Newburgh, NY is one tough town. Here is one man’s story of working to soften it.
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Newburgh, NY is one tough town. And perhaps it’s toughest on one of its most vulnerable populations – minority boys and young men on the cusp of adolescence in middle school. I know. I teach there.
I teach science, including biology and earth science, at San Miguel Academy. This is an independent, tuition-free faith-based middle school for boys and young men who are on the cusp of adolescence. These boys come from underserved families, mostly drawn from an impoverished, crime-ridden, violent five-square mile radius in downtown Newburgh.
A shocking 35% of residents under the age of 18 live below the poverty line |
Opened in 2006, the Academy uses small class size, extended school days, and an extended school year with a summer program to fight the cycle of poverty. The odds are long: Newburgh was named as “Murder Capital of New York,” by New York Magazine; and a shocking 35% of residents under the age of 18 live below the poverty line.
It’s hard for children and adolescents to learn, much less retain what they’ve learnt, in a “trauma-based” environment with exposure to drugs, violence and hunger that hinders development. At San Miguel, we are evening the odds with a variety of tools, including a hands-on, Place-Based-Learning science program developed by myself and other faculty members that brings boys out into the field to do real life science observation and science experiments. The program has been generously funded during the past two school years via Audubon’s Toyota Together Green innovation grants of $35,000 and $30,300, respectively.
We’re finding that boys participating in Place-Based-Learning – field science – retain more information they learn in the field – compared with retention for classroom lessons – and improve as much as half to a full letter grade higher, on standardized exams measuring knowledge and retention.
We’ve found that boys…retain more information they learn in the field |
During the 2012/2013 school year, the Toyota Together Green made it possible for us to take our students each week to a full-day of on-site outdoor science sites, observing, studying and analyzing hands-on river ecology, marsh biosystems, forestry, ornithology and geology, among other science topics.
We were also able to leverage a Toyota Together Green innovation grant to secure additional support, which allowed us to study science in the field at Sprout Creek Farm in Poughkeepsie; Constitution Marsh in Garrison; and Hudson Highlands Nature Museum in Cornwall – all along the Hudson Valley.
We’ve found that boys participating in the Project -Based and Place-Based-Learning – scientific exploration and experimentation — retain more information they learn in the field, compared with retention for classroom lessons. Students improve as much as half to a full letter grade higher, according to classroom tests, and according to my own and other faculty observations expand their vocabulary and enhance their overall life experiences.
I’ve seen the difference this kind of learning makes |
I’ve seen the difference this kind of learning makes. I’ll never forgot, one student – he had not been a top performer; he was just getting by — and after participating in the project-based place-based science learning, came to me in the halls to let me that he had made “second honors” – achieving a B academic average and good conduct scores.“I never thought I would ever make it,” he said. Now he’s trying for first honors – an A academic average and continued good conduct.
We recognize that these social skills are difficult to develop in an environment marked by gang violence |
One of the biggest challenges these boys and young men face is developing self-control, being able to control their own impulsive actions. We recognize that these social skills are difficult to develop in an environment marked by gang violence, and sometimes upheaval at home.
San Miguel is using Place Based Learning to help the boys develop three critical skills necessary for success in life and in their careers: critical thinking, creativity and collaboration. Their previous collaborative experiences have usually been based on yelling. By working collaboratively on science projects, students are learning how to express their thoughts and opinions and work together to achieve something without screaming or arguing – a critical life skill even if a student does not become a scientist.
We’re now well into our second innovation grant, which has helped pay for supplies and experiences that would otherwise be out of the Academy’s ability to provide. We recently finished building five habitat planting beds which will create bird-friendly habitats around the school.
The boys will participate in every aspect of this collaborative project |
Later in the summer we plan on building a 10-foot chimney swift tower. The boys will participate in every aspect of this collaborative project – from making blueprints, to measuring , to cutting the wood, to constructing the beds. Now we will study and record observations about a variety of birds in their natural habitat.
This past year we have also worked with the Clearpool Partner School program, which provides schools in need with a long-term customized outdoor education program to support the classroom curriculum. The students focused on forest ecology – including learning about the scientific method by participating in Clearpool’s maple sugaring operations, collecting and analyzing sap flow from individual trees. The program also included an up-close real world class in ornithology.
San Miguel Academy’s hands-on science approach is enhancing our boys’ confidence and feelings of self-worth |
It’s no surprise that the San Miguel Academy has a long waiting list. Students must apply, and a parent or guardian must be actively involved in a student’s life in order for faculty to work with parents on any larger issues. I was not taken back when I first started teaching because I had previously volunteered when I was a college student, and knew the challenges these boys and young men face.
But what I have seen during the past few years, is that San Miguel Academy’s hands-on science approach is enhancing our boys’ confidence and feelings of self-worth as they expand their boundaries and participate in real life activities.
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–Photo: Frank Snyder