Background of students in Alternative Education: Interviews with a selected 2008 cohort

6. Students’ learning experiences in AE centres

Most of the students were sent to AE by their secondary school, almost as a kind of punishment for failing to fit in to mainstream secondary schools. One student however, found out for herself about AE centres, after truanting from school for a while and becoming despondent about her future:

One day, I just decided to ring up WINZ and ask them if there was anything I could do, like a part-time job or something I could learn from, something that could benefit myself. I wanted to get away from the whole south [city] side type of life—I’d experienced all that stuff at such a young age, I decided to change my life around, try to do something better. My family still couldn’t see that at the time, they were like ‘you’re going no-where’, and all that. But then when I found this course, when WINZ gave me the number for this course, it was like good. I just rang up myself, I told my dad that I got an appointment. He was happy-as. He didn’t know that young kids my age could get into courses like this. My dad wasn’t gonna ring up for me, because he thought it was going to be a waste of time—thought there was nothing to do…Now my dad can’t wait to get my report. He used to look at my school report and think “what’s this about?” And now, he’s like “my daughter is improving like everything”. Like my whole life has turned around from coming to this course. When I first came, I looked forward to smoke breaks. But now I can accept boundaries in my life—this course has opened up my eyes heaps. [Samantha]

Most of the students knew very little about AE centres before they came, so did not know what to expect. Sometimes a school counsellor had explained about the centre at the decision-making meeting, but most of the students arrived rather warily on their first day. However, 100 percent of the students we interviewed said they enjoyed being at their AE centres. In the transcripts we found there were two major themes for why they enjoyed AE. Firstly, they felt comfortable in a number of ways, which when we analysed the quotes, was all about effective relationships with both their tutors and other students. Secondly they were learning again—wanting to learn and learning effectively. Some in fact were feeling they needed more learning than they were getting from their particular AE centre.

We have divided this chapter into two sections—relationships and learning—and illustrated what the students thought, using their own statements. Relationships comes first as it is the foundation stone upon which learning can occur, because without effective relationships, effective learning will not occur for these students.

Relationships

The majority of young people we spoke to were overwhelmingly positive about their experiences at their respective Alternative Education centres. Central to these young people’s accounts were a sense of belonging, and the quality of the relationships they had developed with their teachers, tutors, and peers. There was a feeling that the centres and the people associated with them had created a safer and more understanding environment in which these young people could start to address some of the issues they had been dealing with at school and at home. The confidence and pride these young people exhibited in telling us about their alternative education centres and the people they shared them with was in stark contrast to how they had described some of their mainstream (intermediate and secondary) educational experiences.

Relationships with staff at the AE centre

At the heart of these positive experiences were the connections that these young people had made with their teachers and tutors at the centres. Many of these young people had described having poor relationships with many of their intermediate and secondary school teachers yet in many instances had spoken positively of relationships with some of their primary school teachers. It was evident that these alternative education teachers/tutors shared qualities that young people had valued in their positive relationships with primary teachers. There was a shared sense amongst these young people that the teachers and tutors they encountered at the centres were genuinely interested in supporting and assisting them in their lives, not just their education.

When I came here I was still around the same people [gangs]. The tutors here are real cool they could tell the kind of stuff you are going through. They helped me—they sit down and talk to you about problems and stuff and they really care and help you out. [Sam]

The generally non-traditional approach to relationship building that alternative education teachers and tutors took, also seemed effective.

Here, the tutors are more like friends then teachers. You can tell they really want to help us instead of doing it just for the money. And the people are different here. I like it. I’m familiar with the place. [Jessica]

I reckon this place is cool. The tutors make it cool, more than the work and activities. They know how to treat us. Treat us differently. They’re really funny and all that. Sometimes they’ll give us what we want but not all the time. Talk to us differently, feels like they’re talking to me like we’re mates rather than teachers. [Nate]

Teachers here treat me different. It’s way better. [E-Rep]

In some cases the teachers and tutors were from the same culture as these young people. For the following young woman it was something that had been missing in her experiences with mainstream teachers.

This is heaps better than school and the teachers here are way better—get along with them better. Closer to my culture, understand us kids more. Mainstream teachers didn’t know me as a person, or are interested in me. [Sonny]

The relationships described were far more relaxed and friendship orientated than those seen with teachers in mainstream schooling yet this did not compromise the centre educator’s ability to maintain good behaviour at the centre. In fact by focusing on the idea of ‘respecting others’ they had created a powerful incentive for encouraging good behaviour. It was an approach that resonated strongly with many of these young people including this young man.

It’s about respect—the tutors say: “if you don’t respect our rules, you don’t respect us”. That made me think. They make me laugh every day. Everyone shook my hand the first day I came here. [Jerry]

While encouraging and supporting mutual respect between teachers, tutors and peers at the centre, it was important there were also clear rules in place, especially related to drug use and inappropriate verbal and/or physical behaviour.

Pretty easy here, just respect one another. You get push-ups for punishment, and have to do 10 laps around the van if you swear. If you show up stoned, you get taken straight home. People don’t do that, people respect the people here. It’s easier to get along with the people here, they know how it feels. [Nate]

However these rules were commonly viewed by students as reasonable.

We have rules but they are fair—not too strict. [Lush]

When necessary teachers/tutors would discipline students. However their methods were consistent with the focus being on respect. It was an approach that one young man appreciated and felt comfortable with.

When they tell you off they don’t do it in front of everyone, so you don’t get embarrassed. They just take you aside and talk to you about it. It’s a better way to treat us… like how my parents would do it instead of telling me off in front of my brothers and that. [Bob]

In visiting these centres we also spoke to teachers and tutors informally about their own educational experiences. We found that several had had similar experiences of school and learning to these young people. This helped them build relationships with these young people as they had an understanding of what they had been through and had their own stories to share.

Safety

Young people told us that they saw their centres as safe places to learn and socialise. It was a major attraction to these young people who had often had to deal with violence in their lives.

The rules are good—you’re not allowed to swear or play fight. It feels safe here. [Superman]

I feel a lot safer here—you know you can come in and not get picked on—its calm and yeah easier here for me. Smaller numbers. [Bonny]

Feel safe and there is a structure, the tutors here are real personable—they are real serious about us. [Sam]

There were few, if any, reported fights at the centres in our interviews and students told us that there were strict rules about anything related to gangs. This was viewed extremely positively by young people who had been involved in gangs previously and even those who still were gang members. It seemed that the alternative education centre was a place where these young people from different places, upbringings and gangs could interact without conflict.

Not really allowed to talk about gang stuff at the centre—everyone knows to leave that stuff outside and it’s safe at the centre. It’s more relaxed and no fights. Feels heaps more freedom when I’m at the centre. [Reuben]

I can be friends with kids from other gangs here. [Jerry]

I’ve learnt more about how to deal with people, at school. I hated girls and now I can get along with them. I also like being able to make friends from other races instead of people following gangs and colours. At course we are all different but it doesn’t matter, you have ‘Course’ in common. [Max]

I don’t like people from the same group (gang) at the same course. That’s what happened at college. Try to keep that side of my life separate from here. Probably 3 or 4 here are in different gangs. Everyone keeps it away from here. Makes it easier to come here and hang out and stuff. [Method]

Shared Experiences

One of the most salient themes to emerge from our interviews with young people was the effects of shared educational and life experiences. It was easier for them to open up and build friendships with peers who had similar experiences and could understand what their lives had been like.

It’s been a lot easier to stay out of trouble at Alt Ed. All the kids here have been expelled or had troubles. People tell stories about the hidings they’ve had. Not many people actually know what we’ve have been through, but the other kids at the centre do…I find it hard to talk to other people as they don’t really know much about what I’ve experienced. [Reuben]

Young people told us they felt more comfortable around students who had been through similar experiences of school and life.

It’s kinda cool to hang out with people who had been through the same situations as I had. I felt comfortable here. [Bob]

I reckon it’s a little bit better than school. I enjoy it and it’s pretty easy to along with the people here cause they’ve been through pretty much exactly what I have. It feels easy to make friends here… Most of them have had teachers that mislead them and that too—that’s how I make friends, people that know what I’ve been through and I can understand them better. [Bob]

It was easy to make friends [at AE]. They just come up to me and said hi. We all got something in common and we all like the same things. [Jessica]

I like this place because it’s small, I know everyone here, everyone’s friendly. [Poly]

It’s cool. Everyone that comes here has gone thru the same sort of thing as you, so you get on with them. It’s easy to fit in here—you can just be yourself. [Tweety]

One young woman described how there was a sense of family at her centre. Having time to get to know each other and sharing their [similar] experiences of life and school helped them to develop strong relationships with their peers.

Its like one big family—we treat each other like brother and sister—we argue but like with brothers and sisters. Get to know each other’s history—and it’s all the same which is good—don’t feel on the edge. We help each other with work and we go out places. [GenuisOne]

These factors helped young people develop strong relationships amongst their peers and teachers/tutors at the centres. These relationships were robust enough to weather disagreements and encourage peers to assist each other in both their social development and learning.

Young peoples social experiences at schools

In hearing how strongly young people felt about the positive social situations at their alternative education centres, we revisited the stories they told of their relationships at school. It was quickly apparent that many young people we spoke to forged friendships and associations with groups of peers at schools as a way of dealing with the transition to a new school (and social) environment. Several young people we spoke to including two who had been involved in gangs reported feeling lost, scared, and disconnected when first starting intermediate or secondary school.

I found intermediate to be really different. I didn’t like it. I wasn’t familiar with how it worked or anything. I was scared when I got there about meeting all those new people and I just couldn’t handle it. I’ve got a real fear of meeting new people, like a ‘social phobia’. Meeting people 1-1 is ok and small groups but big groups of people are scary. [Henry]

I found I could settle down when there aren’t many people around. At schools there are heaps of people and it’s hard. I feel more comfortable with less people around like at the AE centres I’ve been to. [Tom Lee]

We have already heard (see Chapter 6) that the majority of these young people had not developed strong relationships with their secondary school teachers. To overcome this lack of social connection, some young people described gravitating toward other young people who were feeling the same about school.

I felt pretty lost when I got to the new school. I was a bit scared by it all. I made friends in form 3 with all the other kids that were lost, didn’t know what to do. They were all in the same class. I started to make friends with the people that were on their own. I didn’t want them to feel alone like I did. [Max]

Similarly to how young people described their feelings about alternative education centres, there was a desire to connect with people who were sharing similar experiences to gain confidence and a sense of safety, by belonging to a social group. However in mainstream settings the majority of these young people were identifying with, and connecting to peers who were exhibiting disengaged behaviour.

I started hanging out with the naughty people. Truant, smoking, not really gang, just boys hanging out. I would go to only two classes a day. [Bob Down]

I didn’t do much learning at secondary school. My friends didn’t care about it. [Sam]

Bad role models really. Following others, mainly the older ones and if you were the toughest then you were popular. You wanted to follow them and do what they did so they accepted you. Most were interested in other stuff—not school though. [Bob]

While some young people we spoke to felt they were successful in making a wide range of friends, there was still a sense they were more comfortable with people they saw as similar to themselves.

Lots of them [friends] weren’t into school work. But I had a lot of friends throughout the school. Not just people in the gangs. I got along with everyone but chose to hang out with people of my own race (due to gang influences). It made me feel more comfortable being with these people at school. [Max]

Perhaps these stories from young people partially explain how groups of disengaged students form within schools. Driven by a need to ‘find their place’ or ‘fit in’ young people who are struggling within the school environment seem to be looking for others who are feeling the same. We suggest that students involved in gangs and/or groups of students with ongoing behavioural issues might be considered the outcome of a critical mass of young people who are disconnected and disinterested in school as they are currently experiencing it.