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C I C E L Y B I N G E N E R S E R V E S as the advisor for the FITE Club that meets weekly at Inglewood Continuation School. The club's 12 members don't put on boxing gloves and throw punches. Instead, they are fighting for a second chance and better future — while pondering careers in education. The letters stand for Future Ingle- wood Transformative Educators. Bingener believes that FITE Club members have the potential to become excellent teachers because of the challenges they face, not in spite of them. "Some of the best solutions to our pressing problems in society rest with those who are 'closest to the pain,'" says the Inglewood Teachers Association member. "Some of the most marginalized stu- dents have the most to tell us about what successful and impactful teaching looks like." While being polled in the game Kahoot!, students shared that relationships are key to student success and that it matters if a teacher is caring and kind. They also said that consistency is important. Many have had numerous substitute teachers and high teacher turnover at their schools. Bingener was surprised that club members hold teachers in such high respect, despite their academic struggles. She learned that there are many reasons students enroll in alternative education pro- grams including experiencing homelessness or foster care, working to support their family, and being bullied because they 're gay, trans- gender or non-binary. "FITE Club members are very intelligent and have a unique perspective that doesn't get solicited often," she adds. "We need to mine that expertise rather than dismiss it. Instead of pushing students to the margins, we should pull them in — with caring, inclusive and restorative practices." She believes that at-risk students can help to solve the teaching shortage and increase the numbers of minority teachers in schools. students and community members, and they keep the bikes in his program fine-tuned. He created another program, Project Dragon Paws (in honor of the school's mas- cot) for the 25 students in his classroom. It started when one student smuggled a kitten into class. "I noticed the calming effect that it had on students and thought, 'How can we incorpo- rate this into our classroom?'" Sprague formed a partnership with Trinity County Animal Shelter, which brings animals to the school. Alps' students feed, care for, socialize and play with them. They photo- graph each animal and run a social media campaign to help them get adopted into forever homes. "Now in our third year, Project Dragon Paws is not only a huge highlight for our students, but it has also afforded them an opportunity to give back to their community." "Project Dragon Paws has created a more positive environment in the class- room," says 12th-grader Julie Vela. "It has lowered my anxiety levels and taught me a sense of responsibility." Sprague, who grew up on the East Coast, experienced many of the challenges his stu- dents face. "I didn't care about school, barely grad- uated high school and had my share of troubles in school. My students pointed out this makes me 'one of them.'" After graduating from college, he worked briefly as a correctional officer, became a teacher and was also a principal for several years. Three years ago, he decided to work with the student population that needs him the most — and came to AVHS. His next challenge is creating a garden that will also serve as an outdoor living classroom and a source of nutritious food for his stu- dents, who often come to school hungry and craving healthy food. "I am striving to be the teacher I wish I had when I was younger," says Sprague. " These are not 'bad kids.' It's just that their learning has been interrupted. And I'll do whatever it takes to support them and help them get back on track." Bingener, center, with FITE Club members on a visit to UCLA. 20 cta.org The Innovation Issue FITE Club advisor battles alternative education stereotypes