Week 3 Post 2

We are heading into a new week here soon full of ample work time. But today, I want to address a hole in my research which is who benefits from alternative education.

Firstly, when is alternative education needed?

There is no one type of child that "needs" alternative education, but usually they fall on polar opposites

One of the reasons kids may be subject to alternative learning is due to behavioral issues. For example; poor attendance, failing grades, family crisis, medical/social issues, bad test performance, discipline, drugs/alcohol, criminal behavior, bad relationships, credit deficiencies, etc., can all attribute to being placed in an alternative learning program. 

However, this is not always the case. One does not have to be a "bad kid" to go into an alternative learning program, in fact, many are not challenged in traditional school. Some may even over-excel in traditional school, sometimes alternative learning can be a way for kids to learn at a faster pace.

Mixing these opposites can create a beneficial environment; kids that learn at a fast pace can teach kids that learn at a slower pace, and in turn, this creates a healthy social environment where everyone is equal. In public school this is not only a probable situation, but an inevitable one.

There is a huge stigma surrounding kids that choose to go to alternative schools, and all of these ideas are misconstrued. Coming from the mouth of a student who has seen the inter-workings of an alternative school, I can say that there is a wide range of students. Some students are motivated and others are not, but no matter how far ahead one may be than another, they will always be part of the same social structure.

I really want to address this somewhere in my magazine, I think it is important for teachers to really understand that no matter the group of students, they can always work together and co-exist.