Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/229155
Learning Best Practice 11:45 A.M. 11:30 A.M. Early contemplates how the presentation went. "I think it will affect some of them not at all, and some who want to look cool in front of their friends will go home tonight and really think about it. We can't force them to make right decisions, but we can provide information to make right decisions." 12:00 A boy has been sent to Early for wearing blue shoes. Blue and red are banned as gang colors. Early uses masking tape to cover up the blue. "Obviously tape doesn't solve the gang problem," she says, winding tape around his shoes. "But it won't trigger gang behavior in other kids." P.M. Early has pizza waiting for a new group of peer mediators. She trains them to handle disputes, welcome new students and give tours. She reminds them conflict resolution is confidential and not to be discussed publicly. She then takes photos of the mediators, some of them flashing the peace sign for the camera. 12:30 P.M. 1:45 P.M. Early returns phone calls to parents, grandparents, social service agencies and others seeking information about the well-being of students. 1:15 P.M. Two boys having a playground dispute are brought in by a security officer. One repeatedly kicked a ball at another. Swearwords and threats were exchanged. The boy hit by the ball agrees to make peace, but the one who kicked it laughs, rolls his head and mumbles more threats. Early asks if he is able to "move on," and he repeatedly replies "I don't care." She suspects he is under the influence of something and asks the guard to remove him and investigate. Off he goes. 3:30 P.M. 4:00 Early attends a professional learning community meeting with staff and provides a sympathetic ear to stressed-out teachers. "Both my parents are public school teachers, so it's important for me to support teachers. I seriously think that teaching is the most admirable job and that they need a space where they can talk about things. They need an outlet." She also offers "wellness" sessions with teachers once a week during lunchtime. 44 Educator 12 Dec 2013 v2.0 int.indd 44 Early checks in with MFT intern Ali Howard, who has learned a lot from her mentor. "When I first came here, I was alarmed," says Howard. "Bridget said 'Reset your goals,' and even getting some of these kids to come to school every day is a major accomplishment. It's not about saving every kid and making life perfect. Sometimes kids just need to know that someone cares about them." P.M. Early prepares to go home. "A lot of the problems I deal with are on a societal level," she muses. "It trickles down to the school, and we try and fix it. Sometimes they come back years later and tell me I made a difference. For me, that's the best part of the job." DE C E M B E R 2013 | JANUARY 2014 12/14/13 3:33 PM