on a regular basis, and without that resource, I’m convinced the student wouldn’t be here. It enables them to stay in class and get an education while they sort out their personal problems. It becomes motivation to come to school. They know if they get in trouble there is someone there at school who can help out.” Social workers are not just for the delinquents and gang members. “It is not just the at-risk kids,” Mustanich explains, “but also the kids who have a lot of potential and are never going to get involved in drugs and criminal activity. Their lives are improved by having access to therapists and social workers on campus. It has to do with quality of life. You see kids walking around who were having a tough time a few weeks ago and now they are looking pretty good–you can tell the difference in the way they dress, the way they behave, the way they greet you.” Jess Moreno is the school-based social worker at Andrew Hill High School. He says, “Kids will come in and say they have some concerns about their parents or society. It can be something like, ‘My best friend just passed away,’ or that they are not getting along with a teacher. Sometimes other social workers or administrators will call up and say, ‘I have this young man who is a court dependent. Can you check up on him?’ We are looking at what is happening in the child’s life that is affecting how they are doing in school or how they get along with their teachers or other students.” Anger Management and Mediation A lot of what Moreno does besides listening is providing students with options for resolving their problems. “If a student is having a problem with a teacher, I tell them rather than getting in trouble by using inappropriate language or slamming a door and making a scene, come and see me. I’ll let them vent. I’ll ask Billy if he wants me to call Mr. Johnson and talk to him.” Moreno will often set up meetings and mediate between the student and the teacher. In one incident a teacher was yelling at a student, and as a result the student was cutting class and didn’t feel comfortable going back. It turned out the student was being disruptive, but all it took was moving the student to a different part of the class, away from some of the other students, and the problem ended. “They both left my office giggling and laughing,” Moreno says. “I take a neutral role. I don’t take the student’s side or the teacher’s, but I address the issue.” The students know they have someone to turn to. Moreno has even had teachers apologize to students. “Teachers have bad days too,” he comments. More often what he achieves is getting the student to understand the other person’s point of view. Support Groups In addition to talking with students one on one, Moreno provides support groups for parents and students. These student assistance programs were developed and coordinated by Bill Mustanich. They address issues such as anger management, domestic violence, teen dating, teen parenting, and basic parenting issues. The groups have been so successful that other faculty members are being trained to conduct the groups as well. Moreno is bilingual and offers groups in both English and Spanish. He has also coordinated groups in other languages, such as Vietnamese.
Community Organizing School-based social workers like Moreno can be community organizers, similar to the more traditional social worker who worked with the community as well as individuals. One of his achievements was organizing a community night for Vietnamese parents. Over 150 people attended. Speakers included local politicians and the chief of police, who addressed issues of gang violence and safety. Moreno sees part of his job as empowering students and parents, especially immigrants who may not understand how the system works.
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||
