Photo By Sgt. 1st Class Darron Salzer | With a steady movement of her whisk, Laneesha Johnson, left, a Freestate cadet, mixes...... read more read more
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Editor's note: This is part four of a five-part series on the National Guard’s Youth ChalleNGe program.
The low morning light streamed through the windows of Rebecca Blue's classroom at the Maryland National Guard's Freestate ChalleNGe Academy. She switched on the overhead projector and shuffled through graded assignments as it hummed to life.
She then wrote the morning's instructions and objectives on the classroom whiteboard, the marker producing a faint squeak with each letter. As she finished, the rhythmic stride of cadets marching to class could be heard — along with the cadence called to keep them in step.
The cadets marched single file into the classroom and toward another day of "academic excellence," one of eight core competencies required for graduation.
Other competencies include physical fitness, life and job skills, health and hygiene, responsible citizenship, leadership and service to community.
For many of the academy teachers, academic excellence is the cornerstone the other competencies are built on.
"The overall mission of Freestate is to create productive citizens, and you can't create productive citizens without some type of education," said Blue, the lead academic instructor at the academy.
The classes taught at the academy prepare cadets to earn their high school diploma, and include classes in science, math, social studies, literature and writing.
Before cadets go "back to school" at Freestate, their current education level is assessed.
"Some cadets come to Freestate barely able to read or having never thought they would attend college; while others are college-ready, but failed out of high school for whatever reason," Blue said.
Near the end of the 22-week residential phase cadets must retake the same assessment test. In order to graduate, Blue noted, they must show marked academic improvement.
"We have some kids who improve by four or five grade levels in 15 weeks," she said. "It's impressive."
That academic rebirth is no accident. Blue and other instructors work with each cadet to identify where help is needed most and tailor their lesson plans accordingly.
"It takes a special type of educator to do that because you have to get the kids interested in learning again," Blue said.
Tim Jackson, the science teacher at the academy, agreed.
"A lot of times, it's a challenging task," he said. "It's up to the teacher to make it exciting and to draw the attention [of] the young individuals who are involved."
Hands-on science experiments are one method Jackson said he uses to engage students. Music is another and since many of the cadets listen to hip-hop and rap music, Jackson said he often tries to find an educational rap song related to the day's lesson.
"You might not think they're listening, but they hear every word," Jackson said of the rap songs he finds. "I try to do that at the beginning of all my lessons."
Doing homework, taking tests and sitting through class can be difficult for some cadets, especially those who have been out of school for a while, said Blue.
"Here, they have to do those things," Blue said. "It's not an option."
Keeping the students focused is key, she said.
"We remove all of the distractions they had in [public] school and start with the basics, trying to get through as much as possible in 15 weeks," Blue said.
D'wight Lucas, a cadet at the academy, said he would often hang out with friends rather than do his homework.
"I feel like you always have a choice, but coming here forces you to make smart decisions," he said. "You can choose to hang out in other rooms and be silly, or stay in your room and study. I chose to study because it was only going to be beneficial to me."
According to Lucas, the cadre often tell cadets to take advantage of the education Freestate offers as, in the end, the cadets are the ones responsible for their own future.
"I feel like they really changed my way of thinking, in terms of prioritizing what I needed to do," he said.
That sense of responsibility is often reinforced in other ways while cadets are in the classroom. For Jackson, that means leaving the squad leaders in charge of the cadets, just like they would be outside of class.
"I make sure they take on that responsibility the right way," he said. "That's the job they have, being in that squad leader position, until they are relieved of that duty."
Watching the cadets to grow and tackle new concepts, said Blue, is one of her favorite things.
"It's pretty amazing to see how well they progress," she said. "We always tell them that whatever you put in is what you're going to get out of it. Some of them take that to heart."
For some cadets, that translates to taking advantage of additional tutoring available from their mentors or volunteers who come to the academy once a week. Those sessions help reinforce the classroom lessons, said Blue, but it's also something cadets must earn through doing homework, class participation and following directions of staff and cadre.
In addition to the academic program, cadets can also elect to attend additional classes in one of three vocational trades, which can help with employment once they graduate or give them credit toward continued training.
"The vocational program ties into two core components of Freestate — life skills and job skills," said Karilynn Dunmeyer, the recruiting, placement and mentoring supervisor at the academy.
The vocational trades program is not mandatory and those who do not participate have other opportunities to master the academy's life and job skills requirements.
For Laneesha Johnson, a cadet at the academy with aspirations of becoming a Navy chef, the culinary arts program offered at Freestate is an important element to her post-residential plan. An avid cook at home, she said the culinary training has allowed her to expand her skill set.
"We've made a couple different things that I personally would never have thought of making," she said, adding the classes are something she looks forward to.
"We actually [get] to relax and have fun, cook and actually talk to each other," Laneesha said of being away from the rigors of daily academy life while in the kitchen.
The classes are also an opportunity that she sees as giving her a leg up with her plans for the Navy, she said.
That's the intent, said Dunmeyer.
"When they go into the post-residential [phase] this helps them with placement, and our programs give them the opportunity to continue with the trades," she said. "We're trying to create successful citizens, and this is another step for them to go out and become successful citizens."
Jackson agreed, adding that he stresses to the cadets that education is a pathway to other opportunities.
"I always tell the kids here they have to fight the power of ignorance," he said. "They can win. They just have to make that effort."
| Date Taken: | 08.16.2016 |
| Date Posted: | 08.16.2016 12:34 |
| Story ID: | 207278 |
| Location: | EDGEWOOD, MD, US |
| Web Views: | 51 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, The ChalleNGe: Academics (Part 4 of 5), by SFC Darron Salzer, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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