Lee
K-8 School Administrator
Campus School – Residential Facility for Children
Columbia, SC I could hardly believe what I was hearing! Walking into a middle school classroom recently, I heard one student defending a frequently-teased peer because this peer had “a different kind of mind.” Wow! I have seen kids take up for each other before, but never as a result of a metacognitive insight! As I explain more about who we are, the import of this event will become more apparent. I have the privilege of serving as principal of a school located on the campus of a children’s home. Our residential facility is a haven for 100 children who have been abused, abandoned, or neglected, or whose families have encountered severe crises. Often our children are spinning out of dysfunctional family systems where education has had little value. As a result, it is not unusual for our kids to be 2, 3, or more grade levels behind their peers. They also bring with them the emotional baggage that comes with failure, rejection, and loss. I see our school as a kind of educational M.A.S.H. unit! All of you who teach have students just like ours in your classrooms. Our mission and our small size allow us to personalize our programs and frequently make great strides with our students. They would never say it, but the heroes around here are our faculty, a genuine team of men and women who exemplify commitment, professionalism, skill, and love. Although we are a private, non-profit institution, we have a marvelous relationship with the local public school district and serve as an alternative placement for some of their struggling kids. A year ago, becoming involved with Schools Attuned was just a dream. The more we heard about the work of Dr. Mel Levine, the more we sensed that his model could give us the understanding and tools we needed to become increasingly effective with disaffected students. Simultaneously, leaders at The Duke Endowment decided to fund a major initiative for children in homes like ours and selected our agency to participate in the three-year project. The Duke Endowment Learning Initiative, launched in January of 2002, has three components: assessment for selected students, Schools Attuned training for all school personnel, and training to assist residential staff in supporting students who learn differently. Educationally speaking, this is truly “living large!” I look forward to sharing our journey with you this year. Although I enjoy thinking about the big picture of this adventure, I will also write about individual students and teachers, as well as share observations about changes in the climate and language of our school family. Welcome aboard!