"We have gone to the lake once this summer," says Bill Konrad to the eight students sitting around the table. "Does anyone know what the helping verb is?"
Paul Leiferman discusses the grade he gave to a student in his 8.5 class.
Some students try to follow him, while others tune out, staring at the wall or the floor. Some make faces and goof off, showing the same bad behavior that brought them to this class in the first place. No one knows the answer.
Konrad, with the patience of a saint, continues. "Have is the helping verb," he says. "How would it sound if I said, 'We gone to the lake once this summer'? Does that sound educated, or does it sound dumb without a helping verb?"
All of the students have failed sixth or seventh grade. But rather than have them repeat a grade entirely, Oak Hill Middle School in Clearlake tries to meet students halfway, with "half" classes. Konrad teaches a 6.5 and 7.5 combination class. There is also an 8.5 class for students who were not promoted to high school.
Students in "half" grades do not take classes with the rest of the students, except for PE. They are in self-contained classes the rest of the day, and do not have the option of taking electives. The school has prescribed an intensive math, reading and language arts curriculum with small teacher-student ratios in hopes students will catch up with their peers. They also have counseling sessions three times a week, after-school tutoring and summer school. If they do well, they can transition into regular classes at the end of a semester.
When the program first started, "halfs" as the students are called were not allowed at school functions such as dances, and they couldn't play on sports teams. Now they are allowed to participate if they make passing grades.
Most of the students living in this rural town are white and on welfare. Many live in trailers. It is the norm for their parents to have substance abuse problems and to be in and out of jail. While the perception may be that the town of Clearlake is a peaceful vacation spot, the problems of the inner city have made headway in the area. One student eagerly showed his subpoena to testify in court about the murder victim he found behind the school.
Despite the school's location in a backwards area, the staff was progressive enough to stop social promotion years before most urban schools, and willing to take an innovative approach to helping children succeed.
"We got tired of promoting kids who couldn't read and write," says Tom Kenney, the Konocti Education Association (KEA) school site representative. "Students realized they did not have to do anything to go on to the next grade. They would laugh at you."
They aren't laughing anymore.
"I was supposed to go to eighth grade, so I'm a little bit upset," says Shelley Teague, 13. "I felt bad and felt like I wasn't smart enough or good enough. I want to get better grades so I can move up."
"You need a lot of patience for these kids," says Konrad. The KEA member says he has immense patience because he grew up in a rough Chicago area and can empathize with them. "They come from a high level of poverty and seem rude and crude. I try to build on their strengths and help them overcome weaknesses. I try to build a sense of community and teach them how to get along with each other. They have to learn to get along with others to have academic success. It's a long battle."
Students in the 8.5 class are more serious. Instead of goofing off, they work busily on writing and math skills necessary to pass the proficiency tests that are required by the district in order to attend high school. There is almost an air of quiet desperation; students must do well, or they will stay in middle school until they're old enough to have a driver's license.
"We don't want to have a student parking lot here," says Kenney. "Don't laugh. We have a couple of students here who can drive, but we don't let them drive to school."
Bill Konrad's 6.5-7.5 combination class at Oak Hill Middle School in Clearlake enjoys a small student-teacher ratio.
"All my friends are in high school, and I'm stuck here," says Sean Cameron, the student who found the body behind the school. "I'm mad, because I'm still technically in the same grade. But being in 8.5 is better than being stuck in eighth grade again. I am trying to be more serious and more mature. I am trying to learn from my mistakes. I have to get used to working hard for when I go to high school."
"I think the program is very effective for our situation," says KEA member Paul Leiferman, who teaches the 8.5 students. "I had two girls who earned straight A's here. They are doing really well in high school. One girl's mother was arrested for having a controlled substance on the day she graduated from here. If there was ever a place for the state or federal government to justify an orphanage, it's here."
Along with academics, Leiferman's class focuses on conflict resolution (one student recently cut the throat of another student with a plastic knife at lunchtime and is at juvenile hall). He also tries to impress students with the importance of having a strong work ethic.
"There are some very intelligent minds here," he says. "Most have really buckled down and hopefully won't be back next year. I want them to succeed in high school. They have to learn that no one is going to do it for them. I can help them, but they are going to have to do it for themselves."
